WIDEGREN MANAGEMENT OF THE BALTIC FISHERY. 133 



gets too salty. After the fish has been dry salted, no more than 5 kappar 

 salt to the barrel is needed, whereupon the fish should immediately be 

 placed in tubs and not be pressed more than is necessary for filling the 

 tubs properly. In jSTorrland they let the hening lie uncleaned in brine 

 for 24 hours, and moreover in brine which has been used many a time 

 before for the same purpose. It will easily be seen from what has been 

 mentioned above that this custom should be abolished and that the her- 

 ring should be cleaned as quick as possible. 



On the coast of Karlskrona they dry-salt the fish with only 1 kappar 

 salt to the barrel, and then salt it with 7 kappar to the barrel. This 

 method cannot be recommended whenever the fresh fish should have a 

 chance to soak in a sufliciently strong brine, whilst, if this is done, it does 

 by no means require as large a quantity of salt. 



Baltic herring i^repared in the above-mentioned way finds a ready 

 market not only at home but also in foreign ports on the Baltic. The 

 price of herring varies very much in different years, and is dependent 

 partly on the result of the fisheries in each year, but also on the price 

 of Norwegian and other foreign herring. In some years when the her- 

 ring-fisheries have been successful, both in Norway and Sweden, the 

 Swedish fishermen can scarcely obtain a price which fuUy pays them for 

 their trouble. It may, therefore, be advantageous to seek foreign mar- 

 kets, and prepare the fish for these. Salt herrings may, at certain times, 

 find a ready market in the ports of Northern Germany, Stettin, Stral- 

 sund, and other i^laces. The best time for this trade is from mid-summer 

 till the beginning of September. Herrings which are intended for the 

 German market ought to be j^repared in the above-mentioned manner, 

 but should be very carefully packed in strong tubs, not holding as much 

 as the Swedish barrel (about 220 pints), but m tubs of the same size as 

 those used in Bornholm and on the German coast, which only hold about 

 193 pints each. Such tubs, if they are well packed and the fish are in 

 good condition, fetch from $3.50 to $5.50 each in the Stettin market, a 

 price which many a year may prove very acceptable to the fishermen of 

 Southern Sweden, especially if one takes into consideration the fact that 

 these tubs are much smaller than the Swedish and therefore contain 

 fewer fish. 



2. Method of prej)aring the so-calJed^^ delicacy-herring^^ for home consump- 

 tion. 



It is well known that every year considerable quantities of Dutch 

 herrings and Norwegian fat herrings are imported into Sweden, partly 

 in large tubs, but mostly in small barrels or kegs, and that these fish 

 are mostly consumed by the better classes. Experiments have shown 

 that the large and fat Baltic herring, which is caught in several places, 

 can easily be prepared in the same manner, and make a better and par- 

 ticularly fine domestic article, which comes very near to the foreign "del- 

 icacy-herring," and therefore finds a very ready market at good prices 



