﻿THE 
  HERRING 
  INDUSTRY 
  OF 
  THE 
  PASSAMAQUODDY 
  REGION. 
  461 
  

  

  has 
  been 
  filled 
  by 
  shifting 
  the 
  herring, 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  is 
  completed 
  by- 
  

   putting 
  about 
  three 
  tiers 
  of 
  herring 
  in 
  each 
  house 
  on 
  alternate 
  days. 
  

   When 
  two 
  houses 
  are 
  filled 
  together, 
  the 
  work 
  can 
  be 
  done 
  in 
  almost 
  

   as 
  short 
  a 
  time 
  as 
  would 
  be 
  required 
  to 
  fill 
  one 
  alone. 
  

  

  The 
  object 
  of 
  putting 
  the 
  herring 
  into 
  the 
  house 
  by 
  degrees, 
  instead 
  

   of 
  all 
  at 
  one 
  time, 
  were 
  that 
  practicable, 
  is 
  to 
  insure 
  their 
  becoming 
  

   thoroughly 
  dry 
  before 
  being 
  finally 
  subjected 
  to 
  the 
  smoke, 
  and 
  also 
  to 
  

   smoke 
  them 
  more 
  evenly 
  and 
  secure 
  a 
  greater 
  uniformity 
  of 
  color. 
  If 
  

   a 
  large 
  body 
  of 
  fish 
  were 
  put 
  into 
  the 
  smoke-house 
  at 
  once 
  they 
  would 
  

   gather 
  dampness 
  and 
  great 
  difficulty 
  would 
  be 
  met 
  with 
  in 
  preventing 
  

   them 
  from 
  spoiling. 
  To 
  fill 
  a 
  smoke-house 
  holding 
  20,000 
  boxes 
  of 
  

   herring, 
  in 
  a 
  proper 
  manner, 
  requires 
  at 
  least 
  two 
  weeks, 
  and 
  a 
  some- 
  

   what 
  longer 
  period 
  if 
  two 
  such 
  houses 
  are 
  filled 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time. 
  The 
  

   length 
  of 
  time 
  also 
  varies 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  smoke-houses. 
  

   Small 
  houses 
  may 
  sometimes 
  be 
  filled 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  days. 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  smoke-houses 
  have 
  been 
  filled 
  the 
  additional 
  length 
  of 
  

   time 
  required 
  to 
  complete 
  smoking 
  the 
  herring 
  is 
  about 
  three 
  weeks. 
  

   Eegular 
  herring 
  are 
  placed 
  as 
  close 
  together 
  on 
  the 
  sticks 
  as 
  possible 
  

   without 
  touching 
  each 
  other, 
  the 
  gill-covers 
  generally 
  keeping 
  them 
  far 
  

   enough 
  apart. 
  The 
  sticks, 
  when 
  hung, 
  are 
  placed 
  about 
  3 
  inches 
  

   from 
  each 
  other. 
  Bloaters, 
  owing 
  to 
  their 
  larger 
  size, 
  need 
  to 
  be 
  far- 
  

   ther 
  apart, 
  both 
  on 
  the 
  sticks 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  smoke-house, 
  to 
  allow 
  the 
  

   smoke 
  to 
  circulate 
  more 
  freely 
  among 
  them. 
  They 
  are 
  usually 
  hung 
  by 
  

   themselves 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  smoke-house, 
  and 
  while 
  smoking 
  are 
  

   given 
  all 
  the 
  heat 
  they 
  will 
  bear. 
  The 
  "soft 
  bloaters," 
  which 
  are 
  

   intended 
  for 
  domestic 
  use, 
  and 
  to 
  be 
  held 
  on 
  hand 
  only 
  a 
  short 
  time, 
  

   are 
  smoked 
  about 
  ten 
  days, 
  while 
  the 
  "hard 
  bloaters" 
  require 
  to 
  be 
  

   smoked 
  from 
  three 
  to 
  four 
  weeks. 
  The 
  smoke-house 
  is 
  closed 
  while 
  the 
  

   herring 
  are 
  being 
  smoked 
  and 
  the 
  fires 
  are 
  constantly 
  tended 
  and 
  kept 
  

   burning 
  in 
  a 
  smouldering 
  manner, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  produce 
  the 
  greatest 
  amount 
  

   of 
  smoke. 
  

  

  Fires 
  and 
  tvood. 
  — 
  The 
  fires 
  for 
  smoking 
  the 
  herring 
  are 
  built 
  on 
  the 
  

   ground 
  at 
  equal 
  distances 
  apart 
  over 
  the 
  entire 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  smoke- 
  

   house. 
  The 
  wood 
  used 
  is 
  of 
  various 
  kinds, 
  but 
  white 
  birch 
  is 
  generally 
  

   preferred; 
  driftwood, 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  soaked 
  with 
  salt 
  water, 
  is 
  also 
  

   used. 
  The 
  main 
  consideration 
  is 
  to 
  have 
  wood 
  that 
  will 
  burn 
  slowly 
  

   and 
  produce 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  smoke. 
  The 
  fires 
  are 
  kept 
  burning 
  very 
  

   slowly, 
  the 
  smoke-house 
  being 
  visited 
  every 
  few 
  hours 
  during 
  the 
  night 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  day. 
  If 
  too 
  much 
  heat 
  is 
  generated 
  the 
  herring 
  are 
  soon 
  

   damaged 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  completely 
  spoiled. 
  

  

  Packing 
  the 
  herring. 
  — 
  The 
  fish 
  are 
  not 
  generally 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  smoke- 
  

   house 
  until 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  pack 
  them 
  for 
  shipment. 
  In 
  the 
  mean- 
  

   time, 
  to 
  prevent 
  them 
  from 
  gathering 
  dampness, 
  the 
  smoke-house 
  is 
  

   left 
  open 
  during 
  the 
  day 
  and 
  occasionally 
  fires 
  are 
  kindled. 
  When 
  the 
  

   time 
  arrives 
  for 
  shipping 
  them 
  they 
  are 
  removed 
  from 
  the 
  smoke-house 
  

   to 
  a 
  shop 
  or 
  packing 
  room, 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  assorted 
  into 
  grades 
  accord- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  their 
  size 
  and 
  quality 
  and 
  packed 
  in 
  the 
  herring 
  boxes. 
  

  

  