of the Fishery Board for Scotland^ 
99 
APPENDIX a 
SALT FOR CURING. 
Formerly in the Dutch fisheries certain salts were deemed more 
suitable for curing than others. Thus in the Dutch regulations we find 
various directions, which are partly prohibitive from, political considera- 
tions, and partly on account of quality. 
9. ' Any person who cures herrings with French salt, from St Martins, 
* Olderdame, Borea, Browart, the South of France, the West Indies, or 
' Isle of May, shall forfeit the herrings ' — this seems wholly political. 
10. ' No Spanish or Portugal salt shall be put in casks before the 
* cure-master has examined it, on penalty of 25 guilders for every hundred 
' weight ; nor shall they carry to sea any other but the above for the 
' herring fishery, and that to be twice examined by the cure-master, who 
' must open each barrel before it is shipped, and stamp them with his 
' mark ; in case of failure, the master to forfeit 36 guilders.' 
11. ' Full barrels are to be salted in no less a proportion than four 
' barrels of salt to every last, or twelve barrels of herrings.' 
15. ' Herrings taken after July 26, and salted with fine salt, may be ex- 
* ported as wrack westward ; the barrel to be bound with sixteen hoops, 
* having the date of the year on the belly, and mark of the purchaser 
' thereon.' 
16. ' Herrings taken after August 24, and Bartholomew tide, may he 
' salted loithfine salt, boiled with sea water, according to agreement with 
* the City of Cologn.' 
Again, we are told : — ' When they set out, the vessels are full 
' of casks, one part of which is filled with salt sufficient to fill the whole 
* cargo. This is always foreign salt, either bay salt or St Ubes. No 
' British salt has strength to cure the fat herrings caught here (Shetland) 
' in summer.' The term strength is here applied erroneously; but the 
fact remains that a special salt was required for a special purpose. 
The superiority of the Dutch herrings last century was ascribed, among 
other reasons — 
5. * To their being cured with refined salt, which is prepared expressly 
' for the purpose, by being cleared of bittern, and all that putrescent 
* matter, which tends to corrupt, in place of preserving the fish. I am 
' told that even the salt from France, Spain, Portugal, <fec., is refined in 
' Holland before it is used for the curing of herrings.' 
But all restrictions of this kind have long been removed, so that 
curers at present make use of whatever salt they find most convenient, 
or to which they have a more particular fancy. During the inspection 
of cured herring on the Continent, the deputation came to the con- 
clusion that the question of the character of the salt employed was of 
vital importance. It was also clear that no proper reliable principles 
actuated the curers in their choice of salt, or in the mode and extent of 
their application of it. This was natural enough, as the consumers 
differed greatly in their views of what was wanted, not only as to the 
quantity of salt and its character, but as to the mode of its application. 
The Board had so far expressed an opinion as to the quantity of salt 
necessary ; but this was a purely empirical opinion, based on rule of 
thumb, and we considered it advisable that a more exact and reliable 
guide for curers and officers ought to be provided, if this could safely 
or readily be done. The difficulty of providing a reliable rule of an em- 
pirical character may be best understood by a statement of fact. Taking 
