[HARRISON & KENNEDY] DISCOLOURATION OF CODFISH 127 



glistening, smooth, and of slimy consistency. At 22° C. growth was 

 slower and less abundant. 



Kench cured, hard dried codfish, containing 23.6 per cent, salt 

 and 45.8 per cent, of water, was cut in small pieces, tubed, and without 

 sterilization, inoculated. The tubes were sealed and incubated at 

 37° C. for 34 days, when growth was slight but distinct. The pieces 

 were then transferred to tubes each containing about three cubic 

 centimetres of a saturated solution of salt, so that the fish came 

 above the liquid. After incubation at 37° C. for thirteen days the 

 red colour had increased in amount in some tubes. 



Small pieces of fresh cod were tubed in 16 per cent, salt solution, 

 sterilized and inoculated. Even after four weeks' incubation at 

 37° C. there was no growth. Presumably the fish was not sufficiently 

 salted. 



Cooked finnan haddie was treated in the same way as the above. 

 After incubation at 37° C. for seven days growth was abundant, 

 spreading, slightly raised, glistening, smooth, very bright red colour, 

 disagreeable odour and slimy consistency. In some tubes the red 

 pigment covered the surface of the absorbent cotton, and invariably 

 settled in a mass in the bottom of the tube. 



Larger pieces of dried salt cod, fresh cod and finnan haddie were 

 placed in flasks, containing moistened crystals of solar salt, and then 

 inoculated. Abundant growth and bright red colour developed on 

 the dried salt cod and on the finnan haddie at both 37° C. and 22° C, 

 but there was no growth on the fresh cod. In any of the flasks 

 where there was growth the salt crystals became very pink. This 

 suggested another experiment: solar salt crystals in flasks were 

 moistened, sterilized and then inoculated, but there was no growth. 



Pieces of dried salt cod were tubed in a solution of 16 per cent, 

 salt and 3 per cent, boracic acid (this acid has been used as a pre- 

 servative in the U.S.A. fish industry), sterilized and inoculated. 

 No growth developed in these tubes. Evidently boracic acid, in this 

 strength, prevents growth of the red organism. 



Beef broth containing 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 per cent, of 

 salt was tried, but no growth developed in any of this series. 



Codfish broth containing 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 per cent, of 

 salt was made, sterilized and inoculated. In tubes containing 5 and 

 10 per cent, there was no clouding; on 15 per cent, there was slight 

 clouding; on 20 per cent, more, on 25 per cent, still more, on 30 per 

 cent, somewhat less than in 25 per cent, and on 35 per cent, slightly 

 less than on 30 per cent. The growth was mostly on the surface, 

 small islands of pink growth formed on top of the liquid, and a ring 



