DESCRIPTION OF HERRING. 23 



beef as a heat producer, but is much richer as a flesh 

 former. Following Buckland's method of reckon- 

 ing three fresh herrings to one pound, and eight 

 pounds to the stone, and an average bullock at sixty 

 such stones, and comparing the price of butcher's 

 meat with the price of herrings, the advantage is 

 immensely on the side of the fish. Taking beef at 

 an average, say of I2d. per pound, and three fresh 

 herrings, which, as a rule, will weigh one pound, at 

 4<^., the cost of beef is three times greater than that 

 of herring. The difference in value to the nation, 

 when we are dealing with such large totals, is well 

 worthy of the very serious consideration of those 

 who may have it in their power to develop and 

 encourage such a grand source of wealth. Reckoned 

 on this basis, one last of herrings is equivalent to a 

 fraction over nine bullocks. The quantity of herrings 

 landed at Yarmouth during the regular fishing seasons 

 for the last ten years, excluding the spring and 

 summer fisheries, amounts to 149,152 lasts; or 

 reckoned in bullocks, it gives the enormous number 

 of 1,367,226, or an average of 136,722 bullocks per 

 year. The demand for herrings, both from abroad 

 and at home, increases year by year, side by side 

 with increased facilities of transport. More railways 

 on the Continent mean more markets ; cheaper 

 freights mean larger demands for the silvery wealth 

 circling the shores of Albion. When it is considered 

 that such a mass of food as the above is won out of 

 the waters by the crews fishing from the single port 

 of Yarmouth, during the short season of four months 



