308
.
,
THE SEAS
,
sieves the mesh of which is determined by local bye-laws,
and Only those animals Which do not pass through the
meshes are allowedtd; be sold;th‘e smaller ones being re'_
placed on-the
They are
sent alive to the
'
markets,“ “but are usually boiled, often in iron vessels over
extemporized replaces on the sea shore.
At Leigh—on-Sea
in the Thames estuary, the centre of one of the largest
cockle,industries in the country, the c'ockles are arranged
in iron trays which are then placed in ovens the doors of
_
which
clamped, and the cockles then sterilized by
turning on steam for about ve minutes at a pressure
of
_
from twenty to forty pounds.
As a result of this process
_
the soft parts come away from the shell from which they are
separated in large riddles which are swung backwards and
_
forwards until all the soft parts have dropped through the
meshes.
The “meat is'then washed in fresh water and
_
dispatched to the market, either immediately or after -
pickling in salt br Vinegar. - "The shells are often ground
down to
It is possible to‘judge the age of a cockle by examining
_
'
its shell, which is not added to regularly throughout the
year but,
to the greater abundance-of food and
warmer
at greater speed during the summer
than in the
This difference in the rate of growth
of the shell is indicated by well—marked “ winter ” rings
and-these have only to be counted to reveal the age of the
animal (Plate 109).
This method is not, however, alWays
’
accurate because the growth of the cockles which has been
disturbed in any way—dislodged by, storms or thrbwn too
,
far up the shore—is chec‘ked and “ disturbance "‘ rings,
not
distinguishable
winter rings, are =- produced‘.
.
Since young cockle ;may extend’the edge of their shells
at the rate
one to_one and a-half
itis easy to See how—a few
'
.
,
THE SEAS
,
sieves the mesh of which is determined by local bye-laws,
and Only those animals Which do not pass through the
meshes are allowedtd; be sold;th‘e smaller ones being re'_
placed on-the
They are
sent alive to the
'
markets,“ “but are usually boiled, often in iron vessels over
extemporized replaces on the sea shore.
At Leigh—on-Sea
in the Thames estuary, the centre of one of the largest
cockle,industries in the country, the c'ockles are arranged
in iron trays which are then placed in ovens the doors of
_
which
clamped, and the cockles then sterilized by
turning on steam for about ve minutes at a pressure
of
_
from twenty to forty pounds.
As a result of this process
_
the soft parts come away from the shell from which they are
separated in large riddles which are swung backwards and
_
forwards until all the soft parts have dropped through the
meshes.
The “meat is'then washed in fresh water and
_
dispatched to the market, either immediately or after -
pickling in salt br Vinegar. - "The shells are often ground
down to
It is possible to‘judge the age of a cockle by examining
_
'
its shell, which is not added to regularly throughout the
year but,
to the greater abundance-of food and
warmer
at greater speed during the summer
than in the
This difference in the rate of growth
of the shell is indicated by well—marked “ winter ” rings
and-these have only to be counted to reveal the age of the
animal (Plate 109).
This method is not, however, alWays
’
accurate because the growth of the cockles which has been
disturbed in any way—dislodged by, storms or thrbwn too
,
far up the shore—is chec‘ked and “ disturbance "‘ rings,
not
distinguishable
winter rings, are =- produced‘.
.
Since young cockle ;may extend’the edge of their shells
at the rate
one to_one and a-half
itis easy to See how—a few
'