24 



practically unknown, though most of them could be 

 readily carried out without expensive plant, and a food 

 product, superior in quality, wholesomeness, and keep- 

 ing power, could be distributed widely throughout this 

 and other countries. 



23. An account of the curing process will display its 



weak points and indicate the open- 

 Detailed account of • ^. r^ •_„ „ ^ ^■- -t^i r 1 



present curing methods. i^Rs for improvements.- The fish 



belonging to each curer are gutted 

 (and, unless sardines or mackerel, split, and scored with 

 deep cuts if the flesh is thick) with fair rapidity but 

 with little or often no shelter from the sun, which is 

 usually high. The gutted fish are then placed in 

 baskets, washed in the sea, and conveyed to the curing 

 yard ; frequently the baskets are delayed until a con- 

 siderable consignment is ready for entry. The baskets 

 are then weighed and passed in with the order for salt 

 in the j^roportion usually of i to 7 for large and i to 8 

 for small fish ; after the salt has been issued out of 

 store the fish are taken to the carer's shed and placed 

 in a trough which is usually a small canoe or of that 

 shape : a rough layer of the fish is then laid in the 

 bottom of the canoe and sprinkled with its modicum of 

 salt followed by successive layers and portions of salt 

 till the whole is used up ; the salt is in coarse crystals 

 and not in powder. This may take place any time in 

 the day, but usually at or after noon as the boats seldom 

 come to shore before 10 a.m. Assuming it to be Monday 

 afternoon, the fish, remain in the salting trough till 

 about 8 A.M. on Tuesday when they are taken out for 

 drying ; in the best yards they are then washed in clean 

 sea- water from the dirty brine and foul matter adhering 

 to them, but this is not generally done on the West 

 Coast. The fish are then placed in the open sun, either 

 on the sand or on mats, and left till sunset when they 

 are gathered up and covered with mats ; on Wednesday 

 morning they are again spread out in the sun and, if 

 small fish, are sent out of the yard in the afternoon ; if 

 large, they are again heaped for the night, further dried 

 on Thursday and issued on that afternoon ; it is usual to 

 expose fish intended for export, to further drying for 



* The excessive exposure, careless treatment, and undue handling which the 

 fish undergo from the moment of capture till they reach the gutter, should also 

 have been mentioned. 



