482 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
When the herring have been sufficiently dried in the sun they are carried on the herring horses 
to the smokehouse, where the sticks are i)laced in the “ bays,” their ends resting on the scantlings or 
beams on either side of each “bay.” The work of “ hanging” the herring requires the services of at 
least two men, and if a larger number are engaged in it they work in jrairs. One man stands in the 
“bay” with his feet on the beams, while the other stands on the ground or door and hands the sticks 
of herring up to him, two at a time, keeping the sharp end of the stick downward so the herring will 
not slip off. The sticks are made long enough to reach across the “ bay ” and to nearly the center of 
the beams which support them at either end. 
The lower part of the “bays ” is usually filled first. The fires are then kindled and the herring 
smoked until they acquire a good color. When this is effected the fires are allowed to go down, the 
doors and ventilators are opened to let out the smoke, and the herring are shifted to a place nearer 
the top of the smokehouse. The lower part is then ready to receive another lot of fish. This prelim- 
inary smoking occupies from aliout 12 to 15 hours. The work is continued in this manner until the 
smokehouse is filled. Two smokehouses are very often filled at the same time. In that case, after the 
top of the house has been filled by shifting the herring, the lower part is completed by putting about 
three tiers of herring in each house on alternate days. When two houses are filled together, the work 
can be done in almost as short a time as would be required to fill one alone. 
The object of putting the herring into the house by degrees, instead of all at one time, were that 
practicable, is to insure their becoming thoroughly dry before being subjected to the smoke, and also 
to smoke them more evenly and secure a greater uniformity of color. If a large body of fish were put 
into the smokehouse at once they would gather dampness and great difficulty would be met with in 
preventing them from spoiling. To fill a smokehouse holding 20,000 boxes of herring in a proper 
manner requires at least two weeks and a somewhat longer jreriod if two such houses are filled at the 
same time. The length of time also varies according to the size of the smokehouses. Small houses 
may sometimes be filled in a few days. After the smokehouses have been filled the additional length of 
time required to complete smoking the herring is about three weeks. Eegular herring are placed as 
close together on the sticks as possible without touching each other, the gill-covers generally keeping 
them far enough apart. The sticks, when hung, are placed about 3 inches from each other. 
Fires and wood . — The fires for smoking the herring are built on the ground at equal distances 
apart over the entire area of the smokehouse. The wood used is of various kinds, but white birch is 
generally preferred; driftwood which has been soaked with salt water is also used. The main consid- 
eration is to have wood that will burn slowly and produce an abundance of smoke. The fires are kept 
burning very slowly, the smokehouse being visited every few hours during the night as well as the 
day. If too much heat is generated the herring are soon damaged and may be completely spoiled. 
Previous to 1820, ouly two brauds of smoked herring were known, namely, “ number 
ones” and “number twos.” On the introduction of scaled fish, a third brand was 
added, the “ medium scaled,” including all the best fish of medium size that were well 
scaled. At present there are three principal brands of hard herring, viz, “length- 
wise,” “medium-scaled,” and “No. 1.” Another brand known as “tucktails” is also 
prepared to some extent. The lengthwise herring are the largest of the hard herring 
])repared, and must be packed lengthwise with the box, hence the name. Of this 
grade each box contains only about 15 or 20 fish, weighing about 6 pounds, the boxes 
being of uniform size, 12 inches long, 64 inches wide, and 2f inches deep, the thickness 
of the ends being five-eighths inch, and of the other parts one-fourth inch, the cost of 
the boxes approximating $15 per 1,000. The tucktails are also longer than the width 
of the box, but they are packed crosswise of the box, the tails being tucked or bent 
over them, as indicated by the name. The medium-scaled form the popular size and 
sell for the highest prices. They are packed crosswise of the box and are usually 
divided into two sizes, viz, large and small medium herring, 30 to 40 of the former and 
40 to 50 of the latter filling a box. The “No. 1” grade is composed of the smallest 
fish, each box containing from 55 to 75 fish. 
Several of the New England States have very extensive and precise regulations 
affecting the grading, packing, inspecting, and branding of smoked fish, but these 
