﻿330 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [f!] 
  

  

  made 
  last 
  year 
  have 
  shown, 
  however, 
  that 
  washing' 
  produces 
  an 
  article 
  

   distinguished 
  by 
  its 
  extraordinary 
  whiteness, 
  which 
  can 
  only 
  be 
  ac- 
  

   counted 
  for 
  as 
  a 
  consequence 
  of 
  the 
  washing. 
  Another 
  proof 
  of 
  the 
  

   advantages 
  of 
  this 
  process 
  is 
  furnished 
  by 
  the 
  frozen 
  fish, 
  which 
  is 
  dis- 
  

   tinguished 
  from 
  other 
  fish 
  by 
  its 
  whiteness, 
  which 
  is 
  owing 
  simply 
  to 
  

   the 
  cleaning 
  process 
  which 
  it 
  has 
  undergone 
  in 
  freezing. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  not 
  probable 
  that 
  washing 
  the 
  fish 
  should 
  have 
  an 
  injurious 
  in- 
  

   fluence 
  j 
  for, 
  as 
  we 
  stated 
  above, 
  the 
  Norwegians 
  are 
  the 
  only 
  people 
  

   who 
  do 
  not 
  wash 
  their 
  fish. 
  The 
  older 
  the 
  fish, 
  all 
  the 
  more 
  necessary 
  

   it 
  is 
  that 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  washed. 
  The 
  washing 
  of 
  fish, 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  

   allowed 
  to 
  wait 
  very 
  long, 
  should 
  however 
  be 
  done 
  cautiously, 
  as 
  such 
  

   fish 
  do 
  not 
  stand 
  much 
  handling. 
  Fish 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  washed 
  should, 
  

   if 
  only 
  a 
  limited 
  number 
  are 
  washed, 
  bo 
  salted 
  by 
  themselves. 
  If 
  the 
  

   Sondmore 
  manufacturers 
  have, 
  as 
  they 
  think, 
  made 
  the 
  discovery 
  that 
  

   washing 
  decreases 
  the 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  fish, 
  they 
  certainly 
  cannot 
  furnish 
  

   any 
  plausible 
  .reason 
  for 
  their 
  assertion. 
  We 
  can 
  understand, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  in 
  what 
  way 
  this 
  idea 
  has 
  originated. 
  As 
  far 
  as 
  we 
  know, 
  only 
  

   those 
  fish 
  are 
  washed 
  which 
  are 
  brought 
  in 
  by 
  vessels 
  having 
  a 
  deck 
  

   (which 
  therefore 
  go 
  farther 
  out 
  to 
  sea 
  than 
  mere 
  fishing 
  boats), 
  and 
  it' 
  

   klip-fish 
  manufactured 
  from 
  the 
  fish 
  brought 
  by 
  those 
  vessels 
  weighs 
  

   less, 
  the 
  simple 
  reason 
  is 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  from 
  2 
  to 
  8 
  days 
  older, 
  and 
  therefore 
  

   more 
  shrunk. 
  Common 
  sense 
  also 
  tells 
  us 
  that 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  the 
  

   fish, 
  during 
  the 
  washing 
  process, 
  comes 
  in 
  contact 
  with 
  water, 
  is 
  too 
  

   short 
  to 
  exercise 
  any 
  influence 
  on 
  the 
  substances 
  which 
  are 
  soluble 
  in 
  

   cold 
  water, 
  and 
  that 
  any 
  possible 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  washing 
  is 
  fully 
  coun- 
  

   teracted 
  by 
  the 
  appliance 
  of 
  brine. 
  The 
  only 
  loss 
  of 
  weight 
  which 
  can 
  

   possibly 
  be 
  occasioned 
  by 
  the 
  washing 
  is 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  the 
  dirt 
  and 
  slime 
  

   which 
  is 
  thereby 
  removed. 
  We 
  have 
  often 
  seen 
  fishermen, 
  probably 
  

   acting 
  on 
  this 
  economical 
  principle, 
  drag 
  fish 
  along 
  the 
  fields 
  through 
  

   which 
  they 
  were 
  passing, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  by 
  an 
  

   addition 
  of 
  dirt. 
  But 
  the 
  advantage 
  which 
  is 
  thought 
  to 
  be 
  obtained 
  

   thereby 
  is 
  purely 
  imaginary, 
  for 
  all 
  this 
  dirt 
  is, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  dried 
  fish 
  

   are 
  concerned, 
  for 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  removed 
  by 
  the 
  rain, 
  and 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  

   klip-fish 
  is 
  concerned, 
  by 
  the 
  cleaning; 
  what 
  remains 
  will 
  rather 
  occasion 
  

   loss, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  apt 
  to 
  spoil 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  fish. 
  

  

  As 
  regards 
  the 
  extra 
  labor 
  occasioned 
  by 
  the 
  washing, 
  the 
  fishermen 
  

   who 
  made 
  experiments 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  in 
  1882 
  declared 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  fish- 
  

   eries 
  are 
  not 
  extraordinarily 
  large, 
  washing 
  can 
  be 
  done 
  without 
  enga- 
  

   ging 
  an 
  extra 
  force 
  of 
  laborers, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  most 
  practical 
  apparatus 
  

   for 
  the 
  purpose 
  consisted 
  simply 
  in 
  a 
  pump 
  fastened 
  to 
  the 
  outside 
  of 
  

   the 
  vessel, 
  tubs, 
  woolen 
  rags, 
  and 
  perforated 
  benches, 
  to 
  allow 
  the 
  water 
  

   to 
  run 
  off. 
  When 
  there 
  is 
  frost, 
  the 
  fish 
  should, 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  washed, 
  be 
  

   put 
  in 
  the 
  hold 
  of 
  the 
  vessel, 
  and 
  there 
  be 
  laid 
  on 
  benches 
  so 
  the 
  water 
  

   can 
  run 
  off. 
  

  

  Frozen 
  etstt. 
  — 
  In 
  cold 
  weather 
  the 
  fish 
  either 
  reach 
  the 
  shore 
  in 
  a 
  

   frozen 
  condition, 
  or 
  freeze 
  while 
  they 
  are 
  laid 
  aside 
  to 
  be 
  split. 
  If 
  the 
  

  

  