The Springdale news., 1889-10-04
LONDON FISH TRICKS.
Goldfish Made Plump with the Blow-Eip
 and Paint Brush.

COuHsn Maue trump with tue bio"-s @Po
 and Paint Brush.
 Fisherman so fully realize the pres ent difficulty of preserving some kinds of fresh fish, that familiar name for he rock pouters. sort of whiting, Is the ''stinkalives," while they call stale. pr decomposed fish, "oyer-day" lover l dav) fish, showing that after twenty four hours most fish decompose. About twenty-four hours after capture the herring is liable to the pouring out of axtravasation of blood about his gills and fins, which darkened and damaged. pr bruised appearance is quaintly called in the fish trade "over-day tarts.' These, to their ignorant and unwary customers, interruptions costermonGers actually audaciously recommend be- cause of being 'blceding new! Among the early signs of commencing fish de- composition in the pouring out and clotting of blood either externally, as in the herring tribe. or internally along the spinal column, as in the sole and many fresh-water fish. This process should be known as "bleeding bad and ftale.' If before capture the herring should have over-distended its stomach with undigested food then prior to the fishing smack reaching the shore putre- faction sets in so rapidly that such her rings are useless even to the professional fiah-curer, which condition is tech nically termed ''gutpoek. Drowned in, lao, ba4 of hn et.f in hp herrings deeompose even too rapidly for the fish-curer. Owing to the pres sure of the net, hcrrings are often hauled dead into the fisherman's boat. In addition to passing of decomposed herrings as fresh ones, from among the many fish-trade tricks, is initiating the butchers plan of blowing air into the veal to improve it's appearance; so on the fishermonger's slabs codtish are sometimes, by means of blow pipe, inflated with air, or blown so as to make skinny, habby fish look plump and fat. Small haddoeIs and rock pouters cheap, common fish arc often skinned. with their tails inserted in their mouths, and sold as whiting. Painting and vanishing the gills and other parts of stale fish to make them look fresh is a dodge praetised at home and abroad. .sFilIeted solesn are often "dresseda pIaice and halibut is passed off as turbot. Turtle soup is often made from the conger eel and no tur-. tie Stale eel and skate are rubbed over with sand to appear as if recently caught. Old lobsters getting a lighter weight by age have been ingeniously filled up internally by bits of fresh had dock introduced just where the Holsters tail and body unite. Among the signs of fish decomposition, beside external or internal bleeding and elotting, are cloudy, opaque and sHnkeh- eyes. dry looking gills. habbY or soft flesh, fishy smell. loss of brigh.ness and briiliaucy about the scales. and any phospbores- cence. When cooked. q sour or acid taste, or any clotted blood. indicates partially dccomposed fish, the blaeken- ing Of silver spoon indicates sulphur. a product of fish decomposition. In Italy cured fish is tested by the intro- duction of skewer, which. on being subsequently, smelIed. indicates the con- dition of the fish. London Fish Trades Review.