396 . BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
make their own pickle. The fish remain in these butts at least fifteen or twenty days, 
and as much longer as desirable, when they are removed, water-horsed, and dried on 
the flakes, as alreadj'^ described. This is the true ‘^pickle-cured” fish, the treatment 
of the Grand Banks fish combining both the “kench cure” and the “ pickle cure.” 
Pollock which have been salted only a few days on the vessel are sometimes 
placed in the butts and weak pickle is allowed to percolate through a basket of 
salt over them for five to seven hours. Or, if fresh, they are split, washed and 
keiiched, skin down, with 1 or 2 bushels of salt to the 1,000 pounds of fish, and on 
the following morning they are placed in butts, back up, each butt being filled with 
weak brine, which leaks through a basket suspended over it. On removal from the 
butts the fish are water-horsed over night and exposed on the flakes, back or skin 
side up, for three or four days. By exposing them with the face down the danger of 
sunburniug is removed and flies are less apt to injure them. Pollock cured in this 
manner are always shipped whole for domestic trade and will keep for only a few 
weeks. 
In the vicinity of Jonesport, Me., a cure somewhat similar to the stockfish is 
apidied to haddock, except that the fish are first lightly corned. The method is 
simple; the heads and viscera are removed, the bellies cut off, and the fish lightly 
corned for a few hours. They are then tied together by the tails and suspended over 
a pole or fence to dry, becoming quite hard and solid within a week or two. Small fish 
are used, the average weight when dried being from 1 to 2 pounds, and the product, 
which is very palatable, is entirely for local use. About 4,000 pounds of haddock are 
annually prepared in this manner at Jonespoi't, yielding 1,300 pounds of “ clubbed 
haddock,” worth $125. 
Duuflsh is prepared in such a manner that the resulting article has a dun or 
brownish color. It is of superior quality and is designed especially for use on the 
table uncooked. The manner of curing is somewhat lengthy, and it requires much 
more care than curers ordinarily are willing to give to the preparation of fish for 
market. The fish are usually caught in the winter or spring, and immediately after 
being lauded are split and slack-salted, and then laid in piles for two or three mouths 
in a dark storeroom, covered for the greater part of the time with salt hay or eel- 
grass and pressed with weights. At the end of that time they are dried for a few 
days in the open air and are again compactly iiiled in a dark room in the same 
manner as before, for two or three months, when they are dried for two or three days 
and are ready for market. The process of preparing dunflsh made the Isle of Shoals 
quite noted a century ago, but has fallen into disuse, though some is prepared there 
each year. 
Drake, in INooks and Corners of New England, says: 
The “duu” or winter fish, formerly cured here, were larger and thicker than the summer fish. 
Great pains were taken in drying them, the fisliermen often covering the “fagots” with hedquilts 
to keep them clean. Being cured in cold weather, they required hut little salt, and were almost 
transijarent when held up to the light. These fish sometimes weighed 100 pounds or more. The 
dunfish were of great esteem in Spain and in the Mediterranean ports, bringing the highest prices 
during Lent. They found their way to Madrid, where many a platter, smoking hot, has doubtless 
graced the table of the Escurial. In 1745 a quintal would sell for a guinea. 
The foregoing are the principal features in the curing of codfish on the New 
England coast. The amount of salt required, the time for exposing the fish, the 
length of the exposure, and so forth, are points which demand practical knowledge 
