FISHERIES AND SEAL-HUNTING. 85 



grains are put in a sack made of the bark of the linden, which is placed 

 under the press in order to get all the brine out of the caviar, and to 

 transform it to a solid mass. In thus pressing the caviar, a large number 

 of grains are crushed, and a portion of their contents flows out with the 

 brine, so that on every " poud " (30 pounds) there is a loss of from 10 to 

 12 pounds. After having taken the pressed caviar from the sacks, it is 

 packed in casks containing 30 "pouds" (1,080 pounds) each, the inside 

 of which is covered with napkin-linen, this being the reason why the 

 caviar is also called "napkin -caviar," (caviar a la serviette.) 



The finest quality of pressed caviar, that which has been least pressed 

 and salted, is placed in straight linen bags of a cylindrical shape, and 

 is then called " sack-caviar," (caviar a sac.) Caviar is also shipped in 

 tin boxes hermetically closed and soldered. 



Fresh caviar is always preferred to pressed caviar, and also costs more. 

 At Astrachan, fresh caviar costs from 30 to 35 " roubles" ($21 to .$21.50 

 gold) the "poud," (3G pounds,) while the pressed caviar only costs 21 

 " roubles," ($10.80 gold.) It is infinitely more advantageous to manu- 

 facture grained caviar than hard caviar, because the former pays better, 

 requires less salt and less trouble, and there is scarcely any loss on it. 



Every year about 11,000 " pouds" (300,000 pounds) of caviar are sent 

 abroad from Astrachan, especially to Berlin, to Dresden, aud to Vienna. 

 This caviar is bought by contract from the proprietors of the fisheries, 

 who either get it from their own fisheries or from fishermen hired by 

 them for this purpose, aud who prepare the caviar on their own boats 

 while fishing on the sea. There are in the " vatagas" (fishing-establish- 

 ments) special laborers for manufacturing caviar, who receive an auuual 

 salary of 300, 400, and even GOO "roubles," ($210, $280, to $120 gold,) 

 besides board, lodging, fuel, and light. 



In trade, the caviar of the " belouga " (Acipenser huso) is esteemed 

 more highly than that of the common sturgeon, (Acipenser Guhlenstadtii,) 

 or of the " sevriouga," (Acipenser stellatus,) because its grains are larger 

 and better looking. The most savory of all caviars is the small grained 

 caviar of the " sterliad," (Acipenser ruthenus,) but it does not form an 

 article of commerce. 



All the different kinds of sturgeon have not equally fat roe. This de- 

 pends both on the good quality of the fish and on the season when it has 

 been caught. The fattest caviar is that made, during the hot season, from 

 the roe of those kinds of sturgeons which are caught in the sea between 

 the 8th of July and the 15th of August. This roe is left only a few 

 hours in the brine, and then taken out aud packed, without being 

 pressed, in casks holding from 5 to 10 "pouds" (180 to 3G0 pounds) each. 

 If the roe is tender to the touch in the ovaries, and is already spoiled, 

 roe and ovaries are thrown into the brine till they are tuoroughly im- 

 pregnated with salt. This is then caviar of the worst quality, and 

 is shipped in casks holding from 27 to 30 " pouds," (972 to 1,080 pounds.) 

 This quality is worth only from 3 to 4 "roubles" ($2.10 to $2.80 gold) 



