24 COD AND OTHER SALT FISH FOR THE MARKET. 



A few slack-salted fish are skinned for middles in the New Eng- 

 land trade, but all others are full pickle cured. When the middles 

 are boxed they are carefully layered, and in order to get them in 

 tightly they are beaten with large wooden mallets. 



Fish are packed in packages usually weighing 1 and 2 pounds, 

 though a few are made up in half-pound tablets. These fish are gen- 

 erally described as " boneless " and " absolutely boneless " and are 

 all full pickle cured. The cakes are usually made of one or two good 

 pieces from the backs, the remainder being the smaller pieces about 

 the nape, tail, etc. The selection of bright-colored fish and choice 

 pieces and special curing decide the grades. The fish put up in these 

 packages is usually well pressed in forms, tied at two points with 

 strings, wrapped with paraffined paper and a wrapper. Twenty- four 

 1-pound, twelve 2-pound, or twelve 3-pound packages make a crate. 

 The " boneless " fish put up in 5-pound boxes but not pressed run 12 

 to a crate. 



Choice codfish bits are the best ends, napes, tails, etc., from the 

 trimmings and go out in various sized boxes and are mostly sold in 

 New England. The napes from large fish go into the 1 and 2 pound 

 cakes. 



Shredded codfish is made up from the trimmings not otherwise 

 used in packing the regular tablets. The material used is as good as 

 any employed, but the pieces are too small to be used well in the regu- 

 lar package. It is run through a machine which tears the muscle 

 into its small fibrous bundles. In order to get this very fine and 

 fluffy it may be necessary to press out part of the water after the 

 first treatment and run it through the machine again and then sift 

 it to free it from all particles of bone. The shredded fish is put up 

 in 5 and 7 ounce cartons and jars, the latter being hermetically sealed 

 in vacuum. Twenty-four boxes or jars make a crate. 



Codfish tongues are shipped in brine in barrels and pails; codfish 

 cheeks are dried and shipped in 50-pound boxes; codfish sounds are 

 sold with the tongues, mixed half and half or sold separately. In 

 shipments the cod goes as cod, while hake, cusk, haddock, and pollock 

 are sold as "boneless fish." 



The slack-salted fish for the Italian or export trade, if brought in 

 fresh, are salted only overnight or in very warm weather are lightly 

 salted for thirty-six hours. They are then dried harder than for the 

 full pickle. Fish which have been salted on board the vessel may be 

 soaked for about four hours and then dried. About one-fourth of 

 one pound of salt to a pound of fish is used. Porto Rico cured 1 fish 

 are pickle cured and then washed and dried very hard. Pollock 

 cured for the local trade, if brought in salted, are taken out of the 

 vessel, washed well, and dried; or, if brought in fresh, they are 



