No. 4.] THE HARVEST OF THE SEA. 125 



from these facts, taken in connection with the habits of menhaden, 

 seems to be that their food consists in large part of sediment, con- 

 taining much organic matter, which gathers upon the bottom of 

 still, pi'otected bays, and also the vegetation that occurs in such 

 localities." 



Professor Goode further says : — 



" In the economy of nature certain orders of terrestrial animals 

 feed entirely upon vegetable substances, seem intended for one 

 purpose, — to elaborate simple materials into the nitrogenous tissues 

 necessary for the food of other animals, which are wholly or in part 

 carnivorous in their diet ; so the menhaden, feeding upon other- 

 wise unutilized organic matter, is pre-eminently a meat-producing 

 agent." 



]\lr. Spencer Walpole of England states, in regard to this 

 point, that " the waste mass of decaying animal and vegeta- 

 ble matter which is pouring into the sea practically increases 

 the infusorial life on which the smaller fish feed, and thus 

 enables each estuary to support greater numbers of fish." 



If it is the habit of the menhaden to spawn in deep waters, 

 or warmer waters, as appears to be the case, and then in the 

 spring of the year to migrate to our shores to feed upon the 

 deposits of sewage or the lower orders of life produced by 

 sewage, it would seem almost imperative, and a part of our 

 public economy, to allow these fish to be caught, as a source of 

 the much-needed nitrogen so essential to profitable farming. 



The Chemistry of the Subject. 



The chemist tells us that a plant will not grow without a 

 supply of nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash, as well as 

 many other ingredients. We know from experience that 

 most of our soils, especially in the Eastern and Middle 

 States, have been exhausted in a great measure of these 

 important elements of plant nutrition, particularly of nitro- 

 gen, and that, if we would obtain profitable crops, we must 

 return these elements in some form or other. 



The chemist also tells us that the menhaden pomace, after 

 the oil and most of the moisture are pressed out and it has 

 been sun-dried like hay, contains from 8 to 10 per cent of 

 nitrogen and from 7 to 8 per cent of phosphoric acid ; that 

 is, a ton of menhaden contains 160 pounds of nitrogen and 



