pots" were found to fulfill all requirements. They acquire the name
from the use of common laths in their construction. They are usually
about 4 feet in length, with a width of about 2 feet, a height of 18
inches, and in Maine are usually of semicylindrical form.

The following description of this apparatus is from the Fishery
Industries of the United States, sec. v, vol. 11, p. 666:


The framework of the bottom consists of three strips of wood,
either hemlock, spruce, or pine (the first mentioned being the
most durable), a little longer than the width of the pot, about
2-3/4 inches wide and 1 inch thick. In the ends of each of
the outer strips a hole is bored to receive the ends of a
small branch of pliable wood, which is bent into a regular
semicircular curve. These hoops are made of branches of spruce
or hemlock, or of hardwood saplings, such as maple, birch,
or ash, generally retaining the bark. Three of these similar
frames, straight below and curved above, constitute the
framework of each pot, one to stand at each end and one in the
center. The narrow strips of wood, generally ordinary house
laths of spruce or pine, which form the covering, are nailed
lengthwise to them, with interspaces between about equal to
the width of the lathe. On the bottom the laths are sometimes
nailed on the outside and sometimes on the inside of the cross
pieces. The door is formed by three or four of the laths
running the entire length near the top. The door is hinged on
by means of small leather strips, and is fastened by a single
wooden button in the center, or by two buttons, one at each
end. The openings into the pot . . . are two in number, one at