58 SAEDINE-CUEING. 



water, chiefly by women, who can earn from 12 francs to 20 

 francs a week at these curing establishments. The cure is begun 

 by drying the fish on nets or willows, generally in the open air, 

 but sometimes, from stress of weather it must be done under 

 cover. After being dried they are ready for the process of the 

 pan, which is kept over a furnace, and is filled with boiling oil. 

 Into the cauldron the fish are plunged, two rows deep, arranged 

 on wire gratings. In this pan of oil (the very finest olive oil) 

 they remain for a brief period, tUl, in the judgment of the cook, 

 they are done sufficiently. Then they are placed to drip, the 

 drippings of oil being, of course, carefully collected ; after which 

 they are packed by women and girls into the nice little clean 

 boxes in which they are sold. Again they are allowed to drip . 

 by the boxes being sloped ; then each box, by means of a tap, 

 is filled carefuUy up to its lip with pure olive oil, when it is 

 ready for the next operation, which is the soldering on of the lids, 

 or, as it may be called, the hermetical sealing up of the box, a 

 most particular part of the process, at which the men can earn 

 very large wages, with this drawback, that they have to buy all 

 the fish that are spoilt. After the soldering has been accom- 

 plished the boxes have to be boiled in a steam chest. Those 

 that do not bulge out after the boiling are condemned as " dead ; " 

 for when the process is thoroughly gone through the perfection 

 of the cure is known by the bulging out of the boxes, which are 

 of various sizes, according to the purpose for which they are 

 designed. There are boxes of 6 lbs. weight and 21 lbs. weight, 

 as also half and quarter boxes, with from 24 to 12 fish in them, 

 according to size. Little kegs are also filled with sardines cured 

 as anchovies. The finishing process of the sardine cure is to 

 stamp the boxes and affix the thin brass labels which are always 

 found upon them. There are little incidental industries con- 

 nected with the cure which may be noticed. The dSbris is sold 

 for agricultural purposes, as is the case at home here, where the 

 curers get a few pounds annually for their ofi'al ; then a large 

 quantity of oil is exuded from the sprat during the process of 

 the cure, and on the total fishery this oil is of considerable value. 

 The " dead " fish, as we have said, are sold to the men, but the 

 success of the cure is usually so great that the " dead " form but 

 a very small percentage of the total number of boxes submitted 

 to the test. 



But allowing the French people to cultivate to the very 

 utmost — as they especially do as regards the oyster — it is 



