Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-17
THE LITTLE SARDyNE.
A United States Consul Gives an Interest
ing Description Of the Fisheries.

A United States Consul Gives an Interest
ing Description Of the Fisheries.
Now come the DAYS of picnics and cold
lunches, and as you sit under the greenwood tree
opening the sardine box and splitting the oil.
mayhap upon your trousers, or as you MUNICH
the toothsome sardine sandwich that goes well
with beaker of roaming beer at midnight,
you may be interested in knowing something
Of the history of that sardine which comes to
you from foreign shore.
NJ. de Sallier-D upin, United States consul at
Nantes, writes to the State Department as
follows on the subject of sardines:
The catching and preservation in oil OF the
sardine is one of the most important industries
of Brittany. Along the coast from Les Sab.es-
dOlonne (Vendee) to Camaret (Finistere) there
are about $50 canning factories. During the
sardine season. which lasts about five months.
1850 boats, equipped with from II 900 to $4,000
sailors. are employed. The employees OF the
factories number about 10. 900 women and chill
dren and from 1.500 TO coo men. The annual
expenditure for labor. material. de-, amounts
to about 50, $4,000 This industry originated
at Nantes in the year 1884, and the best brands
are still those of that city. These brands
| are initiated in Spain and Portugal but are Of
inferior quality, owing to the use of Spanish
instead Of italian oil.
METHOD OF CATCHING THE FISH.
The sardine is a migratory fish, which first
appears on the coast of Africa, passing north
ward in large shoals, following the coast of
Portugal, crossing the Bay Of Biscay and
striking the coasts Of Vendee in the month of
April or May. Here the sardine is met bv
| fishermen stationed at the seaport town OF
/ Isle-dYeu and in the bays OF tho Sables-
d Oionne and of Saint GILES. who assemble
from all parts of Brittany and follow the fish
toward the north. retarding its progress with a
| special bait called ''roque"
| Before day break the fishing boats leave port
to search for the shoals Of sardines Many
| leave in the evening and anchor at sea. When
| peculiar bubbling of the water reveals the
| fish. the nets Immediately thrown. Each
net is from 900 to 900 yards in length about
| 8 yards in width. and black in color. On the
| upper part of the net are cork floats, on tho
lower part leaden sinkers to keep the net IN an
upright position.
| The oarsmen, generally two in number. row
always either against the wind or the tide. One
man casts the net as tine boat advances, while
another throws the rogue" into the water.
This bait Is an important feature of the sardire
catch, as 1t is quite expensive. and fishermen
often lose considerable quantity. 1t is made
| OF the eggs OF Goldfish or mackerel mixed with
clay and costs from 81 to SIT per barrel THAI
made of mackercl eggs is superior. This bait
| Is thrown into the water in small balls, which
! SLOWLY dissolve and sink.
| AT nlghtfall the boats return to port. where
they sell their fish to the Gamers at prices vary
ing according to the abundance of the catcl
| and the size and the freshness of the fish. Sale
! are made by the Thousand" but this tern
does not always indicate exactly thousand sar
dimes. For example, at Belle Isle 1.240 isl
make n thousand. Factories for preserving sar
dimes are located at all the ports. for the fisl
spoil easily and cannot bear transporta ton
The fishermen convey the sardines to the fac
tories in baskets.
PROCESS OF CANNING sARDINEs.
The sardines are spread on floors and saite,
and The heads removed. They then throw
into brine. where they remain half an hour
They are next washed in clear water and drie
on screens. This work is done almost enti,ei
by the wives and children OF the fishermen
their united wages during the fishing seaso
enabling the family to subsist during the fol
lowing winter
After the fish have been thoroughly drie
they are cooked by dipping them for fe'
minutes in oil heated to 100 c. (2l2o I.
They are again drained and handed over I
workmen, who pack them in small tin boxe,
which are filed with pure olive oil and the
soldered. The oil used is imported from tn
province OF Bari, Italy. The boxes are mex
thrown into hot water, where they renal
from two to three hours. according to the siz
of the boxes. When withdrawn the boxes ar
first cooled. then rubbed with sawdust
! cleanse and polish them and packed in woode
cases of 100 boxes for shipment.
During their immersion in the boiling waite
J oil will escape from all boxes not proper!
soldered. In such cases the loss is sus.uine
J by the solderer. A. good workman rarel
misses more than two or three boxes per 100.