The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1915-03-11
HAT the giant seaweed Of the
Pacific Coast, known as "kelp,"


Pacific Coast, known as "kelp,"
can be profitably made into
commercial fertilizer in the same
plant where fish scrap Is manufac-
tured is suggestion in a new bulle-
tin of the United States Department
of Agriculture entitled Utilization
of the Fish Waste of the Pacific
Coast. The rendering of fish waste
requires more specialized apparatus
than the drying of kelp, but the
amount of fish waste that could be
utilized would keep the plant busy for
SO short season that one factory
could well be expected to attend to
both.
With plant fully equipped for the
large-scale rendering Of fish waste.
all the equipment necessary for treat
ing kelp, with the exception OF a kelp
harvester, has been supplied. Scows
and tugs designed for the collection
of cannery waste can be applied to
the harvesting of kelp. The unload
ing elevators, storage bins, and con-
veyors within the plant are entirely
adaptable to chopped kelp. Since the
kelp is not to be cooked or pressed,
the conveyors should be arranged
with a view to the transference of
the material directly from storage bin
to drier. And the drier, of whatever,
form, probably would be found quite
suitable for drying kelp.
Doubling Plants Activity.
Assuming the canning season, for
example, in the Puget Sound region
to be confined to the months of July
and August, the equipment of the
rendering station can be applied to
the treatment of kelp during the
months of September, October and
probably November, thus more than
doubling the activity of the plant.
The capacity Of the drier for the
plant should be in actual practice,
about SO tons per day, which Is
equivalent to about 500 tons of wet
kelp. Furthermore, even during the
canning season, when the amount of
fish waste available is not sufficient
to keep the plant running at full
capacity, kelp may be harvested and
dried as a supplementary operation.
The following estimates may serve
to convey some idea of the cost and
profits to be expected from the sup
Elementary operations on kelp. Since
the drier has capacity Of SO tons
of dry kelp, the capacity of the plant
is limited to the equivalent weight
of green kelp, which, on the basis
of 10 per cent solids in the green, Is
500 tons. This, it is assumed, could
be harvested and unloaded at sc
cents per ton. Such an amount oil
. material probably would require al
least two cutters and five barges oil
100 tons capacity each; and to tow
these to the factory dock, two tugs
would be necessary.
Labor Cost.
During the season when cannery
waste is being collected, the labor re-
quired would be on wages, whether
actually employed or not. Under sucf
t circumstances the labor cost need no
be considered, but only the actual ex
. pense of operating the tugs and cut
: ters. After the close of the Gamer,
, season, however, the cost of labol
would have to be borne by the kelp
Any estimate of this cost would b,
difficult and perhaps misleading, bu
e it scarcely would be under $50 pc
: day. About one-half Of this estimated
: cost of labor would be included II
n the cost of harvesting, and the bal
: ance in the cost of drying and sack
S ing. The drying, it Is estimated
e would cost 81 per dry ton. To sacl
E. the product 81 per dry ton is fai
n estimate, as a sack would hold owe
: 100 pounds; the bags would cos
something less than 10 cents each
r including string.
f The principal expenses of operation
+ may be itemized as follows:
f Harvesting 500 tons at so cents. $500
= Drying SO tons dry at 81. ..... 500
= Bagging, so tons at 81. ....... 1000
b overhead charges, selling and
s depreciation, 80 tons at S1.... 500
o Freight to Eastern centers at Sc soS6
: $500
n Profits