No. I (1920) ADMINISTRATION REPORT, IOT8-19 33 



was tried with success ; cans thus packed and processed were subsequently 

 opened and left open for many days without tainting , it is therefore now 

 possible to give consumers in towns the benefit of tasty canned fish at very 

 low rates. The experiment will now be continued and attempted with 

 other sorts of fish. 



11. The vacuum drier was run successfully in so far as thoroughly 

 drying — over-drying — the fish, but it requires long and patient experiment 

 to obtain results which will warrant larger ventures. I continue to believe 

 in its possibilities as a rapid means of drying fish at minimum temperatures 

 and with the loss of moisture only. This must be left for my successor. 



The refrigerator was practically not in use. 



12. The solar oven was worked as usual, the maximum temperature 

 obtained being as high as 325 F. It continued to bake our lacquered 

 cans, 



13. Tanur Experimental Yard. — Very little needs special record about 

 this yard, where the unfortunate conditions as to fish mentioned in para- 

 graph 2 supra, also obtained ; sardines were abundant but very small 

 mackerel and prawns very scarce, though the prawns, as usual at Tanur, 

 have recently been fairly abundant. Only about 90,269 lb. of fish were 

 obtained for curing, costing Rs. 2,369 : those were cured and sold for 

 Rs. 3,878. For oil and guano operations 237,411 lb, or about 106 tons 

 were obtained at a cost of Rs. 613 (slightly below Rs. 8 per ton) the 

 produce of which in oil and guano was Rs. 2,173, which after deducting the 

 cost of fuel, labour, wear and tear, left a fair profit ; this would have been 

 far greater had the fish been larger and more oily. The guano was sold at 

 just Rs. 81 per ton, viz., 2 if tons for Rs. 1,765, the weight of guano to raw 

 fish being just above the normal 20 per cent. The leanness of the fish may 

 be gauged partly from this last fact (for rich, oily fish usually give slightly 

 less than 20 per cent dry guano), and more precisely from the product in 

 oil which did not much exceed 4 tons on 106 tons of raw fish or 4 per cent • 

 double this rate is about normal, on a year's working. 



14. A pair of twin refrigerating tanks was constructed at the yard in 

 view to experimenting in the sharp freezing and in the chilling of cheap fish 

 such as sardines. For various reasons, including difficulties about ice, the 

 experiment has had to stand over to the current year. 



15. The experimental work done in this yard should bear fruit in the 

 application of the results to the ordinary fish-curing yard of which six were 

 experimentally taken over from the Salt Department by Fisheries on 1st 

 June. 



