REFRIGERATION OF FISH 



627 



boxes, probably because of the greater pressure on the fish at the 

 bottom of thebarrels. The temperature conditions also are favor- 

 able to boxes in express shipments, as shown in Table 27, a shipment 

 of fish in boxes and barrels from West Palm Beach to Jacksonville, 

 Fla., in which temperature readings were made at intervals through 

 the day. From 7 a. m. to 6.30 p. m. the temperature at the top of 

 the barrel rose from 31.5° to 49.1°, while in the box the corresponding 

 rise was from 33.1° to 41.1°. 



Table 27. — Temperature in transit by express, West Palm Beach to Jacksonville 



Experiments made by Almy and his coworkers on fish packed in 

 boxes and held in ice in a cold room, where more exact work was 

 possible, indicated that for the first few days there was a gain in 

 weight in fish kept in ice, perhaps because of absorption of water, 

 the greater gain being in the upper layer. By the tenth day the 

 gain had stopped and a loss had begun, and after this the loss con- 

 tinued. Gutted fish generally kept better than round fish, but the 

 gutted fish, on the average, showed more loss of mineral matter than 

 the round fish. These writers recommend boxes in preference to 

 barrels. 



SHIPMENTS OF CARLOAD LOTS OF FISH ON ICE 



These workers found that packages (boxes and barrels) placed 

 in refrigerator cars and covered with crushed ice on and between the 

 packages kept in excellent condition from Jacksonville to New York. 

 Slat racks on the floor of the car permitted cold air to circulate under 

 the packages. Another car of iced boxes and barrels was shipped, 

 but the bunkers were packed with ice and salt and no ice was put on 

 and around the packages in the car. The temperature conditions en 

 route are shown in Table 28. 



Table 28 



22279—27- 



