Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-01-17

washington, u. u, JAN io'~NSpS
j In helping the manufacturers OF soil Ter
J tilizers to increase their output, the 7.
/ 5. Department of Agriculture peneVes
/ that the interests of the farmer are en-
HANGED. The use of fertilizers to supply
nitrogen to the soil is Of continually IN
creasing Importance to our agricultural
population. Fish refuse has proved an
important source of organic nitrogen Tor
fertilizing purposes. and the necessity OF
preparing il In commercial form has led
to the development of the fsh-scrap in
dustry In our Atlantic states.
The Department has, therefore, been
conducting Investigations. results OF
which have just been published in
pamphlet entitled: THE Ffsh-scrap
Fertilizer Industry of the Atlantic
Coast" with view to assisting the de-
velopment of this industry.
There are at present about 40 factories
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 reached its high water mark as
long ago as 1854 and the profits since
have never been So great, owing to the
reduced price of oil and scrap resulting
from the competition of other products.
This is true Notwithstanding the i'm
provements that have been made in the
methods of industry. The annual output
in oil and scrap has not varied greatly
from 70000 tons of scrap and 5000 bar
rels of oil during the past 80 years.
There has been no growth in the recent
past which would warrant belief in
thara
seems every probability of steady de-
mand for this fertilizer
The great success which fish-scrap has
met with as a fertilizer is due in part to
the fact that besides containing nitrogen
it furnishes organic matter to the soil
which inorganic fertilizers do not do.
Ammonium Sulphate, an inorganic SUBJ
stance, a by-product of coke ovens, sup
plies almost SOC of the nitrogen used as
fertilizer in this country.
Should there be a sudden improvement
in the cooking 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 fish-scrap would
Ice ONE commercially infeasible, but 1t Is
ruch more probable that the increase in
the output of ammonium sulphate VIII
leep pace merely with the growing de-
mand. and that there will be a continued
demand for fish-scrap.
The menhaden is not generally eonsi1-
cred edible because it is TOO bony or
too oily" However, the menhaden
when freshly caught and properly
a At. oh aaf 90
choice as certain other fish easily OBJ
tanned. 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 in the
use of the menhaden for food. The mem
haden has actually been prepared as are
sardints. and has been declared conf
plete success when 50 used. A meat ex-
tract has also been made from this fish,
equal in nutritfve value to that of beef.
While this food has been known for
many years. the process of extraction
has failed to develop on a commercial
scale. While there is no indication at
present that consumption of menhaden
is on the increase, the shortage of other
food supplies might increase the demand.
and this would be matter of Importance
for the fsh-scrap industry.
The waste from such fish as are now
generally eaten, forms possible addi-
tional source of fsh-scrap In the dress
ing of fish the waste represents an aver
age OF $50 of the round" weight of the
fish The yearly catch of food fish in
the Atlantic and Gulf fisheries is about
100000, coo pounds; $50 Of this represents
~. Of
fertilizer. A considerable portion of this
it is impossible to use economically for
the fisheries are scattered the whole
length of the coast and many fish are
shipped to market undressed, and much
fresh fish that is dressed is prepared on
shipboard and the waste thrown into the
sea.
Most of the refuse of Newfoundland
cod is thrown away as fast as produced.
An investigation has shown that 10000
tons of refuse are produced annually on
the Newfoundland shores, which would
be equivalent to over 1000 tons of dry
scrap. AS this is produced at a time
when all available labor Is engaged in
dressing the cod. the problem of saving
this refuse offers scant hope of solution.
The inedible dogfsh furnishes another
source of fsh-scrap for fertilizer: and
horseshoe crabs are also reported to
have been used in certain localities The
shells of crabs and Holsters have been
found to be admirable as filters" for
finished fertilizers. They contain large
amount of lime of high agricultural
value, as well as certain per cent of
nitrogen. At one fertilizer mixing plant
on Chesapeake Bay, over $50 tons of
ground crab shells are used annually
A belief exists among certain people
that much food fish is destroyed in the
menhaden industry along with the men,
baden, but investigation by the Bureau
of Fisheries has shown that this belief is
not borne out by fact. nor does the sup
ply of menhaden seem any less album
dant today than in any time past. A
word of warning, however is given those
operators whose crews take menhaden
in the fall and early winter. If they
catch spawning fish they run the risk
of decreasing the supply.