SANITABY CONDITIONS. 37 



only in wet weather. There can be no doubt that much improve- 

 ment has been made in this phase of fish preparation in the past few 

 years. 



The dried fish are stored on the ground floor of the building in 

 which the skinning and packing are done. It is here that the first 

 evidence of redness occurs; it may be evident in a very few days or 

 it may be some weeks, depending upon the temperature, etc. The 

 dried fish are kenched upon racks or upon the floor. The rack is 

 generally used, and is made about 4 feet square of slats about 3 inches 

 wide and 3 inches apart, on crosspieces which raise them 2 inches 

 from the floor. These racks are placed side by side until they cover 

 the floor. It has been the custom to place the kenches too near the 

 walls and too near one another to permit the proper circulation of 

 air. This assists in the growth of the germs causing reddening and 

 has the effect of inoculating the fish. The examination of the walls, 

 woodwork, and fish where crowding was practiced showed that this 

 custom of close kenching can be improved. The kench racks are too 

 low and permit of dead-air spaces but not of circulation, all of which 

 conditions favor the development of the red organism, with its 

 attendant inoculation of the fish. The kench racks are used over 

 and over without disinfection and without frequent washing. They 

 are all inoculated with the organisms causing red discoloration. 

 Sometimes this woodwork will be very red, and the fish touching the 

 kenches invariably become inoculated. When repiling is necessary, 

 as is always the case with fish not used in a short time, those in the 

 kench are mixed with those above and thus the infection is spread. 

 Experiments were made in which fish were taken from racks which 

 showed no redness and from the tops of the piles. In every case all 

 the fish in contact with the rack developed the red color, while only 

 comparatively few of those taken from the top became red. 



The changes which can be advantageously made in the handling of 

 the fish at this stage are : Kenching in such manner as to leave an air 

 space between the kench and the wall and between racks, and raising 

 the kench rack higher from the floor. The platforms should be dis- 

 infected after every period of service. (See page 38.) 



The work of skinning, cutting, and packing is done in a cleanly 

 manner. The most important recommendation to be made is that 

 all tables be plain, without shelves or cross partitions beneath, so 

 that no pieces of fish can accumulate. Tables obstructed with shelves, 

 boxes, partitions, etc., are never well cleaned. There should be at 

 least one thorough cleaning each day to insure that no bits are being 

 left which will act as centers of infection. 



The general provisions for the cleanliness of the workers are good 

 at the majority of the factories. Toilets are provided and water for 

 washing the hands. Smoking is prohibited because of insurance 



