THE CRAB INDUSTRY OF MARYLAND. 429 
ever, think a briny solution thrown over the meat is more satisfactory 
than the dry salt. The meatis packed in buckets after it is salted and 
is placed ina large ice box and covered with ice, where it remains 
until shipped. ‘There are commonly three sizes of buckets, holding, 
respectively, 5$ pounds, 25 pounds, and 1 pound each. The amount 
of meat in a bucket varies somewhat at times, according to the condi- 
tion of the crabs and the pressure applied in extracting the moisture. 
The thinner the crab the more moisture it contains. During the sea- 
son of 1901 the meat from a barrel of hard crabs filled, on an average, 
3% buckets of the largest size. Two firms, instead of steaming, boil their 
crabs about 30 minutes before removing the meat. It is claimed by some 
that more water remains in the meat after boiling than after steaming. 
The business of putting up crab meat in sealed cans is carried on by 
only two firms in the state—one at Crisfield and the other at Bivalve. 
The former has already been referred to in connection with the soft- 
crab industry, in which it is engaged. The problem of preserving 
the meat indefinitely has been very difficult to solve, and but few firms 
have been successful; one of these, located in Virginia, was about the 
first in the field. 
Use of shells. —A fter the meat has been extracted the crab shells are 
cleaned and a certain number are sent with every shipment of meat, to 
be used principally in making deviled crabs. In the case of small 
orders, say from 5 to7 gallons of meat, buckets are placed in the bot- 
tom of a barrel and covered with ice, and the barrel is then filled with 
shells. When a larger shipment is made the meat is placed in one 
barrel and the shells in another. On an average from 80 to 100 shells 
are sent with each gallon of meat. Boys are usually employed in 
cleaning the shells, and are paid about 5 cents a hundred. When 
shipped separately the shells are sent in sugar and flour barrels, the 
former holding 1,800 shells and the latter 1,200. 
A factory at Oxford has been engaged during the last two seasons 
in grinding crab shells and disposing of the resultant product to fer- 
tilizer manufacturers for use as an ingredient. When the shells are 
brought to the factory they are placed in a revolving cylinder, through 
which a draft of hot air is passed to dry them, and then are spread 
over the floor of the factory to allow any remaining moisture to evap- 
orate. After they are thoroughly dried they are placed in a grinding 
machine operated by steam, and ground into a fine meal, in which 
condition the product is ready for shipment. Its value as an ingredient 
for fertilizer is due to the 9 per cent of ammonia which it contains. 
The use of the revolving cylinder is said to lessen the escape of the 
ammonia. The shells are secured from crab houses at a nominal cost. 
Up to the present time the factory has been able to get about one ton 
of shells per day, which is just enough to justify its operation. 
The following table shows the extent of the crab fishery of Mary- 
land in 1901: The total number of men engaged was 5,388. Sixty- 
