Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1889-10-24
Letter from California.

Nr. Editor
The season of pleasure for us is now
over We left our "island home" on the
2sth nit, in the care of resident of the
place, and have come home TO our Office
work again much refreshed and built up
in body and spirits by the three and one
half months outing.
We almost lived on fish for the time we
were at the island, and although 1t is said
that fish makes brains, we can't see but
what we are as big dough heads as ever ;
but quite likely in our case, there was no
foundation to build on. How can one nail
a shingle to nothing, or build brains on a
vacuum? But brains or no brains de-
vcloped, one thing is certain, we had the
best outing we ever had in all our born
days-we thought last seasons was fine
enough, but fish were rather scarce then
an unusual thing for these waters This
year the ocean seemed alive with them.
Nowhere in all my fishing did ever see
the like before
All, what place for sardines and good
place to put them up, II any one had the
enterprise to engage in the business.
We use this ish for bait catching yel-
lowtall. Fishermen to the size of hun
drcd and tfty tons, could soon Ill up with
fish here, using the proper gear for snar
ing them. But there IL difficulty in cm ing
q IA i,,f ; .t,r 1f .,alt
will keep them sweet. If fish are dressed
and saltcd as they are on the Atlantic
ID the latitude of Mt. Desert Rock and
several degrees south, and as far north As
YOU are pleased to go, even to where the
North Pole stands. If one tries the old
New England way of curing fish here. he
will be sure to get left. First, all the bone
must W taken out, and il the fish il large,
one, the size Of full grown cod ii must
be scored much the same as mackcrcl are
fattencd; and the scoring must be made
clean TO the skin else il will bloat and
spoil. After losing many, found that a
very good way 30 cure fish was to both
bone and skin them and cut in strips a
YOU would halibut for smoking salt lightly,
allowing them to stand twelve hours. then
place on the fake without washing. We
~ thS to protect them from the dcpreda-
tjons of yellow jackets, kind Of bee or
hornet that j. very troublesome on the is.
land | have never seen them on the main
land; and they take the place of the big
h~h t'y and a little more, and will destroy
flies and other insects, but the salt left on
the hsh i too much for them; flies are
scarce on the island when the yellow jack
cts are in full blast. Besides driving few
r-h for nv own use, smoked a few Just
70 see how they would 20 found them
10 he very nice Another year | will have
to build a smoke house Of small dimensions.
once smoked few sar,iines, took
coal ol can, built in it smoke, then
placed over II box IN which | placed my
strings on regular herring sticks, and they
were doing finely, and almost smoked
enough when the box took fire and burnt
up, and with II most Of my sardines, but
uut all, fnr saved enough to test that they
well a. |. Before, she had rather opposed
what ~hc termed my foolishuess think,
in few days, after we have Toasted on
vegetables, we Shall have some fish aud
potatoes, using some Of my seasons catch
oct ). Phil