86o 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[May i, 1885. 



against EG, 0:8. It will bo noticed that the only 

 decrease was in the amount of salt issued for each 

 maund of fish : this is a favourable sign iu some cases, 

 for, as Mr. Bliss remarks, in writing of the Chicacole 

 division, 



Less salt seems almost everywhere, to be used as the 

 curers get to understand its use better. 

 This is not the case everywhere, however, for we read 

 regarding the Namlipatam division : — 



The proportion of salt issued to fish cured at the Coringa 

 vard was very low. The cause of this is being inquired 

 into. 

 And again of the Nellore divison : — 



The proportion of salt issued to fish cured is very low, 

 and varies greatly iu the several yards. This is explained 

 to be partly due to the ignorance and poverty of the curers 

 and partly to the size of the fish cured. Probably, how- 

 ever as the curers gain experience, the proportion will 

 adjust itself to a tolerably uniform standard. Our own 

 experiments, which are being conducted with some success 

 iu this division, will also tend to produce this result. 

 Respecting the Tinnnevclly division we read :— 



All the old yards, except Adirampatnam, also show 

 satisfactory progress. The falling off at Adirampatnam is 

 reported to be due to the fact that the curers are not 

 fishermen by profession, but only traders who advance sums 

 of money to, and obtain their supplies of fish from, the 

 fishermen at Point Oalimere, where the takes of fish were 

 small owing to the prevalence of adverse southerly winds 

 daring the mouths of June and July. This cause also 

 accounts for the operations at Point Calimere not being 

 as large as they might otherwise have been. The opening 

 of the Muthupettai yard has also doubtless affected the 

 operations at Adirampatnam. 



The place referred to is a sea town south of Ft. 

 Calimere. Under the Tinnevellj division, it is stated that 



The Kamesvaram and Periathorai group, which is also 

 worked alternately, shows a marked decline, the quantities 

 of fish cured aud of saltissued being less than half of those in 

 tho corresponding period of last year. The cause of this 

 great decline will be inquired into. 

 The following general remarks are of interest : — 



The number of yards at the beginning of the half-year 

 was 135 ; eight new yards have since been opened, aud 

 nine old ones were permanently or temporarily closed, 

 leaving 134 yards at the end of the half-year. Of these, 

 27 were not used. The majority of the unused yards (17) 

 were in the South Cauara District. The causes of their 

 failure have been explained above. Of the remaining yards, 

 two were opened only tuwards the close of the half-year ; 

 the abolition of six is under consideration ; one is to be 

 transferred to a better site ; and one is reported to have 

 done no work owing to the season being unfavor- 

 able. The total weight of fish brought to be cured in 

 the half-year was 143,312 mauuds or 5,264 tons. Iu 

 the corresponding half of the previous year, there were 106 

 yards, of which only 60 were worked, and 72,0S6 maunds 

 or 2,648 tons of fish were brought to be cured. There 

 was,' therefore, an increase of 2,616 tons or of nearly 99 

 per cent., in the supply of food rendered available. The 

 quantity of salt issued averaged 1361 lb. to each maund 

 of fish cured, as against 14'84 lb. iu the corresponding 

 half of the previous year. Explanations have invariably 

 been called for in all cases in which a striking variation 

 has been observed. It will be seen that the low proportion 

 is almost always confined to new yards. Where it occurs in 

 old ones, it is due partly to the size of the fish cured and 

 partly to the state of the weather. No very large ex- 

 periments were made with improved methods of curing 

 in the half-year under report, but such as were made 

 proved fairly successful. At two yards in_ the Calicut 

 Oricle, 262 maunds of fish were dealt with, and tho 

 price realized iu both cases was 8 annas a maund iu 

 excess of that realized for fish cured iu the ordinary 

 manner. The price would, no doubt, have been higher 

 had the fish experimented upon been of the finer kinds, 

 instead of shark and cat-fish. Special instructions had 

 been issued not to spend money on inferior sorts of fish, 

 such as shark, but the difficulty of procuring the finer 

 vaxieties at tho time led to these kinds being used. 

 Another experiment conducted by Mr. Inspector Beeson 



at Kistnapatam, in the Nellore District, was morn suc- 

 cessful. The fish cured in the course of this experiment 

 were sent by Mr. Beeson to Madras, and realized a profit 

 of about 33 per cent., which was very satisfactory. I 

 have ordered the experiment to be repeated on a larger 

 scale. The fish cured in the improved manner is 

 reported to be eagerly bought, aud a trader in Madras 

 has offered to purchase any quantity that may be available. 

 No doubt, the curers will in time find out that it will 

 pay them to take more trouble, where a market can be 

 found for a better article, that is, in the neighbourhood 

 of large towns. The lower classes appear indisposed at 

 present to pay more for fish cured ill a superior, aud 

 therefore more expe.nsivo "manner. 

 On the financial results Mr. Bliss says : — 



The expenditure incurred at the yards during the half- 

 year amounted to B9,181. Adding to this the cost of 

 the new office establishments above referred to the ex- 

 penditure amounted to R9,901 or R2.886 more than in the 

 corresponding half of the previous year. Calculating the 

 financial result of the half-year on the principle indicated 

 iu paragraph 10 of my report for the half-year eudkig 

 31st March 1884 (G. O., No. 1,025, dated 11th September 

 1884, Revenue Department), the operations resulted in a 

 loss to Government of R2,564-13-6. The total expend- 

 iture on fish-curing from the beginning has been 

 B97,121-ll-ll excluding, and Rl,O2,003-2-0 including, in- 

 terest. The total receipts have been R77,323-7-7, so that 

 the loss to date is K19,798-4-4 or R24.679-10-5, according 

 as interest is excluded or included. It is very disappoint- 

 ing to me that the half-year under report should end 

 with a loss, and that a somewhat heavy one. I can only 

 say that, if operations continue to expand during the 

 current half-year, which is far the best for fishing, in 

 anything like the same ratio as in the past, the result 

 of the whole year should be more favorable. If the ex- 

 penditure on the yards which have proved failures, or 

 which have only just been opened, is deducted, the loss 

 during the half-year was only R1,S19, which will not, 

 I hope, be thought serious, considering the importance 

 of the subject aud the magnitude of present operations. 

 In submitting this report to the Government, the Board 

 of Revenue remarked : — 



Mr. Bliss shows that the work has resulted in a slight 

 financial loss, but the Board hope that when the unsuit- 

 able yards are eliminated and the expense of starting new 

 experimental yards is no longer incurred, the fish-curing 

 operations will be financially profitable. 

 The Government Order dated Feb. 21st, 18S5, says : — 



The Government concur in the markets of the Boards 

 of Revenue in paragraph 3 of their proceedings, and 

 they desire that the result of the inquiries instituted as 

 regards the low proportion of salt issued to fish cured 

 at the Coringa yard and the decline of operations at tho 

 Ramesvaram aud Periathorai gronp be reported for their 

 information. 



BENGAL NOW AND NINETY-ONE YEARS 



AGO. 



The history of the little book* which lies before 

 us is curiously illustrative of the way in which works 

 of considerable value may be entirely lost sight of 

 even when the authors are men of recognized ability. 

 The treatise was written in 1794, as part of a volume 

 which was intended to contain also accounts; by other 

 gentlemen of tho manufactures and external com- 

 merce of Bengal. Though printed iu 1794 it was not 

 published, as the book was considered objectionable 

 "on account of the dangerous free trade principles 

 which it supported with powerful arguments." When 

 in 1804 Colebrooke published his own pait of the 

 treatise both in Calcutta and Londin the author- 

 ities of Leadtnhall Street, as Max Miiller tells us, con- 

 sidered him a "daugerous youug man" and there is 



* Remarks on tht Husbandry and Internal Commerce of 

 Bengal.— By Henry Thomas Colebrooke, late of the Bengal 

 Civil Service. Calcutta, printed 1804. Reprinted, ' States- 

 man' Steam Printing Works, 188-1. 



