The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1882-03-08
Packing Salmon.

season at satisfactory prices, and, we
understand, negotiations are going on
looking TO the sale Of more on the
same terms.
The difference in the price of salmon
during the last twelve or fourteen
wears illustrates how necessary it is
to have such an admirable system as
the present to insure any profit. Tue
first attempts at canning, were. nee
essarily, experimental; ROW the Inst-
fer is SO thoroughly understood that
not cne.tcnth OF the loss ensues that
prevailed up to within few years xSo.
For the last few seasons the greater
part Of the canneries receive their fish
directly from the fshermen's boats;
the fish are cleaned, washed, dried,
and laid on tables under huge knives
and sliced up; then comes the putting
into cans, each can holding a pound
of the back and belly; ''all back would
bo too dry; all belly too rich," says
our informant, SO a happy medium is
struck and all unwholesome sequels
avoided in this way. Then comes the
soldering of the cans, and the cooking.
Here is the critical part of the work;
the parties in charge like everyone
else IN charge Of anything must un-
derstand what they are doing, or fail
ure is the result. After the cans are
cooked for an hour or 30 holes are
made to allow all air to escape, then
sealed up and again boiled for another
hour, after which the supposition is
that there are no "swell heads" likely
to come out of the batch. Time was
when as high as eight per cent. of bad
cans were found; now, if one half of
one per cent. must be thrown away, it
Is considered as misfortune, tending
as it does to diminish materially the
profit upon the investment. To buy
fish and lose them, would, in itself be
bad enough, but pound tin of canned
salmon represents loss of fish. tin,
labor, insurance, freight, fuel, sup
plies, and. worst of all, if not taken
out, loss of reputation for the cannery.
This testing is done by men who have
reason to clam exportnsss, and is the
most critical part of the performance.
After the testing comes the labelling.
These labels are ornamental affairs,
gotten up in all the gorgeous glory of
crimson and blue, and gold and scar
let. and are the exclusive property of
the cannery in question, though,
sometimes it happens that outside
parties in California and elsewhere
mark their canned salmon Columbia
river salmon," and foist an inferior
article on the market III that way.
No other salmon has the genuine
favor that makes the Columbia catch
so universally sought after.
From tho time the unsuspccting
salmon finds himself in gill net, till
he is sliced canned, cooked and boxed,
ne passes through fifty hands and in
as expeditions manner 'as in the
famous hog killing and pork packing
establishments of Cincinnati and Chi
cago.
Very little salmon il salted, the
little that Is packed in that way being
chiefly meant for local demand.
In former years attempts have been
made at various times to pack meats,
fruits, vegetables, ETC., but owing to
causes that could not be foreseen,
such attempts were not successful.
This year three of the canneries at
this place intend to pack beef and
make an attempt to put the packing
of fruits Oh a permanent basis. The
packing of meats, could, we think, be
made pay from the start; from the
scarcity of fruits in this vicinity il
would seem as though the effort t.
establish any canning would be ex
ceedingly difficult.
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