THE SEA FISHERIES OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA. 135 
the limit during which bait can be kept fresh, instead of six or eight 
weeks, as claimed by the New London fishermen, who see no difficulty 
whatever in carrying enough fresh bait for a long voyage to the banks, 
supplemented, should it be necessary, by soft clams, and thus obviating 
the necessity of going into Newfoundland or elsewhere for a fresh sup- 
ply. ; 
Ice can be applied much more advantageously for cooling fish (inde- 
pendently of freezing them) in specially constructed apparatus, known 
usually as refrigerators. The refrigerator, however, furnishes the most 
economical mode of applying cold to the fish. In some cases the fune- 
tion of the refrigerator is simply to prevent an unnecessary waste of ice 
by melting away, so that a given quantity will last a much longer time. 
Other forms of refrigerators have a very different function, the simplest 
of which consist of an arrangement by which a current of cold, dry air 
is made to circulate through a provision chamber, taking off the excess 
of moisture and allowing it to be condensed upon the ice itself. This 
desiccation may be so rapid and excessive as to bring it under the head 
of ‘‘ preservation by drying.” Itis not at present used to any great ex- 
tent in the sea-fisheries for the preservation, on a large scale, of fish for 
along time. This is most effectively accomplished by the hard freezing 
process, which is destined to take the place of all others before long, as 
preserving the animal fiber indefinitely, or as long as the freezing is main- 
tained at the proper temperature, and with a comparatively small con- 
sumption of ice and salt. 
According to Mr. E. G. Blackford, the eminent fish-dealer in Fulton 
Market, New York, a room, 10 feet each way, or of 1,000 cubic feet, 
with properly constructed non-conducting walls surrounding it, can be 
kept in effective operation in the summer weather of New York by 
the use of 2,000 pounds of ice and 2 bushels of salt per week, with 
less in colder weather. This would be, for a room of that size, 44 tons 
of ice and 9 bushels of salt per month. As, however, all the bait neces- 
sary for a trawling expedition to the banks for cod could be kept in a 
room of half that size, it is likely that three-fourths the amount of ice 
and salt would be sufficient, or about 34 tons of ice and 7 bushels of salt 
per month. With all the fresh bait on board required for a voyage to 
the banks and the filling up of the vessel, the amount for two months 
should not exceed at the outside 7 tons of ice. Allowing as much 
more for wastage, 14 tons would probably be an ample allowance. Dur- 
ing 1877 ice cost $2.a ton at Gloucester and $12 a ton at Newfoundland. 
A patent has been recently introduced to the notice of fish-dealers, by 
which fish are arranged conveniently in vessels which are filled up with 
water, and the whole then frozen into a solid cake, and keptin this con- 
dition until used. This process is claimed by those interested to keep 
the fish perfectly fresh indefinitely without the evaporation and loss of 
savor so frequently found in the dry-hard method. 
In freezing animals hard and stiff care must be taken to extract the 
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