THE SARDINE INDUSTRY. 495 



Burnham & Merrill, of Portland, Me., to pack oil sardines, but that the enterprise bad becu aban- 

 doned owing to the fact that they failed to put up a merchantable article, even though the best 

 materials, including first quality olive oil, -were used, and that the firm had informed themselves 

 thoroughly of the French methods, a member of the company having personally investigated the 

 modus operandi in France. From my experience I am led to believe that this failure resulted from 

 no other cause than that of prolonged delay in the drying process. The time for drying should 

 not exceed two hours if the fish are but slightly salted; beyond that time they decompose verv 

 rapidly, and will then vitiate the finest quality of oil, while difficulty is experienced in properly 

 trying them after decomposition has begun, as they are apt to break in pieces under the influ- 

 ence of the hot oil. The same effect also results from oversalting. For frying the fish 1 adopted 

 strong sheet-iron pans about 6 feet in length, 2J feet wide, and 6 inches deep. These proved per- 

 fectly suitable, and have been generally adopted by the different packers, with but slight devia- 

 tions from the given dimensions. The wire baskets in which the fish are placed for immersion in 

 the oil are nearly square and suited to the width of the pan, which rests over an open fire, while 

 it is protected from the direct action of the flame by a piece of sheet iron of proper length and 

 thickness. Wood is used for fuel in the furnace, which is built of common brick. The fire-place 

 underruns the whole length of the pan. The oil for frying, when of proper heat, will evaporate 

 the water from the fish, which will rise to the surface when sufficiently cooked. 



"In the early spring of 1879 I dissolved my connection with Messrs. Wolff & Reessing, and 

 associated myself with Messrs. Martin & Balkam, of Eastport, and with Messrs. Rosensteiu 

 Brothers, of New York. The new firm was known as the American Sardine Company, and property 

 was at once purchased at Eastport, where our first factory was put up. I make mention of this 

 change simply because under this new firm a very important change was made in the manner of 

 preparing the little fishes for sardines by a method not previously employed in this country. This 

 method, which has proved thoroughly satisfactory, is vastly superior to the old process of first 

 drying the fish and then frying them in oil. It differs in many particulars from that employed by 

 the French, and we have secured a patent for it. By our method the fish are placed on frames of 

 wire-work and subjected to the action of live steam in a steam-box and then baked or broiled on 

 the same frames in an oven furnished with a revolving reel. By this process, it will be perceived, 

 we do away with the drying process altogether. The steaming requires but a few minutes, and 

 can be performed as soon as the fish have been washed frcm the salt or pickle and spread on the 

 wire frames. The whole process of steaming and baking the fish takes only 10 to 15 minutes, and 

 we are thus enabled to pack fish perfectly sweet and fresh, while by the old process the drying of 

 the fish takes up from 5 to 20 hours, according to the state of the weather and the character of the 

 drying-rooms. The fish as taken from the weirs vary greatly in size, and generally but a small 

 portion are of suitable size for oil sardines, although at times they run quite uniform for that pur- 

 pose, while again, particularly in the spring, they run rather too small even for oil sardines. For 

 the purpose of utilizing the larger fish, which, on account of their size, are not suitable for oil sar- 

 dines, larger cans are made, and the fish are put up in a mustard or spiced sauce in handsomely 

 decorated cans, and sold as mustard and spiced sardines. They are prepared in exactly the same 

 manner as those to be packed in oil up to the time when they are ready for the cans. The demand 

 for these fish preparations has so far rapidly increased, and they form quite a relish lor the family 

 table, picnics, excursion parties, &c. They, no doubt, if properly put up, will find their way to 

 foreign markets ; in fact, a few are now being exported." 



OTHER SPECIES USED FOR CANNING PURPOSES. From the beginning of the experiments in 

 1875 to the present time the different firms engaged in the .sardine industry have kept constantly 



