112 



a mat of palm or screw pine leaves and a layer of sand is heaped 

 over it. Then a man stands up on the pit and stamps it all round 

 briskly with his feet so that its contents are well squeezed in, and 

 its top is completely flush with the adjacent ground. On the 

 second day the fish is taken out and after rubbing" in all undis- 

 solved salt placed in a second pit, well shuffled and covered up. 

 The third and fourth days they are left undisturbed in the pit and 

 on the fifth day taken out and weighed. Same process holds good 

 for small fish also but the operation extends only for three days. 



Proportion of salt — 



Large fish ... ... ... ... ... 1:5 



Small „ I : 9 to I : 16 



Dryage — 



Small fish ••• ••• ... ... ••• 12 to 35 per cent. 



PASIPATN.AM, NAMBUTALAI, ATTANKARAI, RAMESWARAM, 

 PERIATHORAI AND MUKKUR. 



Pit curing is done both for big and small fish. Big fish are not 

 dried either in shade or in the sun but small fish are dried in the 

 sun after being removed from the yard. Fish are further cured 

 outside the yard with duty-paid salt as the proportion of salt 

 allowed in the yard is said to be insufficient. 



Proportion of salt — 



Big fish ... ...1:5 



Small ,, I : 8 to I :6 



Dryage — 



Small fish ... ... ... ... ... 20 to 30 per cent. 



PINNAKAYAL, ALANDALAI, OVARI, IDINTHAKARAI, KUTTAPULI 



AND KUTTANGULI. 



Big fish are cut open, entrails removed, washed in sea water 

 and after salt is applied to the cut surfaces are folded up. They 

 are then rolled up in mats or placed one above another in small 

 tubs. Small fish are roused with salt and after being kept for a 

 short time are cleaned in sea water and dried in the sun. They 

 are sometimes packed in pits also and sometimes sun-dried 

 directly after salting without washing in sea water. 



Proportion of salt — 



Big fish ... I :6 to I : 4 



Small , I : 8 to I : 7 



Dryage- — 



Big fish 25 to 42 per cent. 



Small „ ... ... 35 to 50 



