60 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



dry^saltiii^j or brine-salting being used. The latter is to be preferred 

 under all circumstances, as it produces a thicker and heavier article. 



As in all products of the fisheries, it is of the greatest importance 

 that the raw material should be fresh, as stale fish will produce a dark 

 article of second-rate quality. If the bladders of such fish are used 

 they should be salted by themselves, but on the whole it is advisable 

 not to use them, because the expense of preparing them is so great that 

 it hardly pays. Nothing but fresh bladders should be used, and they 

 should, therefore, be taken from the fish as soon as possible. 



In this method of preparing bladders cleanliness and great care are 

 essential for obtaining a good article. The bladder should not be torn 

 out, but should be cut from the backbone with a thin-bladed knife, let- 

 ting the blade follow the hollow portion of the bone by pressing it with 

 the thumb. In doing this one does not run the risk of having the bone 

 come loose at the same time. A skilled man can cut from 4,200 to 4,400 

 bladders a day. As soon as the bladder has been separated from the 

 bone, it must be well cleaned and all blood and imi^urities removed, 

 which are found especially on the inside. If time allows it, both the 

 black skin on the outside and the white skin on the inside should be 

 removed. By doing this, a whiter article is obtained than if this process 

 is deferred until the bladder has lain in brine. After it has been well 

 cleaned it is laid over night in sea- water, which gives it a whiter color. 

 The following day the bladders are salted, after they have been well 

 rinsed and the water has been allowed to run off. The salting is done in 

 tubs, which should not be tight, if dry-salting is used. In either case — 

 whetherdry-saltiug or brine-salting is used — at least one-fourth barrel of 

 salt is used, rather too much than too little, as there is no danger of 

 the bladders becoming too strongly salted ("burnt"), even if they are 

 buried deep in the salt. Generally white and clean common Liverpool salt 

 is used. When salted, bladders will keep for a long time, often for sev- 

 eral months. They should, however, be looked after from time to time. 

 As soon as there is the slightest indication of their " souring," the old 

 brine should be changed for new and strong brine ; or if dry-salting is 

 used, the bladders should be salted over again. In the first case, the 

 bladders should be relaid ; and in both cases they should be well rinsed 

 in strong brine. 



If there has been no chance to remove the skins while the bladders 

 are fresh, they can be scraped off as circumstances will allow. This is 

 the most important part of the preparation, as the looks of the bladders 

 when dried depend very much on the manner in which they have been 

 scraped. The scraping, for which a common sharp knife is used, should 

 be done very carefull}', so that not a particle of the skin remains^ 

 while on the other hand great care should be taken not to scrape a hole 

 in them. By soaking them in water the skins come off more easily; 

 but this process should not be employed under any circumstances. If 

 the bladdeT-s cannot be dried immediately after having been scraped^ 



