THEIR ROUND OF LIFE AND LABOUR. 35 
each attains a turn or two turns, according to capacity, 
some concerns being much larger than others. 
The pilchards are cured in a particular manner, and the 
cure affords plenty of work while it is in progress, those 
engaged in it being chiefly the women of the place, who 
also cure at home their husbands’ share of the fish for 
family use ; and these, with the accompaniment of potatoes, 
form a large portion of their daily food. The pilchards are 
exported for the behoof of foreign countries, where they are 
much esteemed. “The Pope and Pilchards” used to be a 
favourite toast in some parts of Cornwall. 
As showing the continued work which results from ‘a 
successful catch, it may be mentioned that as many as 
thirteen million pilchards have been enclosed in one seine. 
The advantage of using such nets is, that the fish, being 
securely tucked within the seine by means of an additional 
net, may be kept alive till the cure of the whole lot can be 
undertaken and completed, which is accomplished at leisure, 
so to put the case, although the people are certainly busy 
enough whilst any of the work remains to be accomplished. 
The oil which exudes from the pilchards while they are 
being cured is valuable, and is used chiefly by curriers 
in the preparation of some kinds of leather ; the yield of oil 
is about two gallons per hogshead. As we have already 
said, the pilchard harvest fluctuates very much ; the number 
of fish mentioned above is the largest ever taken at one 
operation. Inthe year 1881 the quantity of cured pilchards 
exported was close upon 14,000 hogsheads, and the price 
per hogshead to the curers averaged about 58s.—in one 
year as many as 45,000 hogsheads have been cured. But, 
as in the Scottish herring fishery, there is also a large 
consumption in Cornwall and other counties during the 
D2 
