﻿THE 
  HERRING 
  INDUSTRY 
  OP 
  THE 
  PASSAMAQUODDY 
  REGION. 
  457 
  

  

  ring 
  from 
  Passamaquoddy 
  Bay, 
  Machias 
  Bay, 
  and 
  Grand 
  Manan 
  are 
  

   received 
  in 
  a 
  fresh 
  condition, 
  while 
  those 
  from 
  the 
  Magdalen 
  Islands 
  

   and 
  Newfoundland 
  are 
  cured 
  on 
  board 
  the 
  vessels 
  and 
  need 
  no 
  further 
  

   salting 
  after 
  they 
  arrive 
  at 
  the 
  smoke-houses. 
  The 
  Newfoundland 
  

   herring 
  are 
  used 
  largely 
  in 
  preparing 
  the 
  grade 
  of 
  smoked 
  herring 
  

   termed 
  "bloaters," 
  but 
  those 
  from 
  the 
  Magdalen 
  Islands 
  do 
  not 
  serve 
  

   that 
  purpose 
  so 
  well 
  and 
  are 
  generally 
  either 
  packed 
  in 
  barrels 
  as 
  

   round 
  herring 
  or 
  smoked 
  and 
  packed 
  in 
  regular 
  boxes 
  lengthwise. 
  

  

  Fielding. 
  — 
  When 
  the 
  fresh 
  herring, 
  intended 
  for 
  smoking, 
  are 
  landed 
  

   at 
  the 
  salting 
  sheds, 
  they 
  are 
  immediately 
  put 
  into 
  the 
  pickling 
  tanks, 
  

   which 
  have 
  first 
  been 
  partially 
  filled 
  with 
  a 
  weak 
  pickle. 
  The 
  pickle 
  

   is 
  made 
  of 
  salt 
  water 
  with 
  about 
  li 
  bushels 
  of 
  Liverpool 
  salt 
  or 
  a 
  

   smaller 
  quantity 
  of 
  Cadiz 
  or 
  other 
  coarse 
  salt 
  in 
  each 
  tank. 
  The 
  salt 
  

   is 
  stirred 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  until 
  it 
  is 
  wholly 
  dissolved. 
  If 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  poor 
  

   the 
  water 
  is 
  sometimes 
  used 
  without 
  the 
  salt 
  being 
  added. 
  The 
  quan- 
  

   tity 
  of 
  fish 
  which 
  is 
  at 
  first 
  put 
  into 
  the 
  tank 
  is 
  generally 
  from 
  2 
  to 
  

   3 
  hogsheads, 
  or 
  enough 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  sufficient 
  weight 
  to 
  rest 
  or, 
  as 
  the 
  

   fishermen 
  term 
  it, 
  " 
  ground 
  " 
  on 
  the 
  bottom. 
  A 
  light 
  layer 
  of 
  salt, 
  

   or 
  about 
  one-half 
  bushel, 
  is 
  then 
  distributed 
  over 
  them, 
  after 
  which 
  

   another 
  layer 
  of 
  fish 
  of 
  from 
  1 
  to 
  2 
  barrels 
  is 
  put 
  in. 
  This 
  is 
  again 
  

   covered 
  with 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  salt 
  rather 
  heavier 
  than 
  the 
  first, 
  being 
  from 
  1 
  

   to 
  li 
  bushels. 
  The 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  necessary 
  to 
  fill 
  the 
  tank 
  is 
  

   then 
  put 
  in 
  and 
  covered 
  with 
  from 
  3 
  to 
  5 
  bushels 
  of 
  salt. 
  Each 
  tank 
  

   when 
  filled 
  contains 
  4 
  hogsheads 
  of 
  fish, 
  and 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  salt 
  used 
  

   on 
  them 
  varies 
  from 
  6 
  to 
  9 
  bushels, 
  according 
  to 
  their 
  size 
  and 
  fatness 
  

   and 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  weather. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  necessary 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  

   greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  salt 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  tank, 
  so 
  it 
  will 
  not 
  work 
  down 
  

   through 
  the 
  fish 
  and 
  lodge 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  without 
  being 
  dissolved. 
  In 
  

   that 
  case 
  the 
  fish 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  are 
  liable 
  to 
  become 
  too 
  salt 
  and 
  those 
  

   at 
  the 
  top 
  not 
  salt 
  enough. 
  For 
  smoking 
  purposes 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  pickled 
  

   in 
  a 
  round 
  condition 
  as 
  they 
  come 
  from 
  the 
  water. 
  When 
  hogsheads 
  

   are 
  used 
  instead 
  of 
  tanks 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  fish 
  and 
  salt 
  in 
  each 
  layer 
  is 
  

   regulated 
  to 
  correspond 
  with 
  the 
  cai)acity 
  of 
  the 
  hogshead. 
  

  

  The 
  small 
  herring 
  are 
  generally 
  allowed 
  to 
  remain 
  submerged 
  m 
  the 
  

   pickle 
  from 
  24 
  to 
  36 
  hours, 
  and 
  the 
  larger 
  ones, 
  especially 
  if 
  they 
  are 
  

   very 
  fat, 
  about 
  48 
  hours 
  and 
  sometimes 
  a 
  longer 
  period. 
  If 
  the 
  herring 
  

   are 
  small 
  and 
  not 
  fat, 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  time 
  required 
  for 
  them 
  to 
  "strike" 
  

   may 
  not 
  exceed 
  from 
  12 
  to 
  15 
  hours. 
  Fish 
  will 
  also 
  absorb 
  salt 
  more 
  

   readily 
  in 
  warm 
  than 
  in 
  cold 
  weather, 
  and 
  if 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  caught 
  a 
  

   few 
  hours 
  before 
  being 
  salted 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  require 
  so 
  long 
  a 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  

   pickle 
  as 
  when 
  immediately 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  water. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  fish 
  have 
  been 
  properly 
  " 
  struck" 
  or 
  salted, 
  if 
  the 
  weather 
  

   is 
  fine, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  afibrd 
  them 
  an 
  opportunity 
  to 
  dry 
  before 
  being 
  put 
  in 
  

   the 
  smoke-house, 
  they 
  are 
  taken 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  pickle; 
  but 
  it 
  sometimes 
  

   happens 
  that 
  the 
  weather 
  is 
  rainy, 
  and 
  they 
  have 
  to 
  remain 
  in 
  pickle 
  

   much 
  longer 
  than 
  would 
  otherwise 
  be 
  necessary. 
  As 
  a 
  result 
  they 
  

   become 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  oversalted. 
  In 
  such 
  cases, 
  when 
  favorable 
  weather 
  

  

  