Show AMERICAN SARDINE SHOWS IMPROVED I QUALITY ASHl WASHINGTON April 2 24 TIre Tho Tho pack of American sardines during the tire past season was waR Improved tl 33 Tier per cent In quality according according- to the food specialists of the United d States department of agriculture agriculture ag OJ- ag- ag who have o been conducting an experimental In laboratory Lara lor at nt East Eastport port Me during the tIre past Ja t two packing packing- sea sea- son sons This has been brought about b by the fact that the tIre demonstrations J In the laboratory have shown th the Maine can- can canners nors ners tire the advantage of or Improved d methods meth meth- antI and of striving to 10 make a 3 quality sardine to meet the demand demirand for a better class clas of or goods which the tho wars war's Interference interference Inter Inter- ference with Imports has largely larsel in tn- tn cre creased Before the tire laboratory was established the he Maine packers were competing bitten bit bit- ten amon among themselves In an air effort to produce can of or goods that could besold bo be bosold sold old at ome some profit for Cor the he low prices then offered by the tire jobbers and tho the wholesaler wholesaler- Under such Buch conditions th the packing establishments establishment s na nat t li th the packing establishments establishment s na nat t li naturally uca had a tendency to work worle for Cor speed rather than quality In packing Pack Fish Under the tIre oh old form torm of or com competition some som of th the packers paid pel ton pall very ery el little at attention attention at- at tenton to th the lie character or size of th the fish and antI some sonic at times Packet packed Alewives Silver Siver Hake Jake and Smelt ns as well as th the small lal herring herrin which thich Is the American Time Thc They also frequently packed what were known as o Cedy fish Those These were flair fish that had fed fd plentifully plentifully ful fully on oil a microscopic crustacean and sm small l shrimp When the tire fish were packed with their bodies full ful of oC this feed changes chanes in the tire food had a tendency ten ten- lOne dency to soften sofen the Ire flesh of the t flaIr fish h with the result resul that the they broke before placing them In lii the cans lifter After tire the trackers packers be began nn to compete on a n Q quality u I rather than a cost basas a simple wa way ra of doing Iol away awn with f fish h was ocd erl employed All Al that I Is necessary I is to leave the tIre sardines for a short hort tune time In Inthe Inthe intire the tire weirs in which they ore arc caught until tire they can cn digest the tire shrimp and ami small smal crustaceans Another tendency under the tIre former hurried methods of or packing the ho tle fish was to 0 o. o salt over r- r alt them or to lo leave leve them to too long longin In brine In the tIre boats which bring them from the tire veIra In other cases the tIre flaIr fish fh were mutilated mutated by mad handling or kept so lon long before cooking that tIre the they lost much of or their flavor navor Excessive Ex Lx salting II also destroyed the tire dell dell- of the fish and find made mado C cite Ic flavor or them salt milt lal r fish h rather than oil canned fish Under the tile new methods the tire boats are equipped with better tunics tanks and care cure Is beil being leing taken to get Jet the tire fish quickly quick to the packers and Into the tire steam cooker or fryer In II good condition t Yn me V IU IU lor ino cans ns 0 Yn me V IU IU lor ino cans ns 0 In prepa preparing lnE ln Il especially in iii 1 the case caso of small emaIl hahn fish there was a it tendency because of the haste to lo pull pul their heads oC oft off with wih fingers fingers fin fin- Cn- Cn gers ors Instead of cutting them ther properly with shears This pulling or snipping as wih it IH it called caled frequently left let portions of the hard gt gills of the flair fish in iii the tho can canamI mind and these he e gills gis frequently separated from th tire the fish leaving Inedible portions In the tho oil 01 and giving it an aim al undesirable look Under r the tire n new w competition In qualitY lole fish are being brought ht to the tire packing houses hOltS In touch much better heter condition and are aro being heln handled there much more moro carefully arp so o as to get Jr them hem Into lilo th tine cans In as nearly Icar perfect condition a as possible Packers Clean Factories The Tire most marked Improvement however how how- ever lias been tIre the interest tho the packers hs I have have taken token In iii II cleaning up their factories fac fire tories especially In seeing that tho the flakes fakes I on 01 which th the tb fish flaIr are arc dried the tha steam cookers mid and tire the other n machinery for forI or I handling and canning are arc I kept ept In good gomi i f tIne thA old a I sisin not i ithe only tire the tit condition of the tIre floors but of th tire the tables as well wel wore vere frequentlY disregarded Ils dis ilis' regarded This year practically every cry I factory In Maine has cleaned Its ls floors I and ami put Its tables other othor working I In such shane shape that a clean product can be produced The Tho factories I i arc also prohibiting the tire I throwing around of refuse and requiring th I clowning cleaning up ur of or floors and other parIs of tho the factory as al rapidly as Ilp they bo boaro are aro rr i 1 soiled In Jn the tho case se ce of the flakes or I wire frames meth on which the tire fish i 1 iare are tire dried InPut and then their thel sent Into the steam room the ho greater attention to clean- clean i I has hns had hart a n market marked effect erect on eu tire the th I appearance of the canned onnel product l Un Vu- n- n der thor the old system when these flakes nake w were ro not always nh 1 denned cleaned ned after each run parts larts of tho the cooked f limb h clung cluing to the meshes It was ml found that cun these the frag- frag fral- fral rag rag- I merits n-merits melts of fish and time tho condition of the nak flakes mado made It I Impossible to produce a 1 can of sardines In hr II cle 3 I clean dean oil tire the ce 01 as fra fragments ts on the tho flakes would woul j stick to io tho the new m fl-m and nd color the oil oi In iii tb tire the can During the I last st season practically all al of the tire packers trackers I paid marked attention to theo matters era with the tM result resul that this years year's product i in In n quality of fl fish h ant and oil 01 Is held by 0 antI and by the trade to lo be far tar su superior su- su perlo to the tire previous pre runs I |