THE SARDINE INDUSTRY. 519 



and a considerable saving could be made in the shipment of the manufactured goods instead of the 

 raw material. Wben this change was first made the herring were put up in small kegs ready for 

 the trade, after which they were packed ra crates and shipped to New York for distribution. Later 

 it was found desirable to simply salt and cut the herring at East port and to pack them in barrels 

 for shipment to the dealers in New York, who in turn should repack them in small kegs before 

 they were put upon the market. This method has given excellent satisfaction, and has been uni- 

 versally adopted. 



METHOD OF PEEPABATION. The manner of preparing the Russian sardine is very simple. 

 The fish utilized for this purpose are similar in size to those packed in mustaid and spices, under 

 the name of )ii/iriii<'x, ruynlex, and sardines in mustard. They vary in total length from six to nine 

 and a half inches, and when cut measure about five to six inches. Being of proper size for canning, 

 and having a greater value for this purpose, they are, of course, canned when practicable; -but 

 when the catch is too large for immediate use at the canneries the surplus must necessarily be 

 salted at once if they are to be preserved; and after a sardine has been salted for any length of 

 time it becomes unfit for canning. The natural result is that nearly all of the surplus fish are pre- 

 pared as Russian sardines. 



As soon as they have been landed from the weir they are at once salted in large butts or hogs- 

 heads, where they are allowed to remain in strong pickle for several days or until they are thor- 

 oughly "struck," after which they are taken out and their heads and entrails are removed by 

 children employed for this purpose, in a manner exactly similar to that employed in the preparation 

 of sardines for canning. This method has already been described and need not be repeated. After 

 the fish have been cut they are thoroughly washed in fresh water, and are carefully packed in fish 

 barrels, each layer being well sprinkled with dry salt. After the barrels have been filled new 

 brine is added and they are set aside and allowed to remain for several days, in order that the fish 

 may settle. More fish are then added in order that the barrels may be well filled, after which they 

 are headed up and are ready for shipment. In shipping long distances it is found desirable, 

 especially during the summer months, to remove the pickle from the fish, because, when this 

 becomes heated, it often sours and injures their flavor. 



After reaching their destination the barrels are at once opened and the fish are then packed 

 in kegs of uniform size. These are neatly made of a good quality of poplar or bass-wood, each 

 holding about four or five quarts. As the fish are being packed each layer is well covered with a 

 variety of whole spices, including cloves, peppers, mustard seed, and allspice, together with a 

 quantity of bay leaves, to give them a rich flavor. When the keg has been filled a pickle of vine- 

 gar is added, after which the package is headed up and is ready for the trade. It is desirable to 

 have the fish prepared some time before they are eaten, in order that they may be well flavored by 

 the seasonings with which they are parked. For this reason old stock is preferable to that recently 

 packed. 



THE USE OF HERRING AS ANCHOVIES. As soon as it had been ascertained that the herring 

 could be utilized in the preparation of Russian sardines, certain houses who had been engaged in 

 this line of trade, thought it possible to prepare anchovies from the smaller individuals of the same 

 species, and for several years many of the small herring were utilized for this purpose. The first 

 fish that appear in the spring, locally known as brit, are usually too small for canning purposes, 

 and as many of these are taken in the weirs each season, considerable numbers of them. have been 

 salted from time to time to be prepared as a substitute for the anchovies that had been formerly 

 imported from Sweden and Norway. 



After numerous experiments, it is said that the business is not as successful as had been 



