Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-04
S KED HE RRI m G.S
Washington the Greatest Producing 0en-
ter in the United Statea
The Fish Arc Caught I'm the Potomac.
How They Are Prepared for
Shipment.

Few people are aware OF the fact thas
Washington is the greatest producing cen.
ter In the United States for smoked her.
ring. One concern alone turns out 100000
OF these preserved delicacies each year.
sending them all over the country. The
fish are caught In the Potomac from Alex.
andria down for a distance OF about nine
miles. being taken In seines AZ soon an
captured they are brought to the vharves.
where the females. with roes. are picked
out for smoking. the males being dispossd
OF by the ordinary process Of sailing down,
after their heads have been cut or.
The roe behring's are conveyed 70 the
smoke factory, II such Il may be called,
which 10 In the open air. They are I'm.
mediately cleaned. scaled and rinssd In
cold water. after which they are soaked
for twelve hcurs In brine that 10 dense
CROUCH to float a potato. Then they are
put into fresh water for q few minutes,
being presently taken out and strun6
through the gills on long sticks. These
sticks are extended. with the ash dang,
ling from them. across the open ton OF y
huge double hogshead without any bottom
10 II, which stands on the ground beneath
a shed.
All Ready to he Smoked.
They are all ready to be smoked now
However. this part Of the work has 10 ID
done at night. because people In the neishS
borhood find IL Objectionable in the DAY
time. 80. when evening has arrived, Q IRE
OF oak and hickory wood In lighted tnsid1
OF the big hogshead beneath the striuGH
OF dangling herring. After Il has got coins
well. oak and hickory sawdust Is thrown
Zeal OF smoke, and the men who conduct
the operation keep tanning the empero
constantly. adding sawdust from time %
time, and continuing the tanning while
frv A.
preservative elements the tissues Of the
fishes. This performance IN kept up fop
thirteen hours. at the end of which they
are done and ready for market Only oaig
cause other woods give the herr1ngs an
objectionable flavor
All the behring's smoked during the yeas
must be caught in the spring, because the
law forbids their capture after June i.
Accordingly. at this season the fsherms1
are very busy gathering the fish with theiP
seines: Only those intended for more %
less immediate consumption are being
smoked now. The rest are soaked in brine
Tor eleven days and then packed In dry
salt. Next winter they will be taken OUT
of the salt. soaked In fresh water foP
thirty-eight hours. and subjected 20 The
smoking process. just as II they had newly
come out OF the water. Smoked herrfngs
are sold by the producers to grocers and
other dealers direct. the price varying ace
cording to the size Of the FISH from IS cents
dozen TO cents apiece. The male or
milt herrings. are disposed Of salted. al
the rate of from s. TO 81 a thousand.
Other Fish Prepared I'm n Similar WaH
These concerns which make q business
Of smoked behring's also prepare for market
in similar fashion many other fishes. such
as cells. salmon, white fish from the lakes,
and sturgeon. Sturgeon is cut UP for smoke
ing into pieces Of about three pounds
weight. Experts in the business say that
a buck" sturgeon has seven kinds q
meat, and a COW sturgeon five kinds. u
is certainly very curious TO observe THAI
the flesh from different portions Of The
body Of this ish varies very much in aps
pearance. So the fishermen speak Of thO
various parts respectively as beef =
veal" lamb" mutton" &c The head
bones, skin and other refuse OF the sturgeoI
are boiled in an iron pot for the purpose
OF obtaining the oil, which. SKINNED on thu
surface. is worth 81 a gallon with furthso
refining.