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greatly enriched excreta of the human consumer, thus 

 bringing- about the natural circulation of food, fertilizer, 

 and again food, and so ad infinitum. On the one hand 

 a few rupees and a minimum of industry, on the other 

 hand stimulated industry and trade, the whole value 

 kept in the country, and a vast addition to the food- 

 supply direct, or indirect, or both. 



I propose then to take up the sardine industry of 

 the West Coast, partly by direct work, partly by stimulat- 

 ing Indian traders and industrials. 



9. Fertilizer. — I do not propose to enter into the 

 manufacture of fertilizer ;* it would involve heavy plant 

 and expenditure, and a Cochin (London) firm is already 

 experimenting on a large and modern scale, viz,, in 

 expressing the oil, in selling this to traders that need it, 

 and in selling the scrap ; they are willing, of course, to 

 sell in India if they can get an equally profitable market, 

 and the head of the firm would prefer to do so, as 

 involving less trouble, but, of course, he looks to the 

 best market. Fish scrap fertilizer, i.e., dried fish free 

 from oil, is now, I believe, available to some extent at 

 Cochin, but it is probable that within one or two years 

 a very large amount will be on sale and, if profitable, the 

 business will probably be imitated by competitors ; 

 hence there is no need for Government in the Fisheries 

 department to interfere in this manufacturing branch of 

 the matter. But I consider that the use of the stuff 

 may be pushed in the Agricultural department and 

 especially, at the outset, in the Coimbatore district, which, 

 being full of comparatively advanced and pushing 

 agriculturists (Goundans) w'.th many valuable industrial 

 crops under wells, in close proximity to the West Coast, 

 and possessing an Agricultural College and experi- 

 mental station, should be a peculiarly suitable district 

 for experiment. A few tons of scrap fertilizer, i.e., 

 not the crude fish but the residue after expression 

 of the oil, distributed gratis to a number of selected 

 ryots, under conditions and instructions as to use, might 

 be well spent. Where there is a practical agricultural 

 association with real working life in it, a ton or so might 

 be handed over for distribution among- the most 

 intelligent members, conditioned on careful supervision 



* This was modified next month by proposals for a small oil and guano factory 

 which was, in fact, established within three months ; see next following paper. 



