﻿[7] 
  THE 
  MANUFACTURE 
  OF 
  KLIP-FISH. 
  331 
  

  

  lisli 
  are 
  split 
  while 
  frozen, 
  they 
  turn 
  dark 
  and 
  furnish 
  an 
  inferior 
  article. 
  

   One 
  should 
  therefore 
  hang 
  the 
  fish 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  outside 
  the 
  vessel 
  in 
  a 
  

   net, 
  but 
  not 
  let 
  them 
  stay 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  any 
  longer 
  than 
  is 
  necessary. 
  

   As 
  a 
  general 
  rule 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  hours 
  will 
  suffice. 
  In 
  a 
  manual 
  for 
  pre- 
  

   paring 
  salt-water 
  fish, 
  published 
  in 
  1839 
  by 
  the 
  department 
  of 
  finance, 
  

   commerce, 
  and 
  customs, 
  it 
  is 
  recommended 
  to 
  let 
  the 
  fish 
  freeze 
  in 
  a 
  

   tub 
  containing 
  brine. 
  If 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  fresh, 
  such 
  freezing 
  will 
  not 
  hurt 
  

   them 
  ; 
  but 
  if 
  old 
  — 
  even 
  two 
  days 
  only 
  — 
  their 
  flesh 
  becomes 
  loose 
  and 
  

   breaks, 
  and 
  only 
  an 
  inferior 
  article 
  is 
  obtained. 
  In 
  cold 
  weather 
  fish 
  

   should 
  not 
  be 
  salted 
  under 
  the 
  open 
  sky 
  ; 
  for 
  if 
  they 
  are 
  put 
  in 
  salt 
  

   when 
  in 
  a 
  frozen 
  condition 
  they 
  will 
  not 
  make 
  a 
  first-class 
  article. 
  

  

  Prices. 
  — 
  The 
  raw 
  material 
  may 
  be 
  of 
  greatly 
  differing 
  value, 
  and 
  re- 
  

   gard 
  should 
  be 
  had 
  to 
  this 
  circumstance 
  in 
  buying 
  and 
  treating 
  fish, 
  by 
  

   sorting 
  the 
  fish 
  from 
  the 
  very 
  outset 
  as 
  carefully 
  as 
  the 
  given 
  space 
  

   will 
  allow. 
  The. 
  advantage 
  of 
  doing 
  so 
  will 
  appear 
  both 
  in 
  drying 
  and 
  

   selling 
  the 
  fish. 
  We 
  also 
  deem 
  it 
  our 
  duty 
  to 
  call 
  attention 
  to 
  a 
  mistake 
  

   very 
  commonly 
  made 
  in 
  fixing 
  the 
  prices; 
  in 
  buying 
  the 
  fish 
  too 
  much 
  

   regard 
  is 
  paid 
  to 
  temporary 
  circumstances, 
  so 
  that 
  fish 
  are 
  bought 
  at 
  

   prices 
  which 
  are 
  unreasonably. 
  It 
  should 
  be 
  remembered 
  that 
  all 
  cod 
  

   fisheries 
  close 
  in 
  October, 
  and 
  that 
  none 
  of 
  them 
  begin 
  before 
  May, 
  

   with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  Norwegian 
  and 
  Iceland 
  fisheries,* 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  

   fish 
  which 
  we 
  catch 
  during 
  winter 
  have 
  to 
  compete 
  with 
  those 
  of 
  future 
  

   fisheries 
  of 
  other 
  nations. 
  It 
  should 
  further 
  be 
  remembered, 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   100 
  million 
  kilograms 
  (in 
  round 
  figures) 
  of 
  klip-fish 
  which 
  are 
  annually 
  

   brought 
  into 
  the 
  European 
  market, 
  not 
  one-half, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  200 
  million 
  

   kilograms 
  which 
  are 
  brought 
  into 
  the 
  world's 
  market, 
  not 
  one-fourth 
  

   conies 
  from 
  Norway. 
  And 
  of 
  this 
  comparatively 
  small 
  portion 
  onty 
  

   about 
  one-half 
  comes 
  from 
  the 
  Loffoden 
  fisheries. 
  The 
  only 
  rational 
  

   basis 
  for 
  fixing 
  the 
  prices 
  must 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  our 
  own 
  fisheries, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  

   comparison 
  with 
  the 
  development 
  which 
  the 
  fisheries 
  have 
  reached 
  in 
  

   other 
  countries. 
  The 
  safest 
  guide 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  is 
  statistics, 
  even 
  if 
  

   they 
  should 
  be 
  of 
  somewhat 
  ancient 
  date. 
  The 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  fishery 
  

   statistics 
  is 
  therefore 
  essential 
  for 
  a 
  rational 
  fish 
  trade. 
  It 
  is 
  quite 
  nat- 
  

   ural 
  that 
  the 
  exporters 
  in 
  giving 
  orders 
  relative 
  to 
  the 
  buying 
  of 
  fresh 
  

   fish 
  to 
  their 
  own 
  agents, 
  have 
  regard 
  to 
  possible 
  combinations 
  in 
  the 
  

   near 
  future, 
  partly 
  because 
  their 
  order 
  will 
  be 
  small 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  

   entire 
  quantity 
  of 
  fish 
  in 
  the 
  market 
  and 
  partly 
  because 
  they 
  can 
  get 
  

   their 
  own 
  fish 
  into 
  the 
  market 
  before 
  new 
  fish 
  from 
  other 
  countries 
  can 
  

   reach 
  it. 
  They 
  can, 
  therefore, 
  pay 
  higher 
  prices 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  their 
  in- 
  

   terest 
  to 
  obtain 
  a 
  certain 
  given 
  portion. 
  But 
  for 
  other 
  buyers 
  there 
  is 
  

   no 
  reason 
  to 
  " 
  follow 
  the 
  prices," 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  called. 
  The 
  klip-fish 
  prices 
  of 
  

   the 
  preceding 
  year 
  exercise 
  a 
  considerable 
  influence 
  on 
  the 
  buying 
  of 
  

   fresh 
  fish, 
  although 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  former 
  times, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  introduction 
  

  

  * 
  And 
  also 
  the 
  Faroe 
  fisheries, 
  which, 
  however, 
  arc 
  but 
  small. 
  In 
  winters 
  when 
  there 
  

   is 
  not, 
  much 
  ice, 
  there 
  are 
  some 
  fisheries 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  coast 
  of 
  Newfoundland, 
  and 
  also 
  

   near 
  the 
  Shetland 
  Islands. 
  

  

  