CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. Les 
undesirable substances, as well as desirable ones, find their way into the 
mussel’s digestive tract, for the mussel has no power of selection and 
everything that is small enough is taken in with each swallow of water. 
For this reason, there is danger in eating mussels which have lived in 
polluted or stagnant waters, because disease germs and poisonous sub- 
stances may be harbored in the animal’s body. But there is no danger 
from this source when the mussels are taken from the clean sea water of 
the open shore. 
Sporadic cases of poisoning have occurred on the Pacifie coast and 
elsewhere. Though many have been attributed to ptomaine, their cause 
is not definitely known. The evidence goes to show that, in most of 
these cases, the mussels had been gathered from high up on the rocks, 
either during or immediately following a period of hot weather. 
Because of this, during the summer months one should not eat mussels 
unless they have been taken from under the water. 
For a long while fresh mussels have been on the market in a few 
of the restaurants, though in limited quantities. It is only within the 
last few years that any attempt has been made to can them on the Pacific 
coast. Their preparation for the market involves no little labor and 
considerable hdndling. It was our privilege, a short time ago, to watch 
the process of getting mussels ready for. the San Francisco market. 
These mussels were of the small species, M. edulis, taken in the bay. 
Put into deep, wire-bottomed trays, they were washed thoroughly 
to remove the mud and silt adhering to the shells. Then they were 
transferred to narrow wooden vats, where they were ‘‘ worked,’’ much as 
mortar is worked, by two men with hoe-like rakes; this process serves 
to separate the mussels one from another and to remove many of the 
barnacles from the shells. From here the mussels were hauled to a shed 
in which was a long table, on which they were dumped; then, taking one 
mussel at a time, the men went through the whole pile, throwing out 
broken shells and dead mussels, and with flat iron bars knocking off the 
remaining barnacles. The fresh mussels, washed and cleaned, were then 
ready for market. 
For canning purposes, the perliminary process is practically the 
same as that just outlined. Having been cleaned, the mussels are placed 
in trays in an oven or a retort, and heated till they open. The meats 
and the liquor are placed in cans which, after being sealed, are put 
into the retort again and subjected to steam heat for a certain sufficient 
length of time to cook the mussels and to sterilize the contents of the 
cans. They are then ready for the market. 
Both fresh and canned mussels can be prepared for table use as 
readily and as quickly as can oysters. They are wholesome, nutritious 
and deliciously flavored; moreover, they are as cheap a food as can be 
had in these days of increasing expenses. Several packers in California 
are making preparations to begin the packing of this food, hitherto 
unutilized,. and it is hoped that before another year has gone by the 
mussel will be a staple and ‘‘standard”’ article of diet. »” 
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