The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1877-03-24
HOW sARDlSEs ARE PREPARED.

aIcnliutiru Used III This Cnun,ry-liow the
Fish Is Got Ready for llurkut-t;rcnt ln-
crease In tho Trade during the Last Seven
| Years. ... .
The American Sarline Company stnrt-
ed the business of preparing snr'lines for
sale about seven years ago, Mt Port Mon
mouth, N. j. Some idea of the extent
OF these works ,nay be gained from the
fact that in 1878 the company manufac-
ttred and sold 470, 200 cans, n quantity
which wHs nearly equal to the total i'm
portation OF foreign sartlines in 1870, the
yenr when the company WIS started. In
1874 the production was equally large,
| but during the Inst two seasons the catch
Inns been small, owing to lie scarcity OF
the fish which the company selected MS q
substitute for the sardine1the menhaden
or ocean trout, commonly called the
"moss bunker" Its color is Silvery,
spotted with dark brown. These fish
abound i'll the bays and deep rivers which
indent the coasts Of New Brunswick,
Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, and in
the spring and full appear also in great
numbers along the New England coast
and in the Raritan buy. Here during
the season they IRE caught by the en-
ployees OF tile sArtline company, who
begin operations about May first and
continue the work until November first.
The flesh OF the menlailen is sweet and
nutritious and is by many preferred to
that Of the imported sArtline,, the only de-
feet being the unusual number Of bones.
These, however, arc now removed by n
mechanical process, for which the CON-
pany secured n, patent i'll 1872. ---
The president OF the company recent
" gave Tribune reporter the following
information rs to the manner Of catching
the fish and the process Of manufacture
4 The mcnhaden is timid fish and swims
upon the surface. Whenat early dawn n
school is deserted by the ripples on the
surface, the small boats are lowered from
the sloops which have been lying off the
ground since midnight, and long net
about 100 feet in length and descending
twelve or thirteen feet into the water is
carried ont Oh both sides until the school
I is surrounded. The fish are then lallet
out by the fishermen with scoops, v
FplNced on board the sloops, and brought
to the factory docks at Port Monmouth.
In the factory they are first brought t.
the "scalcr,," long shaft with twelve re-
volying wheels filed, with long blunt
teeth, which removed the scales. Tie
heads are then cut of, the entr,lils re-
moved, and. the fishes are placed in wash
ling trouglls, above which are circular re-
vnlving brushes, by contact with which
the fishes are thoroughly cleaned, AMI
1.-THE bones removed. They are then put
lin picking watts for several hours, unit
well sailed; from these they are trims
lferred to the cooking cans, which arC
pluced in the STAINING tanks, seven il
humber, each capable Of holding 1,0Ot
boxes. From the stcnining tanks the!
pass ton long table, and are finally pack
Ell in. permanent calls. After oil hnt
spices have been placed in the cans, the,
Arc sealed. The time occupied III thu
whole process is about three days.
Prior to 1874 tile salcs werc confined
10 this country, hut during the last tw'
Jears large quantities have been export
ell to Russia, Germany, Australia, Eug
land and South America. Last year up
plication for agencies in Frnco wer
received, but rs, owing to the small yielt
last season, the existing demand coult
not be supplied, it was deemed inndvisa
bic to undertake new c0ntrncts. Til,
company now employ $50 mon. An cx
tcnsivc catch is expected during the com
ing season, and preparations arc making
to enlarge the works. % #.-t 1