12 THE SALTING OF FISH. 



are roused. Fewer scales are knocked off, and the fisTi have a 

 wrinkled, shrunken appearance. If a lot of dry-salted fish is mixed 

 with a lot of brine-salted fish, the fish can easily be separated, so 

 marked is the difference in their appearance. 



STORAGE OF SALTED FISH. 



There are three general methods of storage : 1, the brine ; 2, dry, 

 with salt ; 3, dry, with boracic acid. The quality of the fish on the 

 retail market depends to a considerable extent upon the temperature 

 and method of storage. No experimental work on storage was done. 



The fish are kept in their own j)ickle or put /in fresh saturated 

 brine, or packed dry. If the pickle formed by the fish is dirty in 

 appearance, it is discarded and fresh pickle (salt solution) is added. 

 New brine is always added if the salt fish are likely to be stored in a 

 place which is not cool. Fish dealers say that the " blood pickle " 

 is likely to " sour " if kept in a warm place. 



If the fish are packed dry, as are the cod in Massachusetts and the 

 alewives in the South, they are packed either with salt or with 

 boracic acid. The cod is sprinkled with salt containing 0.4 per cent 

 boracic acid before packing. A considerable quantity of coarse salt 

 is thrown over each layer of alewives as they are packed in the 

 barrels. 



In all cases the salted fish must be kept at a low temperature if 

 they are to be stored for any length 'of time. The fish salted in 

 Massachusetts and Maine are held in cold storage until the time of 

 shipment. In North Carolina and Virginia the fish are held in 

 " cool storage." Fish stored exposed to the air are very likely to 

 " rust." Rusting is due to the oxidation of the fish oil and gives the 

 fish a dark-brown color. Packing in brine prevents this to a large 

 extent. 



PURPOSE OF EXPERIMENTAL WORK. 



This work was instituted in order to work out, if possible, a 

 method of salting fish applicable in warm climates. At present 

 none of tlie methods known are applicable for commercial purposes 

 in a climate where the temperature averages above 70° F. Great 

 care must be taken if the mean temperature rises above 60° F. The 

 logical way to work out any new method is to study the existing 

 methods first. This study should show whether some method in use 

 to-day can be so improved that it may be used at a higher tempera- 

 ture. If, after the present procedures have been given a trial and 

 their shortcomings discovered, no existing method can be adapted for 

 warm climates, then the need for a new method will be shown. 



FACTORS INFLUENCING THE SALTING OF FISH. 



At the beginning it was evident that, if the various methods 

 were to be fairly judged, the influence of the factors affecting the 

 salting of fish would have to be known. Then, if all known methods 

 were found incapable of being modified for use at higher tempera- 

 tures, the relative values of the various factors would have been 

 found, and improvements in the present methods might be sug- 

 gested without further work. There would also be a basis of knowl- 



