﻿THE 
  HERRING 
  INDUSTRY 
  OP 
  THE 
  P 
  ASSAM 
  AQUODDY 
  REGION. 
  469 
  

  

  were 
  from 
  $3.40 
  to 
  $2.50 
  per 
  case, 
  and 
  in 
  April 
  from 
  $2 
  to 
  $2.30 
  per 
  

   case. 
  These 
  low 
  prices 
  prevailed 
  daring 
  the 
  entire 
  year, 
  though 
  certain 
  

   choice 
  brands 
  put 
  up 
  in 
  small 
  quantities 
  brought 
  better 
  prices. 
  On 
  

   account 
  of 
  these 
  conditions 
  the 
  pack 
  for 
  1896 
  was 
  greatly 
  curtailed. 
  

  

  Quality 
  of 
  sardines. 
  — 
  In 
  the 
  strong 
  competition 
  between 
  the 
  various 
  

   manufacturers 
  the 
  quality 
  of 
  the 
  goods 
  has 
  in 
  a 
  measure 
  been 
  sacrificed 
  

   to 
  the 
  interest 
  of. 
  producing 
  large 
  quantities. 
  When 
  the 
  industry 
  was 
  

   first 
  established, 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  ambition 
  of 
  the 
  packers 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  quality 
  

   of 
  the 
  domestic 
  product 
  equal, 
  if 
  possible, 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  sardines 
  

   imported 
  from 
  France 
  and 
  other 
  countries, 
  and 
  thus 
  secure 
  at 
  least 
  a 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  trade 
  which 
  was 
  then 
  wholly 
  supplied 
  by 
  the 
  foreign 
  manu- 
  

   facturers. 
  It 
  was 
  also 
  hoped 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  supply 
  should 
  exceed 
  the 
  

   demand 
  of 
  the 
  home 
  market 
  the 
  surplus 
  stock 
  might 
  be 
  exported. 
  To 
  

   this 
  end, 
  therefore, 
  the 
  best 
  quality 
  of 
  material 
  was 
  used, 
  and 
  the 
  

   greatest 
  care 
  was 
  exercised 
  in 
  the 
  methods 
  of 
  preparation, 
  and 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  

   years 
  the 
  quality 
  of 
  the 
  sardines 
  put 
  up 
  at 
  Eastport, 
  while 
  somewhat 
  

   inferior 
  to 
  the 
  best, 
  was 
  equal 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  average 
  brands 
  imported. 
  

   Had 
  these 
  eflbrts 
  been 
  continued 
  until 
  the 
  present 
  time, 
  it 
  seems 
  not 
  

   improbable 
  that 
  a 
  still 
  higher 
  standard 
  of 
  excellence 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  

   attained. 
  Attention 
  was, 
  however, 
  soon 
  directed 
  toward 
  reducing 
  the 
  

   cost 
  of 
  the 
  products. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  changes 
  made 
  was 
  

   that 
  of 
  substituting 
  cotton-seed 
  and 
  nut 
  oils 
  of 
  various 
  kinds 
  for 
  olive 
  

   oil. 
  This 
  practice 
  began 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  before 
  1880, 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  become 
  

   general 
  until 
  after 
  that 
  date. 
  The 
  cheai)er 
  oils 
  were 
  first 
  introduced 
  

   for 
  frying 
  the 
  fish, 
  but 
  in 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  they 
  were 
  also 
  used 
  for 
  i)ackiug 
  

   them 
  in 
  the 
  cans. 
  Changes 
  have 
  also 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  methods 
  of 
  i)re- 
  

   paring 
  sardines, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  render 
  the 
  performance 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  more 
  

   rapid 
  and 
  thus 
  increase 
  the 
  capacity 
  of 
  the 
  canneries 
  at 
  a 
  reduced 
  

   ratio 
  of 
  cost. 
  

  

  There 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  some 
  doubt 
  in 
  the 
  minds 
  of 
  the 
  packers 
  whether 
  

   or 
  not 
  the 
  herring 
  [Clupea 
  harengus), 
  which 
  is 
  used 
  for 
  sardines 
  on 
  the 
  

   coast 
  of 
  Maine, 
  is 
  susceptible 
  of 
  being 
  so 
  prepared 
  that 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  equal 
  

   in 
  quality 
  to 
  the 
  best 
  imported 
  sardines. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  quite 
  safely 
  asserted 
  

   that 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  does 
  not 
  offer 
  any 
  insurmountable 
  

   barrier. 
  The 
  sardine 
  {Glupanodon 
  pilchardus) 
  used 
  in 
  France, 
  which 
  is 
  

   the 
  young 
  of 
  the 
  pilchard, 
  the 
  English 
  sprat 
  [Glupca. 
  apraituH), 
  and 
  the 
  

   California 
  sardine 
  {Clitpanodon 
  cfvruleus) 
  all 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  family 
  

   of 
  fishes 
  as 
  the 
  herring, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  any 
  superiority 
  which 
  

   one 
  may 
  have 
  over 
  another, 
  when 
  packed 
  in 
  oil, 
  depends 
  more 
  on 
  the 
  

   quality 
  of 
  the 
  oil 
  and 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  treatment 
  than 
  on 
  the 
  natural 
  

   characteristics 
  of 
  the 
  species. 
  That 
  the 
  experiment 
  is 
  a 
  hopeful 
  one, 
  

   as 
  to 
  its 
  effect 
  on 
  prices, 
  is 
  indicated 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  in 
  1895 
  a 
  consid- 
  

   erable 
  quantity 
  of 
  goods 
  were 
  so 
  improved 
  in 
  quality 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  

   sold 
  for 
  at 
  least 
  50 
  cents 
  more 
  per 
  case 
  than 
  the 
  best 
  average 
  brands. 
  

   The 
  improvement 
  consisted 
  mainly 
  in 
  frying 
  the 
  fish 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  exercise 
  

   of 
  ereater 
  care 
  in 
  their 
  preparation. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  their 
  value 
  

  

  