PREPARED FISHFOODS 129 



For those wishing to make a general fishfood suitable for all except 

 strictly carnivorous fishes, the following recipe will be found to be very 

 good: 



Quarter tumbler powdered cod 



Three-quarters tumbler powdered shrimp 



Three tumblers flour 



One teaspoonful Epsom salts 



Three teaspoonfuls baking powder 



Three teaspoonfuls powdered chalk 



Add two raw eggs and sufficient water to make the mixture into 

 the usual consistency of bread dough. Place in pan and bake like bread 

 in oven. When properly baked allow to cool and cut into thin slices. 

 After thoroughly drying slices, grind in coffee mill and sift into desired 

 sizes. Keep all dry fishfoods well secured in bottles or other actually 

 tight receptacles. Moths, flies and other insects gain a foothold and 

 soon turn the food into a mass of worms and worthless dirt. If one 

 has a large stock of such food it is a good plan to store it in the 

 coldest possible place over winter, which will either kill or reduce 

 the activity of the insects. 



In above recipe the cod is prepared by purchasing a package of 

 shredded cod, drying in a slow oven and grinding fine in a coffee mill. 

 Dried shrimp may be had at Chinese grocery stores. It needs to be 

 broken in pieces, put through a coarse setting of the mill, then well 

 dried for a few days and lastly ground fine. A fine grade of dried 

 shrimp ready for grinding is obtainable from German dealers at low 

 cost. There are 'several wholesalers in New Orleans, Louisiana. 

 Whole wheat flour is preferable to white flour. 



Powdered cuttlebone or finely ground eggshell may be used instead 

 of chalk. 



Those desiring to experiment on a food according to their own 

 ideas of ingredients and proportions may safely use any of the following 

 items, in addition to those already mentioned : Pea flour, rice flour, 

 rye flour, vermicelli, boiled fish, boiled yellow of egg, fine corn meal, 

 ant eggs, chopped earthworms, water crackers, dried bread, dried blood, 

 chopped meal worms, dried mussel flesh, dried and powdered lettuce 

 leaves, dried fish roe and dried daphnia. In preparing the latter two 

 ingredients they should be parboiled with a moderate amount of salt, then 

 placed in cheesecloth; water squeezed out, spread out thin on tin plates 

 and dried quickly in the sun or slow oven. The drying must be thorough 

 and quick. In drying it will be found that the shrinkage in volume will 

 be very great. It should, therefore, be remembered that these ingredients 

 are highly concentrated and be used accordingly. The same is true of 

 dried blood, which may be purchased of seedsmen. 



