130 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 
deal of thick blood lies, by means of a large spoon or some similar 
form of scraper. A knife should not be employed. Some curers do— 
not remove the fins at this stage, while others do. 
The body is then scored along the sides with a small knife, care 
being used to cut the skin only: this allows the salt to penetrate more 
freely and thus assist the process of cure. A specially prepared ec- 
centric wheel is sometimes used for this purpose, which makes a series 
of small cuts varying from half an inch at the tail to 14 inches long 
at the shoulder, and from 2 to 3 inches apart. 
The fish is now ready for the splitter, who turns it on its back with 
the open belly toward him and forces the shoulder down on a sharp- 
pointed nail, so the fish will not sip during the operation. A cross- 
cut is first made across the root of ths tail to the bone, but no deeper. 
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 
shoulder 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 care- 
fully under the backbone, and with one dextrous outward sweep sepa- 
rates 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 belly edge toward 
the front. A man then removes any 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 curing, 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. 
