THE SAHDINE INDUSTRY. 511 



apron aud is soon at his place ready for work. The fish are at once " hoisted out" of the boat and 

 emptied upon the cutting table. A lively scene now presents itself, as all are anxious to cut as 

 many as possible, since they are paid in proportion to the amount of work done. Each is provided 

 with a box, holding a little more than a peck, into which the fish are thrown, while the heads, entrails, 

 and tails are put into a barrel at one side. 



The fish is taken in the left hand, while the knife is held in the right, and, beginning on the 

 back at some distance behind the gills, the blade is driven downward through the body and the 

 head is severed. The intestines do not cut so readily as the flesh, and therefore usually remain at- 

 tached to the head, aud are removed with it by one or two lateral strokes or scrapes of the knife. 

 By a movement of the hand the fish is then reversed, and the tail is severed by a quick blow, 

 and after being washed the body is ready for salting. 



The children become very proficient in this work, and handle their knives with great rapidity. 

 They will usually cut 3 or 4 barrels of ordinary-sized fish in a day, while a few of the most expert 

 will cut fully a hogshead. 



The price paid for cutting is 5 cents per box. When one has been filled it is removed and an 

 empty one put in its place, a man being regularly employed for this work. The child receives a 

 ticket or 5-ceut check for each box cut. These are redeemable at the company's office on Saturday 

 of each week, but it often happens that they are carried regularly to the stores of the town before 

 pay-day arrives and exchanged for candy, fruits, or merchandise, the merchant presenting them 

 for redemption when the proper time arrives. As it is desirable to have the fish cut as soon as pos- 

 sible, a large force is employed aud the work is completed in a few hours, after which the children 

 return to their homes. A smart boy will often earn over $1 a day when he has steady employ- 

 ment, but, on account of the small number of hours during which he has work, the average wages 

 do not exceed $3.50 per week. 



THE MANNER OF SALTING. As soon as the heads, tails, and entrails have been removed the 

 fish are emptied into a small car, which is rolled into the salting room. Here they are thoroughly 

 washed and placed in the strongest brine. The time required for salting varies greatly, being de- 

 pendent on the size of the fish, their freshness, and the weather. Large and fresh herring should 

 be salted for fully an hour, while smaller ones, and those that have been kept for some time, will 

 be sufficiently "struck" in thirty to forty minutes. In cold weather, owing to their firmer flesh, 

 they must be salted longer than in summer. When a larger quantity is received than can be used 

 for canning, the balance are at once salted in large hogsheads and allowed to remain until such 

 time as they can be cut into Russian sardines. These have no value for canning, as they become 

 so salt as to injure their flavor. 



FLAKING. As soon as they have been sufficiently "struck" the herring are taken from the 

 salting troughs and thoroughly washed in spring water. They then go to the "flaking" rooms, 

 where boys and girls, and occasionally grown people, are engaged in arranging them upon frames 

 made of wood or galvanized wire. These frames, technically known as " flakes," are 30 inches 

 square, and hold about 175 fish each. The " flake" is simply a square frame, with small triangular 

 strips of wood, or small galvanized iron wires, stretched across it. These are separated from each 

 other by 1 or 2 inches, so as to give a free circulation of air, and to touch the fish at only a few 

 points, in order that evaporation may go on from all parts of the body. 



The fish are arranged in rows with their tails in the same direction, so that when placed in the 

 drying room the anterior portion shall be lowest, in order that the moisture may the more readily 

 drip from the herring. 



THE VARIOUS DRYING PROCESSES. Up to this point the fish go through the same prepara- 



