AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 2803 



spoiling, and when you have to carry it beyond that time, either ice it 

 or salt it. Salting, of course, is a very simple process, but it alters ma- 

 terially 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. Now, there are special 

 methods of preserving the fish or bait by some chemical preparation, 

 which preserves the fish without giving the saline taste. There are pre- 

 parations by means of which oysters or clams or fish can be kept in so- 

 lutions for six months without getting any appreciable taste, and with- 

 out involving the 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 great 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, and we tasted these 

 oysters and could not find them affected. We would have preferred ab- 

 solutely fresh oysters, but there was nothing repugnant to the sensibili- 

 ties, and I believe we consumed the entire jar. And we gave the ex- 

 hibitor, 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 offish 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 

 dou't suppose any fisherman ever thought of using any preservative 

 except salt. 



Q. That is entirely experimental ? A. It is experimental, but it prom- 

 ises very well. Now, borax is one of the substances that will preserve 

 animal matter a great deal better than salt and without changing the tex- 

 ture. 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 you 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 contin- 

 ually saturating the bait or fish with water, and a very slow process of 

 decomposition or disorganization goes on until the fish becomes 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 to 

 run off or to be sucked up as by a sponge. The mass being porous pre- 

 vents the fish from becoming musty. But the coming methods of pre- 

 serving bait are what are called the dry air process and the hard freezing 

 process. In the dry air process you have your ice in large solid cakes 

 in the upper part of the refrigerator and your substance to be preserved 

 in the bottom. By a particular mode of adjusting the connection be- 

 tween the upper chamber and the lower there is a constant circulation 

 of air by means of which all the moisture of the air is continually being 



