20 Fish Manures, 



cent, of carbon remaining after distillation. The amount of vola- 

 tile matter, described by Dr. Reid as consisting of water, naphtha 

 and ammonia, was found by him in two different samples to 

 equal only 3*5 per cent., of which a large proportion is probably 

 water.. 



I have examined two specimens of manure prepared by Mr 

 Bruce from the fish commonly known as the menha Iden (Alota 

 menhaddeu). No. 1 was made with the Port Daniel shale, as 

 before describe!; while for No. 2, this was replaced by a mix- 

 ture of clay and saw dust, which was distilled like the shale, the 

 volatile products being added to the decomposing fish. The oil 

 which rose to the surface of the liquid mass had been separated 

 from the second preparation, but remained mingled with the 

 first, both of these specimens were in the form of a black granu- 

 lar mass, moist, cohering under pressure,, aud having a very fishy 

 odour. A proximate analysis of these manures was first effected 

 by exposing a weighed portion to a temperature of 200° F. till 

 it no lono-er lost weight, and then calcining the residue, from 

 which the carbonaceous residue very readily burned away. The 

 oil in the first specimen was obtained by digesting a second por- 

 tion, previously dried, with either, so long as anything was taken 

 up. The solution by evaporation left the oil, whose weight was 

 deducted from the loss by ignition. The portion of oil remain- 

 ing in the second sample was not determined. 



I. II. 



Animal matter and carbon, 23. 1 } 



Oil, 6-6$ ^" U 



Water, 135 21-8 



Earthy matters, 56-2 57'2 



100-0 100-0 



The residue of the calcination was digested with hydrochloric 

 acid, which dissolved the phosphate of lime from the fish-bones, 

 together with portions of lime, magnesia, alumina, and oxyd of 

 iron, derived from the shale and clay. The solution from No. 1 



m 



contained, moreo.er, a considerable portion of sulphate from the 

 gypsum of the shale. Small quantities of common salt were 

 also removed by water from the calcined residues. The dissolved 

 phosphoric acid, lime, and magnesia were separated by precipi- 

 tating the phosphoric acid, in combination with peroxyd of iron, 

 from a boiling acetic solution and were determined according to 



