Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-17

fringe are trimmed off from the large
central muscle. which is then cut trans
yersely into slices. These small steaks.
when beaten four or five times with the
fat side of meat-cleaver and then fried
in butter, are tender and delicious The
meat is also equally delectable when
served as a chowder or minced. Besides
supplying the local market the mollusks
may be shipped across the continent. for
when individuals are placed one on top
of the other. in q sort of living nest.
they viii survive for as long as SIX days
without water. feeding upon the. organ
isms and organic slime covering the shells
upon which they rest. While the Amer
lean market is not sufficiently developed
to create an active demand FOR fresh
abaIones. yet in dried state many aye
shipped to China. After being gathered
from the rocks by the diver and taken
into camp the shells are removed and the
abaIones thrown into watts of salt water
and left for two or three days. In this
manner. the augmented mantle fringe is
removed and the meat preserved The
abaloneS are next wasnec IN large tuos
by means of wooden paddles and then
cooked for one-half hour i'll water almost
at the boiling temperature not only for
sterilization. bat to give the meat the de-
sired rounded shape. With dlp-netS the
Japanese workman remove the abaloneS
70 baskets and carry them to the drying
frames where they arc laid out in trays
in the sunshine After four Rive days,
or longer. If the temperature falls, the
artly dried abaloneS are cooked in water
for the second time for one hour. Next
they are smoked in charcoal smoke for
from twelve to twenty-four hours. and
then for the third time placed in boiling
water mainly for rnsing. Now they are
dried for a period Of six Weeks. and after
a anal cleansing bath in lukeWarm water
made ready for shipment. During the
nrocess of drying the meat loses nine
tenths Of its original weight. While hard
and tough. like dried bee1 II may be
sliced with a sharp knife and eaten with
relish. When dried the meat brings from
II to IA cents pound for the green and
corrupa+ed species, and from to 10 cents
for the black abalone. Most of the dried
a halrne goes to China and there finally, at
retail. brings 20 cents per pound. A
camn of fourteen japanese fishermen
hr;nes in thirty tons, or more. of the
fraSh abalone in q month. There is con-
siderable business in canning abalone for
the california markets as well as for New
work and Honolulu. The abalone of ia
nan. the awabi, IS a smaller species and
th. holes of the shell are relatively large
so that only the central part is OF value.
chiefly for use in inlay!ng. Gathering
ahaIones is especially carried on by wom-
an divers who swim out to the fishing
grounds and work in depths of from six
10 eight fataoms. Pearls are not often
found but the meat is dried and sold as
dark red disks strung on sticks.
The familiar polished abalone shells
have gone all over the world and every
where are highly esteemed as ornaments
The shell is polished by grinding it first
ON a carborundum wheel until the desired
colors are reached. The shell is then sur
faced BY a wheel of felt sprinkled with
carborundum dust glued to the wheel.