44 



BULLETIN 908, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The weight of the fish and salt decreased uniformly during the first 

 12 hours, but from the 12-hour to the 20-hour period it was small in 

 comparison with the loss which occurred when the brine formed was 

 drawn off at 2-hour intervals. Obviously not as much brine is 

 formed after this period, when it is allowed to remain surrounding the 

 fish. The greatest loss in weight occurred between the 4- and 6-hour 

 periods, when 2.82 pounds, or 3.72 per cent, of the weight of the 

 material at the beginning of this period was removed in the form of 

 brine. The total loss of weight at the expiration of the 12 hours 

 that the fish remained in salt was 17.9 pounds, which, corrected for 

 the total weight of the samples taken (4.3 pounds), leaves 13.6 

 pounds, or 16.39 per cent, as the actual loss of water, salt, and protein 

 material from the original weight of fish and salt. The total loss 

 for the 20-hour period amounted to 18.4 pounds, or 22.17 per cent, 

 of the original weight. In this particular lot of fish nearly one- 

 quarter of the weight of the original fish and salt was abstracted by 

 brine during the 20 hours in "dry salt." 



Table 



18. — Loss in weight offish held in dry salt. 









Weight of fish and 

 salt. 1 



Weight 



of 

 sample. 





Condition of fish. 



Total. 



From 



which 



loss was 



obtained. 



Loss in weight. 



EXPERIMENT 1. 



Pounds. 

 ) 270 



\ 3 13 



82.6 

 79.7 

 76.5 

 73.0 

 70.2 

 67.6 

 65.1 

 60.3 



/ 2124 

 \ 323 



146.0 

 142. 5 

 136.9 

 132.0 

 128. 5 

 124.5 

 120. 9 

 112.8 



Pounds. 



Pounds. 



Grams. 



Ounces. 



Pounds. 



Per cent. 























Held in salt — 



81.9 

 79.1 



75.9 

 72.4 

 69.6 

 67.0 



64.5 



0.7 

 .6 

 .6 

 .6 

 .6 

 .6 

 .6 



181 



992 



1,179 



1,282 



981 



902 



872 



1,917 



6.4 

 35.0 

 41.6 

 45.2 

 34.6 

 31.8 

 30.7 

 67.6 



0.4 



2.2 



2.6 



2.82 



2.16 



2.0 



1.92 



4.23 



0.50 





2.68 





3.29 





3.72 





2.98 





2.87 





2.87 





6.56 



EXPERIMENT 2. 









Fresh 



















Held in salt— 



145.1 

 141.6 

 136.0 

 131. 9 

 127.6 

 123.7 

 120. 



.9 

 .9 

 .9 

 .9 

 .9 

 .8 

 .9 



442 

 1,157 

 2,138 

 1,795 

 1,546 

 1,409 

 1,284 

 3,273 



15.6 

 40.8 

 75.4 

 63.3 

 54.5 

 49.3 

 45.3 

 115.5 



0.98 



2.6 



4.7 



4.0 



3.4 



3.1 



2.8 



7.2 



.70 



2 hours 



1.79 





3.32 





2.94 





2.58 





2.43 





2.26 





6.00 













1 The first column gives the weight of fish and salt at the expiration of the different intervals of time at 

 which the brine was drawn off. The second column shows the weight of fish and salt from which the 

 brine for the succeeding interval of time was obtained. That is, the figures in the first column are corrected 

 for the weight of the sample taken, forming the figures from which the true percentage loss for each interval 

 was obtained. 



2 Fish. 

 ESalt. 



The total volume of brine collected during the 20 hours the fish 

 were in salt amounted to 6,970 cc, which, as a saturated salt solution, 



