The Wrangell sentinel., 1919-03-13
Herring Packers
 Warned Against Poor Cooperage
tBy Aug. H. D. klie. Her
 ring Expert. ]

i v
 ous mistake if. as has been re- lported, they attempt to cut down toperating expenses this coming season by using inferior contain CTS. This coming year packers will have to sell their fish on their merits. since large lots of Scotch
 and other foreign cures will again l find their way into the market. Certain defects, especially in the curing, were overlooked last sea- son on account of the very heavy demand for the Alaska Scotch Tcure; but. unless the packers are far more careful than last season, they will have considerable diff lculty in selling their fish on ac- count of the fact that the inspec- tion will be much more severe than heretofore.
 With the Norwegian and other hard cures, the fish are so heavily salted that a dry or leaky barrel l does not have a disastrous effect on the cure: but with the Scotch Ieure there should be no loose or free salt after the 12th or 14th day of cure, so that it is absolutely necessary that the barrel be of high grade to hold the pickle, l which is really the life of the Scotch cure herring. Dry or leaky barrels are often the cause of tainted or rusty herring. for which there is no sale. Thinner slaves than those adopted by the Bureau of Fisheries for the Scotch barrel are decided disadvantage. First of. all, the fish are cured much lighter than in any other method of packing herring and therefore
 require more protection from heat which a thicker slave affords; and. secondly. the journey from the curing station to the regular herring centers is almost twice as
 far as from Scotland to New York.
 making it essential that only the
 best grades of wood and work.
 manship be used. The barrels are not only handled very much oftener during the trip from Alas
 ka to New York than the imported
 product but the handling is very
 much rougher as well.
 Last season some barrels were made to initiate the standard bar
 rel adopted by the United States
 Bureau of Fisheries. The stan- dard barrel was set up originally
 by the Western. Cooperage con-
 pany, under Instructions of the special representative on Scotch
 cure of the Unlted States Bureau of Fisheries. The barrels made in imitation of .he standard bar rel were by far too frail; the iron or steel hoops were not alone too narrow but also too light. The Eastern trade knows the differ
 ence between he various kinds of barrels usel Tn the various countries: and. often when buying fish that ere Of equal quality, se- lects the parcel that is packed in the best cooI craze. One lot packed in Ala, ka last year did not pass inspec .ion in Seattle as to selection, GU. of fish, etc., but
 found 2 buyer at a slightly re- duced price lacause of being packed in the standard Scotch style barrels something the trade demanded in the East
 Repairing and recoopering bar rels that are jeaky or otherwise defective are big problems in New York-especially during hot weather. and u,th coopers or re- pdirmes almost unobtainable.
 W nat one ima'. mes is saved by buying a cheal barrel of infer for grade is moe than offset by
 heav..- cOopera, e charges when the fish arrive n Seattle. where
 they must az; in be overhauled before allowi :; them to be