OFFICIAL INSPECTIONS 78. 4/ 



formers — the substances which make blood, muscles, tendons, 

 bone, brain and other nitrogenous tissues. A pound of bread 

 contains considerably less of these and consists largely of starch 

 with a little fat and other compounds which serve the body as 

 fuel and supply heat and muscular power. The nutritive sub- 

 stance of oysters contains considerable of both the flesh form- 

 ing and the more especially heat and force forming ingredients, 

 and perhaps comes nearer to milk than almost any other com- 

 mon food materials as regards the relative proportion of nutri- 

 ents. The food value of equal weights of milk and oysters — that 

 is their value for supplying the body with materials to build up 

 its parts, repair its waste and furnish it with heat and energy, — 

 are in approximately the ratio of 4 to 3. The solid portion of 

 oysters, opened fresh from salt water beds and drained from 

 adhering liquids, will carry in the neighborhood of 18 per cent 

 of dry solids, about one-half of which is protein, one-third 

 carbohydrates, and one-sixth fat. Clams opened in the same 

 way will carry at least 20 per cent of dry solids, and the solids 

 of clams will contain relatively more protein and less carbohy- 

 drates and fat than oysters. Fresh opened scallops that are not 

 washed in fresh water will carry not less than 22 per cent of 

 solids. Practically two-thirds of this is protein, and the re- 

 mainder is mostly carbohydrates and ash. There is practically 

 no fat in scal 1 ops. 



EFFECT OF PLACING SHELLFISH IN FRESH WATER. 



It was long a practice to take oysters from the bed in the 

 open sea in which they grew and place them in brackish water 

 before opening or sending them to market. This so-called 

 "floating" was referred to by the oyster men as a fattening 

 process. An oyster that does not look at all plump when taken 

 from its salt water bed will, if placed in brackish water, in the 

 course of 24 to 48 hours increase very much in size and in 

 plumpness. This also happens in the case of opened oysters 

 that are taken directly from salt water beds and put into fresh 

 water. The same is also true of clams and, to quite an extent, 

 of scallops. 



Explanation of what takes place is very simple. If one were 

 to partly fill a bladder with sea water and immerse it in fresh 



