io6 bulletin of the bureau of FISHERIES. 
Table 4. — Showing Proportion op Edible Parts to Refuse in the Sea Mussel. 
Determinations from steamed material. 
Date. 
Num- 
ber 
taken. 
Total 
weight. 
Aver- 
age 
weight. 
Flesh. 
Liquids. 
Total 
edible 
portion. 
Refuse. 
Flesh. 
Liquids. 
Total 
edible 
portion. 
Refuse 
1907. 
Lbs. 
oz. 
Ounces. 
Lbs. oz. 
Lbs. 
oz. 
Lbs. oz. 
Lb. 
. oz. 
Per ct. 
Per ct. 
Per ct. 
Per ct. 
August 12 
119 
IO 
0 
1 . 34 
2 
I 
8 
3 
10 V2 
6 
5 'A 
21.56 
15. 00 
36. 56 
63. 44 
I)o 
167 
15 
0 
1 . 44 
2 15 
I 
2 
4 
1 
IO 
IS 
19 - 58 
7 - 50 
27 . 08 
72. 92 
August 13 
186 
l6 
0 
1.38 
3 4 
I 
1 1 
4 
IS 
1 1 
I 
20. 35 
10. 54 
30. 89 
69. 11 
Do 
192 
l6 
0 
i -33 
3 3 
I 
14 
5 
1 
IO 
is 
19. 92 
1 1 . 7 1 
31 - 63 
68. 37 
August 14 
204 
17 
0 
1 . 33 
3 8 
2 
2 
5 
IO 
1 1 
6 
20. 58 
12.50 
33 - 08 
66. 92 
August 15 
213 
18 
0 
i -35 
3 13 
2 
6 
6 
3 
1 1 
14 
21.18 
13 - 19 
34 - 37 
65. 63 
August 26 
180 
l6 
0 
1 . 42 
3 1 
I 
I 2 
4 
13 
1 1 
3 
19 - 14 
10. 97 
30. 1 1 
69. 89 
August 27 
330 
25 
0 
1 . 2 1 
5 9 
2 
IO 
8 
3 
16 
13 
22. 25 
10. 50 
32. 75 
67. 2S 
August 28 
88 
9 
0 
1. 63 
1 9 14 
O 
8 
2 
I Vi 
6 
14 ^ 
17. 71 
5-55 
23. 26 
76. 74 
1908. 
July 9 
91 
9 
1 
1 . 60 
I 13 
O 
IO 
2 
7 
6 
IO 
20. 00 
6.89 
26. 89 
73 - 11 
July 12 
2l8 
23 
3 
1 . 70 
4 1 
I 
14 
s 
15 
17 
4 
17 - 52 
8. 09 
25. 61 
74 - 39 
July is . 
106 
1 2 
0 
1 . 81 
2 6 
O 
15 
3 
5 
8 
1 1 
19. 79 
7. 81 
27. 60 
72. 40 
July 16 
356 
36 
0 
1 . 61 
6 9 
2 
I 2 
9 
5 
26 
1 1 
20. 34 
7,63 
27. 97 
72. 03 
.luly 30 
356 
3 i 
8 
1 . 44 
5 7 
2 
IO 
8 
I 
23 
7 
17.26 
8.33 
2 5 ■ 59 
74. 41 
August 8 
287 
32 
5 
1 . 80 
4 12 
I 
15 
6 
I I 
2.5 
IO 
14. 70 
5-99 
20. 69 
79-31 
August 10 
212 
20 
3 
i- 52 
2 15 
O 
15 
3 
14 
l6 
5 
14 - 55 
4. 64 
19 . 19 
80. 81 
August 11 
l8o 
18 
0 
1 . 60 
2 5 
O 
12 
3 
I 
14 
15 
12. 84 
4. 16 
17 . OO 
83. 00 
August 14 
744 
74 
1 2 
1 . 60 
15 12 
9 
3 
24 
15 
49 
13 
21. 15 
12. 29 
33 - 44 
66. 56 
Total 
4, 229 
399 
0 
1.50 
75 1 
37 
3 
1 12 
4 
286 
I 2 
18. 81 
9 - 32 
28. 13 
71-87 
A comparison of the two tables reveals a wide difference in the ratios of edible 
parts to waste. In case of the raw material it is 53.54 per cent of meat and liquor to 
46.46 per cent of refuse. With the cooked material it is 28.13 P er cent to 71.87 per cent. 
This great dissimilarity of results is due to two facts. In the first place, cooking 
removes considerable water from the flesh and in the second place the opening of 
the shells of many of the mussels during the process of cooking causes considerable 
loss of the natural liquor. The loss of water and liquor is thus added to the refuse 
column and makes the difference between the useful and waste parts appear greater 
than it really is. These figures apparently indicate that much loss of food material 
results from cooking, but such is not the case. The loss in weight is due almost entirely 
to the extraction of water. 
A comparison of the mussel with the oyster and long clam on the basis of the rela- 
tive amounts of edible parts to refuse will help one to appreciate its real value as a food. 
The figures used for this purpose are taken from Atwater (1891) and incorporated in 
the following table: 
Table 5. — Showing Percentage of Edible Parts and Refuse in the Mussel, Long Clam, and 
Oyster. 
Kinds of shellfish. 
Number 
of speci- 
mens. 
Edible portion. 
Refuse 
(shells, 
etc.). 
Flesh. 
Liquids. 
Total. 
Sea mussel 
50 
44 i 
3,383 
Per cent. 
32. 66 
34 - 77 
9. 81 
Per cent. 
18. 00 
21.78 
7 - 65 
Per cent. 
50. 66 
56. 55 
17. 46 
Per cent. 
46. 69 
4 i. 77 
81 . 40 
Measured by the above standard, the mussel contains about the same proportion 
of flesh and liquids as the long clam and about three times as much as the oyster. If 
