THE SCOTCH EAST COAST HERRING FISHING. 17 



makes the finest barrels ; costs from 8os. to 90$-. per 1000 

 feet, and on account of its clearness is not so much used as 

 it deserves to be. Birch is the medium quality, and is the 

 most popular. Perhaps half of all the barrels made are of 

 birch. Our greatest supplies are from Norway ; Mandal 

 and Porsgrund shipping the best qualities. Our home 

 supplies are indeed very small, and there is nothing in 

 the quality of the home birch that particularly calls for 

 comment. The price is at present firm at 75^. per 1000 

 feet. Spruce and common fir have of late years come much 

 into use, and are appreciated on account of cheapness. 

 Likewise the curers can be supplied by the neighbouring 

 wood merchants at such times as they may require, and in 

 small quantities. The price is from 6cxr. to 6$s. per 1000 

 feet. These woods are very soft compared to larch or 

 birch ; and after the barrel has been filled with herrings 

 and lain for 2 or 3 months in store, it is found that the 

 pickle has become absorbed in the wood, the barrel has 

 expanded, and therefore the herrings present a slackened 

 appearance. J give it as my opinion that the less fir 

 barrels are used the better for the trade. The curers may 

 save a little in the price of the barrel, but they will 

 certainly lose more than the amount in the sale of the 

 barrels of herrings, for the simple reason that the German 

 herring dealers have a dislike to fir barrels. It takes about 

 1 6 to 20 staves to make one barrel. 1000 feet of staves 

 and 250 feet of heading will give about 70 barrels on an 

 average. The nett cost of a barrel is from $s. ^d. to ^s. 6cf. 

 according to the quality of the wood used. By these 

 figures I estimate that it costs over .125,000 every year to 

 prepare the stock of barrels for this herring fishing. 



The hoops required for the barrel are in length 71 feet, 

 are about inch thick, and vary in breadth from to I inch. 



