57 



died last October ; enquiries at Goa were equally 

 unsuccessful. But the services of men who have worked 

 in the Mahe Factory and are acquainted with the 

 mechanical part of the business, were secured, and my 

 personal knowledge and attention have been mainly 

 devoted to this part of our season's experimental work. 

 After all, little but experience and close attention to 

 details are needed, provided one is thoroughly acquainted 

 with the principles, necessities, and general methods of 

 canning, nor would any expert, even from Europe, that 

 we could possibly afford, be likely to succeed without 

 much experiment in details, owing to the difference in 

 material and conditions ; indeed, a highly-educated 

 European expert, versed equally in the principles of 

 canning and its technique, and able from those reasons, 

 to adapt his methods to new materials and conditions, 

 would hardly be attainable at any pay, while a mere 

 foreman would, by himself, be of little value under 

 circumstances wholly opposed to his rule-of-thumb 

 knowledge. In every country, even in Japan, men have 

 had in such matters to win through by intelligent, 

 continuous experiment, and we can do and are doing the 

 same at Calicut. 



13. Fish pastes. — Another item of work at the cannery 

 has been the preparation and canning of pure, unadultera- 

 ted fish pastes, chiefly mackerel and prawn. Here there 

 has been marked success, and the future experiments 

 relate mainly to market questions such as the provision 

 of good materials at moderate rates, the flavourings 

 most suited to Indian tastes, the obtaining of suitable tins 

 and other containers (e.g., earthenware) properly 

 decorated, etc. The method enables a manufacturer to 

 place most wholesome, nutritious, and palatable food on 

 the markets in a concentrated form ; though seemingly 

 expensive the goods are really cheap since every particle 

 is pure, nutritious food, of which a two-ounce tin contains 

 as much as a fish of considerable size ; transport charges 

 are reduced to a minimum, and the product, when 

 canned will keep good for years. Eftbrt has chiefly been 

 directed to the production of plain but palatable paste, 

 i.e., concentrated fish, intended for general consumption 

 at low prices, and not to " Delikatessen " for luxurious 

 tables, though these have not been neglected. By the 

 end of next season the station will be prepared to train 

 students and publish its recipes. 



