22 BULLETIN 740, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Experiment 9. — These results show clearly that handling has a 

 great effect in reducing the amount of increase. The contents of 

 Tank A increased 22.8 per cent in volume in 30 minutes of continuous 

 washing, while the contents of Tank B increased only 17.71 per cent 

 in 60 minutes of equally vigorous but intermittent washing. The 

 difference is caused by the intervals of draining and stirring about 

 upon the skimmer, in which the oysters lose water. 



Experiment 10. — From the results of this experiment it is apparent 

 that oysters are capable of enormous distention and that the limit 

 is not reached even with 90 minutes of washing. This experiment 

 also seems to indicate that the great actual losses observed in Experi- 

 ments 3, 7, 8, and 9-B were due to the excessive handling inherent 

 in the method of measurement during washing. It is seen from this 

 experiment that, even after 90 minutes' washing, the actual loss of 

 total solids is comparatively slight and is probably accounted for 

 almost entirely by the great actual losses of amino acids, ash, and 

 salt. The osmotic losses, however, are very great, as 32.3 per cent 

 of the total solids originally present have been replaced by water, 

 and the apparent loss is 33.6 per cent. As in the hard northern 

 oysters very little of this added water is given off in shipment, it is 

 clear that the consumer may be paying oyster prices for a great deal 

 of added water. In one case a 5-gallon commercial package of 

 oysters which had been increased in volume 35.7 per cent was shipped 

 to a market four days away, and arrived and was sold in apparently 

 the best of condition. The meats were sound and plump, and the 

 liquor above the oysters was only the usual thick, dense mucus. 



Experiment 11. — These results are in accord with other results of 

 similar experiments, showing a marked loss of solids. The ash figures 

 are omitted, as the ash analysis showed a doubtful value which is not 

 in accord with the other figures. It was too high, probably caused 

 by the presence of a small fragment of shell. 



Experiment 13. — The results of this experiment are very interesting, 

 in that they show the increase in volume of oysters during washing to 

 be due purely to osmosis, and the soluble parts of the oysters to be 

 less soluble in salt water than in fresh. 



Experiment Uf.. — This represents commercial practice in some 

 oysterhouses, and the results of this experiment are comparable with 

 those of Experiment 4, except in that the washing was continued for 

 10 instead of 5 minutes. A comparison of the two sets of results shows 

 that the losses are much greater in the second case, as is to be expected. 

 As has been pointed out, in this type of washing some of the solid 

 matter of the oysters is forced through the perforations of the skimmer 

 during washing and is thus lost. 



Experiment 15. — By comparison of the results of this experiment 

 with those of Experiment 9-A, which was run on the same kind of 



