120 BULLETIN 908, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



marinase, highly spiced, and are also accustomed to olive oil in the 

 oil sardines. Tomato sauce is a favorite and another is ' 'escabeche," 

 which is made by adding vinegar, pepper, salt, and spices to hot oil 

 in which the fish have been cooked. 



Table 44 shows the import values of sardines in the different South 

 American countries for 1910, and, in some instances, for 1912, and 

 lists the principal exporting countries. 



Table 44. — Value of sardines imported into South American countries. 



To- 



Value. 



From — 



Argentina. 



Bolivia 



Brazil 



Chile 



Ecuador.. 

 Panama... 

 Paraguay . 

 Peru 



Uruguay . . 

 Venezuela . 



81,104,898 



i 6. 80-14 



2 1,267,575 



296,485 



48,553 



30,450 



102,871 

 49,546 

 252,982 



France and Spain. 



Spain, Portugal, and Italy. 



Norway. 



Spain." 



Germany and Spain. 



Germany and Great Britain. 



France, Spain, and Italy. 



Portugal, Spain, and Germany. 



Spain and France. 



Spain and Germany. 



1 Value per case. 



2 Preserved fish and fish extracts. 



According to the United States Department of Commerce (32), 

 Spain and Germany lead in supplying sardines imported into Vene- 

 zuela, the United States furnishing only $4,427 worth of a total of 

 $252,982. The Spanish sardine is of good quality and reasonable in 

 price. The situation with regard to the possibility of securing a 

 good portion of this trade is well summed up by the following state- 

 ment^), calling attention to the inferior quality of the domestic 

 product and the necessity of producing an article appealing to the 

 taste of the people: 



No great increase in exports from the United States to South America of sardines 

 and other fish may be looked for unless the quality of the product can be improved 

 and the tastes of the South Americans considered for fish put down in sauces. The 

 consumption in this line is very large and worthy of study by fish canners. 



This publication (32) gives the rates of duty, the details of trans- 

 portation, shipping, etc., and other valuable information pertaining 

 to sending goods to these countries. 



There appears to be no reason, other than a scarcity in the supply 

 of fish and an overwhelming demand from the domestic market, why 

 the American packers of sardines should not obtain their share of the 

 South American trade. This is another irrefutable argument for the 

 improvement of quality. 



