Bushel

Maybe it's time to cover the picnic table with newspapers, invite the family over and have that crab feast you couldn't afford over Memorial Day weekend.Crab prices have dropped in recent weeks -- by as much as $68 a bushel in at least one case -- according to a spot check of retailers and wholesalers around the state.Al Strzegowski of Al's Seafood on Eastern Boulevard in Middle River perhaps best summed up the current crab market yesterday when he said: "They're not cheap, but they are at least affordable."

Maybe it's time to cover the picnic table with newspapers, invite the family over and have that crab feast you couldn't afford over Memorial Day weekend.Crab prices have dropped in recent weeks -- by as much as $68 a bushel in at least one case -- according to a spot check of retailers and wholesalers around the state.Al Strzegowski of Al's Seafood on Eastern Boulevard in Middle River perhaps best summed up the current crab market yesterday when he said:"They're not cheap, but they are at least affordable."

Recent high corn prices have been a boon for grain farmers in Carroll County, where corn is the top agricultural crop, but troublesome to livestock producers.Farmers in central Maryland last month earned an average $5.23 per bushel of grain corn, according to statistics issued by the state Department of Agriculture. That compares with an average of $2.89 a bushel in June last year and $3.06 a bushel in June 1994."I hope it stays that way," said Lou Fisher, who grows corn, soybeans and wheat near Eldersburg.

Applicants limited to 9 for farm easementsThe county will have to limit the number of applicants in the state's Agricultural Land Preservation program to just nine farmers, said Bill Powel, program administrator for Carroll's Agricultural Land Preservation Program.Mr. Powel told the commissioners this week that the county will have to adhere to state regulations pertaining to the land preservation program. He said the state has received 233 applications, including 26 from Carroll. But the state will probably not purchase more than 40 easements, or development rights to properties, because of budget constraints.

State fund, Annapolis join in tree plantings As part of a reforestation and beautification program, the Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund joined with Annapolis Mayor Ellen O. Moyer and the Annapolis city council to plant more than two dozen trees around Annapolis Walk Community Center, near MAIF's Forest Drive headquarters. MAIF Deputy Executive Director John Banghart said of Friday's planting: "MAIF has been and remains committed to working toward a greener, more environmentally friendly business model."

GLENELG HIGH School students are a talented bunch. Four seniors at the school are finalists in the Maryland Distinguished Scholar Program, giving them a chance to get a four-year scholarship at a Maryland college or university. Matt Ashmore, John Habert, Frederick Kramer and Chris Seymour, also a finalist in the instrumental music category, were selected as finalists.Semifinalists include Lauren Brown, Aaron Fallon, Michaelean Ferguson, Brendan Gallagher, Suzanne Mundy, Michele Renehan and Patrick Tvarkunas.

* Investors were cautious over the past week as they watched from afar the steep drops that dragged down stocks on world markets. The New York market drifted through the week without a single session in which the Dow Jones industrial average rose or fell by as much as 7 points.The Dow closed Friday at 3,282.41, down 2.94 points from the week before. The NASDAQ composite index for the over-the-counter market fell 6.32, to 547.88, and the American Stock Exchange market value index lost .35, to 374.04.

As mid-June approaches, crabbers have been encouraged by reports of good catches for this time of year. On June 8, instead of joining my friend who caught 1 1/2 bushels in Shipping Creek, I chose to crab the upper Chesapeake, as many readers requested a report for this area.Somewhat disappointed, I caught only three crabs using 20 traps in 7 to 8 feet of water on the western side of Hart/Miller Island, and no crabs in the Gunpowder River in front of the state park. I'm expecting the upper bay to become more productive later in the summer and will keep readers updated.

Charles C. Shelton, who headed the tax department at Semmes, Bowen & Semmes, this week left the law firm to join a small legal boutique in Pikesville.Mr. Shelton became a partner Thursday in the newly renamed Basik, Bushel and Shelton, which specializes in state tax matters. In 1991 a former Semmes colleague, T. Scott Basik, set up the firm, which represents commercial property owners appealing their tax assessments."In a large firm there are complications in running the firm," Mr. Shelton said.