THE SMOKED HERRING INDUSTRY. 479 



ing begins. When another lot is to be hung, the fires must be extinguished and the windows and 

 ventilators thrown open to allow the smoke to escape and enable the fishermen to remain in the 

 bays for the purpose of hanging the balance of the catch. This process is continued until the 

 smoke-house is full, when the fires are again lighted and usually kept burning until the fish are 

 thoroughly smoked. 



FIRES. The fires are differently arranged in different smoke-houses, their relative position de- 

 pending largely upon the ideas of the particular fisherman that is interested in the work. The 

 usual plan is to collect logs, 4 to 8 inches in diameter and 3 or 4 feet long, and arrange them, with 

 the proper kindling, in heaps at equal distances from each other and a few feet from the side of 

 the building. From six to twelve of these heaps are arranged in the average smoke-house, two or 

 three logs being placed together with a quantity of smaller material. When all is in readiness the, 

 fii t-s are lighted and kept burning day and night until the fish have been considerably affected by 

 the smoke. Owing to the closeness of the air the fires burn very slowly, it being found desirable 

 to keep the fish as cool as possible, and if allowed to burn briskly the heat generated by the 

 Hames would destroy every fish in the smoke-house in a few hours. When there is a tendency to 

 burn freely the fishermen separate the logs and cover them with ashes, to a greater or less extent, 

 to smother the flame; but ordinarily they are allowed to remain near together, some one visiting 

 the smoke-house every few hours to care for them. At times some or all of the fires are allowed 

 to go out, as, after the fish are partially smoked, the absence of fire for a day or two is not thought 

 to effect their quality. Generally, however, the fishermen are anxious to smoke them as rapidly 

 as possible, in order that the house may be cleared for another lot. 



WOODS. Different woods are used for smoking in different countries. Some claim that the 

 selection of particular kinds is an important matter, while others insist that the quality of the 

 wood has little if anything to do with the flavor or value of the products. In France, white birch 

 is commonly used; in England, Scotland, and Holland, the chips and sawdust of oak are said to 

 be favored; in Norway, heather and juniper are extensively used, though birch and alder are em- 

 ployed to a limited extent. In the United States various kinds are selected, pine logs that have 

 been soaked in salt water being preferred by a majority of the fishermen. These are usually 

 picked up along the beach by the fishermen, and are claimed to be superior to other wood, as the 

 salt absorbed while in the water renders them less inflammable, causing them at the same time to 

 last much longer and to give off a greater volume of smoke. When the smoking process is nearly 

 complete some of the fishermen build a fire of oak, for the purpose of giving a higher color to the 

 fish. In most localities, however, the question of woods is not considered important, the only point 

 being to have a kind that will buru slowly and at the same time yield a large amount of smoke. 



TIME REQUIRED FOR SMOKING. The time required in smoking varies considerably, depending 

 upon the size of the smoke-house, the size and condition of the fish, and the weather. Small fish 

 in dry weather can be cured in two weeks, while large herring often require fully six weeks, and 

 those put up tor exportation to warmer countries are smoked for even a longer period. The time 

 of curing is also affected by the position which the fish occupies in the smoke-house. Those nearest 

 the fires and about the sides of the building, where there is a better circulation, are cured first, 

 while those in the center are cured more slowly. It sometimes happens, when the fish are hung 

 very closely, or when it is desired to hasten the curing, that the lower and outer fish are removed 

 us soon as cured, thus exposing the central mass to the direct action of the smoke. Many claim 

 that the best fish are those taken from the upper bays, as these are farthest removed from the fire 

 and the smoke is thoroughly cooled before reaching them. 



MAGDALEN HERRING. The Magdalen herring, already referred to, are larger and, at the same 



