THE SALTING OF FISH. 13 



edge with which a new method could be worked out. Besides, this 

 plan of procedure Avould give data of great value. The application 

 of correct interpretations of these data would lead to improved 

 methods and a more uniform product. The relative importance of 

 the factors influencing the salting of any fish being then known, the 

 fish Salter should be able to produce any desired product by modify- 

 ing his conditions. 



It has always been known that the relative freshness of a fish has 

 an influence upon the quality of the salted fish. Everyone is aware 

 of the fact that if fish are stale great care must be exercised in salt- 

 ing them in order to obtain a desirable product. There are no data 

 in the literature which show how stale a fish may be and yet be 

 salted satisfactorily. This result depends upon the efficiency of the 

 method. 



Any method that may be used to salt fish at high temperatures 

 may also be used to salt stale fish. Since there is so little control 

 of the present method of salting, little valuable data on this process 

 could be obtained unless the available methods of salting fish were 

 standardized so that uniform procedure would be followed in all 

 cases. 



Commercial fish salters are often very careless in allowing their 

 fish to become stale before they salt them. The writer found it 

 necessary to obtain the maximum temperature of salting perfectly 

 fresh fish. Evidently the thoroughness of cleaning and washing the 

 fish has an influence on the temperature at which they can be salted 

 and also on the quality of the product. It is a well-known fact 

 that unbled animals have a " wild-game " taste. The chief differ- 

 ence between the taste of domestic ducks and wild ducks is due to 

 the fact that wild ducks are shot and not properly bled, whereas 

 domesticated ducks are carefully bled. Fish salters are well aware 

 of the fact that more care must be taken in the salting of round or 

 uncut fish than in curing cut fish. Blood, milt, and roe are sub- 

 stances which decompose readily. Is it not possible that the presence 

 of these substances in fish lower the maximum temperature at 

 which they can be salted ? 



In the description of methods it was mentioned that there are three 

 ways of applying salt to fish. The kench method of dry salting can 

 be used in only cold weather. Prior to these experiments no one had 

 shown which of the other two methods was the better during hot 

 weather. In Massachusetts the dry-salt method is used the year 

 around ; yet in Virginia the fish salters are firm advocates of the brine 

 method. 



The resistance of the skin to the penetration of salt is another fac- 

 tor of importance in salting fish. Almost every fish Salter will 

 inform you that the salt penetrates more rapidly through the cut 

 surface of the fish than through the skin. Would it not, then, be 

 feasible to skin the fish before salting in warm weather? 



Different modes of procedure are followed when various kinds of 

 fish are salted. This in itself is evidence that the species of the 

 fish is an important factor to be considered when working out any 

 method of salting fish. The amount of fat in the different species of 

 fish varies greatly — from about 0.09 per cent in cod to about 16.2 

 per cent in fat mackerel. The fat in a fatty fish might alter the 



