St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-09-11

| them. Those that are broken off by the
woodwork are usually lost. In some
| places, especially on the coast of Sar-
DINA, the end of the arms is surmount-
| ed by a circle of curved iron teeth, like
those OF garden rake, but larger and
stronger, below which open nets are
suspended. In this case the beams are
nearly double the length of those gen.
orally used by the largest boats, as they
often measure six or seven meters-that
is, nearly eight yards-from end to end:
1t is only by this means that coral can
be obtained from the lower surface Of
| shelving rocks; but the teeth are apt to
fracture the stems in such way as to
render them almost worthless; and so
this form the instrument is rarely used
where the other can be employed.
The banks, or rather rocks, that are
most FIRE 1uently visited lie at a depth Of
from 25O to 45O feet below the surface
OF the water; it is very rarely that an
attempt is made to reach those which
are lower than 600 feet. Indeed, 1t lies
in the very nature of the case that, even
| II they exist, they should remain I'M
known, and that. if they were known,
they would hardly repay the cost of
fishing while it is conducted on the pres
ent system. They are scattered all
along the coasts of the Mediterranean,
times at twenty-four, or even thirty,
hours hard rowing from it. At many
stations there IS small local fishery;
but the bulk of the trade, at least in
Italy, is in the hands of large firms,
which, for the most part, have their
centers in Genoa, Leghorn or the Bay Of
Naples.
These firms both supply and equip
the boats, which, according to the size,
are manned by five or ten fishermen.
In addition to these padrone is allotted
to each, who exercises large disciplinary
powers. He is man of knowledge and
experience, and usually receives per-
centage on the value of the season s
take, as well as his regular pay. The
selection OF the crew OF his boat is Oft
en- left entirely to him; he is always
consulted with respect to it, and enjoys
right of veto. The men are hired for
the season. by agreement for from sixty
to seventy francs q month, u large part
of which is usually paid beforehand,
and their food, which is of the coarsest
kind. As rule. the season lasts from
April to the end of September, but it
depends greatly on the weather, as fish
ing is impossible in mist or when the
sea is high.
The labor is exceedingly hard. At
dawn the padrone calls his men, and,
after a short prayer, the net is lowered;
from then TIL sunset the work continues
almost without interruption, The ex-
ertion required to let down and wind
up the net under blazing summer sun
is extreme, and it has to be done on
ship-biscuit of the coarsest kind and
water that on the more distant sta
tons has often become foul by long
keeping. In the evening 4 sort of soup
is made. Garlic and peperoni. the
pungent fruit of q southern plant, are
boiled in water; olive oil is added, and
this is poured over biscuits which have
been broken and placed. in dish. For
months this diet is hardly varied, and
yet the men retain their good spirits.
After the evening meal has been taken.
they indulge in guitar-playing and
singing. and ON the more frequented
banks the boats answer and vie with
each other.-London Saturday ReUieW.