June 23, 1887.J 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



479 



AMERICAN SILKWORM GUT. 



ABOUT the first of this month I received a request 

 from the noted German fishculturist Count von dem 

 Borne, for cocoons of the American silkworm (Attacus 

 cecroina), and Avrote him that if possible they would be 

 sent, but that the season was late and it was doubtful if 

 they could be obtained. Letters of inquiry were sent to 

 Mr. C. F. Orvis, Manchester, Vt., whose experiments in 

 producing gut from the American worm have been lately 

 recorded in Forest and Stream, and also a correspond- 

 ence was opened with Dr. E. Sterling, of Cleveland, Ohio. 

 On June 15 Mr. Orvis sent me a box of cocoons, but they 

 seemed to be so lively that there is danger of their hatch- 

 ing before reaching Germany, although they were im- 

 mediately dispatched by a steamer sailing last Saturday. 

 Mr. Orvis sent both the cecropia and polypheinus cocoons, 

 and says that lie has found the latter to produce nearly as 

 large a worm as the cecropia, and very kindly offers to 

 give Count von dem Borne the benefit of any experience 

 he has had. Mr. Orvis lias not found any difficulty in 

 rearing worrns this season, as he has raised great quanti- 

 ties of them. 



A letter from Dr. Sterling refers to the experiments of 

 the late Dr. Garlick, which have already been published 

 in Forest and Stream, and also by Mr. Wells in Ms book 

 on fishing rods and tackle. He says that he saw Dr. Gar- 

 lick draw a gut over 30in. in length from the worm, and it 

 was as perfect in every respect as the most fastidious 

 angler could desire. Dr. Sterling was unable to secure 

 any specimens so late this season; years ago the wild rose 

 swamps and the water sycamore bayous "near Cleveland 

 abounded with the cocoons of the cecropia, and a bushel 

 could be gathered in a short time. All of these places are 

 now converted into iron ore and coal docks, or filled up 

 with warehouses and railroad buildings, and the insects 

 have naturally abandoned the place. The best time to 

 gather these cocoons for shipping would be February and 

 March, so that they could reach Germany in favorable 

 Weather for development. Near Cleveland they do not 

 hatch until the first or middle of June and sometimes not 

 until the last of the month. They will devour the leaves 

 of the ailanthus, common plum, currant, and, in fact, 

 almost any of the soft and tender leaves. Dr. Garlick fed 

 them almost entirely on plum leaves. 



Should these worms reach Germany safely there are 

 enough of them to give Mr. von dem Borne quite a start 

 in experimenting with gut made from the American silk- 

 worm; but should they fail, I will try to obtain a lot for 

 him next winter; which will no doubt reach him in con- 

 dition to hatch after arrival. Fred Mather. 



Cold Spbino Harbor, N. Y. 



CANADIAN ANGLING. 



THE wilderness north of Quebec is just now an at- 

 tractive region to anglers, because the Quebec & Lake 

 St. John Railroad makes it of very easy access, and 

 because the region is still a Avildei ness in the true sense. 

 Caribou, moose and bear maybe had there; at this season 

 it is trout fishing that occupies the mind. The entire 

 country is filled with beautiful lakes, and almost every 

 lake has an abundance of brook trout;, in some are also 

 pike and the fork-tailed trout. Such advantages of acces- 

 sibility and an abundance of sport have already 

 attracted many local anglers; some of the waters have 

 been taken up by Quebec clubs, but there still remain a 

 great many lakes, and even systems of lakes with con- 

 necting streams, unleased and ready to afford pleasure 

 to a host of visitors. The railroad people, counting on 

 sportsmen for a part of their revenues, find it to their 

 interest as well as to their undoubted pleasure to extend 

 every facility and courtesy to brethren of the rod and 

 gun. The country is still too new to -offer luxurious 

 accommodations, but all is done that can be done to make 

 one comfortable. The summer climate is delightful, with 

 an elevation of 1,000 to 1,200ft., a northern latitude, and 

 unbroken forests all around, the air is extremely whole- 

 some and the nights are cool. The other day two men 

 left the station of Lake Edward at 3 A. M., and returned 

 at 6:45 A. M., after 24 hours of fishing, with 271bs. of 

 trout; the smallest weighed 1+lbs. , the largest 2f lbs. As 

 the water is still too high for fly-fishing, minnows are the 

 bait. Plenty of these are caught in the lake. Another 

 day two men, in about five hours, took 651bs. of fine trout, 

 the largest of which weighed 41bs. 2oz. The famous 

 Saguenay River, with its remarkable scenery, its salmon 

 rivers and its landlocked salmon waters, lies at the end 

 of the railroad. Altogether the region offers many 

 attractions within easy reach. C. H. F. 



Comparative Weight of Maine and Canadian 

 Salmon. — Camp on St. Mary's River, Sherbrooke, N. S., 

 June 15. — Editor Fores and Stream: I notice in edition 

 of June 9 communication of Dr. R.. under date of May 

 29. Not wishing to enter into a controversy with the 

 Doctor, but feeling that he is mistaken, I wish to say in 

 regard to his remark (speaking of the Penobscot River 

 salmon), "The average run of fish is larger than that of 

 any river in the Eastern States or Canada, excepting the 

 Cascapedia. Most of the salmon taken here are over 151bs. 

 in weight,'' that my experience will contradict him. In 

 1884 T killed 11 salmon on the St. Mary's River that aver- 

 aged SOjlbs. In 188G I kill id 42 salmon on tbe Restigouche 

 that averaged 23-J-lbs. This season I have killed 8 salmon 

 on the St. Mary's River weighing 28, 27, 32, 47|, 39i, 28, 

 24J and 281bs. ; total, 2541bs., and average 31flbs. I was 

 late upon the ground, and most of the large fish had 

 passed along before I arrived. — Lawson B. Bell. 



Taking Carp on Fly-Rods.— For some time past it has 

 been evident that there were some good-sized carp in the 

 lakes of Prospect Park, Brooklyn, the result of plantings 

 made there by Mr. E. G. Blackford, as agent of the U. S. 

 Fish Commission. 0_i Friday last Park Commissioner 

 Somers, Mr. O'Reilly and Mr. Blackford tried the fishing 

 in Long Pond, in the Park, with fly-rods, using crusts of 

 bread instead of flies, and they took thirty-one carp in 

 less than an horn - . The fish were all scale carp and 

 weighed from l^lbs. to 61bs. The carp were all saved 

 alive and planted in the pond by the music stand. Bread 

 crust is now in order as a carp lure, and at the next 

 tournament of the Rod and Reel Association we may see 

 a class made for "casting the bread-crust." 



The Northern New York Association. — The 

 Northern New York Fish and Game Protective Asso- 

 ciation, which was incorporated on Monday , held a meet- 

 ing for organization last week at Troy. The following 

 officers were elected: President, W. E. Hagan; Vice- 

 President, Joseph DeGolyer; Secretary, Dr. C. C. Shuyler; 

 Treasurer, Samual S. Bullions. The honorary members 

 chosen follow: Marshall McDonald, United States Fish 

 Commission, Washington; Eugene G. Blackford, New 

 York State Fish Commissioner; the Hon, James Shana- 

 han, Superintendent of Public Works, Albany; Fred 

 Mather, Cold Spring Harbor, and N. A. Cheney, Glens 

 Falls. The association has a membership of about 100. 



^jfi&hmttme. 



Addresss all covummictitions to the Forest and Stream Pub. Co. 



FISH PRESERVATION BY ACIDS. 



BY A. HOWARD CLARK. 

 [Read before the American Fisheries Society.] 



AN important method of preventing decomposition of 

 animal flesh is the application of antiseptic salts in a 

 powdered form to the surface of the substance or to impreg- 

 nate, it with a solution either by atmospheric or hydraulic 

 pressure. Among the commonest and most effective, anti- 

 septics, exclusive of chloride of sodium (common salt) are 

 acetic, as contained in vinegar, and boracic acid. The latter 

 preservative is fast coming into favor in the preparation of 

 nshery products, because of its very satisfactory properties. 

 As compounded with salt in the form of a powder or m solu- 

 tion with tartaric acid, boracic acid is found to effectually 

 preserve either dry or pickled fish in good condition for a 

 long time. 



At the Fisheries Exhibition, at London, in 188S, some Pa- 

 cific salmon were shown which had been packed in a solution 

 of boracic acid and other ingredients for several weeks, and 

 after their long land and water journey they were removed 

 from the solution and exposed to the atmosphere at the fish 

 market for several days, still retaining most of their original 

 flavor and freshness. 



It is my purpose in this paper to enumerate some of the 

 more important methods of preserving fish by chemical 

 treatment. Only a few of the numerous compounds which 

 have been brought to the notice of fish curers have come into 

 commercial use, though it is probable that many of them 

 would upon trial be found effectual and profitable. 



At the Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia, in 1876, there 

 were some exhibits of fresh oysters and clams preserved in 

 chemical liquids, and which the juries on awards pronounced 

 of good quality. Boracic acid was reported to preserve ani- 

 mal matter for several months without changing the texture 

 as common salt does. Citric and acetic acids also proved 

 good preservatives, and fish cured in these acids were, after a 

 Bttle soaking in fresh water, found free from all unpleasant 

 flavor. 



In Portugal, fish are kept fresh for a considerable time, by 

 removing the viscera and sprinkling the abdominal cavity 

 with sugar, when they are hung un to allow the sugar to im- 

 pregnate the flesh as much as possible. 



I shall notice the several methods in the order of their 

 commercial importance, beginning with acetic acid, which, 

 next to common salt, is perhaps the principal antiseptic in 

 use in_this country. 



1. V inegar, Spices, etc. — Lobsters, oysters, oyster crabs, 

 mussels, scallops and some other marine products are pre- 

 served in vinegar alone, and, packed in glass jars, are com- 

 mon in the New York markets under the name of •'pickled" 

 products. Herring, mackerel, and other fish are largely pre- 

 pared with compounds of vinegar and spices and sold as 

 Russian sardines, marinated fish, soused fish, and by other 

 trade names. The preparation of Russian sardines from the 

 common sea herring was introduced into this country by 

 some enterprising New York merchants during the Franco- 

 Prussian war. The principal seat of operations was East- 

 port, Me. , and the methods employed as patented in 1875 by 

 Messrs. Sellman, Reessing, and Wolff, have been as follows: 

 The fish while alive are thrown into strong brine contained 

 in suitable casks on board the fishing vessels. This part of 

 the process is important, as it not only kills the fish but 

 prevents them from spoiling while being cleaned and cured. 

 After being kept in the brine for at least ten days they are 

 beheaded, gutted, scaled, and are thoroughly cleaned in clear 

 cold water and placed in large willow baskets or in sieves to 

 drain off the superfluous water. In five or six hours they are 

 spread upon packing tables and assorted as to size, each size 

 being packed by themselves. 



The fish are preserved and at the same time flavored by 

 being packed with the following ingredients, the quantities 

 given being for 1201bs. of fish: Two gallons vinegar, l><lbs. 

 allspice, 2oz. pepper, 41bs. sliced onions. 21bs. sliced horse 

 raddish, lib. bay leaves, J^lb. cloves, 3^lb. ginger, y,Vo. cori- 

 ander seed, ; '^lb. Chili pepper, and 23^oz. capers. 



In packing the fish a small quantity of vinegar and a thin 

 layer of the other ingredients are placed in the bottom of 

 the vessel and a layer of fish, placed back upward, are put in 

 and gently pressed down. Anothersmall quantity of vinegar 

 and thin layer of the other ingredients are put in and an- 

 other layer of fish, and. so on until the vessel is full. The 

 fish are ready for market and consumption in about four 

 days in summer and from three to four weeks in winter. 



M eth od of So using.— Soused mackerel and other fish may 

 be prepared as follows: The fish are cut into pieces about 

 2in. long and cleaned. A souse is made of cider vinegar 

 and cloves, nutmeg or other spices, with parsley, bay leaf 

 and onions, and the fish are immersed in this souse for 

 twelve hours, when they are put in a second souse, made the 

 same as the first with the addition of capers, olive oil, 

 Worcestershire sauce, and extract of anchovy and lemons 

 After remaining in the second souse for ten hours, they are 

 heated in the souse for four to eight hours at about 140deg. 

 Fahr. and are then packed with the souse in air-tight pots 

 or jars. 



t. Acetic Acid and Carbonate of Soda. — The fish to be 

 preserved are put in barrels, or other packages, with a liquid 

 composed of acetic acid and carbonate of soda in sufficient 

 quantities to make a slightly acid solution of acetate of soda, 

 to which is added enough water to give the liquid a density 

 of three to five degrees. A few grains of salt may be added 

 to give an agreeable taste, and about five drops of nitrate of 

 soda for each pound of the liquid to preserve the color of the 

 substance. Prepared chalk may be used instead of carbon- 

 ate of soda. The fish may be kept in this solution, or after 

 being saturated with a denser liquid may be dried. 



S. Boracic Acid and Com mon Salt. — In the United States, 

 until within a very few years, little advantage has been taken 

 in the fish trade of the effective preservative power of boracic 

 acid in combination with common salt. In 1883 the writer 

 found that at Gloucester, Mass., the headquarters in this 

 country for the curing of dry-salted fish, the use of boracic 

 acid was just begun, and then only by a few curers. Since 

 that date, however, "Preservaline" and other chemical pow- 

 ders having the above substances as their base have come 

 into quite general use, particularly in the warmer months, 

 when without this preservative it is often found impossible 

 to keep dry fish in good condition for many weeks or even 



days. This powder checks the peculiar reddening bo com- 

 monly seen on dry-salted fish in summer. 



The chemical powder used by the Norwegians in preserv- 

 ing fresh herring for export is a mixture of boracic acid and 

 salt, using about two pounds of salt to each pound of boracic 

 acid. Herring are packed in barrels in the ordinary meth ods 

 with alternate layers of fish and powder, and after the barrel 

 is headed they are "pickled" with a weak solution of pure 

 boracic acid. Fish preserved in this way will keep perfectly 

 fresh and of their natural flavor for a week or even longer. 

 The Norwegians have already succeeded in profitably com- 



Eeting with Scotland in supplying the London market with 

 "esh herring thus prepared. A more complete preservation 

 of herring, so that they will keep in good order for a long 

 time, is obtained by the Sahlstrom process and by the Roosen 

 method by which a solution of boracic acid and salt is 

 thoroughly impregnated into the flesh under a pressure of 60 

 to lOOlbs. to the square inch. Successful experiments have 

 been made in Scotland iD treating fresh salmon by the 

 Roosen process. Three hundred pounds of fish were packed 

 in a strong steel ban-el and with a pressure pump the 

 solution 1 was forced into the salmon until they were 

 thoroughly impregnated. After three weeks subjection to 

 this process the fish were cooked and found of excellent 

 flavor. Strongly made wooden barrels may be substituted 

 for steel barrels, or, after being treated under pressure, the 

 fish may be repacked with the solution in common fish 

 barrels. 



4. Eckhart's Method.— By this process, devised by John 

 Eckhart, of Munich, and patented in 1880-'82, fish are pre- 

 pared in a preserving salt consisting of a mixture of 50 per 

 cent, common salt, 47}4 per cent, chemically pure boracic 

 acid, 2 per cent, tartaric acid, and K per cent, salicylic acid. 

 The fish are first stripped of skin and bones, and the flesh is 

 mixed with the preservative in the proportion of 20 grams of 

 the mixture to 1 kilogram of fish flesh. They are then 

 packed in cases of parchment or other material and put into 

 casks which are filled with a gelatine solution made in the 

 proportion of 50 grams of gelatine, 20 grams of the preserva- 

 tive, and 1,000 grams of water. The casks are then headed 

 and connected with a force pump and more of the solution 

 is forced in until the contents are well saturated. The sacks 

 or cases of fish are then removed from the cask and may be 

 strewn over with more of the salt in dry condition and 

 packed for shipment, or they may be shipped in casks with 

 the liquid. 



5. Boracic and Acetic Acids.— By the Am Ende process 

 boracic acid either in a liquid or pulverous state, is com- 

 pounded with acetic acid in the proportion of about one drop 

 of acetic to every ounce of boracic acid, and the compound is 

 applied in the usual manner. The acetic acid is said to pre- 

 vent the formation of fungi, while the boracic acid prevents 

 putrefaction by hindering the formation of bacteria. 



6. Bora c ic A cid, Chloride of Potassium, etc.— The process 

 devised by Hugo Jannash consists in subjecting fish to a com- 

 pound prepared of chloride of potassium, nitrate of soda, 

 and chemically-pure boracic acid, which ingredients are dis- 

 solved in water, then mixed under exposure of heat, thus 

 forming an antiseptic salt composed of hyponitrate of pot- 

 ash, hypochlorate of soda, borate of soda, borate of potash, 

 and free boracic acid. The compound is applied either as a 

 salt or in a more or less strong solution according to the time 

 for which the fish are to be preserved. 



7. Borax, Saltpeter, etc.— -By the Herzen preserving process 

 meat is soaked for 24 to 36 hours in a solution of three parts 

 borax, two boracic acid, three saltpeter, and one salt, in one 

 hundred parts of water, and then packed in some of the solu- 

 tion. Before use the meat must be soaked 24 hours in fresh 

 water. 



8. Glycerine and Antiseptic Salts.— Oysters, fish, meats, 

 etc.. may be preserved by the use of a mixture of glycerine 

 with phosphate of soda or other antiseptic salt in connection 

 with aldehyde, formic ether or acid in a solution of carbonic 

 acid, water, glycerine, etc., and the preserved substance is 

 then covered with paraffine or stearine. 



9. Miscellaneous Compounds. — Among the many other 

 chemical compounds that have been experimented with, and 

 some of which have been successfully used in the commer- 

 cial preservation of fish, may be mentioned: 



a. A solution of gelatine and bisulphite of lime forced 

 under pressure. 



b. Fish flesh ground into fine pieces, pressed, moistened 

 with glycerine, and wrapped in tinfoil. 



C. A solution of saltpeter and alum in proportion of 51bs. 

 of saltpeter and 4oz. of alum to 60 gallons of sea water. 



d. A solution of thymol, thymic acid, or any of the thy- 

 mate salts and water, alcohol or glycerine. 



e. Acetate of lime solution in water at a density of six de 

 greeB by the aerometer, to which is added acetic acid of eight 

 degrees', so that the liquid will produce sensible acid reaction 

 upon blue reaction paper. 



f. Sulphite of soda and carbolic acid in solution in propor- 

 tion of 5gal. water, 21bs. sulphite of soda and 2oz. carbolic 

 acid. 



g. Hydrocarbon substituted for the air, which occupies the 

 space in and around the substance to be preserved and sub- 

 jecting the same to a temperature of about 30deg. Fahr., the 

 gas entering by a hole at the top and the air escaping through 

 a hole in the bottom of the package. 



h. A solution of salicylic acid dissolved in water, with 

 which the fish is impregnated under hydraulic pressure. 



i. Salicylic acid dissolved in hot glycerine and mixed with 

 hot water. Preserving cans are coated on the inside with 

 the above solution, then the fish are hermetically sealed in 

 the ordinary manner. 



■j. A brine or composition for preserving fish, meat, etc., 

 consisting of a solution of starch, sugar or glucose and com- 

 mon salt. 



k Fish are packed in a dry powder of gypsum and carbon 

 and then enveloped with plastic shell, composed of gypsum, 

 carbon, silicate of soda and water. 



Washington, D. C. 



Address all communications to the Forest and Stream Pub. Co 



FIXTURES. 



DOG SHOWS. 



Sept. 1 to 3.— Inaugural DogShow of tbe Pacific Kennel Club, at 

 San Francisco, Cal. J. E.Watson, Secretary, 516 Sacramento 

 street. San Francisco, Cal. 



Sept. 12 to 17.— First. Show St. Paul and Minnesota Kennel Club, 

 St. Paul, Minn. W. G. Whitehead, Secretary. 



Sept. 20 to 23.— Wisconsin Kennel Club's Annual Show, Mil- 

 waukee, Wis. R. D. Whitehead , Manager. 



Oct. 12 and 13.— Stafford Kennel Club Show, Stafford Springs, 

 Conn. R. S. Hicks, Secretary. 



FIELD TRIALS. 



Sept. 6.— Manitoba Field Trials Club Field Trials. Derby entries 

 will close July 1; all-aged entries Aug. 1. Secretary, Hubert Gait, 

 Winnipeg, Manitoba. 



Nov. 7.— Third Annual Field Trials of the Western Field Trials 

 Association. R. C. Van Horn, Secretary, Kansas City, Mo. 



Nov, 21.— Ninth Annual Field Trials of the Eastern Field Trials 

 Club, at High Point, N. C. W. A. Coster, Secretary, Flatbush, 

 Kings County, N. Y. 



December.— First Annual Field Trials of the American Field 

 Trials Club, at Florence, Ala. C. W. Paris, Secretary, Cincinnati, 



