480 KEPOKT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [lOj 



Salting —No special rule cau be laid down as regards tbe quantity 

 of salt to be used, as this depends on the strength, purity, and solu- 

 bility of the salt, on the length of time the herring are to be kept, on 

 Iheii latness, freshness, and the place for which they are destined. A 

 f.t herring requires more salt than a lean one; a fresh herring, or one 

 whicli has been cleaned, less than an old one, or one which is to be salted 

 ,vl„.le Herring which are to be exported to tropical countries requn-e 

 moie salt than those destined for countries that have a cold or temper- 

 •ite climate when the salt should be coarse and not easily dissoluble. 

 Ilerrino- which are intended to be eaten soon get less salt than those 

 which are to be kept for any length of time, as the preparing is, to some 

 extent, done at the expense of the llavor. The Dutch are, or rather 

 were the nation which used least salt, as the small quantity, 1G,00() 

 tons which they annually brought into the market was sold immed- 

 ately. Thev used the following quantities of Lisbon salt: In summer, 

 1 ton of salt to 5 tons of herring,* and in winter, 1 ton of salt to G tons 

 of herring. As a general rule 1 tons of salt were counted to 14 full 

 tons of herring, which would make 1 ton of salt to 3.5 tons of herring. 

 The Scotch count 1 ton of line Liverpool salt to about 4^ tons of her- 

 ring, while in Ni.rway 1 ton of St. Ives salt is counted to 4 tons of her- 

 ring, when just put up, and to 3.'J when ready for shipping. 



It is diflicult to say to which kind of salt the prelerence should bo 

 given, as one and the same place produces different kinds of salt, and 

 as the quality depends, to a great extent, on the salt harvest. The 

 Scotch use Liverpool salt; the Dutch, medium coarse Lisbon salt; and we 

 in Norway, St. Ives salt. Each one of these three nations seems to be 

 satisfied with the kind of salt it uses, even if it should not meet with 

 all the requirements. The Scotch Board of Fisheries says regarding 

 the Liverpool salt, "It should be remembered that Spanish or Portu- 

 guese salt makes a better cured article than Liverpool salt." The main 

 point is that the salt should be pure, and that a suitable quantity should 

 bo used. It should be borne in mind that fine salt melts easier than 

 coarse salt, but that the salt which holds water makes a weaker brine. 

 Wherever there is need of it, salt which easily dissolves should be used 

 in cases where it is important that brine should form quickly, while 

 coarse salt is excellent for filling the kegs, or for salting fish which are 

 to be kept in store for a long time. 



Packing the herring.— In this respect there is considerable dif- 

 ference between the Scotch and the Norwegian methods, as the Scotch 

 lay the herring on the back, while we lay them on the side. In so far 

 as the method employed intluences only the looks of the fish, the dif- 

 ference is of very little importance, as the taste of the customers varies 

 in this respect. As regards those herring whose stomachs have been taken 

 out, it is of importance that they should be laid on the back, as in that 

 case the brine can more easily penetrate the abdominal cavity. 



* Counting in what was used for sprinkling. 



