486 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
vessels engaged in that trade arrive iu Newfoundland during October with from 1,200 
to 1,800 bushels of salt each and are moored in some convenient cove.' As the fresh 
herring are landed on deck, a barrel at a time, about IJ bushels of Traj)ani salt is spread 
among them, the mass drudged back and forth several times and then shoveled 
into the hold in bulk until a cargo is secured amounting to 1,000 or 1,500 barrels. There 
they remain until the vessel reaches port, the pickle being pumped out when necessary. 
The fish are then removed and stored in bulk on the floor of the warehouse, where 
they may remain until the following April if not required in the meantime. 
There are two general processes of treating these salted herring preparatory to 
smoking, the difference being in the manner of soaking. At Boston the salted fish 
are soaked in large square tanks sufficiently to remove the extreme saltiness and 
all dust, slime, etc,, the length of the soaking depending on the degree of saltiness 
and varying from 15 to 24 hours. On removal with a dip net they are thrown on 
a stringing table, where a gang of men stand ready to place them on small square 
sticks about 34 feet in length. In stringing them the stick is held in the left hand, 
the lower end resting under the left elbow; each fish is grasped with the right hand 
about the head, and by pressing it vertically the gills are opened, when the fish is 
entered on the stick at the left gill opening and out at the mouth. Usually about 
15 herring are placed on each stick. Each stick with its load of herring is then 
dipped in water for a moment and allowed to drain, and placed iu the smokehouse. 
At Gloucester the salted herring are soaked for only a few moments before stringing, 
and round sticks, inch iu diameter and 2 feet long, are used. The sticks with the 
attached herring are then immersed in tubs or vats which are filled with fresh water, 
and the fish are soaked from 8 to 16 hours to freshen them. On removal they are 
allowed to drain for a few moments, and are then placed in the smokehouse. 
When fresh herring from neighboring points are used, as at Portland and Eastport, 
they are immediately pickled on their receipt at the smoking establishments, about a 
bushel of salt being used to each barrel of fish. After remaining in the jiickle for 2 
or 3 days they are removed, drained, and placed on the ordinary herring sticks, and 
hung in the smokehouse and smoked like the Newfoundland salted herring. 
In order to “bloat,” the herring must be thoroughly moist, and after they have 
commenced to dry in the smokehouse the heat must be increased. If they are per- 
mitted to hang 10 or 12 hours without heating they will not bloat, but will become 
hard herring. The smoking is continued from 2^ to 6 days, when the fish are usually 
sufiicieutly cured. They are removed from the houses, allowed to cool for a few hours, 
and placed in boxes holding 50 or 100 fish.each, the larger size being by far the most 
numerous. The average weight of 100 bloaters prepared from Newfoundland herring 
is about 40 iiouuds, whereas an equal quantity prepared from Gulf of Maine fish weighs 
from 25 to 35 pounds, according to their size and the extent of the smoking. The 
Eastport bloaters weigh about 25 pounds per 100 fish, being smoked 2 or 3 days longer 
than the Boston bloaters, as they are intended to keep a greater length of time and in 
warmer climates. They are placed in boxes 18J inches long, 11|^ inches wide, and 7^ 
inches deep, inside measurement. The thickness of the ends is generally ^ inch and 
of other iiarts | inch, and the cost of boxes approximates $12 per 100. The boxes at 
Boston, Gloucester, and Portland are usually considerably larger. One barrel of round 
fresh herring yields about 5 boxes of 100 bloaters each. Those smoked 24 or 3 days 
will keep usually 3 or 4 months under favorable conditions, while those smoked 5 or 6 
days will keep until warm weather. Very few bloaters are sold after the month of May. 
