55 



while they are wholly protected from the dangers of fly- 

 infection. 



9. Pickling. — Both mackerel and sardines have 

 been very successfully pickled, that is, packed wet in 

 air-tight barrels with plenty of salt, and kept moist ; 

 this pickled fish may either be sent out in the original 

 barrels, or removed from the barrels, drained but not 

 dried, and packed moist with a little extra salt in boxes 

 or kerosine tins. Instead of barrels, kerosine tins have 

 been successfully used. The advantages of fish cured 

 by this method as compared with dried fish are its 

 greater digestibility, its ready preservation for many 

 months if the containers are kept air-tight, the compara- 

 tive ease with which the salt may be removed, by soaking, 

 from wet fish, and a greater range of culinary possibi- 

 lities ; such fish can also at any time be de-salted and 

 cured by smoking. Moreover, there is much saving 

 in labour since the fish are packed away in their 

 containers as fast as they are cleaned and, if necessary, 

 split ; the two days' labour of spreading and drying in 

 the sun is obviated ; the fish, too, are removed from all 

 danger of taint as soon as they are in the barrels, and are 

 not liable to the attacks of insects, mildew, etc., which 

 trouble dried fish especially when stored in bulk, and 

 which necessitate constant re-drying and re-storing. 

 Sardines, moreover, may be at once packed whole, 

 without gutting, with a minimum, therefore, of delay. 

 Finally, wet curing is independent of weather, and can 

 as readily be conducted in cloudy and rainy weather as 

 in the dry season. All the above points have been 

 demonstrated by frequent experiments ; the disadvant- 

 ages, as compared with sun-dried fish, are the need for 

 somewhat expensive containers, expensive that is for 

 poor people even if only kerosine tins, the larger 

 quantity of salt required, and the weight of the packages 

 of wet fish and consequent cost of transport. 



10. Canning. — This branch was opened at Calicut 

 during the season with plant obtained some time 

 previously. The small can-niaking plant was supple- 

 mented by several small items needed for practical work 

 and very good sardine tins of the usual " quarter " and 

 "half" sizes are now readily made ; also round tins of 

 any depth, but of one diameter only. Our tins usually 

 contain a somewhat greater — sometimes a considerably 



