330 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



The fish-fertilizers which came under my notice during the 

 past year proved to be, in the majority of cases, in a supe- 

 rior mechanical condition as compared with previous years. 

 A large portion of the fish-guano sold was of a more uniform 

 and a better state of dryness. Several more or less successful 

 new modes of abstracting the fat from fish have been intro- 

 duced, all tending in the end to increase directly or indirectly 

 the nitrogenous constituents of the fish-refuse. The results 

 thus far obtained are highly encouraging, and entitle us to 

 the expectation that our fish-fertilizer will soon rank fore- 

 most, as far as its percentage of nitrogen is concerned, 

 among our home-made animal nitrogenous phosphates. A 

 Boston agent of a fish-guano manufacturing company an- 

 nounces that he shall have for sale during the coming sea- 

 son, in invoice lots, the odorless dried and ground fish-guano^ 

 testing from 13 to 15 per cent of ammonia (or 10.7 to 12.36 

 per cent of nitrogen). Apparently successful attempts have 

 also been made of late to convert the heads and backbones 

 of the codfish from our own fisheries into fish-guano similar 

 to the Lofoten-Island fish-guano of the Norwegian fisheries. 

 The composition of this fish-guano at a uniform state of 

 moisture has varied for several years within but narrow 

 limits, — 7.97 to 8.55 per cent of nitrogen, and 13.10 to 13.9 

 per cent of phosphoric acid. There is every reason to sup- 

 pose that before long the fish-guano manufactured along the 

 New-England coast will, with reference to quality and to 

 quantity, successfully compete with those most favorably 

 known in the markets of Europe and elsewhere. For eco- 

 nomical reasons, it is advisable for farmers to consider 

 whether, in some instances, an addition of phosphoric acid to 

 our best quality of fish-guano would not render the large 

 amount of its nitrogen more remunerative. To buy the best 

 is the safest practice, as long as nitrogen and phosphoric acid 

 are charged alike in low and high graded articles at a cus- 

 tomary market-price. 



