The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1877-07-19
GOLDFISH.

|g A correspondent OF the. Montreal
Gazette gives the history ola cod fish
from the moment when, on, the hook
of the fisherman, 1t is dragged from
its native element till 1t disappears
down the human throat on the banks
/ of the Amazon, tho Parana,V the Tag
us, or the Pc: '"AfteI o few expiring
wriggles--and IL IL q comfort to ,bA in
formed by naturalists that fish stet al
most insensible to pain-rthe cod is
flung from the flshefman's boat upon
the rough stage, where IL is received
by the cut-throat, who with o. sharp
knife, lays open the fish, across the
throat and down the belly, and passes
it to the header. This operator pro
ceeds to extract the liver, whiohlis
dropped into q vessel by his side, to
be converted into codliver 9th He
then extracts the entrails trenches off
the cad, and throws these into anoth-
er receptacle, to be preserved for the
farmer, to mix with bog and .easth
thus forming q most fertilizing COM
postfOr his fields. The tongues, how
ever, are taken out, and alaOA the
sounds, and these fresh or picked, are
an excellent article Of food The fish
Is then passed to the spiitter who, by
a'dexterous movement, cuts out the
backbone nearly to the tail, and thus
LAYS the Ash entirely open, and s0apa-
BILE of being laid fiat on it's baclx.s tFiiis
Il the incest part ofthe operation, and
the splitter always commands .litker
wages than the rest of the operators.
8 The salter next takes the flshaand
washes 1t well from. all particles 5Of
blood, salts It, and places itsin piles to
drain. After layingIS the proper
length of time 10 Is washed, and spread
to dry on the flake, which h formed
of spruce boughs, supported tJyn q
framework resting on upright poles.
Here the cod are spread out individ-
uaIly to bleach by exposure to sum and
air, and during this process require
constant attention.. At night, ofsAon
the approach Of rain, they are 1ratie.up
into little round heape, With thesslsin
outward, I'm which state they look very
much like small haycocks. When the
bloom, 'or whitishappearance (which
for time they assume, comes sutton
the dried fish, the process Is finibhsd,
and they are quite ready, for storing.
On being conveyed to the premises of
the exporting merchant, theyaresfirst
'culled, Tor assorted, into four different
kinds, known as 'MerchantableS Ma
deifa, WWest india and Dun or
broken fish,. The first is the'bestqual-
ity, the second a grade lower. the third
is intended for the stomach Of negroes,
and the fourth, which is incapable of
keeping, is used at home. The pod
sent to hot countries are paekediby
screw power into small casks called
2 drums;' those which 90 to the Medi-
terranean are usually exported In bulk.
Large quantities OF dried cod fish are
shipped to Brazil, and there is hardly
an Inhabited corner of that vast EN-
pire 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 inter-
i0r. The negroes of the West Indies
welcome IL as grateful addition TO
their vegetable diet. To sall' parts of
the Mediterranean It finds its way It
alians, Greeks, and Siciliaps, eqtally
relishi1g the produce Or the sea har-
vest. The SpaniaYds and Portuguese
are our best Customers, and all ov-
or the sunny peninsula, the ..buealo' is
Q standing dish, In the wafnfer re-
gions Of the earth the people seem to
have o sdecial liking for the dried and
sailed cod, and to them It Is an almost
indispensable article of food. ". %