574 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 



in length and a bead 13 inches in diameter. The capacity of this barrel is about half as great as 

 that of the common fish-barrel, holding, when properly packed, about 100 pounds of mullet;* but, 

 as the law does not specify the exact weight of fish, some of the fishermen who are inclined to 

 dishonesty pack their mullet in such a way that the side of the fish containing the backbone shall 

 come in the center. I5y packing in this way, 90 pounds of fish will till a barrel. Mr. Stearns says 

 that the packages now used for putting up pickled mullet at Apalachicola "are of white pine, 

 either barrels, half barrels, quarter barrels, or kits. These come by freight from Boston. Form- 

 erly cypress packages were used, but they were discarded because they were not so neat or cheap 

 as the ones just mentioned. With the freight included, those white pine barrels, half-barrels, 

 quarter-barrels, and kits cost, respectively, $1, Go cents, 45 cents, and 30 cents." In other portions 

 of the Gulf home-made barrels are in general use. though a portion of the supply is usually 

 obtained from the North. 



In the shipping of kenched or dry salted mullet ordinary wooden boxes are frequently em- 

 ployed. In many localities the fish are simply bundled up in such a way that the fleshy side of 

 the mullet may be turned inward and kept clean while in transit, or, again, the outside of the bundle 

 is covered by a single layer of matting or palmetto leaves. 



As already stated, only young mullet are found in New Jersey; these being too small to sell 

 when salted in the ordinary way, most of them are used fresh, though a few of the larger ones are 

 sometimes salted for family use. We learn indirectly that a few of the small mullet are put up 

 in vinegar and spices, though we have never seen any fish of this kind in the market. 



At New Smyrna, Fla., and in a few other localities, according to Mr. J. F. McCarthy, mullet 

 are smoked to a limited extent for family use, though none are prepared for market in this way. 



METHODS OF PREPARING MULLET BOES The roe of the mullet, which consists of two 

 cylindrical masses of eggs an inch or more in diameter and 4 to 8 inches long, is considered a 

 great delicacy, and many are saved by the fishermen, who find a ready sale for them. They are 

 obtained from the schools of roe or spawning mullet that are so abundant in all of the bays and 

 coves along many portions of the coast between the middle of September and the 1st of Decem- 

 ber. The marketable ones are taken from gravid females which, though full-roed, have not yet be- 

 gun spawning. At this time the ovaries, though large, are still compact, and the eggs are hard and 

 firmly held together by means of a membrane that surrounds them. As the spawning season ap- 

 proaches, the eggs gradually soften and expand until they burst the membrane and fall into the 

 ovarian duct, slowly passing toward the opening, through which they are excluded. When in this 

 condition the roes are too soft to be of value, and are hence usually thrown away. At most of the 

 larger fisheries one man usually gives his entire attention to gathering and preparing the roe. 



Fresh roes are in good demand in the larger fishing towns, and they are highly prized by the 

 fishermen, -who consume quite a quantity of them during the season. A large percentage of those 

 saved, however, are cured for shipment to the commercial centers. In some localities they are salted 



*We publish the following letter received from Messrs. Hall & Pearsall, of Wilmington, N. C., in reply to our 

 inquiry as to the quantity of mullet contained in a barrel of regulation size: 



JULY 16, 1881. 

 R. E. EARLL, Esq., Asst. U. S. Fish Com., WanJiini/ton, D. C. : 



DEAR SIR: Yours of the 14th to hand. Having no good fish iu stock, we took to-day a barrel of the regulation 

 dimensions named and filled it wilh piukled fish which had partially dried. We then covered it with the. usual 

 quantity of salt pickle, and subsequently reweighed it, with tbe following result: Barrel, fish, and pickle (gross), 166 

 pounds; fish, 95 pounds: pickle, 41 pounds; barrel, 30 pounds. As these had lost some weight iu partially drying, 

 we estimate that a barrel of this size should contain 100 pounds net of pickled fish. 

 Y i 'iirs, respectfully, 



HALL & PEAKSALL. 



