484 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES, 



limits of the United States after they leave the smoke-house. As far as known, but one attempt 

 has been made in this direction. This was brought about by the growing demand for products in 

 a state in which they could be placed upon the table. The idea occurred to Mr. George T. Peters, 

 of New Jersey, that the herring might be skinned and boned, and arranged in neat and attractive 

 packages before they were put upon the market. Accordingly, in 1878, he proceeded to Eastport, 

 Me., and conducted a series of experiments that led to a method which he covered by a patent 

 dated December 10, 1878. The following extract taken from his letter of specification will give a 

 sufficiently accurate idea of his invention : 



"The object of my invention is to pack herrings in such a way that they can be eaten directly 

 upon their removal from the package namely, without any further preparation; also, so that 

 their flavor and moisture are preserved, and so that they are convenient for sale in small bunches 

 or packages without weighing or counting the fish separately. 



''It consists in salting, smoking, skinning, and boning the herrings, then tying them ill 

 bunches, and, finally, putting them up in a box, as hereinafter fully set forth. 



" The box may be made of wood or metal, and I prefer to introduce a pane of glass in one of 

 its sides, so that its contents are rendered visible from the outside thereof. 



" In carrying out my invention, I salt and smoke the herrings in the usual way, then remove 

 the skin therefrom and extract the bone in any suitable manner. 



"By first smoking the herrings the subsequent operations of skinning and boning the same 

 are greatly facilitated. I then arrange the same in bunches of one dozen each (more or less) by 

 tying that number together with a cord, and pack a half dozen (more or less) of such bunches into 

 a box of the proper size and shape. The herrings are thus packed up in such a condition that no 

 further preparation thereof is needed, except, perhaps, to cut the same up on their removal from 

 the package, wherefore they form a very useful article for tourists or travelers. 



"By skinning the herrings and putting the same up in bunches their raw flesh is brought in 

 close contact, and by this means their inherent moisture and flavor are preserved in the best 

 possible manner, the effect thereof being also increased by packing the bunches in a box, and 

 another advantage of the bunching being that no time is lost in counting the herrings singly, 

 when a dozen or more are sold. 



"I am well aware that the practices of salting, smoking, skinning, and boning fish have long 

 been known, and I therefore do not claim any of them as my invention. 



" What I claim as new, and desire to secure by letters patent, is 



"The new commercial package, consisting of salted, smoked, skinned, and boned herring, tied 

 together in bunches, which are packed together in a suitable box, substantially as described." 



In 1879 Mr. Peters engaged quite extensively in boning and packing the fish after the manner 

 described, employing between twenty and thirty hands at his Eastport factory. For some reason, 

 however, the fish did not meet with as ready a sale as he had expected, and it was found desirable 

 to discontinue work at Eastport, though the same method is still carried on in Massachusetts and 

 New York, where it is meeting with better success. 



9. STATISTICS OF THE BUSINESS. 



If we were to confine ourselves to trade statistics it would be difficult to give the exact quan- 

 tity of herring smoked in the United States, for the different market reports include many fish as 

 American that have been prepared by the fishermen of the British Provinces. According to Mr. 

 W. A. Wilcox, Manager of the American Fish Bureau, there were 443,597 boxes of herring handled 

 in Boston in 1880, 262,482 of which were received from home ports ; the remainder coming from the 

 Provinces. This statement is misleading, as shown by the statistics of Maine, which practically 



