202 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



crops. This, of course, was a very wasteful process, as a large part of 

 the ammonia which the decaying fish furnished went off into the air ; 

 stiil, it was a very valuable manure used even in that way. Not only 

 were white-fish taken, but very large quantities of sharks, and some 

 valuable food-fishes were oftentimes taken in connection with these fish, 

 which were caught expressly for manure. Latterly the oil has become 

 exceedingly valuable, so that the companies now take the fish for the 

 purpose of procuring the oil, and the refuse, what remains after the oil 

 has been expressed, is sold for manure. I suppose about forty millions 

 of white-fish are taken annually along the shore of Fisher's Island, in 

 the vsound, between New London and Stoningtou, a distance of not more 

 than ten miles, probably, and there are some six or eight companies 

 that have been organized for the purpose of taking these fish. These 

 companies are quite prosperous, and a source of quite large income, 

 not only to those who are engaged in fishing, but to other people. 

 <rhey make a market for the wood of the farmers in all that region. It 

 is quite a common thing for the farmers to exchange their wood for this 

 fish scrap. About two cords of wood, delivered on the shore, will bu}- a 

 ton of this fish scrap. * -* * Sometimes they get it in season for the 

 farm [spring'?] crops or turnips, and always in season for the rye 

 crop In the fall. The price is from $13 to $16 per ton. -* * * 

 A great deal of it goes up the Connecticut Eiver. The tobacco raisers 

 know the value of fish scrap, and it is sent quite a distance into the 

 country. * * * The farmers all along the coast use the fish scrap 

 in what is called a 'fish pie.' The scrap is drawn to the farm, a few 

 furrows are turned up near where they want to use the fish scrap the 

 next year, a layer of scrap is put over these furrows, then a layer of 

 sods and so on, forming a compost heap four or five feet high. Probably 

 eight or ten times as much earth as scrap is used, in bulk or weight. 

 After it has lain a few weeks in this condition, it is forked or shoveled 

 over, so that it is all intimately mixed, and the scrap very nearly 

 absorbed by the soil, and in that condition it is fit either to be spread 

 upon the ground for rye or for corn crop the next season. It is also 

 used in connection with stable manure. The scrap is carted into the 

 yard where the stable and yard manure is heaped up, and mixed with 

 that ; it adds very greatly to the value of yard manure. They will put, 

 perhaps, one ton of the scrap to ten tons or more of yard manure ; and 

 then, after it has remained two or three weeks, it is carted off for top- 

 dressing for corn or potatoes, or the ordinary crops of the farm. I have 

 used fish scrap for the last three years on the rye crop, and find it 

 exceedingly beneficial and economical. The soil where I use it is a 

 gravelly loam, very well underdrained, but it has been pretty well 

 exhausted by long cropping. I spread about half a ton of this manure 

 to the acre, and get a very satisfactory yield of rye from this light dress- 

 ing. It costs me about seven or eight dollars an acre for the manure, 

 and I get in return for it about fifteen bushels of rye to the acre, and 



