58 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



valuable elements of plant-foed. The aborigines of our country were acquainted with its 

 value as a fertilizer, and were accustomed to place one or two fish in a hill when planting 

 their maize, burying them with the seed, that their decomposition might enrich the soil, by 

 the time the seed had well started in growth. This practice, as well as that of plowing them 

 into the soil, of course, involves much waste, as the slight covering of earth would not be 

 sufficient to retain the gases produced by the decomposition. Various species of small fish 

 are used for this purpose, the menhaden being used the most extensively in this country. 

 The best and only proper mode of using them for a fertilizer is to first compost them with 

 dry earth or muck. This should be done by making a compost heap of alternate layers of 

 fish and earth, one above the other to the desired height, and covering the pile at the top 

 with three or four feet of soil. The pile should have about a foot of earth at the bottom, 

 upon which a layer of fish should be spread from four to five inches deep ; upon this a layer 

 of earth about a foot deep, followed by another layer of fish, and so on till the pile is complete, 

 the top to be covered with a foot of soil. As the fish decomposes, the soil acts as an absorbent 

 and deodorizer, which are so effectual that no annoyance will be occasioned by the escape of 

 any effluvia offensive to the most fastidious olfactories. In a few weeks, if the weather be 

 warm, the pile can be shoveled over and thoroughly mixed with the earth. It may be applied 

 at any time to the soil, but should not be left exposed to the storms, as th rains will leach 

 out its valuable properties ; when not intended for immediate use, it sheuld, therefore, be 

 kept under a shed or cover of some kind. 



Upon the Atlantic coast, the menhaden fish are used principally for this purpose, being 

 very abundant, and furnish a large portion of our fish guanos. The fish are usually first 

 subjected to a process that extracts a great portion of the oil, and the pomace is then dried 

 and ground, ready for use. The flesh of fish, like that of all domestic animals, contains about 

 fifteen per cent, of nitrogen, and a fish guano that contains the largest amount of nitrogen 

 is, of course, the most valuable. &quot;When an undue amount of heat is applied in extracting 

 the oil from the fish, the guano is injured for agricultural purposes in a proportionate degree. 

 Prof. Goessmann says: 



&quot;Nobody familiar with the nature of a good fish guano considers it less efficient for 

 agricultural purposes than any other animal refuse matter of a corresponding percentage of 

 phosphoric acid and nitrogen. In fact, all true guanos, the Peruvian not excepted, owe their 

 most valuable constituents, in a controlling degree, directly or indirectly to the fish. A well- 

 dried and finely-ground fish guano is one of our best substitutes for Peruvian guano, and 

 ranks equally high with the best quality of animal dust from our butcher-refuse establish 

 ments. It deserves the liberal patronage of farmers wherever a rich nitrogenous phosphate 

 is called for.&quot; 



In England, an immense amount of fish guano ts made from little herrings (clupea 

 sprattus), that are taken in vast quantities off the southern coast of that country. 



When the ground material is used, it should be mixed with about twice its bulk of dry 

 earth and usually scattered broadcast, and either harrowed in at once or covered by plowing 

 a shallow furrow. When used in the hill, this mixture should be covered slightly with soil 

 before dropping the seed. The quantity required depends upon the condition of the soil, and 

 the kind of crops to be produced. 



Peruvian Guano. It is a well-known fact that the deposits of guano upon the 

 Chincha Islands, after furnishing to the world from twelve to fifteen millions of tons of this 

 substance, are nearly exhausted, and that other islands now furnish almost entirely the supply 

 to meet the demand. The Guanape Islands, located about three hundred miles north from the 

 Chincha Islands, on the coast of Peru, now produce large quantities of it, but will not be 



