﻿[3] 
  THE 
  MANUFACTURE 
  OF 
  KLIP-FISH. 
  327 
  

  

  their 
  fish 
  gradually 
  after 
  the 
  fish 
  have 
  remained 
  in 
  salt 
  the 
  necessary 
  

   length 
  of 
  time. 
  During 
  the 
  period 
  from 
  1S7G 
  to 
  1883 
  we 
  exported 
  on 
  

   an 
  average 
  from 
  June 
  to 
  December, 
  inclusive, 
  57 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  

   quantity 
  of 
  fish 
  manufactured 
  during 
  the 
  year, 
  and 
  from 
  January 
  to 
  

   May, 
  inclusive, 
  43 
  per 
  cent. 
  During 
  that 
  period, 
  therefore, 
  almost 
  one- 
  

   half 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  quantity 
  of 
  fish 
  had 
  been 
  kept 
  in 
  the 
  warehouse 
  six 
  

   months 
  and 
  longer. 
  It 
  is 
  therefore 
  a 
  great 
  mistake 
  to 
  carry 
  on 
  the 
  

   manufacture 
  on 
  a 
  large 
  scale 
  exclusively 
  with 
  the 
  view 
  to 
  sell 
  fresh 
  

   goods. 
  Furthermore, 
  if 
  we 
  take 
  into 
  consideration 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  

   fish 
  are 
  going 
  to 
  be 
  transported 
  a 
  considerable 
  distance, 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  

   to 
  warm 
  countries, 
  and 
  in 
  many 
  cases 
  at 
  the 
  warmest 
  season 
  of 
  the 
  

   year, 
  the 
  principal 
  object 
  should 
  be 
  to 
  manufacture 
  an 
  article 
  which 
  will 
  

   keep 
  well. 
  

  

  The 
  value 
  of 
  a 
  klip-fish 
  depends 
  on 
  its 
  looks 
  and 
  whether 
  it 
  will 
  keep. 
  

   These 
  two 
  conditions, 
  however, 
  need 
  not 
  always 
  be 
  found 
  together. 
  A 
  

   fish 
  which 
  does 
  not 
  look 
  well 
  may 
  keep 
  well, 
  while 
  a 
  fine 
  appearance 
  is 
  not 
  

   always 
  an 
  indication 
  that 
  a 
  fish 
  will 
  keep 
  well. 
  In 
  manufacturing 
  fish 
  

   for 
  the 
  world's 
  market, 
  both 
  these 
  objects 
  should 
  be 
  kept 
  in 
  view. 
  The 
  

   possible 
  advantages 
  which, 
  owing 
  to 
  a 
  fortunate 
  combination 
  of 
  circum- 
  

   stances, 
  may 
  be 
  obtained 
  by 
  paying 
  less 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  

   an 
  article 
  which 
  will 
  keep 
  well 
  are 
  very 
  small 
  if 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  loss 
  

   occasioned 
  by 
  the 
  spoiling 
  of 
  the 
  goods 
  while 
  kept 
  in 
  the 
  warehouse. 
  

   Taking 
  the 
  raw 
  material, 
  the 
  salt, 
  and 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  fitting 
  out 
  the 
  

   fishing 
  expeditions 
  as 
  the 
  normal 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  fish, 
  the 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  

   expense 
  for 
  labor 
  or 
  the 
  difference 
  in 
  weight 
  occasioned 
  by 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   careful 
  drying 
  is 
  small 
  in 
  comparison 
  with 
  the 
  risk.* 
  In 
  giving, 
  in 
  the 
  

   following, 
  the 
  leading 
  principles 
  in 
  the 
  manufacture 
  of 
  klip 
  fish 
  we 
  would 
  

   state 
  that 
  these 
  principles 
  have 
  referenee 
  both 
  to 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  a 
  line- 
  

   looking 
  article 
  and 
  of 
  one 
  which 
  will 
  keep 
  well, 
  and 
  that 
  we 
  shall 
  treat 
  

   them 
  without 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  when, 
  the 
  place 
  where, 
  and 
  the 
  manner 
  

   in 
  which 
  the 
  producer 
  disposes 
  of 
  his 
  goods. 
  

  

  The 
  raw 
  material. 
  — 
  Difference 
  of 
  size 
  and 
  fleshiness 
  have 
  a 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  influence 
  on 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  fish, 
  but 
  as 
  this 
  is 
  principally 
  

   owing 
  to 
  the 
  sorting 
  we 
  shall 
  not 
  dwell 
  on 
  it 
  here. 
  The 
  first 
  condition 
  

   for 
  obtaining 
  a 
  first-class 
  article 
  is, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  the 
  raw 
  material 
  

   should 
  be 
  fresh. 
  The 
  circumstances 
  under 
  which 
  our 
  fisheries 
  take 
  

   place, 
  namely, 
  the 
  winter 
  season, 
  and 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  more 
  nets 
  than 
  in 
  other 
  

   countries, 
  make 
  it 
  necessary 
  that 
  also 
  old 
  fish 
  should 
  be 
  used 
  for 
  klip- 
  

   fish. 
  Klip-fish 
  manufactured 
  from 
  old 
  fish 
  are 
  of 
  much 
  lighter 
  weight, 
  

   and 
  have 
  a 
  darker 
  color 
  than 
  those 
  made 
  of 
  fresh 
  fish 
  ; 
  the 
  flesh 
  becomes 
  

   broken 
  and 
  loose, 
  especially 
  near 
  the 
  backbone, 
  the 
  skin 
  becomes 
  loose 
  

   in 
  some 
  places, 
  the 
  bones 
  turn 
  red, 
  the 
  abdomen 
  also 
  turns 
  red 
  and 
  be- 
  

   comes 
  thin, 
  and 
  gets 
  dark 
  stripes, 
  occasioned 
  by 
  the 
  oil 
  which 
  is 
  soon 
  

   secreted 
  from 
  the 
  liver. 
  The 
  longer 
  the 
  fish 
  has 
  been 
  allowed 
  to 
  lie, 
  

  

  *Tbi.s 
  risk 
  is 
  with 
  us 
  generally 
  run 
  by 
  1 
  Ik- 
  exporters; 
  and 
  it 
  therefore 
  seems 
  all 
  the 
  

   more 
  strange 
  that 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  make 
  a 
  greater 
  difference 
  in 
  price. 
  

  

  