(2) BRINE PICKLING. The fish are immersed in saturated brine, salt being added from day to day to restore the strength of the brine as it becomes weakened by the water which it extracts from the fish. (3) KENCHING. The fish, either split or round, are piled in layers in the hold of the ship, or on the floor of the warehouse, each layer being covered in turn with a layer of salt. The brine, as it forms, is allowed to drain away. Of all these three methods, the first is undoubtedly more effective, more economical, and requires less attention than the second. The third method is often used on board ship and sometimes on shore as a temporary expedient when the catch is too large for the number of containers available. In the dry-salt method, the fish are packed tightly in the casks, and are not afterwards disturbed. When cured they possess a characteristic dry, shrunken appearance. Fish pickled in brine need attention every day. The brine has to be closely watched so that it shall not become too weak. Fresh salt has to be added daily, and the fish stirred up with wooden paddles to ensure uniform pickling. Fish cured in this way are softer and more plump than those cured by the dry-salting method. When a fish is packed in salt the salt rapidly extracts water from the flesh and a strong brine results. The salt dissolves in the remaining flesh juices of the fish, and rapidly diffuses throughout the fish, thoroughly permeating it. By this process, therefore, the fish is partially dried and becomes thoroughly impregnated with salt. The gradual change in the composition of the flesh is reflected in the following analysis— ---------------------------------+--------+--------+------- Sample. | % | % | % | Water. | NaCl. | Fat. ---------------------------------+--------+--------+------- Fresh herring, ungutted | 67·33 | 0·63 | 13·78 | | | Herring lightly salted, before | | | gutting | 66·33 | 1·27 | 12·11 | | | Herring from rousing tub, gutted | | | and salted, ready to pack into | | | barrel | 61·09 | 1·41 | 16·14 | | | Herring, after 7 days salted in | | | barrel | 52·67 | 7·43 | 17·10 | | | Herring, after 8 days salted in | | | barrel | 46·90 | 11·49 | 22·50 ---------------------------------+--------+--------+------- The efficiency of the cure and the appearance of the finished product will be influenced by the following factors—