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crabs, together with much grass, are taken by the thousands by 
this means. 
The new methods of catching have enormously increased the 
waste. One of the large crab packers of Crisfield recently stated 
that “during the. early stages of the industry the loss was not 10 
per cent, today I calculate the loss to be 50 per cent and this waste 
is caused by having no protective measures to regulate the taking 
of crabs from the waters.” 
How A CRAB GROWS 
There are six stages of a crab’s life, commonly classified as 
follows: First, the “hard crab,’ or one in its natural condition; 
second, a “snot,” or one that has just entered the shedding stage; 
third, a “peeler,’ when the old shell has begun to break; fourth, 
a “buster,’ when the new shell can be seen; fifth, the “soft 
crab” ; sixth, a “paper shell” or “buckram,”’ when the new shell 
is beginning to harden. Crabs are sold by the fishermen prin- 
cipally in the “peeler” or “buster” condition, just before the shed- 
ding takes place, the proportion sold as soft crabs being much 
smaller. “Snots” are seldom bought by dealers, but are returned 
to the fishermen, who place them in their floats until they become 
“peelers” or, are in a salable condition. 
All crab packers have what are known as floats, a rectangular 
box approximately 10 to 15 feet long, 4 feet wide and 2 feet deep, 
the sides and ends being constructed of lathes and the bottom of 
six-inch planks. Extending around the float on the outside, mid- 
way of its height, is a shelf about 7 inches wide, to prevent the 
float from sinking. ‘These floats are used by the fishermen and 
dealers as a means of holding crabs that have entered upon the 
shedding process and are made fast to stakes or inclosed by a 
fence to prevent their being washed away by strong winds. 
Dealers employ men to watch their floats constantly and remove 
the crabs from the water immediately after the shedding process 
to prevent the hardening of the shell. 
THE Harp-CraB INDUSTRY 
The hard-crab industry, carried on largely in the upper tide- 
water counties, is conducted in a different manner. ‘The fishermen 
engaged in taking the hard crabs are equipped with “trot lines.” 
