234 



FISHERMEN'S O WN BOOK, 



solids in the flesh of various kinds of fish is much more variable than most 

 people would suppose. Thus the flesh of flounders had 85 per cent, of wa- 

 -^er and only 15 per cent, of solids, while that of salmon contained 36^ per 

 cent, solids and 63^ per cent, water, and the flesh of dried, smoked and 

 salt fish have still less water. Lean beef contains, on the average, 25 per 

 cent, or one-quarter its weight of solids, the other three-quarters being wa- 

 ter, while fat pork has one-half solids. Ordinary fresh meats are from one- 

 half to three-fourths water, while the water in the fresh fish varies from 

 three-fifths to six-sevenths of the whole. To find the actual nutritive mate- 

 rials of a sample of fish, we must first subtract the refuse — the entrails, 

 bones, etc. — which leaves the flesh. Then we must allow for the water in 

 the flesh. What remains will be the total edible solids, the actual nutritive 

 material. The per centages of edible solids in the different samples of fish 

 were more varied than those of refuse and water. Thus 100 pounds of 

 flounders contained only 5 pounds of actual nutrients; 100 pounds of had- 

 dock, 9 pounds; of bluefish, 11 pounds; of cod, 12 pounds; salt mackerel, 

 16 pounds; shad, 16 pounds; salt cod, 20 pounds; salmon, 27 pounds; and 

 smoked herring 28 pounds. — Sea World, 



Georges Bank. — For the benefit of many who will peruse this volume 

 we will state that Georges Bank is 190 miles east-southeast from Cape Ann, 

 and about a twenty hours' run in a good breeze for one of our fishermen. 

 There is shoal water fishing and deep water fishing — the latter requiring 

 from 100 to 150 fathoms of line, and is comparatively new, the first season 

 of its success being in 1876. LaHave Bank is 100 miles east of Georges, 

 and fishing thereon has been commenced by our fleet within the past five 

 years. 



The Old Man's Yarn. — An Of-fish-al Narra- 

 tive. — 'Twas in the Summer of 'seventeen, as fine 

 an August day as you have ever seen. Our Sary 

 Ann, upon the beach, set up a most unearthly 

 screech, and in a fit she fell. From cot and wind- 

 mill near at hand, alarmed to hear her yell, quick 

 out upon the glistening sand the neighbors rushed 

 pell-mell. No need of words from Sary Ann, 

 what startled her to tell, for every maid and every 

 man, who to the beach so quickly ran, soon saw a 

 sight that caused a fright, and made them feel 

 from head to heel as limp as this umb'rel. For 

 there, two hundred yards from shore, a monster 

 none had seen before, upreared its hideous head ; 

 with fork-ed tongue and eyes of flame, and looks of menace, on it came, as 



