176 



EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. 



of the bodies of the lobsters, the other of the tails, claws, shells, <kc. Their composition 

 as received may be tabulated as follows : — 



ANALYSIS OP LOBSTER REFUSE. 



Constituents. 



Water , 



Organic matter , 



Mineral matter , 



Nitrogen 



Phosphoric acid 



Lime 



Value per ton, estimating nitrogen at 10 cents per pound and phosphoric acid 

 at 5 cents per pound 



Bodies. 



69-28 



22-44 



8-28 



100-00 



1-78 

 1-01 

 3-25 



$4.57 



Tails, &c. 



56-37 

 24-23 

 19-40 



100-00 



1-56 

 1-66 

 9-99 



$4.68 



The comparatively large percentage of -water present in the fresh material would 

 prevent it being used economically at any great distance from the factory, but the figures 

 show that it has an undoubted value as a fertilizer for supplying nitrogen and phosphoric 

 acid. Owing to the large amount of organic matter present, it may well be supposed that 

 this material will decompose readily in the soil, setting free its plant food in available 

 forms. It may be regarded as a quickly acting manure, and one well adapted for the 

 making of rich compost with muck or peat. 



Where this material is produced in large quantities and fuel is cheap, in would seem 

 that a fertilizer of considerable value could be profitably made by simply drying and 

 grinding the refuse. For if dried to 10 per cent moisture, one ton would contain the 

 following amounts of nitrogen and phosphoric acid : — 



/ 



FERTILIZING CONSTITUENTS AND VALUE PER TON OF DRIED LOBSTER REFUSE. 



Fertilizing Constituents. 



Nitrogen 



Phosphoric acid 



Value, estimating nitrogen at 10 cents per pound and phosphoric acid at 5 cents 

 per pound 



Pounds per ton. 



Lobster refuse, it appears, is at present a frequent source of danger to the canning 

 industry, being, in certain districts, allowed to decay in the neighbourhood of the 

 factory. The preparation of this material as a fertilizer would not only tend to prevent 

 the spoiling of the canned lobster, — which has occurred of late to such an extent as to 

 threaten the industry with disaster, — but also furnish a profitable means of disposing of 

 a product hitherto considered useless. 



