181 EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FIfell AND FISIIERiES. 



greatiii thelatter part of the season. Mr. Davis' estimate for Beaufort is, 

 however, not much below the averag;e of the coast south of Maine, and it 

 is quite possible that the apparent disparity of the yield on the Southern 

 coast (of which we are not really entitled to judge with the meager re- 

 turns before us) would be in part explained by differences in the modes 

 of manufacture. Florida menhaden are many of them very fat in the 

 winter season, and there is no apparent reason why the manufacture of 

 oil and guano may not be successfully carried on on our Southern coast. 



The official returns of manufacturers may add some additional facts 

 in reference to the yield of fish in oil and guano and the comparative 

 advantages of location. 



The following table and statement, quoted from Mr. Maddochs, give 

 a comparative view of the manufacture as carried on by the Maine As- 

 sociation and by all the rest of the United States for the year 1876, the 

 latest for which the data are at hand for the whole country. 



The most striking fact brought out in the comparison is that Maine 

 realized, from 4G percent, of the fish, 71 per cent, of the oil. To this it 

 may be added that from the use of $983,000 capital Maine turned out a 

 total product of $1,071,449 value, whereas the rest of the country realized 

 $637,600 from $1,707,000. 



45. STATISTICS OF TDE MANUFACTUEE OF OIL AND 



GUANO. 



Returns for the State of Maine. 



257. The number of gallons of oil produced at the factories of the 

 Maine Association during the past five years is as given below : 



1873 1, 204, 055 



1874 ., 1, 931 , 037 



1875 1, 514, 881 



1876 2, 143, 273 



1877 ., 1, 166, 213 



Total 7, 959, 459 



