The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-05-17

den? No. 1t isn't toy, nor a
 new candy, nor even a "spook, " A% but--a fish. And, would you believe 1t. fish that is caught in the sea and then buried under the ground in order to help corn and wheat and other products of the field grow strong and large and healthy. Now doesn't that strike you as a queer reason to catch a fish?
 But to return to the fish. If you have never seen menhaden you cer- tainly would not recognize it by it's Latin name, which is Brevoortia ty- rannus. But you may recall it per fectly by one or more of it's other names
 In Maine 1t is better known as the "pogy;" and in Massachusetts it is called that and also "hardhead." Rhode Island knows 1t as the menha- den, and Connecticut has named it the "bony fish" and the white fish,"
 If you lived in New York or New Jersey you would hear it spoken of as the "mossbunker;" while from . those States on down through the South 1t has been given the name of "alewife" Gold wife) and "bug fish" <hiAo "hch yOu Btl dS IdT OOuln as North Carolina you will hear it called the "fatback' and "shad."
 The name "menhaden" is supposed to have originated from the Indian name "munnawhatteaug," which means "fertilizer"-but which doesn't sound one bit like "menhaden," does it?
 Now one would be apt to imagine that fish with that many names must surely be big fellow. On the contrary. the rhenhaden is only about four inches long when it is a year old and about twice that length at the end of the second year; three times that after it has been swimming around for three years; and from sixteen to eigh- teen inches when full grown. So. you can see for yourself, it is compara- lively little fellow to have so many names. Why, just think how big the whale is-and he is always called sim ply whale" isn't he!
 But the menhaden is a most vaIua ble member of the fnny tribe, as you shall see further on in this story. ' Now, for moment, just imagine yourself way back among the Indians of New England even before the PD grim Fathers landed. The Indians were much concerned every spring lest their crops be poor and food scarce when the long, hard winter closed down upon the land. So. they used to catch the menhaden-along with other fish - and put them on their land as fertilizer
 For example, the Indian. who really cared about his crop of corn. womb bury two menhadens in each corn hin As the fish decayed, they added a ger. tain richness to the soil and. hence the growing corn had rich nourisb, ment.
 The colonlsts were quick to notice this practice of the Indians. and tbev 100. scattered fish broadcast over tbe,r fields. And the practice continued for many years--in fact until some, ono discovered that the oil from tbe dc composed fish was really a. detriran+ to the soil
 So In order to remove the oil be- lore scattering them over the eround the flsh were packed into hogsheads or barrels. covered with water and compressed by thick boards on which were placed heavy weights. After standing thus for a while. the fish would decay and the oil from them rise TO the surface of the water whence 1t was skinned off.
 Then the remaining fish matter was spread upon the land as fertilizer. After while 1t was found that cook ng the fish would bring the oil to me surface much more quickly and cleanly than by the process of decom- position
 From then on, developments in the process of making fertilizer out of fish