16 BULLETIN 908, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
The herring studied by Heinecke (18) contained the largest amount 
of fat during September and October. : 
According to Johnstone (13), the full and unripe herrings caught 
during the summer (June to August) are much richer in fat or oil 
than the same kind of herring caught during the fall and winter 
(October to December). His results show also that the percentage 
variation in the water and fat content of the fish is closely comple- 
mentary. 
The monthly variations in the water and fat contents of the Maine 
herring of various sardine sizes as they were brought to the canneries 
are shown in Table 4. The analyses were made not on the fresh fish, 
but on fish which had been held in salt or pickle for varying periods. 
The results are therefore influenced by the salt taken up by the fish 
and the amount of water and extractive material lost, and can not 
be considered as representative of fresh fish. 
TABLE 4.— Water and fat content of sea herring by months (1913). 
Water. Fat. 
Description of fish and month caught. | of ] 
| 
July: 
“Oil size— | Pict. | Pict. | P.ct. | P.ct. | P.et. | P.c 
Noteviscerited! 5: 2+ 5) ie 6 | 70.91 | 53.23] 65.28] 5.55 / 3.93 4.80 
EViSCORAGCUC se eee eee 8 ree 2) 69.68 | 61.54] 65.61 6. 06 4.36 5.21 
Mustard size— | 
Noteviscerated 22-2. 55s 10} 66.90 | 48.72] 61.99} 18.61} 7.21 12.94 
Biviscerabeds 22 S222 2 eS 4| 64.10| 52.84) 60.06} 14.24) 9.26 13.01 
August: 
Oil size— | | 
INGE-c wiSeernbed a5 oe 10 | 71.28} 60.62; 65.32] 11.25; 6.03 9.48 
Hi yiscerated 422 pe east 1/| 64.60 | 64.60) 64.60 7.30} 7.301 7.30 
Mustard size— | 
Notevascermed 32. 22528 -8 4] 65.32) 58.32} 61.62] 15.63] 11.87] 13.44 
SB VISCORR LOGS a Se Sa 1; 62.46 | 62.46] 62.46; 12.38 12.38 12.38 
September: 
Oil size— 
Noatevisceripds= 22222 oS 4/| 70.38! 60.08} 67.74} 8.49) 9.311 6.31 
Mustard size— | SS al 
INob Gwascemiteds 8 *2~ 222252. 22! 4) 64.85] 59.96) 62.43] 15.07) 8.54) 11.32 _ 
October: | j 
Oil size— j j =a] fox 
Not eviscerated...........-..-.----- s| 72.16] 50.13] 65.10) 1425) 5.09] 87% 
iW VaSCera te gies et Fat 2. eee 3 | 71-51 | 64.55] 69.18; 9.68) 7.84 3.00 
Mustard size— pay aoe 
Not eviscersied: 23. 228 Sti sss eee. 3 | 59.81) 16.00) 1056; 18 16 
68.13 | 55.54 | 
The average fat content of the oil-size fish was greatest in August, 
in the case of the uneviscerated fish, and in October in the case of the 
eviscerated fish. In July the fat content was comparatively low for 
each. The mustard size, or larger, fish did not show an appreciable 
increase from one month to the next, containing approximately 13 
per cent of fat from July until October. 
The low fat content for the oil-size fish found in September is 
accounted for by the fact that a number of analyses made on fish 
obtained from Castine, Me., are included. It is said that large num- 
bers of these fish run into this bay, where they remain until long after 
the food supply is exhausted, thus becoming very thin. 
