Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-11-17
NEWFOUNDLAND COD.
HOW the Fish are Cured and shipped

A recent letter from St. Johns, n. f., to
the Montreal Gazette says: ''We are no"
busy shipping our dried Goldfish for foreign
markets. 1t is curious, the history OF
Goldfish from the moment when, on the'
hook of the fisherman, it Is dragged from
its native element till it disappears down
the human throat on the banks Otthe Anna
zoD. the Parana, the Tagus, or the Po. Al
Ter a few expiring wriggles-and 1t Is
comfort to be informed by naturallsts thaI
fish are almost insensible to pain-the COD
Is flung from the fisherman's boat upon the
rough Stage where it is received by the
'cut-throat. who with sharp knife lays
open the fish across the throat and down
the belly, and passes It to the 'neader'
This operator proceeds to extract the llver'
which IS dropped into vessel by MS siue,
to be converted into cod liver oil. he theh
extracts the entrails and wrenches on the
head. and throws these into another recep-
tacle, to be preserved for the farmer, 10
mix with bog and earth, thus forming
most fertilizing compost for his nelds: Inc
| tongues. however, are taken out, and also
| the sounds and these, fresh or picked,
| are an excellent article Of food. Inc nsh
| is then passed to the splitter, who oy
dexterous movement cuts out the backbone
| nearly to the tail, and thus lays the asn
entirely open, and capable OF being lalu IIaC ~
on its back. This is the incest part OF Che
operation, and the splitter always COM
mands higher wages than the other opera
tors. The 'salter next takes the fish and
washes it well from all particles of blood,
salts ii, and places it in piles to dralu. Al
fer living the proper length of time 1t Is
| washed and spread to dry on the hake,
which is formed of spruce bOughs, support
ed by a framework, resting on upright
pcles. Here the cod are spread out lndl,
vidually to bleach by exposure to sun ana
air ,and during this process require con-
stant attention. At night, or on the ap-
proach of rain, they are made up into little
round heaps, with the skin outward, IN
which state they look very much like small
haycocks. When the bloom, or Whltlsn
appearance, which for time they assume,
comes out on the dried fish, the process Is
. finished, and they are then quite ready FOL
storing. On being conveyed to the prem
ises of the exporting merchant, they art
first 'culled, or assorted, into four dll1er
ent kinds, known as 'Merchantable, Ma
deria,' West India and Dun, or broker
! fish. The first is the best quality; the Sc
cond grade lower; the third is INTENDED
for the stomach of negroes. and the fourth
which is incapable of keeping, is used a
= home. The cod sent to hot countries
packed by screw power into small cask
called 'drams:' that which goes to the Med
s iterranean is usually exported in bulk
We ship large quantities of dried codtis
: TO Brazil. and there is hardly an inhabite
corner of that vast empire where the New
If foundland cod is not to be found, bein
Il carried on the backs of mules from the ses
C coast into the most distant provinces OF tn
interior The negroes of the West Indie
p welcome it as grateful addition to the
o vegetable diet. To all parts of the Medl
erranean it finds its way-ItaliaDs, Greek
- and Sieilians equally relishing the produC
70 of our sea harvest. The Spaniards an
tn Portuguese are our best customers, and a
over the sunny Peninsula, the 'bacal
~ have been standing dish since the da!
ID of Cervantes, who makes special mentiC
of our cod in Don QuigOse under thi
Z name. In Great Britain and the Unite
States we have thousands of customer
In the warmer regions OF the earth, hoy
ever, the people seem to have special Ii
ing for the dried and salted cod, and
NJ ~ them it is an almost indispensable artie
Of of food. The more extensively Braz
ef Spain, and Italy are opened up by railwa
H. and other means of transit, the greater b
or comes the demand for cod, as the cost
Is lessened. Roman Catholic countries a
re- our best customers, and Newfoundland
Sr have no reason to wish for the abolition
is of Lent or reduction in. the number
Is last days appointed by the Roman Cathol
sr Church. The advancing price of fire
IS, meats of all kinds in various countries
Is, also rapidly increasing the demand for co
ed and has considerably enhanced its valu
lis Twelve or fourteen years ago the avera
ill price of fish was from twelve to ifte
DC shillings per quintal. 1t is now exact
double that price"