The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-01-21
Fish SCRAP As FERTILIZER.
ATLANTIC COAST FISHERIES FUR
NISII VALUABLE OIL FER
TILIZERS.
Result of Investigation of Fish-scrap
Industry by Department OF Agricul-
ture.

10 increase their output, the United
States Department of Agriculture be-
lieves that the interests of the farm
er are enhanced. The use OF fer
tilizers to supply nitrogen to the soil
is of continually increasing importance
20 our agricultural population. Fish
refuse has proved an important.
source Of organic nitrogen for fer,
ulizlng purposes, and the necessity Of
preparing it in commercial form has
leo to the development Of the fish
scrap industry in our Atlantic States.
The Department has, therefore,
been conducting Investigations, re-
suits Of which have just been pub
lished in pamphlet entitled: 1.-The
Fish-scrap Fertilizer Industry Of the
Atlantic Coast" with view to as
sisting the development Of this in
dustry.
There are at present about 40 fac
tories on the Atlantic coast, whose
main output is fish-scrap and fish oil
manufactured from the menhaden.
These are found all the way from
Maine to Florida. The business reach
ed its high water mark as long ago
as 1884, and the profits since have
never been SO great. owing to the re-
duced price of oil and scrap resulting
from the competition of other pro-
ducts. This is true Notwithstanding
the improvements that have been
made in the methods Of industry. The
annual output in oil and scrap has
not varied greatly from 10000 tons of
scrap and $4,000 barrels of oil during
the past 80 years. There has been
no growth in the recent past which
would warrant n belief in growth in
the future. However, there seems
every probability Of steady demand
for this fertilizer.
The great success which fish-scrap
has met with as a fertilizer is due in
part to the fact that besides contain
ing nitrogen it furnishes organic mat
ter To the soil which inorganic fer
tiliZers do not do. Ammonium Sui
phate an inorganic substance by
product of coke ovens supplies almost
90 per cent of the nitrogen used as
fertilizer in this country
Should there be a sudden improve
ment in the coking process by which
all the ammonia liberated in the old
form Of coking oven may be recovered,
this amount would be more than
enough 10 supply all the fertilizer
trade. In that case the preparation Of
fsh-scrap would become commercial
ly infeasible, but it is much more
profitable that the increase in the out
put OF ammonium sulphate will keep
pace merely with the growing demand,
and that there will be a continued de-
mand for f!sh-scrap.
The menhaden is not generally con-
sidered edible because it is too
bony" or "tOo oily" However, the
menhaden when freshly caught and
properly cooked is good to eat, al
though not so choice as certain other
fish easily obtained. AS the cost of
food increases and sea fish are used
for ecOnomy's sake to replace more
expensive meats, there undoubtedly
will be an increase i'm the use OF the
menhaden for food. The menhaden
has actually been prepared as are sar.
dimes, and has been declared a COM
plete success when SO used. a meat
extract has also been made from this
FISH, equal in nutritive value to that of
beef. While this food has been known
traction has failed to develop on Il
commercial scale. While there is no
indication at present that consumption
of mcnhaden is on the increase, the
shortage Of other food supplies might
increase the demand, and this would
De IL matter OF importance for the
lishscrap industry.
The waste from such fish as are
now generally eaten, forms "a pos
Siblc additional source Of fish scrap.
In the dressing of fish the waste rep
rcscutS an average of % per cent OF
the round" weight Of the fish. The
yearly catch of food fish in the At
lantiC and Gulf fisheries is about 700,-
100000 pounds. n per cent of this
represents refuse suitable for the
preparation Of fertilizer 4 consid-
cradle portion of this it is impossible
to use economically for the fisheries
arc scattered the whole length OF the
coast and many fish are shipped to
market undrcsscd. and much fresh
fish that il dressed is prepared on
Shipboard and tho waste thrown in
to the sea.
Most of the refuse of Ncwfound-