THE SMOKED-HERRING INDUSTRY. 477 



the ground. Such a house holds about 4,000 boxes of herring. A fisherman will frequently own 

 two or three smoke-houses, separating them from each other by a sufficient space to prevent the 

 loss of all in case one should be burned. Where an extensive business is done requiring several 

 buildings it is customary to have a small landing or wharf to which the boat containing the 

 herring may be fastened. One or more small sheds are also necessary for the work of salting and 

 stringing the fish and, in addition, a larger building is erected where the boxes are made and the 

 fish are packed and stored until such time as they can be marketed to advantage. Single smoke- 

 houses usually have a small shed attached, but they are seldom provided with packing-houses, the 

 fisherman almost invariably using some portion of his own dwelling for this purpose. An ordinary 

 smoke house, if we include the boat landing, costs, when new, about $200, but if provided with 

 salting and stringing sheds and packing-houses it has a value of fully $400, which is increased to 

 $450 or $500 if the land occupied is considered. 



6. METHODS OF SMOKING AND PACKING. 



The small fish used for smoking are taken either by torching or in weirs, as already mentioned, 

 while the larger ones are caught in gill-nets. Several fishermen usually visit the weir at low tide 

 and secure the catch by means of a small seine, which is hauled either on the "shore side" or in 

 the "bunt" of the weir, the fish being transferred to the boat by means of large dip-nets made 

 expressly for the purpose. 



SCALING. As soon as the herring have been secured the fisherman fastens his oil-trousers 

 tightly about his boots and begins scaling the fish, or " treading them out," as he calls it, by moving 

 his feet briskly back and forth through the mass without raising them from the bottom of the boat. 

 By the motion of the fish upon each other, as well as by contact with the legs of the fisherman, the 

 scales are readily removed, four or five hogsheads being easily scaled in half an hour. Another 

 method of scaling is to move the fish among each other by means of a stirring stick, locally known 

 as a "spudger." This instrument is simply a piece of board about a foot in length and 4 or 5 

 inches wide, which has been securely fastened to a long handle. By means of this the mass of 

 herring is stirred until the scales have all been loosened. The scaling must take place at once upon 

 the removal of the fish from the water, as when they become dry the scales set, and can then be 

 removed only with the greatest difficulty. According to Mr. McGregor, no herring were scaled 

 prior to 1820, when Mr. Samuel Myers, of Lubec, noticed the deciduous character of the scales and 

 began an investigation of the subject, which led to the methods already described. He found that 

 the appearance of the fish was greatly improved by removing the scales, and that scaled herring 

 brought from 20 to 30 cents more per box in the market than those put up in the ordinary manner. 

 From this time he scaled all of his fish before smoking them, and although he attempted to keep 

 the process a secret, the fishermen watched him until they discovered his method, which was soon 

 universally adopted. Great care must be exercised in scaling, as when the fish are not sufficiently 

 stirred numbers of scales will remain, making an undesirable contrast with the scaleless portions 

 of the body. Again, if the fish are stirred too long the texture of the flesh is injured, and they are 

 less saleable, many of them being "belly-broken" and worthless. 



SALTING. As soon as the scales have been loosened the fish are washed in dip-nets for the 

 purpose of properly cleaning them, after which they are transferred to large tubs, barrels, or 

 hogsheads, where they are carefully salted. The amount of salt required varies with the size and 

 condition of the herring, large and fat fish needing more than small or lean ones. The average 

 quantity used varies from 1% to 2 bushels to the hogshead. The small fish are allowed to remain 

 in the pickle from twenty-four to thirty-six hours, while the larger ones, in order to be thoroughly 



