4 BULLETIN 908, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
In 1903 machinemade and machine-sealed cans, upon which 
experiments had been made previously, were generally substituted 
for the three-piece, handmade, soldered cans originally used, and an 
independent company undertook to supply the cans. As a result, 
the quantity of fish packed increased markedly. Im 1899, when 
handmade and hand-sealed cans were in use, the total pack of 
sardines amounted to 44,951,244 pounds, valued at $4,212,351. 
In 1904, just after the machine-made, machine-sealed cans had 
been introduced, the total quantity packed was 87,224,524 pounds, 
worth $4,380,498. In 1909, 90,694,284 pounds, valued at $4,931,831, 
were put up in the sardine canneries(33). In 1914 the value of the 
entire pack was $6,238,933(34). It is interesting to note that while 
the total quantity of sardines packed in either 1904 or 1909 was 
approximately double that packed in 1899, the total value was 
practically the same for all three years. 
Several factors have led those engaged in the sardine industry to 
strive for a large output, often with a tendency to sacrifice quality. 
In fact, the majority of the improvements which from time to time 
have been adopted have been designed to increase the quantity of 
the pack rather than to improve its quality. At first, the sardines 
canned in this country were fried and packed in olive oil, and com- 
pared favorabiy with the foreign article. At one time the American 
sardine was sold on the market as the foreign product, which decep- 
tion, however, was soon detected by the trade, and the dealers were 
forced to sell the domestic article on its own merits. But with the 
increasing production and increasing competition the price which 
the goods commanded declined, until it became necessary to pack 
the sardines more cheaply, resulting in the appearance on the market 
of a product vastly inferior to that sold during the first few seasons 
of the American industry. About 1880 the practice of using cotton- 
seed oil instead of olive oil was introduced, and some 10 years later 
the excellent custom of frying the fish in oil gave way to the modern 
_ method of cooking the fish in live steam. Several companies, how- 
ever, still fry the fish in oil. 
THE MAINE SARDINE. 
As it now enters the channels of trade, the Maine sardine is packed 
either in oil or in mustard or some other sauce, in cans of varying 
sizes, known as quarter oil, high-quarter oil, half oil, quarter mustard, 
and three-quarter mustard (p. 11). At the close of the mvestiga- 
tion here reported, owing to the difficulty of importing foreign sar- 
dines and the increased prices the domestic brands could command, 
from 50,000 to 60,000 cases of sardines in olive oil were put up per 
annum by some 12 or 15 canneries. As a rule, cottonseed oil is 
used for packing sardines, the grade called prime summer yellow 
being most commonly employed, although several packers use the 
