Year: 1877

A correspondent of the Montreal
Gazette gives the history Of cod fish
from the moment when, on the hook of
the fisherman, it is dragged from its ma
tive element till it disappears down the
human throat on the banks of the ANA
zon, the Parana, the Tagus, or the Po
After few expiring wriggles-and it is
a comfort to be informed by naturalists
that fish are almost insensible to pain
the cod is flung from the fshermans
boat upon the rough stage, where it is
received by the "cut-throat," who, with
a sharp knife, lays open the fish across
the throat and down the belly, and
passes it to the header. This operator
proceeds to extract the liver, which is
dropped into vessel by his side, to be
converted into codliver oil. He then ex-
tracts the entrails and wrenches off the
head, and throws these into another re-
ceptacle, to be preserved for the farmer,
to mix with bog and earth, thus forming
a most fertilizing compost for his fields.
The tongues, however, are taken out,
and also the sounds, and these, fresh or
picked, are an excellent article of food.
The fish is then passed to the splitter,
who, by dexterOus movement, cuts out
the backbone nearly to the tail, and thus
lays-the fish entirely open, and capable
of being laid fiat ON its back. This is
the incest part of the operation, and
the splitter always commands higher
wages than the rest of the operators.
The salter next takes the fish and washes
it well from all particles of blood, salts
it, and places it in piles to drain. After
laying the proper length of time it is
washed, and spread to dry on the
fake" which is formed of spruce
boughs, supported by framework rest
ing on upright poles. Here the cod are
spread out individually to bleach by ex-
posure to sun and air, and during this
process require constant attention. At
night, or on the approach of rain, they
are made up into little round heaps, with
the skin outward, in which state they
look very much like small haycocks


When the "bloom," or whitish appear
ance, which for time they assume,
comes out ON the dried fish, the process
is finished, and they are quite ready for
storing. On being conveyed to the
premises of the exporting merchant, they
are first "culled, " or assorted, into four
different kinds, known as Merchant
able, " Madeira" "West india" and
"Dun," or broken fish. The first is the
best quality, the second grade lower,
the third is intended for the stomachs of
negroes, and the fourth, which is incapa-
BILE of keeping, is used at home. The
cod sent to hot countries are packed by
screw power into small casks called
Z" drums )" those which go the Mediter-
ranean are usually exported in bulk.
Large quantities of dried cod fish are
shipped to Brazil, and there is hardly
an inhabited corner of that vast empire
where the New foundland cod is not to
be found, being carried on the backs of
mules from the seacoast into the most
distant provinces of the interior. The
negroes of the West Indies welcome it
as a grateful addition to their vegetable
diet. To all parts of the Mediterranean
it finds its way, Italians, Greeks and
Sicilians equally relishing the produce
of the sea harvest. The Spaniards and
Portuguese are our best customers, and
all over the sunny peninsula the " "bucalo''
is a standing dish. In. the warmer
regions of the earth the people seem to
have a special liking for the dried and
salted cod, and to them it is an almost
indispensable article of food.