30 The Commercial Products of the Sea. 



man's boat upon the rough stage, where it is received by the 

 "cut-throat," who, with a sharp knife, lays open the fish across 

 the throat and down the belly, and passes it to the header. 

 This operator proceeds to extract the liver, which is dropped 

 into a vessel by his side, to be converted into cod-liver oil. 

 He then extracts the entrails and wrenches off the head, 

 and throws these into another receptacle, to be preserved for 

 the farmer, to mix with bog and earth, thus forming a most 

 fertilizing compost for his fields. The tongues, however, 

 are taken out, and also the sounds, and these, fresh or 

 pickled, are an excellent article of food. The fish is then 

 passed to the splitter, who, by a dexterous movement, cuts 

 out the backbone nearly to the tail, and thus lays the fish 

 entirely open, and capable of being laid flat on its back. 

 This is the nicest part of the operation, and the splitter 

 always commands higher wages than the rest of the opera- 

 tors. The Salter next takes the fish and washes it well 

 from all particles of blood, salts it, and places it in piles to 

 drain. After laying the proper length of time it is washed, 

 and spread to dry on the " flake," which is formed of spruce 

 boughs, supported by a framework resting on upright poles. 

 Here the cod are spread out individually to bleach by ex- 

 posure to sun and air, and during this process require con- 

 stant attention. At night, or on the approach of rain, they 

 are made up into little round heaps, with the skin outward, 

 in which state they look very much like small haycocks. 

 When the " bloom," or whitish appearance, which for a time 

 they assume, comes out on the dried fish, the process is 

 finished, and then they are quite ready for storing. On 

 being conveyed to the premises of the exporting merchant, 

 they are first " culled," or assorted, into four different kinds, 

 known as "Merchantable," "Madeira," "West India," and 

 " Dun," or broken fish. The first is the best quahty, the 



