No. 3 (192 1) MANUFACTURE OF FISH OIL AND GUANO 



1S3 



winter. Probably the thorough drying given to the Tanur guano 

 by an exposure of two to three days in thin layers on a blackened 

 barbecue to a tropical sun and strong breeze, very thoroughly dries 

 the stuff ; hence the yield at the factory of only 20 per cent, 



The actual quantity of guano made on the West Coast varies 

 according to season ; in 1919-20 it was certainly not less than 20,000 

 tons, representing 100,000 tons of fresh fish ; on the other hand, from 

 statistics for the season 1 920-21 it appears that this was an extremely 

 bad season especially in Malabar ; only 290 factories out of 646 did 

 any work at all and that but scanty ; it is estimated that less than 

 2,000 tons of dry guano were made ; but see also paragraph 80 infra. 

 It is difficult to collect statistics from more than 650 small factories 

 which are not only inaccurate by negligence or absence of clear 

 accounts, but by design, owing to possible taxation ; moreover, the 

 Fisheries Department has no statistical staff. 



76. Constituents and quality. — The constituents of the dried 

 Tanur guano are nitrogen (in proteins), phosphoric acid and lime 

 in the bones, oil, water, and insoluble matter ; potash is negligible. 

 The following table gives percentages as reported by the Imperial 

 Institute in 1913 : — 



No. I " Fish guano prepared at the Government Fisheries 

 Station, South Malabar." 



No. 2 "Fish guano prepared at the Government Experimental 

 Station, at Tanur, South Malabar": (a) "Ordinary guano", [b) 

 " Guano from large oily sardine." 



