Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1877-05-17
Preparing Goldfish for Market.

After a few expiring wriggles-and it
is comfort to be informed by naturalists
that fish are almost insensible to pain
the cod is flung from the flsherman's 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
header. This operator proceeds to eX-
tract the liver, which is dropped into
vessel by his side, to be converted into
cod liver oil. He then extracts the en-
trails and wrenches off the head, and
throws these into another receptacle, to
be preserved for the farmer, to mix with
bog and earth, thus forming most ferti-
liZing compost for his fields. The tongues,
however, are taken out, and also the
sounds, and these, fresh or picked, are an
excellent article of food. The flesh is
then passed to the splitter, who, by a dex-
ferrous movement, cuts out the backbone
n arly to the tail, and thus lays the fish
entirely open, and capable Of being laid
fat on its back. This is the incest part
Of the operation, and the splitter always
commands higher wages than the rest of
the operators. The salter next takes the
fish and washes it well from all particles
of blood, salts it and places it in piles to
III dill AlICl dyluS bIC lJ1OpC1 VI
time it is washed, and spread to dry On
the "fake," which is formed of spruce
boughs, supported by framework rest
ing upon upright poles. Here the
cod are spread out individually to
bleach by exposure to sun and air, and
during this process require constant atten-
ton. At night, or on the approach of
rain, they are made up into little
round heaps, with the skin out
ward, in which state they look very
much like small haycocks When the
"bloom," or Whitish appearance, which
for time they assume, comes out on the
dried fish, the process is finished, and
then they are quite ready for storing. On
being conveyed to the premises Of the ex-
porting merchant, they are first culled,"
or assorted into four different kinds,
known as Merchantable," Madeira"
"West India" and "Dun," or broken
fish. The first is the best quality, the
second grade lower, the third is intended
for the sIomachs Of the negroes, and the
fourth, which is incapable OF keeping, is
used at home. The cod sent to hot coun-
u iq.' 80 packed hv screw power into small
casks Gas caiitn aaaS tnse T,hieh go t9
in bulk. Large quantities of dried cod
fish are shipped to Brazil, and there is
hardly an inhabited corner of that vast
Empire where the Newfoundland cod is
not TO be found, being carried on the
backs of mules from the seacoast into the
most distant provinces Of the interior.
The negroes of the West Indies welcome
it as a grateful addition to their vegetable
diet. To all parts of the Mediterranean il
finds its way, Italians, Greeks and Sicil-
ians equally rel:shing the produce of the
sea harvest. The Spaniards and Portu-
guese are our best customers, and all over
the sunny peninsula the "bucalo" is C.
standing dish. In the warmer regions Of
the earth the people seem to have a spe-
cial liking for the dried and salted cod,
and to them it is an almost indispensable
article OF food.-C0r. MOntreaJ Gazette.