of the Fishery Board for Scotland, 
101 
This salt is slightly rose tinted, and microscopic examination showed this 
colour to be owing to the presence of considerable numbers of Clathro- 
cystis — the fungus in question. In red cod from Lerwick, ' Dr Edington 
* shows that while several forms of bacteria and micrococci are present, 
* the production of the red colour is to be ascribed to the presence of a 
' special and new form which he names Bacillus rubescens, and which also 
' existed in the salt used for curing.' The fact that similar fungi were 
abundant in the neighbouring marshes in the United States, and that 
another — a Sarcina — ' was fomid growing in the mud of salt marshes 
* near Copenhagen,' points to the reason for their presence in salt obtained 
from the sea by evaporation in ponds. 
These salts seem to have always been preferred for the curing of 
herring, thus : — ' The Dutch formerly used salt from Spain or Portugal, 
' and it was considered that their salt would cure the fat summer herring 
' when the British salt would not.' The principal characteristics chemi- 
cally of these salts is their great hygroscopicity owing to magnesic and 
calcic salts — as may be seen in Nos 9 and 10 of Table 1. The absence 
of these may be the reason why ' common salt leaves a bitter smatch on 
* all food cured with it after being long kept.' Again, ' all the manu- 
' factured white edible salts impart a bitter taste to meats and fish cured 
' by them, particularly if the same are to be kept many months. This is 
* the reason why bay salt is so much used in part along with the common 
' salt, and if bay salt was less expensive it would be universall}^ used, and 
' alone.' Of late bay salt has really been much cheaper than British salts, 
and curers will have to reconsider the above decision. The last quotation 
may possibly give us an insight into the cause for the preference for 
these salts which do not leave the ' bitter smatch ' on the food treated 
with them. The presence of chloride of magnesium may have this 
softening influence, by becoming magnesia and counteracting the sub-acid 
taste of chloride of sodium itself. This result could probably be obtained 
quite as well by mixing the pickling brine with a little magnesia or other 
addition. The ' bitter smatch ' would then be removed, and the organisms 
that seem to accompany the sea salts would be eliminated from such a 
pickle. This ' softness,' however, is not the only advantage these salts 
seem to possess for certain purposes, and we must look to the extreme 
deliquescence, caused mainly by the presence of the chlorides of magnesium 
and calcium, as the reason for their rapid action — as in the case of the 
' fat summer herring,' which is not curable by Liverpool or slow-working 
salts. But, on the other hand, they do not keep well, or for any length of 
time. 
From an examination of Table L it is observable that the Peninsular 
salts (presumably evaporated sea salts) have a large percentage of in- 
soluble matter, including possible fungoid growths as in the Cadiz salts. 
Then the quantity of moisture in these salts, while weakening them 
apparently as curing salts, may not really do so in practice. 
It is observable that the common Cleveland salts, Nos. 2, 3, and 4, 
Table I., have least impurities, least moisture, no magnesic or calcic 
chlorides, and only a small percentage of insoluble sulphates. Yet it is 
these common salts that leave the ' bitter smatch ' complained of in 
meats cured by them. The other special salts (first and second fishery), 
Nos. 5 and 6, Table I., have the magnesic salts replaced by calcic chloride, 
an equally deliquescent salt. 
We cannot see how the presence of a quantity of large undissolved 
crystals can aid in the cure of a barrel of herring. Their only value 
must lie in their utility should the barrel be long kept and the brine 
escape, when they may continue to dissolve and take the place of the 
brine that has gone, more especially if refilled with weak pickle. This 
