BACTERIOLOGY OF REDDENED COD. 43 



plates the colonies look like those of the bacillus, but are smaller, 

 rarely a millimeter in diameter, and require more time to develop- 

 about two weeks. The colony forms a tiny mound in the center be- 

 fore spreading out, and from a pale red at first becomes darker ac- 

 cording to its age. It grows better on agar than on gelatin. Alone 

 it is incapable of producing redness, but if associated with a small 

 liquefying coccus, which is found with it on the cod, develops a dis- 

 tinct redness. Dantec ascribes the redness of the second stage to this 

 organism, which requires that the cod be previously spoiled by other 

 organisms. The muscular tissue crumbles easily. The red has a 

 strongly alkaline reaction. This was also tested for pathogenic prop- 

 erties in the same manner as the bacillus, and was found to be 

 innocuous. 



Dantec also found a yeast (Rosa hefe) which produced redness on 

 cod, but only at incubator temperature, and a red " mildew " which 

 formed small, irregular granulations. Other organisms and other 

 chromogenic changes were also present. To prevent the occurrence 

 of the redness, Dantec recommends that from 10 to 15 per cent of 

 bisulphite, nitrate, or hyposulphite of soda, etc., be mixed with the 

 salt used. 



GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON REDDENING. 



The reddening of codfish is an old difficulty in the industry, but 

 formerly was not of the commercial importance that it is at the pres- 

 ent time. The business was limited to the cooler months of the year 

 and such spoilage as did occur in summer was discarded as a neces- 

 sary loss. The fish were cured harder, and there was less attention 

 paid to the niceties of the product. The development of the skinned 

 and boned fish in strips, middles, cakes, and tablets has made the 

 product more attractive to the general consumer than the hard-dried 

 fish, and has created a demand for the product throughout the year. 

 The increase in the labor of preparation, in packing, shipping, etc., 

 has added to the initial value of the product, while at the same time 

 it has become somewhat more perishable. The losses which occur 

 are, therefore, more keenly felt and that which was once thought to 

 be a necessity is now considered preventable and a subject for inves- 

 tigation. 



The trouble is not of a local character but occurs wherever fish are 

 cured, along the New England coast, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, 

 on the Pacific coast, and in Europe. The character of the spoilage 

 in these places is the same, the only difference being the amount. 



The source of infection causing the red discoloration of dry salt 

 fish has not been fully determined. The organisms probably have a 

 normal habitat in the salt water and the lowlands along the coast 

 and. IxMnir saprophytic, they will grow upon the salt fish when brought 



