48 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



or Garfus cegUfinas. The same quantity of Hippoglossus maximus requires 

 25 " pouds" (900 pounds) of salt. On the Mournian coast, Spanish and 

 English salt are used, which can be imported duty-free. Wealthy fish- 

 ermen usually buy their stock of salt in Norway, and sell some of it 

 again to the poorer fishermen. 



The cod salted in the spring are taken to Archangel in large sail-boats, 

 and are much sought after as being freshly salted. The cod salted in 

 the summer are carried in large boats, called in Eussian " ladya," 

 which come from Archangel for this purpose. During the time of lad- 

 ing, and as long as the boats are at anchor near the fishing-places, the 

 fishermen continue to salt, on board their boats, the fish taken during 

 this time. 



The cod is dried from the beginning of the fishing till the middle of 

 May. The Eussian fishermen do not take out the vertebral column as 

 the Norwegians do. They split the back of the fish and open the belly, 

 so that the two halves are connected only by the tail. The cod dried in 

 this manner is by the Eussians called " rochkirka," and by the Norwe- 

 gians " roskaer." In Norway, they also prepare "rondfish," which the 

 Eussians call " rountovka." For this purpose, the head of the fish is cut 

 off, and the belly is opened, but without flattening the opened fish. 

 They are then tied two and two by the tails and hung on poles to dry. 

 The Eussians do not prepare what the Norwegians call " klipfisk," that 

 is, codfish salted and then dried. 



As soon as the drying is done, the fish are taken from the poles, and 

 heaped up like wood, placing on the top of each heap boards weighted 

 down by stones, in order to flatten those fish which, while drying, may 

 have become warped. 



The dried cod is shipped from Archangel to St. Petersburg and to 

 the districts of Olonets and Vologda. About 30,000 « pouds " (1,080,000 

 pounds) of dried cod arrive every year at St. Petersburg, and scarcely 

 5,600 "pouds" (201,600 pounds) of salted cod. The chief market for 

 salt cod is the district of Archangel, especially the rural districts. 



The heads of the cod-fish are generally thrown away, but sometimes 

 the largest are gathered and spread on rocks to dry. They are taken to 

 Archangel, where 50 " kopecks' 7 (35 cents) are paid for a " poud," (36 

 pounds.) The chief buyers of this vile food are the peasants of the dis- 

 trict of Pinega, who live in the most wretched manner. 



The tongues of the cod-fish are salted separately, 15 pounds of salt 

 being used to 100 pounds of tongues. These salted tongues are sold 

 at Archangel at 4 "kopecks" (2| cents) a kilogram. From April till 

 the middle of August, every boat can gather, if the fishing is good, 

 about 1,600 kilograms of cod-fish tongues. 



The swimming-bladder of the cod also forms an article of trade in 

 the shape of fish-glue, after having been carefully washed, laid out, and 

 dried. Packed in parcels of from 6 to 10 pounds, this fish-glue usually 

 sells at Archangel for only 18 "kopecks" (12£ cents) a kilogram. 



