HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN MENHADEN. 153 



materially the texture and taste to such a degree that fish or other bait 

 that under certain circumstances is highly prized by the fish is looked 

 upon with a great deal of indifference when salted. l!^ow, there are 

 special methods of preserving the fish or bait by some chemical prepar- 

 ation, which preserves the fish without giving the saline taste. There 

 are preparations by means of which oysters or clams or fish can be kept 

 in solutions for six months without getting any appreciable taste, and 

 without involving th6 slightest degree of deterioration or destruction. 

 One process submitted to the group of judges, of whom I was chairman, 

 was exhibited by an experimenter, who placed a jar of oysters in our 

 room prepared in that way. I think about the 1st of August those were 

 placed in our room, and they were kept there until the middle of Sep- 

 tember, for six weeks during the hottest portion of the Centennial sum- 

 mer, and that was hot enough. At the end of that time we mustered 

 up courage to pass judgment upon this preparation, h^kI we tasted these 

 oysters and could not find them affected. Wo would have preferred 

 absolutely fresh oysters, but there was nothing repugnant to the sensi- 

 bilities, and I believe we consumed the entire jar. And we gave the 

 exhibitor, without any question, an award for an admirable new method. 

 That man is now using that process on a very large scale in New York 

 for the preservation of fish of all kinds, and he claims he can keep them 

 any length of time and allow them to be used as fresh fish quite easily. 

 I don't suppose any fisherman ever thought of using any preservative 

 except salt. 



"Q. That is entirely experimental? — A. It is experimental, but it 

 promises very well. Now, borax is one of the substances that will pre- 

 serve animal matter a great deal better than salt, and without changing 

 the texture. Acetic acid is another preparation, or citric acid will keep 

 fish a long time without any change of the quality, and by soaking it in 

 fresh water for a little while the slightly acidulated taste will be removed. 

 I don't believe a cod will know the difference between a clam preserved 

 in that way and a fresh clam. 



"Q. Now, about ice. We know a good deal has been done in the 

 way of preserving bait in ice. How far has that got? — A. It is a very 

 crude and clumsy contrivance. They generally break up the ice into 

 pieces about the size of pebble stones, or larger ; then simply stratify 

 the bait or fish with this ice, layer and layer about, until yoa fill up a 

 certain depth or distance. The result is that if the bait can be kept 

 two weeks in that method it is doing very well. They generally get a 

 period of preservability of two weeks. The ice is continually melting 

 and continually saturating the bait or fish with water, and a very slow 

 process of decomposition or disorganization goes on until the fish be- 

 comes musty, flabby, and tasteless, unfit for the food of man or beast. 



'^Q. Well, there is a newer method of preservation, is there not? — A. 

 There is a better method than using ice. The method described by the 

 Noank witness, by using what is equivalent to snow, allows the water 



