19 



methods of obtaining better qualities of oil and guano, 

 to avoid waste of material and labour, and to utilise waste 

 matter. The matter will have to be carried further 

 before publication of results, but it may be said at once 

 that instead of coarse brown oil I have produced by the 

 simplest methods and plant fine yellow oil of the best 

 quality, never before obtained on the coast and quite fit for 

 use as an edible ; that the largest yield of oil — so large 

 that I will \\ait for further experiments before giving 

 percentages — was obtained from the guts now mostly 

 wasted and which the local curers derided as oil 

 producers ; and that I have ascertained the causes of 

 considerable waste. 



It may be said from experience that during the 

 ordinary season lo tons of fresh sardine at present 

 produce 2 tons of dry guano of the constituents given 

 above, and i ton, i.e., 10 per cent, of oil on an average 

 of fat and moderately fat fish ; the outturn of oil can be 

 improved in quality and quantity, but the guano only, if 

 at all, in quality. Plant has now been or is being- 

 prepared for the thorough examination of this important 

 industrial work. 



13. Miscellaneous. — Preliminary experiments in fish 

 pastes were begun, and the results warrant developments 

 with plant already obtained for the purpose. The use 

 for a second and third time of b7^me derived from heavy 

 salting has been very successful and effects a notable 

 economy ; this is possible because the fish in salt are 

 perfectly clean and untainted and the tubs sanitary, so 

 that the resultino" brine is gfood ; it is also filtered 

 through clean sand, and sometimes wood charcoal, and 

 may then be used several times ; such brine has been 

 kept quite sweet for a month. Brining with saturated 

 brine is found, for some purposes, superior to salt, the 

 strength being kept up by loose salt ; a better surface is 

 thus given to lightly smoked fish ; a few minutes in brine 

 will preserve fish fresh — with a slight saline tiavour 

 when raw which disappears in cooking — for a day or two, 

 especially if 0*5 per cent of the weight of the fish, i.e., 

 I lb. per 200 lb., be added of boric preservative. The 

 dirty salt received from the salt pans has been greatly 

 improved for fish-curing by a washing with saturated 

 brine, and fish cured with this salt are clean from the 

 grit and dirty surface which are apt to characterize fish 



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