J. PISCICULTURE AND THE FISHERIES. 417 



To reduce the injurious effect, therefore, of gas refuse on 

 fish, Professor Wagner recommends that instead of empty- 

 ing barrels containing about thirty cwt. of gas-water into 

 the river at once, as hitherto practiced, it should be slowly 

 run into it in a thin stream, so as to effect the running in of 

 the quantity produced during the day in the twenty-four 

 hours, the stream never exceeding five quarts, nor being less 

 than one quart, per minute. By this means these small 

 quantities would at once be diluted to such an extent as to 

 become comparatively harmless, chemical decomposition of 

 their elements in the river-water setting in at the same time, 

 and the injurious influence need no longer be feared. 2 A, 

 Oct. 17, 1874, 293. 



MEXHADEX OIL AND GUAXO. 



The Great magnitude of the interest connected with the 

 manufacture of oil and guano from the menhaden has, as in 

 other cases, induced the formation of an association for mut- 

 ual protection, under the title of " The United States Men- 

 haden Oil and Guano Association." The statistics of capt- 

 ure of menhaden and the manufacture of oil and guano are 

 shown by the following table : 



Barrels. 



Number offish caught during 1874 1,478,634 



Number of fish caught during 1873 1 ,193,100 



Making an increase of. 285,534 



Tons. 



Amount of guano in 1874 50,976 



Amount of guano in 1873 36,290 



Increase for 1874 14,686 



Gallons. 



Quantity of oil manufactured in 1874 3,372,837 



Quantity of oil manufactured in 1873 2,214,800 



Increase for 1874 1,158,037 



The number of barrels, as given above, would be equal to 

 the following number offish : 



Fish caught in 1874 492,878,000 



Fish caught in 1873 397,700,000 



Increase in 1874 over 1873 95,178,000 



The amount of oil on hand at the beginning of the year 

 was 648,000 gallons, and 5200 tons of guano remained un- 

 sold. The number of fishermen returned for 1874 was 1567 ; 



S2 



