FACTORY EXPERIMENTS IN CURING. 33 



IncL, were visited. Of the 62 groceries found, 50 handled codfish. 

 A few of the better groceries each sold one case in two weeks, while 

 some of the smaller ones sold only one case in seven weeks, the 

 average being one case in five weeks. There were also two meat 

 markets selling fish. The total sales amounted to about twelve cases 

 per week, the season beginning November 1 and ending April 1. 

 A few stores carried stock until about June 1, but only four kept 

 a supply through the summer. In only six stores were the codfish 

 to be seen except upon inquiry. They were kept usually in a back 

 room or in the cellar, but no attempt was made to display the goods 

 on hand. The fish were purchased through wholesalers and fish 

 houses, only two stores making purchases directly from the factory. 

 Formerly it was the practice to buy a half dozen or ten cases at a 

 time in the fall, but now more dealers take only one or two cases and 

 keep their stock fresher. An examination of the stock showed some 

 to be fresh arid much of it to be of excellent quality, but dried to 

 such an extent that the salt was crystallized and the cake was not 

 attractive, indicating that it had been in the hands of either the 

 wholesaler or the dealer for too long a time. 



It was evident that if these fish had been delivered directly by the 

 packer, thus eliminating the time consumed by the handling of the 

 jobber, there would have been an improvement, and it would be still 

 better if delivery could be made to one firm which could deliver five, 

 ten, or twenty cakes to the individual grocers each week, according 

 to their needs. The cost of delivery would probably not be greater 

 than at present, when a dozen or more wholesale agents compete for 

 the business. The sales organization at present is not such as to 

 secure this desirable condition, but it is believed that decided im- 

 provement could be made in this direction. 



It is evident from records and observation that codfish can be 

 handled at a low temperature without spoilage. The range of tem- 

 perature at which reddening occurs permits an easier and less ex- 

 pensive method of handling than in the case of other cured-meat 

 products. 



USE OF ACETIC ACID TO PREVENT REDDENING. 



At a meeting of the board of trade in Gloucester, a packer stated 

 that he had used acetic acid successfully in preventing fish from red- 

 dening, and showed specimens which had been red and from which 

 after treatment the color had disappeared. His method was to apply 

 n small quantity of a 10 per cent solution of glacial acetic acid to the 

 exterior of the fish cakes. In his experiments an ordinary nasal 

 atomizer was used for the purpose of applying the acid. He re- 

 ported the results to be highly successful. Other fish packers raised 

 the point that an odor and a taste might be imparted which would be 



59040 Bull 13311 3 



