72 



on our own coasts and its use on our own fields so sadly defective 

 in the above, but especially in the nitrogenous constituents. Our 

 sardine and mackerel shoals provide abundant food and manure, if 

 properly sought after and taken. 8till better, however, w^ould it be 

 to supply the fish inainly as food to the people and thence indirectly 

 as manure to the fields ; this is happening in Japan where the demand 

 for fresh and dried fish as food is causing a short output in the ferti- 

 liser product ; but then, the Japanese take care that after all it is given 

 indirectly through the excreta to the soil ; while, in addition, large 

 quantities of bean cake and some fish guano are being imported from 

 Manchuria, etc., and from Siberian coasts. 



154. Otlier iiroducU. — There is not only a large home demand for 

 various aquatic products but China provides an almost illimitable 

 market in which Madras already shares to some extent but might 

 conceivably develop its ti-ade. Such are shark fins, fish sounds, 

 beche-de-mer, cuttle fish, ear-shell {flaliotts), various shell fish, several 

 preparations of seaweed, iodine, pearl-shell and coral ; pearls will be 

 described s.v. " Pisciculture.''^ Shark fins and fish sounds are already 

 considerable articles of Madras trade, especially from the West Coast, 

 and need not be further alluded to though developments will be 

 possible with increased catching power ; beche*de-mer also, but, as men- 

 tioned below, it is possible that this may be developed by cultivation 

 as is now being tried in Japan. The Haliotis is a valuable product 

 both for flesh and shell; the former is salted, boiled, dried in the sun, 

 and exported to China ; the beautiful iridescent shell is largely used 

 for ornamentation and is sent in vast quantities to England, Germany, 

 etc.; the export of shell to England alone averaged in the decade 

 1890-1900, 340,000 lb. valued at Rs. 52,000. Cuttle fish (Sepia) and 

 other squid are dried and largely exported to China, though consumed 

 in quantity at home ; prawns are boiled, shsUed, and dried, and mostly 

 exported to China where the market is practically illimitable ; the 

 oyster (see " Pisciculture ^') besides being eaten fresh is also dried 

 and exported to China ; it is now being canned. The razor-clam 

 {Solecurtus constrictn) is cultivated in immense quantities, its flesh 

 boiled and dried and sent to China ; so also the flesh of the mussel. 

 The Area granosa is also cultivated and exported in vast quantities to 

 China. A curious cultivated product is the common barnacle (Balanus) 

 which is cultivated on bamboo collectors on muddy tidal flats ; the 

 annual yield is stated as 400,000 bushels worth Rs. 45,000, the product 

 being used as manure. Frog skins are a large article of trade, and 

 being of delicate texture, the leather is used for fancy articles. 



155. A very distinctive feature in the Japanese economy is the 

 great use made of sea weed or, as one should say, of marine vegetation, 

 for the word "■ weed " too often obscures or even impugns the value of 

 aquatic and other flora. The Japanese marine flora are particularly 



