462 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
houses aud consequently have been split down the belly, and the same is to some 
extent true in regard to whiteflsh, but the proportion of salted whitelish split down the 
back is greater than in case of trout. Blue pike, yellow pike, mullet, sheepshead, 
perch, aud carp are usually split down the back, even though prepared as surplus 
from the fresh-lish trade, since they are usually sold round in the fresh fish-markets. 
Herring split down the belly to the vent sufficiently to remove the viscera are com- 
monly called ciscoes, but many herring are split down the back and sold under the 
trade name of “family whitefish.” The difference in value of fish when split down the 
back and when split down the belly is shown in that species. Although the ciscoes 
and the family whitefish are preiiared from the same grade of fish, yet the latter 
usually sells for about 50 cents per 100 pounds more than the ciscoes. It is much 
easier aud quicker to split herring for ciscoes than for family whitefish, 500 pounds 
of ciscoes being readily split in one hour, whereas twice that length of time is required 
for splitting an equal quantity of family whitefish. Not so many ciscoes are prepared 
now as a few years ago, since the increased value of the fish makes the better method 
of cure profitable. 
On arrival at the salting house, if the fish have already been eviscerated, the 
heads are cut off aud the splitting continued down to the tail, so that the fish will lie 
flat. In case the fish are round when received, they are beheaded and cut down the 
back along the left side of the backbone, so as to lie flat, except in case of ciscoes, as 
above noted, and the rough edges of the backbone are cut off. The flat edge of the 
knife is run around the abdominal cavity to scrape away the blood, etc., and if the fish 
are large, one or two horizontal deep cuts are made in the thick flesh of the back. The 
fish are then thrown into a trough containing fresh water, where they soak for a few 
minutes and are removed with a pew or fork aud thrown on a draining and salting 
table, three-fourths of the top of which consists of strips on edge, on which the fish lie 
to drain, and the remaining one-fourth of the width is solid for holding the salt. After 
draining a few moments, each fish is taken separately, laid back down on the salt 
if large, and a quantity of salt spread evenly over the face, and the fish carefully 
placed face up in a tight barrel. For protection from dust, etc., the top layer is placed 
skin up. In salting small fish, one is taken in each hand and rubbed in the salt, as in 
salting mackerel. 
In case of ciscoes, the stomach cavities are scraped full of salt and closed and the 
fish are thrown into the pickling barrel. 
In order to avoid lacerating the flesh of the fish it is necessary to use fine salt, 
either Syracuse or Warsaw being jireferred. The former is a solar salt and weighs 
about 336 pounds per barrel, and the latter, a pan salt, weighs about 290 pounds iier 
ban e], and the cost of each ranges from 90 cents to $1 per barrel, the Warsaw being 
usually a few cents cheaper than the Syracuse. Cleveland salt is also used to some 
extent in striking. Some salt is sprinkled in the bottom of the barrel aud several 
handfuls placed on top of the fish, and weights placed thereon to keep the fish down 
in the pickle, these weights consisting usually of stones on top of boards. No brine 
is added, the fish making their own pickle. The entire quantity of salt used for each 
100 pounds of green fish ranges from 12 to 15 pounds, according to the size and 
condition of the fish and the season. Fish that have been frozen do not require so 
much salt as fresh fish, since they are somewhat drier and the texture is to some 
extent disintegrated, permitting the salt to strike through the fish more readily. 
Within four or five days the fish are struck through, depending on the grade of salt. 
