604 MARINE PRODUCTS OF COMMERCE 



It is marketed in San Francisco and other cities having a large oriental popula- 

 tion. Formerly, China imported large quantities of it; of late years this export 

 trade has been considerably curtailed. 



Large wooden drying platforms, made of cypress wood, are erected near the 

 water's edge. They are built on posts standing 8 or 10 feet above ground for 

 better air circulation. One of the largest platforms on the bay is 230 feet long 

 by 180 feet wide and has a capacity of about 1,000 baskets or 100,000 pounds 

 of green shrimp at a time. The floor of the platform, instead of being level, is 

 gently undulating, having an ocean-wave effect, the waves being about 2 feet in 

 height with about 30 feet between crests. A small crack is left between each 

 board which facilitates drying. 



The shrimp are brought directly to the drying platform by the fishing boats, 

 where they are unloaded and washed and placed in large copper kettles. To each 

 kettle of water from 10 to 20 quarts of salt are added, depending on the weather; 

 in damp weather more salt is required than in dry weather. After the water has 

 been brought to a boil, the shrimp are dumped in, about 900 pounds to each 

 kettle. They are then boiled for Yz to % of an hour. The method of judging 

 whether the shrimp have been boiled long enough is to hold one up to the light 

 and note the shrinkage of meat within the shell. A clear space of about }i of an 

 inch between the back and the meat indicates sufficient cooking. Before each 

 boiling the same quantity of salt is added to the water; and after the fifth or 

 sixth boil the water in the kettle is entirely renewed and the process repeated. 



When the shrimp have been boiled for a sufficient length of time, they are 

 dipped from the kettles into wheelbarrows or carts by means of a large dip net. 

 After draining for about 15 minutes they are hauled to the drying platform. 

 Workmen spread them out with long wooden rakes in a thin layer, not more 

 than 2 or 3 inches thick. The thickness of the shrimp on the platform depends 

 upon the quantity on hand at any one time, and they are never spread on the 

 platform to the maximum depth unless the amount of shrimp on hand makes it 

 necessary. Several times each day the shrimp are worked over with rakes to facili- 

 tate drying. The frequency with which the shrimp are turned during the day 

 depends upon the thickness of the layer. If they are 3 inches thick, turning is 

 required about every 20 minutes. 



Every night the shrimp are pushed and swept onto the ridges of the platform 

 in long windrows. A-shaped trusses are placed astride each windrow of shrimp 

 and covered with tarpaulins to keep off rain and dew. The tarpaulins must be so 

 placed as to provide an opening at each end of the windrow to allow perfect 

 ventilation, otherwise the shrimp would become heated and spoil. If the drying 

 process is sufficiently well advanced, the trusses may be dispensed with and the 

 tarpaulins spread directly over the shrimp; but in the earlier stages ventilation is 

 absolutely indispensable and the trusses must be used. 



If the weather is good, the drying process can be completed in 1 or 2 days, 

 depending somewhat on the thickness of the shrimp on the platform. If it should 

 rain, the shrimp are pushed onto the ridges and covered with tarpaulins. No 

 matter how hard it rains, they will not get wet since the falling water drains away 

 from the ridges. When the sun comes out, the shrimp are again spread out and 

 the drying process continued. However, a long period of wet and cloudy weather 

 frequently catches the men with a platform full of shrimp which are still quite 



