Verses 11-12 are labeled "Moral" in the Carmina Collegensis of 1868, and in Heart songs (posted by Joe Offer, thread 9179, the 'Burl Ives' thread).

The Boston fact may be a New York fact, and may be old, as it involves six pence in the footnote to the Carmina Collegensis printing.
"... a certain learned Professor of New York: whose habit it became to frequent a place down town where buckwheat cakes were furnished. Three buckwheats were given for a sixpence. But the professorial appetite surpassed three cakes. Six cakes would have been given for "twelve and a half cents," but twelve and a half cents was a stretch of finances. Whereupon our Professor orders five buckwheats, which are sufficiently appeasing to his appetite, and for which he is content to pay tenpence. But the buckwheat people have no checks for tenpence- their currency running in sixpence, shillings, and so on. The professor several times fets the five buckwheats and pays his tenpence therefor, but at last, from the trouble he gives, grows notorious. The Professor in fact becomes "blown" at the establishment as the Five-buckwheat-man; and is one day resolutely informed that he must either go the six buckwheats or three buckwheats,- or none at all. This upsets the Professor's pecuniary calculations, sours the buckwheats and his temper, and drives him away entirely."
What this has to do with fish-balls I don't know, but it is appended to the text and music to the song (p. 15).