490 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES, 
in 1865. It was well known to. me that myriads of little herring were annually caught at Hast- 
port, Me. These were too small to be of use for smoking or pickling, and I thought that as they 
belonged to the same family as the sardine they might be used with profit as a substitute, and that 
if properly prepared they would be equally good. Acting upon this thought I visited Croissett, 
on the coast of France, where there were several canneries for the packing of sardines, and made 
a careful examination of their works. I also studied the methods of taking the fish and the 
different processes to which they were subjected before being placed in the cans. Later, I pro- 
ceeded to Nantes, on the river Loire, for the purpose of inspecting the canneries of that region. 
Having made myself familiar with the French methods, I purchased a quantity of olive oil and 
other articles to be used in the packing of herring and returned home. 
“Tn the fall of 1867 I proceeded to Eastport and secured suitable buildings for the work and 
began a series of experiments. JI put up the fish in cans similar to those used by the French and 
used only the best quality of olive oil in preserving them. Great difficulty was found in properly 
drying the fish, and after a loss of considerable time and money I was obliged to abandon the 
business on account of my inability to get rid of the herring-oil flavor.” 
This failure to prepare a suitable article was but a single step in the line of progress toward 
an important industry. Had Mr. Burnham pushed his experiments a little further he would 
doubtless have been rewarded, as he well deserved, by the discovery of a suitable method of 
drying the fish, after which his way would probably have been clear. As it was, his failure had 
its effect upon those who were interested in the work and the result was, that parties began 
looking about for other fishes which did not possess the “ herring-oil flavor.” 
AN ATTEMPT TO UTILIZE THE MENHADEN FOR THIS PURPOSE.—An attempt was soon made 
to utilize the common menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) for canning purposes. The parties engaged 
in this work met with fair success, and the canned menhaden were at first received with consid- 
erable favor, but for some reason the business is now of little importance, if, indeed, it has not 
been wholly abandoned. 
Prof. G. Brown Goode, in his History of the Menhaden, gives the following account of the 
manufacture of sardines from menhaden : 
“On the coast of New Jersey, near Port Monmouth, are several factories, which carry on an 
extensive business in canning menhaden in oil and spices. Mr. F. F. Beals, of New York, gives 
the following description of the methods in use in one of these establishments: 
“¢ We aim to have our catch of mossbunkers in by 6 or 7 o’clock a. m., as the fish seem to be 
strongly impregnated with phosphorus and soon spoil in warm weather. As soon as the fish are 
landed, we put our entire force of men to cleaning, cutting, and scaling, for which we have 
machines adapted. When the fish are cleaned, they are at once put in hogsheads, and salted just 
sufficiently to keep and to remove their extreme freshness. They are then packed in cooking 
cans, which are a little larger than the packing cans, and put into the tanks, where they are 
steamed for the space of about two hours. After the fish are taken out, they are pla&d in the 
regular market cans, which are then laid upon zine-covered tables, where they are filled with 
salad oil. They then go to the tinners, who solder on the lids, after which the can is again 
steamed and vented, and passed up into the cleaning and labeling room. Each day’s work is 
piled up separately, each can being thoroughly tested to see that it is perfectly air-tight. For 
this we have an experienced hand. Not a can is packed until it has stood for at least a month. 
At the expiration of this time, after being again tested, the cans are packed in wooden cases 
containing two dozen each, and are then ready for the market. As we make all our tin cases, we 
