102 
Appendices to Ninth Annual Report 
would not, however, prevent the fish being 'rusted.' But if a barrel 
of herrings is just sufficiently salted, there should really be no residue 
of undissolved crystals ; while, if certain salts are used, should any such 
salt remain undissolved, it must only be because the moisture in the 
barrel (including that in the fish) is super-saturated; or because the 
salt has not been properly distributed, and the excess from one part 
cannot reach the deficient portion in a tightly packed barrel. 
When a salt is very deliquescent and yet not very soluble (as may 
happen) the curing effect may be very much less than appears super- 
ficially. Thus the salts that deliquesce may not cure — or cure quickly 
for early consumpt only — while those that cure may be in hard in- 
soluble crystals that take long to act. 
Table. 
Crystals. 
Colour, 
Weight per 
Bulk. 
1. Middlesborough, . 
Middling size. 
Yellowish. 
532 
2. Second fishery, 
Large crystals. 
Pure white. 
432 
3. „ ... 
Mixed—larger than 1, 
White. 
486 
4. Common salt, 
Small crystals. 
Dullish coloured. 
389 
5. Liverpool, First fishery, 
Large crystals. 
Dullish coloured. 
486 
6. „ Second ,, 
Large crystals. 
White. 
525 
7. „ .... 
Larger crystals. 
White. 
554 
8. Lisbon, .... 
Very large crystals 
Yellowish. 
568 
9. Spanish, .... 
Small crystals. 
Not very pure. 
515 
10. St Ubes, .... 
Very large crystals. 
Pure white. 
571 
From this it is evident that, although the very large crystals prevented 
the spaces being as completely filled as the fiuer-grained salt permitted, 
yet the weight per bulk was greater. Small-grained common salt (No. 
4) was the lightest of all, and yet the measure was most completely 
filled. All were dried to the same practical extent. No reliable 
deduction can be made from this Table, except that measure is no test 
of weight. Even size of crystals is not the test, as in Nos. 1 and 2, 
where the larger crystals weigh less than the smaller. Composition, 
moisture, and crystallisation all require to be considered. 
W. ANDEKSON SMITH. 
8^^ April 1891. 
Table I. 
Nos. 1. Second fishery, Middlesborough. 
2. Common salt, „ 
3. Middlesborough salt. 
4. 
5. First fishery salt, Liverpool. 
Nos. 6. Second fishery salt, Liverpool. 
7. Liverpool salt. 
8. Lisbon salt. 
9. Spanish salt. 
10. St Ubes. 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
Common salt, . 
97-75 
98-01 
98-58 
97-78 
96-51 
96*67 
96-13 
94-43 
88-80 
90-09 
Impurities, 
2-25 
1^99 
1-42 
2-22 
3-49 
3-33 
3-87 
5-57 
11-20 
9-91 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
Impurities consist 
of— 
Calcic sulphate, . 
•29 
•56 
•12 
-67 
•68 
•77 
•84 
1-26 
•70 
•85 
Sodic suphate, 
•14 
•30 
•26 
•32 
•05 
•16 
Magnesic sulphate, 
'•81 
i'-85 
1^63 
Magnesic chloride, 
•02 
1-35 
Calcic chloride, 
'•16 
'■-24 
Moisture, 
i-65 
i-io 
•95 
I'ib 
2-45 
2-15 
2-85 
3-20 
7-io 
^'•90 
Insoluble matter, . 
•17 
•03 
•09 
•08 
•20 
•17 
•13 
•28 
-20 
•37 
