Evening star., 1923-08-12

them Of all remaining moisture and
prevents any further decomposition
Dried, this material is ground into
a fine meal known as fish meal-or
repaired in the form of fakes. The
oil is separated from the water by
precipitation. and after a refining
process is sold to paint, soap and
lard substitute manufacturers. Thus
the oil obtained from the fish we
caught may reappear at some later
date in fathers shaving soap, men
toned above. in the paint which
mother is using TO doctor UP the
kitchen cabinet or maybe in prod
uct which is used for lard.
This oil manufacturing resulted
from the fact that the pilgrim fathers
and their descendants took the old
Indians advice too literally.
x
rv>HEY kept planting fish for fer
i tilizer until they ran the thing IN
the ground. The oil from the fish
soured the land and took away its
fertility. So they had to get rid OF
the oil They found they could sell
II. and sell il they do today to the
tune of so cents a gallon. They get
about five gallons of oil per thousand
fish this time of year. In the fall,
when the fish are fat and sassy.
the oil yield will run around fifteen
gallons per thousand fish.
Now for the two other by-products.
The fish scrap is sold as fertilizer. IL
still retains the qualities which en-
abled its discoverer TO give his
friends the horse laugh. 1t is bought
by fertilizer factories and mixed with
other soil fertilizers. 1t makes a
farmer happy.
A rather new use is being found
for the fish meal, and II is on this
fish meal that the menhaden indus
tries are concentrating now. 1t mas
been found good food for live
stock, comparable in food value to the
tankage from slaughter houses, and
cheaper. Correctly mixed with the
proper ingredients this fish meal fed
to pigs will make them fatten more
rapidly than any other food. accord
ing TO the experts. 1t will make
cows moo in JOY and give rich milk
and as for hens-they cackle at the
thought and lay. eggs at the mere
The Department of Agriculture is
interested in the product from the
farmers standpoint while the bureau
of fisheries is interested from the
nsherman's viewpoint. Together with
the little that the fisherman and rae
tory owners can do themselves. theS
expect to develop even a more pros
porous industry out of the menhaden
fisheries than Is found today.
Reedyille, where, we must remember,
we are making our study, Is an inter-
esting community. 1t Is fish there, from
first to last. Folks talk in terms OF hsh
and think in terms of fish. There are
a drug store and a dry goods store and
a hardware store and a grocery store
and a movie (Which doesn't run on
| Wednesday night count OF It's being
prayer meeting night) and church or
two-but they are merely kindred indus
tries. owing their livelihood to the FISH
that swim in the bay off shore. There
are seven factories there and thirty
boats, representing an investment OF
about 5000, 900.
Before we leave Reedville and Its
| ever-present suggestion Of fish that
| once were, it would be enlightening to
| wait for the captain Of our boat to
change from overalls into street attire
and go into his home. One Is always
welcome in Reedville and a warm,
! hearty Virginian welcome 1t is. Our
f, CAPTAIN, g. man respected, walks up
Main street to his $50. 900 home. house
set back from the street behind big
trees on a velvety, close-cut lawn. He
sits down and talks about base ball,
prize lights the movies. the latest
books, politics-maybe he'll talk on Elm
STEMS theories and end up with the
casual remark that he hasn't decided
whether he'll take the family to Palm,
Beach or Hot Springs next winter, when
| the bay Is frozen over and the fish have
gone below.
! The nienhaden boats from. Virginia
| towns cruise as far north as Long Is
land and as far south as Cape Hatteras
for their fish, although the smaller
!, craft confne their fishing usually to the
mouth of the bay. The industry In this
| country is found in nine coastal states
/ from Massachusetts, TO Texas, though its
| greatest and most extensive develop
ment is in Virginia. The yearly catch
runs around 500, 100000 fish. producing
about $1,000 tons Of dry scrap ana ish
meal annually. and 2,5oo.ooe gallons OF
Ion