484 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED .STATES FISH COMMISSION 
day, then taken np and jiut in baskets for 12 hours, and after this again steeped another 24 hours. 
After the herring are sufficiently steeped the water is drawn off and the herring sorted and put in 
baskets, wliioh contain about lialf a. barrel, and-are left in these in the balcony for 18 to 24 hours. The 
object of this is that the herring, by their own weight, in the baskets, shall press out some of the water, 
and serve instead of drying, and thereby facilitate the smoking. Subsequently the herring are 
threaded on willow twigs, as in England, and brought into the smoking-rooms, where they in the 
meantime, until they can be hung up in the raftwork, are placed on stands made for that purpose. 
When hung up to be smoked, the fattest, and such herring as are to be smoked strongest, are placed 
nearest the roof, 'the lire is made on the floor in a dozen small heaps (according to the size of the room) 
in each room, and chips of oak are generally used for that purpose if they possibly can be obtained; 
if not, a mixture of poplar, ash, elm, and birch. Sawdirst of oak is applied in order to smother the 
tire and keep it from flaming, also to form a good body of smoke. After the fire is kindled the small 
windows close to the roof and the lower part of the door are kept open in order to give a better 
draft, and also to give the dampness from the herring a chance to escape. The fire is renewed when- 
ever the glowing chips are getting low. AVhen the water after a couple of hours has evaporated 
from the herring, the small windows close to the roof and the lower part of the door are shut if 
sufficient draft can be had through the ventilators in the roof. The temperature is kept as near 
65° F. as possible and is regulated by opening and closing the small windows and the doors. 
Herring prepared for the two principal markets, Antwerp and Brussels, are generally smoked for 
12 hours, and supposed to keep good for two weeks. These markets want the herring to be lightly 
smoked and of a bright bronzed color. Herring prej^ared for Germany, Italy, and other Belgian 
parts are smoked for 24 hours, and are supposed to keep good from one month to six weeks. They are 
dark-colored. After the herring are smoked the small windows and doors are opened and the herring- 
left to cool, either in the smoking-rooms or in the balcony in the raftwork erected there, for a couple 
of hours before they are packed. The herring are packed in baskets, made of willow twigs, 28 inches 
long, 17 inches wide at the top, and 12 inches at the bottom, the height about 7 inches, containing 200 each, 
for the Belgian, German, and home markets; while for the Italian markets boxes and drums made of 
soft wood are used. The boxes are 21^ inches long, 12 inches high, and 04 inches wide, and hold about 
200 herring. The drums are 20 inches high and 12 iiicbes in diameter and contain from 300 to 400 her- 
ring. The herring are packed slantways, back down, across the boxes or baskets, with the exceiition 
of the two uppermost layers, which are packed back iq). The packing in the drums is just the same 
as the common packing in barrels. As a rule a little straw is' put in the bottom of boxes and baskets. 
The bowed basket lid is sewed fast by the help of long needle and twine. The herring are sorted for 
the Belgian and German markets in full and spent, with no regard to size. For the Italian markets 
they are sorted in large full, medium full, and spent herring. Of the large full it takes about 300, of 
the medium about 400, and of the spent about 370 to fill a drum of the above-mentioned dimensions. 
Besides the herring caught in the North .Sea and treated and smoked in the manner described, a lot of 
smaller herring caught in the Zuyder Zee is also smoked for local consumption. These herring are 
generally brought to the smokiug-honses fresh, are pickled in strong pickle for about an hour, left in 
the baskets to dry awhile and smoked for 4 to 8 hours. The smidting of herring for export to foreign 
countries has not been carried on in Europe to any extent, except in Great Britain and Holland, until 
of late years, when a lot of this article has also been exported from Norway and Sweden. 
SMOKING HERRING IN ENGLAND. 
Red herring are for the most part prepared of fresh herring, which are salted dry on the floor 
in the salting-room connected with the smoking-house, and allowed to remain in the salt 2 to 6 days, 
according to the length of time they are intended to keep, and according to markets for which they 
are prepared. After being left a sufficient time in salt they are rinsed in clean water and then 
threaded on sticks in the same way as the bloaters and hung up in the smoking-rooms, where they are 
smoked for about 4 weeks. If high dried are wanted, the time of smoking i¥ about 6 weeks. The red 
herring are smoked with a small fire made of chips of oak and sawdust, and the fire only renewed once 
every day. The average temperature in the smoking-rooms is kept at about 62° F. Sometimes red 
herring are prepared from herring which have been pickled in large cisterns. These are soaked in fresh 
water before they are hung up to he smoked, but otherwise treated in the same manner as the dry- 
salted red herring. The pickle-salted are called Scotch reds, and are lower in price than the dry-salted 
herring. Herring -which have fallen down or are headless are smoked on the same sticks of wood as 
the kippers, and are called “red tenters” and “plucks.” 
