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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



which ofial-fish can be bought — generally about 20s. 

 per ton for dog-fish and others ; and these rates will 

 pay the fishermen to fish especially for them. Dog- 

 fish yield a large quantity of manure, their muscular 

 fibre being so firm; and there is also much oil obtained 

 from the liver. During the process of manufacture the 

 albumen becomes solidified, like the white of an egg, 

 adding to the quantity and richness of the manure. 



While the manufacture of fish-manure is being suc- 

 cessfully prosecuted in France, in Newfoundland, in 

 Massachusetts, and other coasts of the United States, it 

 does seem somewhat strange that it has not yet been 

 made an extensive branch of business on our sea- 

 coasts. With such fishing-stations and sources of 

 supply as Yarmouth, Lynn, Penzance, Mullin, Ply- 

 mouth, Edinburgh, Dundee, Wick, it is a disgrace to 

 us that the boundless harvest of the ocean placed at 

 our doors should not have been more freely drawn upon 

 for food and for manure. 



It is not every farmer who can avail himself of the 

 superabundance of the fisheries to cart ofi" to his land ; 



but by a slight desiccation and suitable preparation 

 large supplies of portable and valuable manures are 

 available, and would I)e readily purchased throughout 

 the country. 



Mr. Osier combines with his patent the preservation 

 in a cheap and portable form of all the nutritive por- 

 tions of fish for food, in a concentrated and portable 

 form. But with this and the other products, oil, 

 gelatine, Sec, which come in as profitable adjuncts to 

 the manufacture, we do not deal, confining ourselves 

 chiefly to the consideration of the more important 

 matter of manure for the soil. 



Aside from this most important point, such a manu- 

 facture exclusively carried out would even be of great 

 national interest. It would enable a fishery to be 

 established at every cove and nook that can shelter a 

 boat, giving the blessing of abundant cheap animal 

 food to the labouring population, genuine and eco- 

 nomical concentrated animal manure to the farmer, a 

 crew to man a life-boat at every spot of danger, and an 

 efiective band of seamen for the defence of the country. 



THE PROPOSED INTRODUCTION OF THE ALPACA TO AUSTRALIA. 



While attention is now so largely directed to works 

 of skill and feats of construction, there is also something 

 else to be done for the benefit of the United Kingdom 

 and of mankind at large. Wo may contemplate with 

 pride the mechanical skill, perseverance, and ingenuity 

 which have resulted in our expensive railways, the At- 

 lantic telegraph, the launching of the Leviathan, and 

 the construction of Keyham and Cherbourg Docks. 

 But the human race, as it progresses, must be fed and 

 clothed, for wo shall get no work out of empty 

 stomachs. 



It is right, therefore, that attention should now and 

 then be directed to something useful and something 

 new in the way of acclimatization, whether it be of ani- 

 mals or vegetables. Not that we have been at all 

 backward in this good work in Great Britain, as our 

 fields, gardens, and pastures amply testify. The Me- 

 rino and the Southdown improvements have done much 

 for the fleece and flesh of our sheep. We may point 

 also with satisfaction to our improved breeds of horses, 

 cattle, swine, and poultry. If we have not yet found a 

 substitute for guano, we may yet do so when our coast 

 fisheries are more developed, and the metropolitan 

 sewage projects have settled down into practical utility. 

 But it is not with our home enterprise that wo desire 

 at present to deal. There is skill, energy, and compe- 

 tition enough displayed among breeders, farmers, and 

 agricultural implement-makers of every class. Still it 

 is wise to have our eyes open to future interests at home 

 and abroad; for we desire to receive something besides 

 gold from our colonies, glad as we are to hail the arri- 

 val of the auriferous ore which reaches us to the 

 value of millions in the year. Wc could belter, how- 

 ever, dispense with the yellow metal from Australia 

 than we could with the acceptable bales of wool. With- 



out the fifty-million pounds of wool annually from 

 Australia our manufacturers would be sadly inconve- 

 nienced for the raw material. The introduction of now 

 and improved breeds of domestic animals in our colo- 

 nies is of the highest importance to them and to our- 

 selves, because we share in their industrial products. 

 Much too little has yet been done in this respect ; and 

 now that the minds of the colonists are so pre-occupied 

 with the gold-mining and trading, that the days of 

 squatting, when sheep-farming, cattle-breeding, and 

 cultivation were more primarily thought of, have 

 passed away, our merchants and farmers at home have 

 to take the initiative in suggesting and carrying out 

 many improvements. Hence we hail with satisfaction 

 the effort now being made to purchase by subscription 

 and send out to Australia the flock of alpacas recently 

 brought over from South America. 



The advocacy of the introduction of the alpaca into 

 our colonies is no new idea, but was mooted many 

 years ago, and its importance shown. These subjects 

 are driven out of mind by other more stirring topics, 

 and have to be renewed from time to time, in order to 

 become impressed upon the public mind, and lead to 

 the desired results. The United States are before us in 

 many of these matters. Thus they have recently been 

 importing camels for interior travel, which are reported 

 to answer admirably. They have also, for some time, 

 introduced and bred the Angora and Thibet goats, and 

 are now speaking of domesticating the Rocky Moun- 

 tain goat or sheep, which bears a good fleece. 



How beneficial would the camel have proved in Aus- 

 tralia ! IIow many good lives might have been spared 

 had this useful beast of burden been introduced ! We 

 should not have had to mourn the loss of such a man 

 as Leichhardt, and other bold explorers. Australia is 



