PACIFIC SALMON FISHERIES 543 



For making? caviar the eggs should be as fresh as possible, and 

 in order to make sure of this the salmoTi are takeri alive, if possible, 

 sliortly after cojuing from the water, killed and bled, the belly opened 

 up and tlie roe taken out. This work can best be done on work and 

 Hving scows anchored close to the fishing camps. The roe is placed 

 upon a stand, the top of which is formed of a small-meshed galvanized 

 iron wire screen. On the undei'side is arranged a zinc-lined trough. 

 The operator gently rubs the mass of eggs back and forth over the 

 screen, the mesh of wdiich is just large enough to let the eggs drop 

 through, and, as they are separated from the membrane by the 

 rubbing, they fall through into the trough and are thence drawn off into 

 tubs by means of a sliding door at the end of the trough. 



After all the roe has been separated the tub is removed and a cer- 

 tain proportion of salt (the sturgeon caviar makers employ the best 

 Luneburg, Germany, salt in this work, while some of the Siberian 

 makers of salmon caviar use No. 2 Berksliire salt from England) is 

 added to the roe, after which the mass is mixed with the hands. 

 The most dehcate part of the whole operation is in the manner of 

 mixing. No direct rule can be given for doing this portion of the 

 work, as the condition of the roe regulates the time consumed and 

 the manner of handhng. It requires practical experience to become 

 proficient, but this should be an easy matter for one used to handling 

 salted products. The sturgeon caviar makers use about II pounds 

 of salt in preparing a keg of caviar. 



After the salt has been added the mass of eggs first dries up, but 

 in a few minutes the strength of the salt draws from the eggs their 

 watery constituents and a copious brine is formed, which can be 

 poured off when the tub becomes too full. In Siberia the caviar 

 makers put the eggs into a brine solution of 19 to 22 per cent Baume 

 strength immediately after they come from the trough. The salted 

 eggs are then poured into very fine-meshed sieves which hold about 

 10 pounds each. In the caviar house are arranged long, sloping 

 boards with narrow strips nailed on each side. On these the sieves 

 are placed and left here from 8 to 20 hours in order to thoroughly 

 drain. 



The Siberian caviar makers hasten the operation by putting the 

 eggs into a brine solution as noted above, leave them there for from 

 25 to 45 minutes, then place them in bags and subject them to heavy 

 pressure, after which they are packed. While this method occupies 

 less time, it is not thought the resulting product is as good as that 

 prepared by the slower method outlined above. 



The eggs are then transferred to small casks (holding about 135 

 pounds). The sturgeon caviar makers use oak or pine casks, but 

 some of the Siberian makers say that oak casks turn the salmon caviar 

 black. The casks are steamed before use in order to prevent any 

 possible leakage. It is especially necessary that the kegs or barrels 

 used be air-tight, as otherwise the product will spoil. Barrels such 

 as used in packing salt salmon are rarely ever tight enough to hold 

 caviar. The casks are covered and allowed to stand until the gas 

 escapes and the eggs settle. The vacant space caused by the settling 

 is then filled, the cask headed up and put in a cool place until ready for 

 shipment. 



The Siberian salmon caviar makers use a small quantity of "pre- 

 servaline" in each keg for the purpose of aiding in preserving them, 



