PACIFIC SALMON FISHERIES. List, 
These were called by some “ Pennington’”’ labels, as a firm of that 
name supplied quite a number of them. 
For some years they were used for the best grades only. They 
were printed in four and five colors, the design showing invariably 
a number of panels of different shapes and sizes. The lettering was 
not always plain and sometimes even intentionally irregular and 
puzzling. The colors were placed side by side, in boldest contrast, 
without any attempt to harmonize them. 
It was soon discovered that the highly colored panels, while strik- 
ing, lost all effect when massed on the retailer’s shelves, and the 
different brands looked so much alike that the individual designs 
could not well be remembered by the customer, the only really dis- 
tinctive feature being the name, and that was generally printed so 
small and indistinct that it could not readily be seen at a distance. 
To remedy these defects, the designers soon reduced the number of 
panels and subdivisions, increasing meanwhile the size of the remain- 
ing ones and fillmg them with distinctive designs, still colored as 
simply as before, with no attempt at blending of colors. The back- 
ground, at first perfectly plain, commenced to show patterns more or 
“less complicated, and at times quite pretentious, so as to take away 
from the design proper. 
Gradually the panel design disappeared. In place of it some showed 
one continuous picture on the label, which was very unsatisfactory 
and soon disappeared, as only a fraction of the picture could be seen 
at one time. Others had two subdivisions, one showing the name of 
the brand with its illustrations, occasionally used as a trade-mark, 
the other showing the article packed in the can, both named and 
ulustrated. Unfortunately, these subdivisions were so large that 
the roundness of the can prevented one from seeing the picture as a 
whole, but this was soon remedied by making the subdivisions nar- 
rower and filling in between with directions, weight of contents, etc. 
From this point on the general plan of labels underwent few 
changes except that the work, both of the artist and pressman, 
improved wonderfully, some of the labels now designed and printed 
being real works of art. 
Up to a few years ago one of the most serious evils in the trade 
was the use of misleading and lying brands. The high-grade product 
would almost invariably be correctly and fully branded, but chums” 
and “pinks’”’ were usually branded as ‘Fresh salmon,” “Choice 
salmon,’’ etc., which would deceive all persons but those well ac- 
quainted with the industry. ‘Do-overs’’ and very poor fish were 
usually marketed under a brand which bore the name of a fictitious 
company or of no company at all. 
The passage of State laws of varying degrees of efficiency govern- 
‘ing the branding of salmon helped slightly to remedy this condition 
6111°—17——31 
