534 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



Then the knife is entered at the vent, immediately above the bone, 

 and a cut, which should go no farther back than the middle of the 

 backbone, is drawn down to the crosscut already made. Then rais- 

 ing the lug with his left hand, the splitter enters the knife at the 

 shoidder above the bone, and with one sweep from head to tail, sepa- 

 rates the entire side. This is the more easily done if the fins have 

 been previously removed. If the work is perfect, there will be no 

 flesh left on the bone, but a line of fat will show down the center of 

 the side. This improves the appearance of the fish and adds to its 

 value. 



In order to remove the bone from the remaining half of the fish, 

 the splitter inserts the knife under the bone, about the vent, and 

 draws down toward the tail, but care must be taken, as before, not 

 to go farther back than the spine. The splitter now takes the fish off 

 the nail, holding it by the lug, his left thumb resting on the upper, or 

 inside of the fish, and his fingers on the lower, or skin side. The tail 

 is now pointing away from the splitter, who enters his knife carefully 

 under the backbone, and with one dexterous outward sweep separates 

 the bone from the fish right down to the root of the tail. When 

 abreast of the crosscut, however, he turns the knife sharply down- 

 ward, and cuts off the fish the same as on the other side. As with 

 the first half, no flesh should be left adhering to the bone, and the 

 line of fat should show down the center. In other words, the two 

 sides should be exactly alike. 



The sides are dipped into cold water in the dress tank, and are then 

 laid, skin side down, on the table with the thin or beUy edge toward 

 the front. A man then removes an}- blood remaining in the veins on 

 the inside of the fish, by pressing it away from him toward the back 

 of the fish, either with his fingers or with a spoon. If the blood is 

 not squeezed out in this way the salt will harden it during the process 

 of curmg, and the flesh will become dark in color. The sides are then 

 dipped in a tank of weak brine and crushed ice to give them a final 

 wash, but should on no account be left to soak in the brine. Upon 

 removal, they are again scraped to insure the removal of all the blood 

 from the veins. 



Great care must be used in handling the newly split sides, as they 

 are very tender and may be easily broken or bruised. In lifting 

 them by the lug or collar bone, the curer should have his fingers to 

 the inside and his thumb to the outer or skin side; otherwise the 

 skin may be broken. 



The sides are then taken to the Salter, who lays them, skin side 

 down, on a salting table, on which has been dumped a quantity of 

 dairy salt, and gently rubs the flesh with the salt, lifts it up with 

 only such salt as will adhere to it, and places it in the tierce. 



The tierces in which the salmon sides are packed are stout casks 

 made of fir or spruce, bound with six strong galvanized hoops. They 

 contain about 800 pounds of fish, but when full of pickle the gross 

 weight of cask and content is between 1,100 and 1,200 pounds. A 

 plug hole is bored in the head of the tierce. 



Two or three handfuls of salt are thrown over the bottom of the 

 tierce, then a layer of salmon sides, skin down, and two or three hand- 

 fuls of salt are sprinkled over them. In packing two sides of fish, 

 crossed head and tail are packed close to opposite sides of the tierce, 

 the back or thick part of each side being placed close up against 



