Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-12-18
Sea.CuCumbers.

Toward the end of October of every
year there is harvest of cucumbers in
midocean. These cucumbers, however,
are not at all like those we see on our
tables. In the first place, they are not
vegetables, but animals, and, in the
second place they grow upon the bot
tom of the sea. There are many
species, but they all possess elongated
worm-like bodies, with thick leathery
skins, and a crown of feelers, or tenta-
cles, about the forward extremity. All
species, likewise, exercise the same as
tonishing method of resenting any lib
critics taken with their persons, by sud-
denly and unexpectedly ejecting their
teeth, their stomach, their digestive
apparatus-in fact all their insides, so
to speak-in the face of the intruder,
reducing themselves to a state of col
lapse, and making of themselves mere
empty bags, until such time as their
wonderful recuperative powers enable
them to replace the organs so summa-
rily disposed of; for, wonderful as it
may seem, teeth, stomach, digestive
organs, and all soon grow again.
Moreover, these stomachs have diges-
tive powers that are not to be despised,
far surprising even those popularly
ascribed to the ostrich, for the sea-
cucumber actually seems to feed upon
coral, and even granite has been found
in its stomach.
Sea-oucumbers, as they are popular
ly called, are also known by the name
of trepang and sea-slug. Scientific
people call them Hoy0tbaYOSdCe,
but why, no one has ever been able
to find out, since the name has no
meaning. Sea-cucumbers are consid-
cred great delcacy by the Chinese.
Thousands of Chinese vessels, called
junks, are fitted out every year for
these fisheries Trepangs are caught
in different ways, Sometimes the pa
tient fishermen lie along the fore-part
of vessels, and with long, slender bam-
boos, terminating in sharp hooks,
gather in sea-cucumbers from the bot
tom of the sea, so practiced in hand and
eye that the catch is never missed, and
is discerned sometimes at thirty yards
distance. When the water is not more
than four or five fathoms deep, divers
are sent down to gather these culinary
monsters, the boat and junk remaining
near to receive the harvest.
As soon as the trepangs are collected
they are carried to the shore, when they
are scalded by throwing them aliveintO
large iron pots set over little ovens
built of stones. Here they are stirred
about by means of long pole resting
upon aforked stick. In these vessels they
remain couple of minutes, when they
are taken out, disembowled with sharp |
knife, if they haven't already thrown |
up their stomachs, and then taken to
great bamboo sheds containing still |
larger boilers. In these latter is water
seasoned with mimosa bark. A busy
scene now ensues; all is hustle, noise |
and activity. The buhbling of the |
great caldrons, the incessant chatter of
those engaged in the work, the dump
ing of fresh loads of sea-cucumbers into |
the vessels, and the removal of others
to hang in clusters on the ropes above,
or deposited on hurdles to drv in the
sun, make confusion worse con-
founded, " and give the spectators new
and realizing sense of the confusion of
tongues at the Tower of Babel.
The sea-cucumbers having been
smoked in the large caldrons (for the
mimosa bark is consumed in the
process), and when dried, are ready for
the market, and, packed in bundles, are
slowed away in the holds of the junks
and proas off shore.
They are said to taste like Holsters;
but if they look, as one traveller says
they do, ''like dried sausages rolled in
mud and thrown up the chimney" few
of us could be induced to try whether
we liked them or not. Harper s Young
Folks.