The Alaska daily empire., 1917-06-11
PREPARE FISH
 FOR DOMESTIC
 USE URGES US.
Department of Fisheries Asks the Housewives To P"t Up
 r ,h.
TELLS HOW TO DO IT

| The following argument in favor of putting up fish for domestic uses and information concerning the same prepared by the Bureau of Fisher. ies, was issued as Economic Circu lar No. 28. by the Department Of Commerce, May 2S:
 As a measure of economy in the 1 present period of high prices of food stuffs and as contribution to the conservation of the food supply, needs, the Bureau of Fisheries urg es housewives, particularly those liv- ing near streams and lakes or the seashore, to preserve fish for home consumption The fish can be pur- chased when they are cheap, during times of plenty, and held for use during the winter, when. ordinarily. prices are high. In many cases the waste fishes, which because of pre- judice or ignorance are not placed on the market, may be bought for little and sometimes may be obtained from the fishermen for the asking Practically all fishes are edible, and purchasers should not be deterred from buying them on account of their unattractiye appearance. Some of the ugliest are among the best. Two easy methods of preserving, namely, canning and salting, are available to housewives To be sure of success, the methods here described should be carefully followed.
 1 Canning
 When using coarse-scaied thick skinned fishes, cut off the fins or make on incision on each side of the l fin and pull it out. Make an incis- ion through the skin along the back, another along the belly, and connect these two by third encircling the body just behind the head impale the head on a hook or sharpened nail driven through plank, take hold of the skin at the angle of the two incisions at the back of the head md remove it by pulling toward the tail Thin skinned fishes. like her ring and alewives should be scaled not skinned.
 Cut off the head remove the in t.estines and other organs, and take out the backbone by making cut with sharp knife on each side inside of the body cavity. Wash thoroughly, taking particular care tc remove the blood along the back. Cut the fish into strips to fit the length of the jars to be used and rub with dry salt, using level ta blespoonful to each pint jar of fish Fill the jars with the pieces packed tightly as possible, put on the rubber rings, and place the caps on the jars loosely so that the steam can escape. Put no water in the jars Cook in a pressure cooker for one and one-half hours after steam pres sure registers 15 pounds or the tenn perature 250 degrees. Tighten the caps of the jars and permit cooling Use the cooker as directed by the makers. There are several kinds on the market and the Bureau Of f1sh cries, Washington, D. C.. will furnish addresses of manufacture on appllca ton.
 Large fish having soft fins, small scales, and thin skin should be scaled out not skinned Remove the head ,plit down the belly to the vent, and remove the viscera. Make cut on each side of the backbone inside of
 he body cavity, cut the bone in two IS far back as it can be reached and remove the cutoff portion, then make a deep cut along one slde oi the backbone for the remainder oi it's length and remove the tail. II he fish are too large to go into the container, cut them to the proper length The cheeks and the portion between the jaws. including the tongue, of many large fishes are ex' cellent when boiled, and they may be preserved by removing the eyes and gills, and packing the heads, af ter splitting them lengthwise, Tn the l same container with the rest Of the fish.
 Slender fish. such as mackerel whiting, large herring, etc, should pc split down the back to one side oi the backbone for the entire length the belly walls being washed out The backbone need not be removed Smaller fish of the same character need not be split but should be care fully eviscerated. Coarse-scaled, ana Ithick-skinned, spingy-finned fishes hKe black bass, perch, etc, should pc skinned, and unless large and thcK meated need not be split.
 Il Having dressed and thoroughly washed the fish in water containing a little salt, taking particular care to remove the blood near the pack bone, cure them as follows:
 Place layer of coarse salt on the bottom of tight keg, or other suit able vessel and on this spread a layer of fish, one deep. sprinkle salt thickly over these, add another layer of fish. and repeat until the barrel is full or the supply of fish exhaust ed The salt and the moisture from the fish will make a strong brine in which the fish should be left Tor