﻿456 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  and 
  3^ 
  feet 
  deep; 
  having 
  a 
  capacity 
  of 
  about 
  4 
  hogsheads, 
  or 
  20 
  barrels, 
  

   of 
  herring 
  each. 
  From 
  2 
  to 
  9 
  tanks 
  are 
  required 
  in 
  each 
  salting 
  shed. 
  

   In 
  many 
  instances 
  hogsheads 
  are 
  used 
  instead 
  of 
  tanks. 
  There 
  is 
  also 
  

   a 
  variety 
  of 
  other 
  utensils, 
  such 
  as 
  tubs, 
  baskets, 
  shovels, 
  and 
  " 
  herring 
  

   horses." 
  The 
  latter 
  consists 
  of 
  an 
  oblong 
  wooden 
  frame 
  having 
  four 
  

   legs, 
  the 
  sides 
  extending 
  far 
  enough 
  beyond 
  the 
  end 
  to 
  serve 
  as 
  handles. 
  

   It 
  is 
  used 
  to 
  hang 
  the 
  herring 
  on 
  to 
  dry, 
  after 
  they 
  are 
  strung 
  on 
  the 
  

   sticks 
  and 
  before 
  putting 
  them 
  into 
  the 
  smoke-house. 
  Its 
  capacity 
  is 
  

   from 
  25 
  to 
  30 
  sticks 
  of 
  herring. 
  The 
  cost 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  outfit 
  for 
  a 
  

   smoke-house 
  and 
  salting 
  shed 
  varies 
  from 
  $50 
  to 
  $500. 
  

  

  Materials. 
  — 
  A 
  large 
  quantity 
  of 
  material 
  is 
  used 
  in 
  preparing 
  smoked 
  

   and 
  pickled 
  herring. 
  The 
  lumber 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  herring 
  boxes 
  are 
  

   made 
  is 
  usually 
  of 
  spruce 
  or 
  fir, 
  and 
  is 
  manufactured 
  at 
  the 
  sawmills 
  

   into 
  what 
  are 
  termed 
  "shooks." 
  A 
  "shook" 
  consists 
  of 
  the 
  bottom, 
  

   cover, 
  sides, 
  and 
  ends 
  for 
  one 
  box. 
  The 
  boxes 
  are 
  made, 
  that 
  is, 
  nailed 
  

   together, 
  at 
  the 
  smoke-house. 
  The 
  dimensions 
  of 
  the 
  shooks 
  depend 
  

   on 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  boxes. 
  The 
  bloater 
  boxes 
  are 
  18.J 
  inches 
  long, 
  

   11 
  J 
  inches 
  wide, 
  and 
  7^ 
  inches 
  deep 
  in 
  the 
  clear. 
  The 
  thickness 
  of 
  the 
  

   ends 
  is 
  seven-eighths 
  inch 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  parts 
  three-eighths 
  inch. 
  

   The 
  regular 
  herring 
  boxes 
  are 
  12 
  inches 
  long, 
  6J 
  inches 
  wide, 
  and 
  

   2f 
  inches 
  deep, 
  the 
  thickness 
  of 
  the 
  ends 
  being 
  five-eighths 
  inch 
  and 
  

   of 
  the 
  other 
  parts 
  one-fourth 
  inch. 
  The 
  "bloater 
  shooks" 
  cost 
  from 
  

   $60 
  to 
  $70 
  and 
  the 
  "box 
  shooks" 
  from 
  $9 
  to 
  $12.50 
  per 
  1,000, 
  which 
  is 
  

   the 
  material 
  for 
  that 
  number 
  of 
  boxes. 
  Although 
  the 
  shooks 
  are 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  largest 
  items 
  of 
  expense, 
  other 
  materials, 
  such 
  as 
  nails, 
  wood, 
  

   salt, 
  and 
  barrels, 
  cost 
  considerable 
  in 
  the 
  aggregate. 
  The 
  amount 
  paid 
  

   for 
  shooks 
  in 
  1895 
  was 
  $16,970; 
  nails, 
  $1,313; 
  wood, 
  $4,124; 
  salt, 
  $8,461; 
  

   barrels, 
  $5,257, 
  making 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  $36,125, 
  being 
  nearly 
  one- 
  third 
  the 
  

   entire 
  cost 
  of 
  producing 
  the 
  pack 
  of 
  smoked 
  and 
  salted 
  herring. 
  

  

  Herring 
  utilized. 
  — 
  The 
  herring 
  utilized 
  for 
  smoking 
  and 
  salting 
  are 
  

   derived 
  chiefly 
  from 
  the 
  weirs 
  in 
  Passamaquoddy 
  Bay 
  and 
  its 
  tributary 
  

   waters. 
  In 
  1895 
  the 
  quantity 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  American 
  weirs 
  in 
  the 
  

   bay 
  for 
  these 
  purposes 
  was 
  5,903 
  hogsheads, 
  valued 
  at 
  $12,121, 
  and 
  

   from 
  the 
  Canadian 
  weirs 
  5,571 
  hogsheads, 
  which 
  cost 
  $20,036. 
  The 
  

   average 
  value 
  per 
  hogshead 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  was 
  $2, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  

   about 
  $3.60. 
  This 
  difference 
  is 
  explained 
  in 
  a 
  measure 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  fish 
  was 
  smoked 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen, 
  who 
  

   carried 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  smoke-houses 
  in 
  their 
  own 
  boats, 
  while 
  those 
  from 
  

   the 
  Canadian 
  weirs 
  were 
  collected 
  at 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  $1 
  per 
  hogshead. 
  A 
  

   considerable 
  quantity 
  of 
  herring 
  was 
  also 
  obtained 
  from 
  other 
  sources. 
  

   From 
  Machias 
  Bay 
  there 
  were 
  1,296 
  hogsheads, 
  costing 
  $4,605; 
  from 
  

   Grand 
  Manan, 
  935 
  hogsheads, 
  $2,323; 
  from 
  the 
  Magdalen 
  Islands, 
  768 
  

   hogsheads, 
  $4,669, 
  and 
  from 
  Newfoundland, 
  174 
  hogsheads, 
  $1,740. 
  

   The 
  total 
  quantity 
  used 
  was 
  14,647 
  hogsheads, 
  or 
  73,235 
  barrels, 
  the 
  

   cost 
  of 
  which, 
  landed 
  at 
  the 
  smoke-houses, 
  was 
  $45,494. 
  Of 
  these, 
  

   12,148 
  hogsheads, 
  costing 
  $36,215, 
  were 
  smoked 
  and 
  packed 
  in 
  boxes, 
  

   and 
  2,499 
  hogsheads, 
  costing 
  $9,279, 
  were 
  salted 
  in 
  barrels. 
  The 
  her- 
  

  

  