PRESERVATION OF FISHERY PRODUCTS FOR FOOD. 
481 
fish are taken out of the first one and then out of the others in regular order, each tub being at once 
refilled with other fish, and this process is continued until all the oversalted fish have passed through 
the water, remaining there only long enough to secure the desired result. If the quantity of fish 
is large the water in the tubs is changed whenever requisite. It is customary to use salt water for 
nearly all purposes. The fishermen and smokers claim that fresh water has a tendency to make the 
gills of the herring tender and more liable to break and allow the fish to fall from the sticks after 
being hung in the smokehouse. They also think that the salt water makes the flesh of the fish more 
firm and not so apt to become soft after being smoked. The salting sheds are, therefore, sometimes 
furnished with steam pumps for obtaining the necessary supply of salt water. * * * 
Scaling . — It was formerly customary to remove the scales from the herring intended for smoking 
purposes before taking them from the boat. The fishermen, with their rubber boots, walked through 
the mass without lifting their feet, and the contact of the fish with each other and with the legs of 
the men removed the greater part of the scales. This laborious process was called “treading them 
out.-’ It is said to have begun in 1820 and was continued until about 1880. Another method of 
scaling the fish during that period was to stir them with a spudger. In recent years it has not been 
considered necessary to resort to these or other methods for removing the scales, since the frequent 
handling which the fish undergo renders them practically scaleless when they reach the smokehouse. 
The scales of the herring come off very easily when the fish are first taken from the water, but if 
allowed to dry they become set and are removed with difficulty. The methods for removing them 
above described insured a more thorough and uniform scaling of the fish than would otherwise be 
effected, but if the work was not carefully performed it was liable to result in bruising the fish and 
in an increased loss in “broken-bellied’' herring. 
Stringing . — When properly salted the fish are taken out of the pickle to be strung on herring 
sticks preparatory to being hung in the smokehouse. This is done with ordinary dip nets, or “wash 
nets,” as they are called in this locality. As the fish are dipped out they are washed or rinsed in the 
brine with the nets, after which the pickle is allowed to run oft of them and they are laid on the 
stringing tables. The dipping and stringiug proceed simultaneously. 
The “ stringers,” or persons who string the herring, are of both sexes, the females often predomi- 
nating in number. In some instances the fishermen do the work themselves, but generally men and 
women and boys and girls are hired for this purpose. The number of stringers employed in each 
smokehouse varies from 2 to 8 and sometimes more, according to the amount of work to be done. 
They receive 20 cents per 100 sticks for stringing large herring and bloaters and 25 cents for small herring. 
The cost of stringing is estimated to average one-half cent per box, but is probably a little less than 
that. At these prices each stringer can earn from $1 to $2 per day. There are from 25 to 35 herring 
on each stick, and a person can string from 500 to 1,000 sticks in a day. The work is performed very 
rapidly. The herring is taken with its back in the palm of the right hand, the stick being held by 
the blunt end in the left hand; the left gill-cover is then raised by a movement of the right thumb and 
the pointed end of the stick is inserted and passed through the mouth, the fish being moved down to 
its proper place. The work is often done by reversing this order, the fish being taken in the left and 
the stick in the right hand, but in either case the herring when strung hang on the stick with their 
backs toward the stringer. 
Draining and drylnj/.— After the herring have been strung on the sticks they are washed in a 
trough of clean salt water and hung on the herring horses. They are then carried out into the 
open air, where they are allowed to remain until the water drains off of them and they have become 
sufficiently dry to hang in the smokehouse. The time required for drying varies according to the 
condition of the weather, but is usually from one to several hours. The drying not only hardens the 
gill-covers and prevents the fish from falling from the sticks in the smokehouse, but also improves their 
quality when smoked. The work of stringing and drying the herring is generally done in the fore 
part of the day and in the afternoon they are hung in the smokehouse. If the weather is not fine it 
is sometimes necessary to dry the fish in the smokehouse after leaving them in the open air long- 
enough for the water to drain from them. When this method is resorted to, the doors and windows 
are opened to give a free circulation of air and fires are kept burning until the drying is completed. 
Filling the smolcehouse.—'Th.e smokehouse is not usually filled all at one time, and it often happens 
that the work occupies several weeks. The herring are taken care of as fast as they are obtained 
from the weirs, the time required to fill the smokehouse depending somewhat on the abundance and 
constancy of the supply. If the supply is steady, the work progresses as rapidly as herring can be 
prepared, otherwise the period may be extended to three or four weeks and perhaijs longer. 
F.C.B., 1898-31 
