The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-11-06
HERRINGS FOR sARDiNEs.
What Nature Has Done for the French.
Man Made for the Shrewd Yankee.

ihi'I"hoplO ldSIo VI lIle ndllVe herring.
The Yankees could not discover any
means by which the herring taste could
be eradicated, and the sardne business
was pronounced a failure, but our
smart New Workers, after few expert
ments, hit upon a mixture of oils and
spices for a packing sauce, which made
a sardine of herring in a twinkling.
and gigantic industry has sprung
from the simple discovery. Not only
are sardines made from common her
ring now, but from sea trout, fish
called moranee and several other
finny species, all herring of lesser or
greater growth.
The herring of which sardines are
made are never over four inches long,
and the catching of the fish keeps hun
dreds of people busy along the coasts
of Maine and New Brunswick. The
herring 90 in shoals like mackerel, and
be price received for them is governed
4tirely by the condition of the fisheries.
Smetimes the fish swarm along the
casts, and hauls are made with I'M
Vaying success. Then the fisherman
cMeXpect no more than IS hogs
hea for his herring. Again, his nets
maybe but poorly patronized, and he
mas Us recompense IN higher price,
freqently obtaining $15 and $40
hogsSead, These big prices are gen.
eral lyobtained early in the spring.
A bring fishery is simple thing.
Smalfrees or brush are thrust into the
Sandypottom of the sea, arranged in a
line rqning out probably one hundred
feet oHnore and then curving back to
the shoe again. This is called trap,
and indie of this a huge net is set.
When tie tide is going out the net is
raised, nd the fish that come up with
1t are hken out with scoop nets.
Sometinis this catch will be so large
that the 1eight OF the fish will break
the bolton out ofthe big net, and the
great heaiof fish VIII nearly all escape.
Then, agap, the tihermen are able to
carry in a Bushel bag all the herring
that are caught in haul. Herring,
like mackeIel, will Allow light on
the water, and some, fishermen take
advantage Of this to FIJI for them in a
peculiar way. Two or hree fishermen
go in a boat. They ARD provided with
torches made of cottonbatting satur-
ated with kerosene. Oak nights are
chosen, and the boats arrowed along
the shores, with torch the bow of
each boat. 1t is soon kbwn when q
school of herring is reahed, for the
fish dash frantcally after he wake of
light made by the torch, all make the
water seethe and boil in heir rush.
The fishermen have short pies. on one
end of which is a small coop net.
They dip the herring out of(he water
with these as fast as the net can be
handled, and so intent are To fish on
the light that the net does nd disturb
them in the least. In this hy boat
load after boat load of future ardines
are captured in short time.
The way these herring are Andled
at the factories is sight welMorth
going all the way to Maine see.
After being captured the fish arelaken
Immediately to the factories. The are
laid in heaps on long tables. have
heard some of the native fishehen
around here talk about their skill in
skinning catfish. If they could zee
some of the boys and girls who week
in these sardine factories clean thee
h. spg they would never mentia
SIX Jhilg catfish again. The fish ae
cleaned Us. soon as they come in. +
stood al Bched seven-year-old
girl 60 ugh the operation ant
timed her. IShe beheaded and Quilted
seventy-tive herring every minute foI
ten minutes without a miss or n halt,
and they told me there were hundred:
more that could do the sans
thing and keep it up all day. The dex
terity is simply marvellous. The heac
of the fish is cut off and the entrails are
removed with one stroke of the knife
but how it is done | am not able to say
Each tish-cleaner has box at his feet
which holds bushel, and a constant
stream of fish is falling from his hands
into that box. Every time it is fillet
the boy or girl has earned ten cents.
The herring are thoroughly washed
after being cleaned and are then placed
in pickle for an hour. Taken from the
pickle, they are laid on trays ant
placed in a drying-room heated to, F.;
high temperature by steam. Wher
dry the fish are boiled in large shallow
pans filled with oil, the fish being thor
oughly cooked in the oil. Girls anC
women then pack the herring in thu
tin boxes in which they are placed il
the market. The sauce patented ar
ticle, is poured into the boxes, which
are handed over to men who solder or
the covers. To remove the air which
is sealed in with the fish, and which
must be taken out to insure the preser
walton of the sardines, the boxes an
placed in tank of boiling water foI
half an hour. On being removed they
are placed on an inclined plane. The
air inside is then driven to one corner
a workman punctures that corner will
an awl; the hot air escapes. and the aw
hole is Immediately covered with a eArol
of solder, and the box is air tight. Thu
box then receives its French label
bearing the inscription, ~ rhuill'
d'olve.' The 'huille d'olive' is made
from cotton seed in South Carolina, ant
isn't the best quality of that, either
not by good deal. There is a elias
of these Maine sardines, however
known as prime, which are preserved
| in the best cotton-seed oil.
New York is the great wholesale cen
ter for these Yankee sardines. Som
idea Of the magnitude of the bushes
may be obtained when tee you tina