The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-07-05
YANKEE SARDINES.

It's a fact that can't be denied. said
wholesale grocer. that there are compar
atively few imported sardines. and conse-
ouently few sardines at all, sold in this
country nowadays. and yet not one con-
sumner in a thousand knows the difference.
so nearly do the fish sold for sardines ap
proach the genuine, both in appearance
and taste.
''Nine-tenths of our sardines come from
Maine There are in Passport Ne, alone
two dozen places or more where the mock
sardine is prepared and boxed, and there
are many others at Lubec, Jenesport and
other towns of the Maine coast
The business began as long ago as 1876.
1t was the conception Of a couple OF sharp
and far-seeing New Workers They began
at Eastport, not as sardine packers-that
was an Neutrality-suspicious. in packing
small herring in odd-shaped little wooden
kegs. the pickle that preserved them
being high with spices. These herring
we're placed on the market as Russian
herring. end for long time their cheap
and fraudulent fish was on the bills OF
fare OF the swell restaurants OF this city
and elsewhere as the highest-priced relish
they served.
The enteIprising New Workers made
money fast in their venture. but they got
the idea that there was more money still
in modelling the herring after the sardines
put up in France although some shrewd
/ ankee had experimental extensively and
used up no little capital years before in
efforts TO work out similar idea TO prsc-
teal results, but without success.
They had found it easy 10 cook the cal
low Maine herring pack it in olive oil in
imitation sardine boes with French labels
in imitation Of the labels on the imported
sardines. and give them every appearance
Of the genuine imported article; but when
this Yankee sardine went to the table its
fraudulent character became at once ap-
parent The soft. rich flavor Of the i'm
ported sardine was not there. but only
the unmistakable taste of the native
herring.
The Maine experimenters could not
discover any means by which the herring
flavor could be replaced by that Of the
sardine and the business ended in failure;
but the smart New Workers. after a few
experiments Of their own hit upon a
mixture or blend Of spices and oils for q
packing sauce that made sardine Of a
herring in d twinkling and gigantic in
dustry has sprung from that simple dis
eovery. Not only are sardines made from
common herring now. but from young sea
trout. little fish called the moranee and Z
several other species or varieties OF FISH {
all. perhaps. herring OF a lesser OF greater /
growth
The herring Of which the Yankee sar- (
dimes sre made are never more than four +
inches long. and the catching Of them I.
keeps hundreds Of people busy along the I
coast OF Maine and New Brunswick
The way they arc handled At the fac /
tory IS a sight worth going all the way I
20 Maine To see. The fish are taken from 4
the fisheries Immediately to the factories +
4 mere they are piled Up in heaps on long (
tables I have heard many a New York 4
rustic boast Of the facility with which .
he can skin q catfish. but II he could see
some % the boys and girls who work IN
those sardine factories clean these her
ring he would never mention his skin.ing
ssh again I watched a seven-year-old
girl go through this operation one dsy
md timed her. she beheaded and Quilted
3 herring every minute for ten minutes
without a miss OF q halt and they tod
ne there were hundreds more who could
30 the same thing. and keep il Up al day
New York Is the great wholesale center
or these Yankee ssrdiles- Some idea OF
he magnitude % the business may b. had
xhen I tell you that one factory alone IN
-ubec-and there are other factories dong
more business IN this li-e-purs up /
Is high as .ooe boxes o. sardines in a
-ear. besides TIE large quantities OF sea
rout and other brands q transformed
herring Il disposes OF New York Sun
No-tonvfie. Kan. has an infant prodi-
y over whom the county papers are hold
ng high carnival She i fifteen years
Id. and has goue to school nine yezrs-
during that time she has never missed
school session. been late. OF stood IL
eg s. in her studies