48 MAINS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 1916. 



water, by physical laws the water that is inside of the bladder 

 carrying salt will diffuse through the walls of the bladder and 

 fresh water from outside will also penetrate to the interior. 

 This motion, due to osmosis, will be more rapidly in than out. 

 That is, the crystalline substance will not go through the walls 

 as rapidly as will the water. The result will be that in a short 

 time the bladder becomes inflated (made plump) and this is 

 precisely what happens when shellfish are taken from salt water 

 beds and placed in fresh water. 



The writer, when associated with the late Doctor Atwater, 

 some thirty years ago investigated the effect of "floating" upon 

 the chemical composition of oysters. It was found that so far' 

 as the effect of "floating" upon the nutritive value of the oysters 

 was concerned, that while there is an increase in bulk and 

 weight there is no corresponding gain, but rather a slight loss, 

 of nutrients. A given weight of the solids from floated oysters 

 will have considerably less nutritive value than the same oysters 

 had before being thus treated. 



Since the enforcement of the Federal Food Law, oysters have 

 been put upon the markets without being "floated" and will for 

 the most part carry not less than 16 per cent of dry solids. 



The methods of handling clams in Maine have been discussed 

 in this series before. Many of the clams offered in the market 

 contain but a little more than half the nutritive value that they 

 should, because of their having been placed in fresh water. 

 Something of the same thing is the case with scallops. 



The oyster situation has been regulated from the outside. 

 It is necessary for the State authorities to endeavor to correct 

 the abuses on clams and scallops within the State. As stated 

 by the executive of the law in this number of Official Inspections, 

 they are making every effort to bring it about that clams shall 

 be sold as they come from the beds without being diluted with 

 water. 



While the nutritive value of these materials is not particu- 

 larly great, the difference in nutritive value between floated 

 and unfloated shellfish is very marked. Immersing clams in 

 fresh water and soaking opened scallops in fresh water has the 

 same effect upon the solid portions that the addition of water 

 has to milk. The nutritive value is lessened and the purchaser 

 pays a food price for the added water. 



