FOOD PEODUCTS OF THE SEA — FISHES. 331 



barrel. The white naped halibut are worth 100 per 

 cent, more than the black naped. 



In London this fish is occasionally seen in the markets 

 in the months of March and April ; it is sold in slices at 

 a low price by the pound. The Jews are very fond of 

 it. The flesh, though white and firm, is dry, and the 

 muscular fibre coarse ; the head and fins are the best 

 parts. 



United States Fis/wries. — The export of American 

 fishery products is comparatively small, owing to the 

 fact that the demand for home consumption is really 

 greater than the supply, and is constantly on the increase. 

 In 1880 the total value of exported fish products 

 amounted to £1,550,000 of which England received about 

 half, consisting chiefly of canned preparations. In 1882, 

 according to the returns of the census, the value of the 

 fisheries of the sea, the great rivers, and the lakes of the 

 United States was placed at $43,046,053, and that of 

 those of the minor inland waters at $1,500,000 ; in all 

 $44,546,053. These values were estimated upon the basis 

 of the prices of the products received by the producers, 

 but if average wholesale prices had been considered, the 

 value would have been much greater. In 1882, the yield 

 of the fisheries was much greater than in 1880, and prices 

 both at first hand and at wholesale were higher, so that 

 a fair estimate at wholesale market prices would phi&» 

 the value of the exports at that time rather above than 

 below the sum of £2,000,000. 



The practice of setting aside the surplus of the city 

 fish markets in seasons of -plenty to meet the demand 

 when fish are scarce or entirely out of season, has led 

 to the establishment in New York of . enormous re- 

 frigerators, or buildings for "cold storage," in which 

 tons of fresh fish are securely locked up in ice and kept 

 for months. The magnitude of this cold storage busi- 

 ness and its relative novelty have attracted to it no little 

 popular attention. 



Less generally known, but probably of greater finan- 

 cial and economic importance, is the business that has 



