No. 3(1921) MANUFACTURE OF FISH OIL AND GUANO 189 



shoals provide abundant food and manure, if properly sought after and 

 taken. Still better, however, would it be to supply the fish mainly as food 

 to the people and thence indirectly as manure to the fields ; this is happen- 

 ing in Japan where the demand for fresh and dried fish as food is causing 

 a short output in the fertilizer product ; but then, the Japanese take care 

 that after all it is given indirectly through the excreta to the soil ; while, in 

 addition, large quantities of bean cake and some fish guano are being 

 imported from Manchuria, etc., and from Siberian coasts." 



" Mafiitre and oil. — The manure and fish oil industry is one which 

 should heavily repay capital and benefit agriculture to an untold extent. 

 In Japan this industry — the two are of course combined since herring and 

 sardine are the chief manure fish — has taken on an immense development 

 since the Japanese are well aware of the high manurial value of fish. 

 Here in India, its value is practically unknown ; coconuts and tobacco 

 occasionally get sardine manure, especially oftal, on the West Coast; on 

 the East Coast I have found no trace of its use except that the brine in 

 which sardines have been salted is, in one place, said to be used for 

 tobacco. Hence the introduction of fish manure to Madras fields awaits 

 the use of an agricultural demand, and this can only be shown experimental- 

 ly on the (iovernment farms unless the district associations or well-to-do 

 farmers will take up the matter in view of developing the double industries 

 of agriculture and fisheries. Seeing that dried sardines can be frequently 

 had in vast quantities on the shore at from Rs. 20 to Rs. 25 per ton, and 

 that there is rail communication along both West and East Coasts, there 

 is an obvious field for enterprise wholly irrespective of the export trade 

 which ought, however, only to be utilized if an Indian demand cannot be 

 worked up. One obstacle to trade is in the gross adulteration of the 

 article with sand ; this is partly unintentional as the fish are dried on the 

 loose sand, some of which is gathered up with the fish. But Dr. Lehmann 

 states that whereas the average of sand was 6 per cent a few years ago, it is 

 now far higher averaging 39'56 (.? 34'56) in 1905 to 1906, and a sample 

 shown me in London had 44 per cent : these figures show wilful and gross 

 adulteration which will damage the trade and crush the demand just as the 

 Cuddapah indigo trade was similarly spoiled : one obvious result of an 

 organized trade would be the stoppage of this adulteration and the produc- 

 tion of a warrantable article. Probably the enterprise demands such 

 knowledge, organization, and capital that European firms will at first alone 

 tackle it, but there is nothing inherent in the business to keep Indian 

 manufacturers from learning and extending it." (Note on Fisheries in 

 Japan, paragraphs 153 and 228.) 



