28 



In the method used by Mr. George M. Besse of Wareham 

 the undressed alewives are first covered completely with salt 

 on the floor of the catching house, and then packed in a barrel 

 in the bottom of which 2 inches of salt and an equal quantity 

 of water have been placed. The alewives are placed in tiers 

 with alternating layers of salt, and the barrel is filled half full 

 of water. The fish remain in this "pickle" for about one month, 

 when they are ready for dry salting, which consists in packing 

 them in layers of "fine coarse" salt. In this form they are 

 ready for the market. 



Smoking. In curing the alewives by smoking, the fish are 

 removed from the brine, strung on sticks passed through the 

 eye sockets, and then are suspended in suitable houses where 

 they are dried and smoked . Later they are packed in boxes for 

 the market or shipped in bulk. On Cape Cod it is not uncom- 

 mon to see the picturesque sight of smoked alewives suspended 

 in rows. 



Price. In the early runs good prices are received for the 

 fresh alewives as bait. Prices fluctuate from year to year. 

 Smith (4) quotes the price of 1.1 cents per pound in 1880; 0.9 

 in 1888; and 0.7 in 1896. In 1902 it averaged $3.75 per barrel, 

 salted, and had so increased according to the May 26, 1919, 

 issue of the "Fishing Gazette," that in 1917 alewives were sell- 

 ing at $6 per barrel at St. John, N. B., as compared with $4 

 the previous year. In 1920 prices ranged from $6 to $8 per 

 barrel, salted, and $3 per hundred pounds fresh, while at the 

 streams the freshly caught fish were sold from 50 cents to $2 

 per hundred count. 



Scales. In 1919 a new impetus was given the industry by 

 the utilization of the scales for a secret commercial process 

 concerning which it is impossible to obtain authentic informa- 

 tion. Rumor is current that the iridescent coloring material 

 of the scales is utilized in the manufacture of artificial pearls. 

 Be that as it may, the firm of Petro & Finkelstein, at Hyannis, 

 purchased quantities of scales during 1919 and 1920, and Mr. 

 F. O. Proctor of Gloucester was carrying on an extensive busi- 

 ness at Onset in 1920. The white lower scales only are taken 

 and sell at 50 to 60 cents per pound, or higher, while the sealers 

 receive a minimum of 10 cents per pound. At Herring River, 



