, 1890-12-04

or owners of the boat, who provides
all material, the other half being
equally divided between member
OF the crew, the owner receiving a
share as such II he be one OF the
crew. On the east coast 1t Is also be-
coming general to give hired fishers
one shilling on each pound sterling
value of herring landed. AT some
ports men receive certain proper
ton of the boats earnings, provid-
ing their own subsistence on shore,
but getting their ''oil-skins" for sea
use as perquisite.
PREPARING FOR THE WORK.
The preparations of the iish-curer
are of interest aud Importance. All
winter long coopers have been em-
ployed In making the necessary
supply of barrels. They receive
from 10 pence to 1 shilling for each
barrel made, and during the herring
season are paid regular wages rang
ing from 25 to 30 shillings per week.
The herring barrel must hold TWEEN
| ty-six and two-third imperial gal.
Ions; the half-barrei, thirteen and
onc-third; but no official cognizance
| In taken of quarters or less. Having
secured sufficient ground for curing
purposes, which Ii called curing
yard or "station,n we will suppose
he intends using the fish landed by
ten boats. He provides IA rectangu-
lar box with sides about two feet
high, into which the herrings are
emptied from the tishermen's
baskets, or from his own carts, and
around which the screws" of
"curers" work.
Formerly the ''creel," or square
wicker basket, was used in the de-
livery of fish. This has been super
seeded by the circular ''quarter-cran"
basket, four of which make the
"cran" of thirty-seven and u half
imperial gallons. the standard
measure upon which all estimates
on Scottish herring, and expense in
securing the same, are based. For
handling the fish of ten boats, the
curer will employ three coopers, and
one crew of ''gutters" or thirty
"gutters" In all. The latter are In
variably women, crofters' wives,
daughters, sisters. Five tons or POO
bushels of salt TO the 100 Grams, will
be needed; and he provides barrels
and salt on the basis of an average
years fishing giving him from 900
to 1000 Grams of fish from the ten
boats.
HOW THE CATCH IS DISPOSED OF.
On the arrival of the fleet" the
fish are sold at auction, plan very
recently introduced, and identical
with that of our own herring.fsh-
ers at Eastport, Me. Samples of
herring are retained by the auc-
tioneer in case of disputes. The
salesman charges the fishermen
small percentage. as at New Haven,
ON the Firth of Forth; he becomes
responsible to the fishermen for the
money, and payments are made
daily or weekly, as agreed AT an
ordinary east-coast herring fishing
port, fully 1000 CUTTERS" and pack
ers will be vt work. Perhaps 900 of
these are women. As stated, three
form u screw" Two use the knife
and one packs"
They work with marvellous rapid
ity. The herring Is beld in the left
hand. Inserting the kaife in the
throat of the fish, sidewise, with
the right hand, with one swift
movement in "a pull-like CUT" AS
one of the women described 1t to
me, the herring is opened and
cleaned, and whisked into basket.
1t Is so quickly done that the eye
can not follow the process. The
herrings are next sorted, shifted to
receiving-boxes, and then emptied
into 'rousing-boxes," where they
are thoroughly "roused" or mixed
with salt. In packing, which inn
mediately follows, the tiers are
forined, between layers of salt, by
placing the herrings' back down
ward. One herring is laid in the
center OF n forming tier, and then IL
line of the fish Is run in either
direction to the barrel-sides, the
spaces left on each side of this line
being laid with fish, heads outwards.
Every alternating tier Is laid trans
versely. The barrels are heaped |
two tiers above their level, and are
then known as "upsets." In two
days time. the salt is partly melted,
and portion of the ''pickler is |
poured off. The herring have also
"pined," that Is, shrunk. "Filling
up" follows. The barrels are then |
"tighted" by the coopers, when they |
are commercially known as "sea-
sticks" After ten days they are
opened, the "pickle" again poured |
oil, more herrings are crowded into |
them, they are again "tighted,"
solidly filled with pickle through |
the bungs. laid in double rows; and |
are now ready for official inspection.
In the early part of the century |
Scottish herrings were chiefly eX- |
ported to Ireland, and to the West
1ndlas 10 food for slaves. But
since 1916, continental Europe, |
been the chief purchaser During
1907 the first year for which sta
tistics are procurable, the product
was upward of 10000 barrels; for the |
ten years ending in lS47, there were
453, 093 barrels cured; for the twenty .
years closing with 1887, there We're
!, l,ll0,95S barrels cured; while the
increase in the industry
is shown by the TACT that in 1883
there were cured on the east coast
81, CAB barrels, OF which 734 ,230
barrels were sent to the continent;
while on the west coast the
yearly catch averages 2S0,-
BOO; giving n total product
for 1883 of at least 1,lO0,OOO
barrels, exclusive OF the herrings
Used fresh in fishing ports, those
'kippered, and those sent fresh to
and English markets,
which amount annually 10 14O,O ,OC0
'crans"; and it should be borne in
mind that the Gran measure IL equal