Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1872-01-18
Catching and Curing Saraines

TIE capture and cure Of the sar.
dine is great business in France,
and especially at Concarncau, where
rs many as 1900 men all in the
fishery. 1t is not easy to obtain ac-
curate statistics Of tho business done
in sardines. In the first place, there
is large quantity solid iish-ihat is,
packed in dry salt, i'll little baskets
made OF rushes, and sent wherever
there is nNs Of outlet. Then
there is an enormous quantity sold
in these familiar tins. 1t is said that
beside the quantity exported, which
is large, there are as many as 1000
900 boxes cured in oil and prepared
tor the home market; then, besides
these. large number are spld loose
in barrels, and also pressed IN bar
rcls. 1t is an interesting slgnt 70
witness the arrival Of the boats, ants
to see the rush to the curiag zestai,s
lishments of the men, women, AMI
ch;ldr.n interested in the sales. How
their sa5ots do clatter as they prance
lover the stones. The cnrers just
buy from day to day wha, sardint ;
they require, and no more; general
~ speaking they do not, as in tho
Scottish herring fishery, make con :,
tracts with boats Of their own. " hen
the curcrs are in want OF q supply OF
fish, they put up flag at their cur
ing establishment, aat the fishermen
hurry to supply them, the price vary
inc from lav to aav. according as the
| fishery has Leen abundant or the re-
verse AS soon as the boats arrive
the fish are put in train for the cure
lby being gutted, beheaded, sorted
I into sizes, and washed in sea water
chiefly by women, who can earn from
I2t. to DOT. week at these curing
establishments. The cure i begun
hv driving the fish on nets or willows,
generally in the open sir, but some
times from stress of weather ii must
be done IN Ter cover. After being
dried they are ready for sthc process
o! the pan, which IS kept over fdr-
mace. AMI is tillea with boiling oil.
Into the eail.on the fisi; arc plunged,
two rows ..eer. arranged on wire
cratings. In this pm Of oil (thc
very finest olive o;l) they remain fox
a brief period, till, in the Judgment
OF the cook, they are done sufficient.
". They are placed TO drip. tho
drippings Of the oil being, Of course,
carefully collected; alter which they
are packed BY women and girls int"
the nice little clean boxes in which
they are sold. Again they are al.
Flowed TO "Trip by the boxes being
slope,l; then each box, by means OF Il
| tap, is flied carefully up to its lii
with pure olive oil, when it is ready
for the next process, which IS the
soldering on o! the lids; or, rs it may
be called, the hermetical sealing up
of the box, most particular part OF
the process, at which the men cam
earn very largo wages. with this
drawback, that they have to buy all
| the fish that are spoilt. After the
| soldering has been ;,r:osprliahe3, .ho
boxes have to be boiled in steam.
chest. Those that do not bulge out
after the boiling are condemned "a
dead for which the process is
thoroughly gene through the periec-
ton OF the cure is known by tho
balginy out Of the boxes, which aro
Of various sizes, according to thernr-
pose tor which they are designed.
There are boxes OF SIX 6 lbs. weigh.
and 2lbs. weight, aud also halt AMI
quarter boxes, with from about TWEEN
ty -fonr to twelve fish in them, accord.
ing to size. Little kegs are also fill
ell with sar.iines cured as anchoses.
The finishing process OF the sardin"
cure in 10 s,anip the boxes AMI asx
the thin brass labels which are always
found upon them. There are little
incidental industries connected with
the cure which may be noticed. The
debris lssoll for agricultural purposes,
as is the case in England, where the
curers get few pounds annually tor
their offal; then a large quantity otoil
IS cxnled from tie sprat during the
process ofthe cure. and OH ,h, total
fishery this oil is Of considerable VA.
no. The "lealT fish, rs We have said.
. are soli TO ,ae men, but tie success
Of the cure is usually so great that the
= adcad' tom hut very small per-
! centage of the total number ol box
,s submitted to the test.