THE LOBSTER FISHERY. 



791 



can only be obtained in that way. They are brought from as far east as Southwest Harbor, and 

 South Harpswell, on the coast of Maine. The fishing ports from which lobsters are sent in 

 barrels to New York are very numerous, and include, in addition to those above-mentioned, 

 Portland, Me. ; Portsmouth, N. H. ; Boston, Wood's Holl, and New Bedford, Mass. ; Newport, E. 

 I. ; Stonington, Noank, New London, and New Haven, Conn., and many small places at the 

 eastern end of Long Island, N. Y. About fifty barrels of lobsters are received annually from the 

 vicinity of Long Branch, N. J. As in the case of the smacks, barreled lobsters are obtained 

 mainly from Southern New England, Long Island, and Boston during June, July, August, and 

 September, and from Boston and more northern ports during the remainder of the year. By far 

 the larger portion of the barreled lobsters come from Boston, from 5 to 10 per cent, of the supplies 

 from that place being boiled and the remainder fresh. Boston boiled lobsters have obtained a 

 good reputation in New York, being more favorably regarded there than those boiled elsewhere. 

 However, nearly all the lobsters retailed in New York are sold fresh, the sales of boiled lobsters 

 being almost exclusively limited to those received in that state from Boston. But at times there 

 is a small demand for boiled lobsters above the Boston supply, and as there are no regular 

 boilers in New York, the cooking is accomplished by forcing steam from a boiler into a wooden 

 tank containing the lobsters and water. 



The floating cars employed for holding the fresh lobsters are the same as are used for other 

 kinds of fish. About forty-eight such cars, with a capacity of about 600 lobsters each, are in 

 use for lobsters in the slips at Fulton market during a longer or shorter period of each year. 



Lobsters are sold in New York during the entire year, but the greatest demand is during the 

 months of July, August, and September, when five times as many are disposed of as during any 

 other three months of the year. The demand is least during February and March, when lobsters 

 are comparatively scarce. The fall trade is good. The great summer demand results from the 

 enormous consumption of lobsters at the summer hotels and restaurants of the vicinity. The 

 hotels on Coney Island, for instance, often use as much as 3,500 pounds a day. This trade is of 

 comparatively recent origin, having commenced about 1876 and increased to date. The demand 

 for lobsters in New York City has greatly increased within the past two or three years, but the 

 supply has remained very much the same from year to year. In consequence, the prices have 

 advanced to such an extent that at certain seasons lobsters have come to be regarded as a lux- 

 ury beyond the means of any but the richer classes. 



In 1880 the wholesale prices of lobsters averaged about as follows : From May 1 to November 

 30, 6 cents per pound ; December and January, 8 cents per pound ; February, March, and April, 

 12J cents per pound. The retail prices for the same periods were 10, 12, and 15 cents, respect- 

 ively. During the summer season of 1882 the wholesale prices ranged from 6 to 25 cents per 

 pound, the average price being about 10 cents. The higher prices obtained when the demand was 

 greatest. 



About 2,500,000 pounds of lobsters, valued at $175,000 wholesale, were brought to New York 

 City during 1880. 



List of New York Io1<a1er smacks. 



ENGAGED IN LOBSTERING ONLY. 



