124 V. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



CANNING SMOKED SALMON. 



A number of ventures in the line of canning smoked salmon have 

 been made on this coast, but most of the pioneers were not content 

 or able to invest the amount of capital needed and wait the time 

 required to create a demand for such products, and soon quit. 



One of the leading British Columbia packers, H. Bell-Irving & Co., 

 some years ago put up in cans some pink salmon which had been 

 treated to an artificial smoke in a vat, and these are said to have 

 made a favorable impression in Australia. Another canner operat- 

 ing on the Fraser River smoked pink salmon, and then, cutting them 

 to the proper length, packed them dry in half-pound cans. 



In 1908 the Columbia Canning Co. put up at its cannery on Chilkoot 

 Inlet, Alaska, some smoked salmon which had been shaved into thin 

 strips like dried beef. These, called "Flaxamo," were packed in oil 

 and were very good, especially m making sandwiches. 



In 1915 two companies began in Seattle the smoking, slicing, and 

 canning of coho and king salmon. These were put up in oblong flat 

 cans of various sizes, similar to sardine cans, 2\, 4^-, and 7^ ounces, 

 respectively, while for a special trade a 7^--pound can was also packed. 

 These fish were cut quite thin, about 40 to 50 slices to the pound, and 

 were packed in hermetically sealed cans with cottonseed oil. The 

 fish were all hard smoked before slicing and canning. 



The same companies are also putting up kippered salmon in cans. 



Salmon loaf, made by mixing salmon with flour and various other 

 ingredients, thus producing a paste, is also being canned by several 

 packers. 



A straight salmon paste, made solely from the flesh of the salmon, 

 and mixed with oil and spices, is being manufactured by one of the 

 leading packers. 



HOME CANNING, 



At a number of places along the coast it has become the custom for 

 the thrifty housewives to do a little home canning of salmon for winter 

 use when the fish are abundant and cheap, and they find canning 

 salmon as easy as canning vegetables and fruit. The fish are dressed, 

 skinned, and the backbone removed. It is then cut into transverse 

 strips of a size to fit either a pint or a quart ^lass jar, whichever is to 

 be used. The jars are then filled with the pieces, salted to taste, the 

 rubber ring put on, after which the can cover is put on loosely so that 

 the steam may escape. Strips of thin wood are placed at the bottom 

 of a kettle or wash boiler and the cans set down on them. Enough 

 cold water is then poured into the kettle to bring it up to within about 

 2 inches of the top of the cans. The kettle is then put on the stove 

 and, after it comes to a boil, note is made of the time, and the cans are 

 cooked from one and one-half to three hours. There seems to be a 

 great variation in the time of cooking on the part of the operators. 

 Some even cook only one hour, but these generally use a preservaline. 

 About three hours seems to be the best time, as the bones are then 

 quite soft. At the end of the cooking period the tops are tightened, 

 the kettle removed from the stove, and the water and cans allowed to 

 cool in the kettle. 



Portable retorts and hand doubleseamers are now availablef or house- 

 hold use, and as a result many are using tin cans as containers. A re- 

 cent improvement on the double seamer permits of the use of a tin con- 

 tainer three times, thus materially reducing the heavy expense for .cans. 



