﻿THE 
  HERRING 
  INDUSTRY 
  OF 
  THE 
  PASSAMAQUODDY 
  REGION. 
  465 
  

  

  w^hich 
  sardines 
  constituted 
  the 
  whole 
  or 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  pack 
  being 
  46. 
  

   There 
  had, 
  therefore, 
  been 
  practically 
  no 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  aggregate 
  

   number 
  of 
  canneries 
  since 
  1886. 
  In 
  1895 
  there 
  were 
  36 
  canneries 
  in 
  

   operation 
  at 
  Eastport, 
  Lubec, 
  Eobbinston, 
  Perry, 
  and 
  Pembroke 
  com- 
  

   bined 
  . 
  That 
  the 
  industry 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  has 
  grown 
  rapidly 
  and 
  attained 
  

   large 
  proportions 
  is 
  illustrated 
  by 
  the 
  following 
  table, 
  showing 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  factories 
  in 
  operation, 
  the 
  quantity 
  and 
  value 
  of 
  sardines 
  

   packed, 
  and 
  the 
  average 
  value 
  per 
  case 
  at 
  different 
  periods 
  from 
  1875 
  to 
  

   1895. 
  For 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  better 
  comparison, 
  the 
  products 
  here 
  shown 
  

   have 
  been 
  confined 
  to 
  sardines 
  i>roper. 
  A 
  variety 
  of 
  other 
  products 
  pre- 
  

   pared 
  at 
  the 
  canneries 
  each 
  year 
  in 
  considerable 
  quantities, 
  and 
  which 
  

   increase 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  output 
  to 
  a 
  greater 
  or 
  less 
  extent, 
  have 
  been 
  

   omitted. 
  These 
  consist 
  chiefly 
  of 
  Russian 
  sardines, 
  anchovies, 
  pickled 
  

   herring, 
  lobsters, 
  mackerel, 
  and 
  herring 
  or 
  other 
  species 
  put 
  up 
  in 
  round 
  

   and 
  oval 
  cans, 
  smoked 
  herring 
  and 
  secondary 
  products, 
  as 
  herring 
  oil 
  

   and 
  pomace, 
  and 
  the 
  refuse 
  of 
  copper, 
  solder, 
  and 
  tin. 
  

  

  Table 
  shotcing 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  canneries 
  operated, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  cases 
  and 
  value 
  of 
  sardines 
  

   packed, 
  and 
  the 
  average 
  value 
  per 
  case 
  in 
  various 
  years 
  from 
  1875 
  to 
  1895, 
  in 
  the 
  Passa- 
  

   maqiioddy 
  region, 
  Maine. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  above 
  figures 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  while 
  the 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  canneries 
  was 
  at 
  times 
  very 
  rapid, 
  notably 
  from 
  1875 
  to 
  1886, 
  

   there 
  has 
  been 
  no 
  period 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  annual 
  output 
  of 
  sardines 
  has 
  

   not 
  increased 
  with 
  still 
  greater 
  rapidity. 
  This 
  has 
  been 
  especially 
  the 
  

   case 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  few 
  years. 
  In 
  1875 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  cases 
  packed 
  

   by 
  one 
  cannery 
  was 
  600. 
  In 
  1880 
  the 
  average 
  number 
  of 
  cases 
  per 
  

   cannery 
  was 
  approximately 
  4,950. 
  The 
  average 
  in 
  1886 
  was 
  10,548, 
  

   and 
  in 
  1889 
  it 
  was 
  16,139 
  cases. 
  There 
  was 
  a 
  slight 
  falling 
  off 
  in 
  1892, 
  

   the 
  average 
  number 
  of 
  cases 
  per 
  cannery 
  being 
  14,423, 
  but 
  this 
  was 
  a 
  

   large 
  increase 
  over 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  1886, 
  when 
  the 
  same 
  number 
  of 
  

   factories 
  was 
  in 
  operation. 
  In 
  1895 
  the 
  average 
  reached 
  18,915 
  cases 
  

   per 
  cannery. 
  The 
  pack 
  aggregated 
  680,949 
  cases, 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  which 
  

   was 
  $1,641,303, 
  and 
  was 
  larger, 
  both 
  in 
  quantity 
  and 
  value, 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  

   previous 
  year. 
  The 
  canneries 
  along 
  the 
  coast, 
  although 
  not 
  engaged 
  

   in 
  the 
  business 
  so 
  extensively, 
  add 
  materially 
  to 
  the 
  quantity 
  placed 
  

   on 
  the 
  market 
  each 
  year. 
  The 
  figures 
  for 
  1895 
  are 
  not 
  at 
  hand, 
  but 
  in 
  

   1892 
  the 
  pack 
  in 
  that 
  section 
  was 
  101,789 
  cases, 
  valued 
  at 
  8345,756. 
  

  

  Decline 
  in 
  jrrices. 
  — 
  A 
  decline 
  in 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  American 
  sardines 
  began 
  

   very 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  industry. 
  The 
  small 
  pack 
  prepared 
  in 
  

   1875 
  sold 
  at 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  $11 
  per 
  case. 
  The 
  price 
  declined 
  very 
  grad- 
  

   ually 
  each 
  year 
  until 
  1880, 
  when 
  it 
  had 
  fallen 
  to 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  $10.14 
  

   F. 
  R. 
  96 
  30 
  

  

  