NORWEGIAN MODE OF CURING SPRATS. 127 



The heads and debris are much valued, and sold for 

 agricultural purposes. 



There are about forty establishments which prepare the 

 sardines with oil in tin boxes, and the quantity prepared 

 is about ten million boxes annually. We have been thus 

 particular as to the mode of preparation, because the 

 advantage of preparing the boxes for home consump- 

 tion and exportation must be obvious. Large quantities 

 are prepared for Australia and California, and in 1853 

 the quantity exported from France amounted to about 

 4,000,000 pounds weight. 



In Norway as Anchovies. — In Norway considerable 

 quantities of the sprat (brisling) and young herrings are 

 salted and preserved with spices in little kegs. They are 

 first steeped in a strong pickle of Spanish or Lisbon salt, 

 and thereafter packed into the kegs, which are carefully 

 made tight, and thus prepared form a very agreeable food, 

 and are generally eaten in this state raw without any 

 other preparation. 



Smoked Sprats. — Considerable quantities of the sprats or 

 garvies are sometimes smoked in this country, but as the 

 labour is considerable in smoking such a small fish, it is 

 only when they are very cheap that the using this process 

 can be made to be profitable. The mode of curing or prepar- 

 ing the sprats is by steeping them in strong salt pickle for 

 ten or twelve hours, and thereafter spitting them and 

 smoking them with fires of oak for eight or ten days, and 

 when cool they are packed into small kits or barrels. 



Of course, there are various other modes of curing her- 

 rings which may occur to the reader — such as preserving 

 them in tin boxes for exportation, either with or without 

 oil ; and there are other methods of smoking, which have 

 not been entered into ; but it is hoped that sufiicient lias 



