36 



operations are conducted within fly-proof rooms. My 

 drying- scafYolds and flakes readily admit of being covered 

 with mosquito net and this is found to protect the fish 

 during the moist stage. The method will be developed 

 next season. 



Canning was not begun ; a suitable building has, 

 however, been rented, and the plant has been set up ; 

 by the courtesy of Messrs. T. Stanes & Co. of Coimba- 

 tore, to whom thanks are due, two artisans (both now 

 qualified as engine drivers) were trained at their Coffee 

 Works in the making of cans ; they have been practising 

 with our plant, and as a large quantity of tin plate, oil, 

 etc., is now on hand, I hope to start next September. 



lo. Fish-oil and fish gnano. — Amain object pursued 

 at the station during the seasonwas the preparation offish- 

 oil and fish-guano from the oil-sardine \Clupea longiceps). 

 A detailed paper is being drawn up on the subject and 

 only salient points will here be mentioned. Above 30 

 tons of fresh sardine and sardine offal were used in the 

 experiments; all parcels offish, fuel, etc., were weighed, 

 as also the resulting products, and the various weigh- 

 ments reoistered, so that accurate data were obtained. 



The object of the experimental work was as follows : 

 sardines in many thousands of tons have long been dried 

 whole on the beach for manure ; by this rude process 

 not only is the whole of the oil dried up and utterly 

 wasted and lost, but, as it coagulates, it firmly aggluti- 

 nates to the fish a large quantity of sand, so that the 

 article frequently shows 30 per cent and more of sand, 

 and moreover much of the nitrogen is lost by putrefaction, 

 while occasionally, as during this last season, immense 

 quantities drying on the beach are wholly lost by inoppor- 

 tune rain. Hence the planter buys a quantity of coagu- 

 lated oil which is worse than useless, and twice the 

 quantity of sand ; as expressed in a report from Ceylon, 

 enough sand is sent to restore Adam's Bridge. In some 

 few cases there has been a small manufacture of oil, by 

 boiling in ordinary earthen chatties, in which case the 

 residue is thrown away ; or the fish was allowed to 

 putrefy in vessels and the oil skimmed off and the foul 

 residue thrown away or buried as a nuisance ; in some 

 places and months the guts obtained in gutting the fish 

 for food have been used as manure, in which case the 

 valuable oil is lost, Hence in every way the gravest 



3-A 



