﻿332 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FIS1J 
  AND 
  11S1I 
  FRIES. 
  [8] 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  telegraph. 
  But 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  sound 
  basis 
  either 
  ; 
  for 
  the 
  prices 
  at 
  

   which 
  fish 
  sell 
  will 
  principally 
  depend 
  on 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  fisheries 
  which 
  

   do 
  not 
  begin 
  until 
  our 
  fisheries 
  have 
  come 
  to 
  a 
  close, 
  and 
  regarding 
  

   which 
  the 
  telegraph 
  keeps 
  the 
  dealers 
  posted. 
  The 
  fish 
  trade 
  will 
  al- 
  

   ways 
  be 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  of 
  an 
  uncertain 
  business, 
  whose 
  results 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  

   difficult 
  to 
  predict. 
  There 
  is 
  all 
  the 
  more 
  reason, 
  then, 
  why 
  circum- 
  

   stances 
  which 
  are 
  of 
  but 
  little 
  importance, 
  but 
  which 
  may 
  exert 
  a 
  hurt- 
  

   ful 
  influence, 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  allowed 
  to 
  enter 
  into 
  the 
  calculation. 
  

  

  Splitting. 
  — 
  The 
  splitting 
  should 
  be 
  done 
  carefully, 
  so 
  as 
  not 
  to 
  

   damage 
  the 
  fish. 
  .Old 
  fish 
  especially 
  should 
  be 
  treated 
  with 
  the 
  great- 
  

   est 
  care, 
  and 
  not 
  be 
  thrown 
  about 
  as 
  is 
  so 
  often 
  done. 
  The 
  knives 
  

   should 
  be 
  sharp 
  and 
  be 
  run 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  backbone, 
  so 
  as 
  not 
  to 
  cut 
  off 
  

   any 
  of 
  the 
  flesh. 
  Along 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  backbone 
  which 
  is 
  to 
  remain, 
  

   the 
  point 
  of 
  the 
  knife 
  should 
  not 
  enter 
  deeper 
  than 
  to 
  run 
  along 
  the 
  

   upper 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  vertebras, 
  as 
  otherwise 
  the 
  fish 
  is 
  split 
  open 
  too 
  

   much 
  during 
  the 
  pressing. 
  The 
  backbone 
  is 
  cut 
  off 
  at 
  least 
  three 
  links 
  

   below 
  the 
  sexual 
  aperture 
  in 
  an 
  oblique 
  direction, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  cut 
  across 
  

   2 
  or 
  3 
  links. 
  The 
  cutting 
  of 
  the 
  backbone 
  must 
  be 
  done 
  very 
  carefully, 
  

   so 
  as 
  not 
  to 
  injure 
  the 
  string 
  which 
  runs 
  Along 
  its 
  upper 
  edge, 
  as 
  this 
  

   is 
  to 
  remain 
  in 
  the 
  fish. 
  The 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  backbone 
  which 
  is 
  to 
  come 
  

   off, 
  is 
  torn 
  out. 
  

  

  Salting. 
  — 
  This 
  may 
  be 
  done 
  either 
  in 
  boxes, 
  the 
  so-called 
  dry-salt- 
  

   ing, 
  or 
  iu 
  tubs, 
  the 
  so-called 
  brine-salting. 
  The 
  latter 
  method 
  was 
  gen- 
  

   erally 
  employed 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  century, 
  and 
  fish 
  were 
  then 
  often 
  salted 
  

   in 
  tubs, 
  to 
  be 
  manufactured 
  into 
  klip-fish 
  at 
  some 
  later 
  time. 
  Brine-salt- 
  

   ing 
  is 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  used 
  only 
  in 
  Scotland. 
  In 
  Norway 
  it 
  could 
  

   hardly 
  be 
  used, 
  as 
  it 
  presupposes 
  that 
  the 
  drying 
  process 
  begins 
  as 
  

   soon 
  as 
  the 
  fish 
  have 
  absorbed 
  enough 
  salt. 
  If 
  this 
  cannot 
  be 
  done, 
  the 
  

   fish 
  are 
  salted 
  again 
  in 
  boxes. 
  This 
  method 
  has 
  been 
  described 
  in 
  our 
  

   last 
  volume, 
  to 
  whose 
  pages 
  we 
  refer, 
  and 
  shall 
  here 
  confine 
  ourselves 
  

   to 
  a 
  brief 
  description 
  of 
  dry-salting. 
  This 
  is 
  done 
  by 
  laying 
  the 
  fish 
  

   in 
  rows, 
  and 
  making 
  piles 
  of 
  fish 
  one 
  row 
  over 
  the 
  other. 
  When 
  laid 
  

   on 
  the 
  pile 
  the 
  fish 
  should 
  be 
  well 
  drawn 
  out 
  and 
  smoothed 
  down, 
  

   for 
  whatever 
  folds 
  it 
  may 
  get 
  in 
  the 
  pile 
  it 
  will 
  retain. 
  Care 
  should 
  

   also 
  be 
  taken 
  that 
  in 
  placing 
  the 
  fish 
  on 
  the 
  pile 
  the 
  abdomen 
  does 
  not 
  

   come 
  in 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  cut 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  backbone 
  of 
  other 
  fish. 
  The 
  

   piles 
  should 
  be 
  so 
  arranged 
  as 
  to 
  allow 
  the 
  brine 
  to 
  flow 
  off 
  freely, 
  as 
  

   otherwise 
  there 
  is 
  danger 
  of 
  its 
  turning 
  sour. 
  The 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  pile 
  

   should 
  therefore 
  be 
  its 
  highest 
  point. 
  Some 
  people 
  who 
  intend 
  to 
  sell 
  

   fish 
  in 
  brine, 
  in 
  which 
  case 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  often 
  sold 
  by 
  weight, 
  pile 
  them 
  

   up 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  manner 
  that 
  the 
  brine 
  remains 
  standing 
  on 
  the 
  fish, 
  and 
  

   that 
  consequently 
  the 
  fish 
  become 
  partly 
  brine-salted. 
  The 
  attention 
  

   of 
  buyers 
  should 
  be 
  directed 
  to 
  this 
  method, 
  as 
  such 
  fish 
  will 
  contain 
  a 
  

   considerable 
  quantity 
  of 
  water, 
  and 
  are 
  very 
  difficult 
  to 
  dry. 
  The 
  buyer 
  

   should 
  also 
  examine 
  the 
  brine 
  to 
  see 
  whether 
  it 
  possesses 
  the 
  proper 
  de- 
  

   gree 
  of 
  freshness. 
  Even 
  the 
  Scotch, 
  who 
  use 
  brine-salting, 
  do 
  not 
  let 
  

  

  