240 MADRAS FISHERIES BULLETIN VOL. XIlI, 



from sand) priced at Rs. 55 ; while for ordinary beach dried stuff 

 they would give no guarantee and priced it at Rs. 40. No analyses 

 except those quoted in paragraph 82, are available ; moreover the 

 stuff varies so greatly that analysis would be useless as a guide ; 

 some stuff is little but skin and bone. 



142. A simple improvement devised at Tanur is recorded on 

 pages 69 and 70 of Fisheries Bulletin No. X as follows : — 



" The absence of the oil in the fish and the poor prices given 

 for beach-dried fish led me on returning to Tanur to consider 

 methods of drying lean fish without boiling them. Two methods 

 were adopted, viz. {a) that of light and brief salting followed by 

 sun-drying, and {b) that of artificial drying. In both cases the 

 object is to avoid the loss caused by several days' drying, without 

 salt, on the beach, where putrefaction, loss by soakage, birds, 

 insects, etc., cause great loss of nitrogen and of actual material, 

 besidas bein^ a nuisance to the public ; further and great loss is 

 often caused by rain on the drying material. When the fish are 

 even lightly salted and then dried, not only is putrefaction entirely 

 prevented but the tissues are hardened so that there is less break- 

 age of the fish and loss of debris, nor are the fish attacked by insects. 

 Hence salted fish yield larger quantities of better manure than 

 unsalted fish, and they are not injured by rain since they can be 

 stored without putrefaction till the rain ceases. It is found that 

 one hour in salt is a sufficient protection; the salt actually used up 

 (by absorption and wastage) is about one-twentieth of the weight 

 of the fresh fish or one and one-third maunds per ton, and conse- 

 quently costs at fish-curing yard prices (As. 10 per maund) about 

 Rs. 4-8-0 per five tons of fresh fish or Rs. 3 per ton of dry fish, since 

 five tons fresh fish thus treated become about l/^ tons dry fish. 

 This fish has been analysed and showed 678 per cent of nitrogen, 

 so that it is worth retail at least Rs. 65 as against Rs. 40 per ton of 

 ordinary beach-dried fish. Hence there is not only large pecuniary 

 gain but an economic gain to society in the saving of the nitrogen, 

 etc., which would otherwise have been lost by putrefaction and 

 other causes. 



The cost of artificial drying is much the same, and it is found 

 that the fish when dried by strong heat, say 300^ F., break up and 

 become like guano ; this part of the experiment will be continued 

 this year in a proper drier now being built for this purpose and 

 for drying the press cakes rapidly and without loss." 



