[15] THE GREAT HERRING FISHERIES. 355 



and that the development of the true method may be hindered and 

 made difficult by working to introduce the method which erroneously 

 is supposed to be the best, but that by aiding the sale of fish a trade 

 may be furthered which is not much thought of, and assume dimensions 

 of which no one dreamed. It is evident that if efforts are made to ex- 

 tend the market for fish, which may be done in many different ways, as 

 by taking measures to have a first-class article prepared, «nd by grant- 

 ing certain privileges to the export trade, the fishermen, who thereby 

 obtain a better price for their goods, find the means to acquire better 

 material and apparatus, and adopt methods of carrying on their trade 

 which became possible only because of the higher prices paid for fish. 

 It is clear that as a general rule it will be impossible to force a trade 

 into existence unless the necessary economic conditions are given. 

 Otherwise the result will be the same as that of the Scotch fisheries 

 after the Dutch manner, artificially fostered by premiums, viz, that the 

 fisheries continue just as long as these premiums are paid, and no 

 longer. It is, moreover, self-evident that if it is impossible to obtain 

 the very best of anything, one should content himself with what he has, 

 and try to make the best of it. Never forget the old legend of Atte, 

 who, after he had got a whole sleigh full of game, chased a squirrel 

 so long that he lost both the sleigh and its contents. 



A method of furthering the sale of herring, which from an economic 

 point of view must be considered remarkable, is the so-called '' testing 

 of the herring." During the Middle Ages special men were appointed 

 who tested herring and other articles of food. In the north of Germany 

 these men were called hracker. They had to testify whether the goods 

 were of the desired quality, and if this was not the case the goods re- 

 ceived a certain stamp to show their inferior quality. Later this testing 

 developed into a classifying of the goods, according to their different 

 quality, by different stamps. If such a method of testing is to prove 

 an advantage to the herring-fisheries, it is necessary that it should be 

 done in the country from which the fish are exported, and that it is done 

 ,in such a manner as to inspire confidence. For this reason the Govern- 

 ment of Scotland, in 1809, appointed testers who watched the prepara- 

 tion of the herring during the entire salting season, and after the pre- 

 pared fish had been examined the barrels were marked with the pre- 

 scribed crown stamp. This was continued till the year 1859. Already 

 previous to this time some opposition to the testing of fish had made 

 itself felt in Scotland, and the result was that it was resolved that 

 those persons who desired to have their fish tested had to pay a certain 

 fee for it. In spite of the fact that this fee has now to be paid for every 

 barrel of herring which is tested, the number of barrels which are tested 

 and stamped has increased very considerably. During the period 18G0- 

 '69 the manufacture of salt herring increased 29.6 per cent., while the 

 number of barrels tested and stampeci during the same period increased 



