'File 10/8 Overseas trade enquiries' [‎212r] (423/495)

the other h»yad, keeping them in brine only 2 or 3 hours will
assist in removing the blood and alime better than if only
sea water is used.
(5) (hile the hide is still on the beaming board, it should be
tri jned. The outer edges and the sharp corners and the
small meat particles which may b ngover after fleshing should
be out off# The hides should be split in the tail end.
This is done simply by cutting from the hole left by the
Ventral Fin towards the tail end, passing through the hole
left by the Anal Pin and then straight back to where the tail
has been cut off. The Leopard Shark has on the tail end two
keels or boney ribs, one on each side, running from the tail
along the body 4 to 12 inches. This part of the hide of the
Leopard Shark is worthless, and has to be cut off. The
Sawfish is not split in the tail, but this species also has
two keels or boney ribs extending from the tail end 4 to 12
inches, which pert of the hide is worthless, and should be
cut off.
(6) After the fleshing and trimming, the hides should be
thoroughly washed-B sea water. No blood or slime should
remain on the hides; they should then be salted for curing.
The curing is done in the following manner:
Sprinkle some salt on the platform or floor where the hides
will be laid. Then lay one hide on flat, flesh side up, being
sure to smooth out all the wrinkles, and sprinkle salt so as
to coyer every part of the surface. Put plenty of salt on
the hide. On top of this hide put the next one, flesh side
up, and salt in the same manner, and so on. It is preferable
to la,/ the hides on a platform, which has a straight incline,
so that the water and brine can run off. The pile of hides
should be built up as evenly as possible, without any burapa or
depressions.
The large hides take about 8 days to cure. Sven the smaller
hides should be left in this salt pile for 5 or 6 days, during
which they must be covered with plenty of salt. Whilst
curing they should of course not be exposed to the rays of the
sun, or come in contact with rain or other fresh water.
Before packing the hides for shipment they should be measured.
The measurement is taken from tip to tip. In order to arrive
at the length of the hide, it is customary to fold same over.
The hides are prepared lor shipment in barrels in the
following manner:
Sjhake the hide slightly so that the surplus salt
falls off. then lay the hide on the floor, flesh
side up, and sprinkle same dry salt over the entire
surface. Then fold so as to make a flat square
bundle of each hide. A 55 gallon barrel will hold
25 average shark hides. The weight will be about
275 pound net. If the transportation Company will
take hides packed in other containers than barrels,
they can be used. Watertight barrels are sometimes
required by certain steamship companies. This is on
account oi the leakage of brine en route.
( oce) The salt used for curing and packing hides should not
be too coarse. Medium grain fishery salt gives the best
results. t ineral salt is preferable to sea water salt. Be
sure that the brine is not too weak, and that sufficient salt
is used. The surplus GLiAK salt may be used over again, in
which case a larger quantity must be used, as it gradually
loses its strength.