MAINE SARDINE INDUSTRY. 103 
Waste In Cutting Back FisH To Pack IN QUARTER-SIZE CANS. 
Data were secured to show the waste occurring when fish of large 
size were cut in various ways to fit the can, and the use of a can of 
larger size to fit these fish was considered. 
A high-quarter long can (Pl. XX, fig. 1), made to hold large fish 
without cutting away the best portions of the flesh, has the same 
dimensions in height and width as the ordinary high-quarter can, but 
is linchlonger. The larger fish (7 and 8 inches long), which at certain 
times are the only ones obtainable, can be packed more economically 
in this can. One of the most striking features in the preparation of 
sardines is the enormous waste of edible material caused by packing 
such fish in the common quarter oil size can (Pl. XX, fig. 2). Fish 
7 and 8 inches long were cut back in different ways to properly fill 
the suggested higher and longer can and the ordinary low-quarter 
can (Pl. XXI). To fit the new type of can the 7-inch fish is cut 
directly back of the gills, with the tail trimmed, thus eliminating all 
waste of edible material. If the tail is not trimmed, a small piece 
of edible material is lost in cutting (Pl. XXI, fig. 1). In cutting fish 
of this size to fit the ordinary quarter oil can, a large amount is wasted 
(Pl. XXI, fig. 1, central figure). Practically half of this waste may 
be saved by trimming the tail of the fish when packing in the low- 
quarter can. 
With 8-inch fish no waste occurs when the tail is trimmed and the 
fish cut to fit in the larger can (Pl. XXI). When the tail is not 
trimmed a certain amount of waste results (Pl. XXI, fig. 2). 
When cut according to present practice, tail untrimmed, to packin the © 
ordinary low-quarter oil can, practically one-half, and the best meaty 
- portion of the fish, is discarded. By trimming the tail and cutting to 
pack in the ordinary quarter size can, nearly one-half of this waste 
can be saved. The amount thus saved is practically the same as that 
obtained by cutting, with the tails untrimmed, to pack in the sug- 
gested longer can. A greater saving is effected by the use of this can 
with the 8-inch fish than with the 7-inch fish. 
The saving in material which may be obtained by the use of a can 
to fit the fish, rather than cutting the fish to fit the can, is strikingly 
shown in Plates XXII and XXIII, where the determination of the 
amount of waste was actually made on a number of fish 8 inches long, 
cut in the manner described to pack in the longer can and in the 
ordinary quarter oilsizecan. Figure 1, Plate XXII, shows the mini- 
mum waste, 19 per cent, of heads, and a portion of the tails only, 
of fish which had been cut and the tails trimmed to pack in the high- 
quarter long can. Fish cut in this manner will pack five to the can, 
with no waste of edible material. 
