THE AMERICAN SHRIMP INDUSTRY 



605 



green and often spoil before favorable weather returns. But if the drying process 

 is well advanced before being interrupted by rainy weather, the shrimp can be 

 stored in the warehouse and kept for many days. They may be brought out on 

 the platform and the drying completed upon the return of clear weather. 



A small quantity of sliiimp are dried without being previously cooked in brine 

 (Johnson and Lindner, 1934). The fresh shrimp are laid in wire trays and mashed 



(.Courtesy U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service) 



Fig. 28-5. In former days "dancing the shrimp" to remove shells was 

 labor and not a pastime. It has been replaced for shelling dried shrimp by 

 this mechanical huller. 



with a mallet. The trays of shrimp are then put out in the sun to dry. This product 

 brings a higher price in the market than those dried after cooking in brine. 



Until about 1925 the heads and shell of the dried shrimp were separated from 

 the meats by "dancing." This was the term given to the tramping of the shrimp 

 by laborers, whose shoes were covered with cloth or socks. The tramping motions 

 were synchronized with a spontaneous "chant," thus the term "dancing." 



Today the meats are mechanically separated from the waste material. The 

 mechanical device is either a rectangular box or barrel-like arrangement covered 

 with coarse screen or perforated metal. The revolving of these devices tumbles 

 the shrimp, and the waste particles drop through the screen and are thus sepa- 

 rated from the meat. The meat is usually packed in sugar barrels, which will 

 hold about 230 pounds. A basket of green shrimp weighing 105 pounds will 

 produce 12 to 14 pounds of the dried product. 



Shrimp "Bran." This is a dried waste material which contains the shell, heads, 

 and legs. During the serious shortage of poultry and stock feed in recent years 

 there has been a considerable demand for shrimp "bran." Various investigators 



