28 BULLETIN 908, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



When landed at the laboratory 2 hours after being taken from 

 the weir these fish appeared to be in as good condition as when they 

 were taken aboard. They had settled a little in the hogshead, be- 

 coming more solid and compact. So far as the physical appearance 

 would indicate, they were in good condition up to, and including the 

 6-hour period. At the end of 8 hours they had changed slightly, 

 while 2 hours later a slight odor was noticeable in the hold of the 

 boat and the fish seemed a trifle soft. After 12 hours had elapsed 

 this softness was more pronounced, and the bellies of some of the 

 fish were broken. At the end of 24 hours, although there was no 

 decided odor of decomposition, the fish were soft and spoiled and 

 the bellies of a number were broken. The fish on the top of the 

 load had lost their luster ("bloom") and taken on a dead whitish 

 color, while those from the bottom were in worse condition, being 

 badly broken and pressed out of shape by the mass above. Such 

 fish were quite unfit for packing. The temperature of the fish 

 in the hogshead at the end of the 6-hour period was 51° F. The 

 temperature of the water in the bay at this time and during the 

 time the fish lay at the wharf was 50° F. 



The analyses of samples from this lot of fish show at the end of the 

 6- and the 8-hour period a sufficient increase in the amount of 

 volatile nitrogen in the viscera and contents over that found in the 

 fresh fish to indicate a slight decomposition. At the end of the 12- 

 hour period the decomposition in the viscera and contents was 

 marked, although there was no visible evidence of decomposition in 

 the flesh. At the end of the 24-hour period, however, marked 

 decomposition was shown in the flesh as well as in the intestines 

 and contents. 



In this experiment the fish at the top of the load did not differ in 

 amount of decomposition from those taken from the bottom of the 

 pile. In this shipment the water was pumped off at intervals, 

 whereas in the preceding experiment it was not. Evidently this 

 drainage water tends to increase the rate of decomposition of the 

 fish at the bottom of the mass from which it has not been removed, 

 or, as might be expected, larger quantities of volatile nitrogen occur 

 in fish standing in water drained from fish undergoing decomposition. 



Fish Carried in Bulk, Salted at the Rate op One-Hale Sack per Hogshead. 



In this experiment five tubs of fish, weighing 649 pounds, were, 

 employed. On being loaded, the fish were evenly salted at the rate 

 of one-half sack per hogshead. The water dipped up with the fish 

 was drained off and the pickle formed during the experiment pumped 

 off at 2-hour intervals, with the exception of the 10-hour period. 

 This pickle was weighed, sampled, and analyzed (Table 9). 



