NOTES AND STATISTICS OF IMPORTANT INDUSTRIES. 



SALMON. 



In former } T ears practically the entire catch of salmon was canned, 

 but recently the demand for the mild-cured and frozen fish has grown 

 until this feature of the industry has become an important business 

 and its product has largely replaced canned salmon for the eastern 

 trade, meeting still a growing demand, especially in Europe. 



Only fish of the best qualit} r and largest size are used for mild 

 curing. They are dressed by slivering the sides from the backbone, 

 are then thoroughly washed and rubbed with salt, and packed, with 

 salt between the layers, into tierces holding 800 pounds each. The 

 packed tierces are at once put into cold storage or refrigerator cars 

 until wanted for shipment, when they are sent by fast freight to the 

 eastern market. Salmon thus prepared is used chiefly for smoking, 

 and much of it is now sold in New York and other eastern cities for 

 ultimate use in sandwiches, after the German custom. 



The use of such large quantities of salmon for mild curing has 

 greatly reduced the pack of the canned product, and has increased the 

 price paid the fishermen from 50 to 75 per cent during the past few 

 years. In 1904 for chinook salmon weighing 20 pounds or more the 

 fishermen received 6 to 7, and in some cases 8 cents a pound as the fish 

 came from the water. The smaller fish brought 4 to 5 cents a pound. 

 These are high prices compared with the 3 to 4 cents a pound paid a 

 few } T ears ago. Many canneries now combine with canning the pack- 

 ing of mild-cured salmon, thereby utilizing both large and small fish. 



OUTPUT OF SALMON IN 1904. 



During 1901 the market took 9,905,181 pounds of mild-cured salmon, 

 valued at $1,119,912, and 5,894,162 pounds of fresh frozen salmon, 

 valued at $345,692, or a total of 15,799,646 pounds, valued at $1,465,- 

 604. In addition, 4,640,810 pounds of salmon were sold salted, and 

 346,000 pounds smoked. 



The salmon canned in 1904 amounted to 857,232 cases, valued at 

 $4,157,242, against 1,117,360 cases, valued at$6,139,032, in 1899. This 

 large decrease, of 560,128 cases, or 36,408,320 pounds gross weight, is 

 about half made up by the increase in the output of mild-cured and 

 fresh frozen salmon. 



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