BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION, 347 



river, and tbcu suddenly disappear about tlie lOtli of June, after wliieb 

 they must be sought elsewhere. How they get out of the river with- 

 out being caught is a mystery. All that the fishermen know about it 

 is, that one day they are busy catching fish and the next all their nets 

 are empty. 



The boats used in this business are all constructed on the same plan ; 

 about 1*4: feet keel, 7 or 8 feet beam, capable of carrying about 30 stur- 

 geon apiece. A boat load of big ones looks, oddly enough, like a load of 

 small logs. 



The flesh of the sturgeon, as is well-known, is rather coarse and oily; 

 and, as much depends on its right prepaiation for the table, we took 

 some pains to inquire how it is cooked by the wives of the fishermen 

 themselves, who ought to know as well as anybody, seeing that it con- 

 stitutes a staple article of their diet. From several methods recom- 

 mended, we give the two that seem the most promising : 



The first method is to cut the flesh into slices aud parboil them to 

 get rid of the superfluous oil, and then fry them in a thin batter. 



The second method is to cut up the meat into squares, 2 inches thick, 

 which are to be thoroughly boiled, and then pickled for two days in 

 spiced viuegai^ after which they are ready for eating, and are considered 

 excellent hj the fishermen. 



The usual way of preparing sturgeon for market, however, is by 

 smoking. Strij^s an inch or two thick are put through a pickling pro- 

 cess, then hung on hooks over slow fire of corncobs or sawdust of 

 hard w^ood. After thus smoking for a single night they are ready to be 

 shipped to any part of the country. 



The preparation of caviare is an important part of the business. 

 While this is not yet in as general use in this country as in Russia and 

 other parts of Eurojje, where it is in so high esteem that no repast is 

 served without it, it is coming into favor, especially in the Western 

 and Southern States. There are two sorts of caviare, the soft and the 

 hard, the latter being "Worth about twice as much as the former. The 

 value of the best hard caviare in the South, early in the spring, is said 

 to be from 15 to 20 cents a pound. 



In order to make the best article, it is necessary to strip the roe from 

 the sturgeon as soon as possible after the fish has been caught. Before 

 being dried, it is rubbed through a coarse sieve to break the eggs 

 apart, and to free them from the membranous tissue. Next, the roe is 

 thoroughly salted, after which it stands a certain length of time. Then 

 it is emptied into fine sieves, where it remains till it is so dry as to roll 

 like shot. The finished caviare is packed in casks previously lined 

 with napkin linen, each layer being salted with fine table salt. Each 

 keg holds about 150 pounds. With proper care, the caviare may be 

 kept for a year or longer. For the trade it is often canned like fruit, 

 in which condition it will stand transportation to warm countries and 

 will keep an indefinite length of time. It may be eaten as put up 



