NITEOGENIZED PHOSPHATIC MANUEES. 291 



the 100 kg. (12s. a cwt., £12 a ton). But this new industry injured 

 too many interests. Demolon and his partner were circumvented 

 by speculators, who, once masters of the factory, found nothing 

 more urgent to do than to demohsh it. Demolon 's idea was not 

 long in being taken up again in Norway, where fish manure was 

 made after the same process, then in America, especially at Boston, 

 and in Great Britain, always according to Demolon's process. Jules 

 Loreau & Co. have built at Kernevel, near Lorient, that is at the 

 door of the sardine factories (sardines a I'huile), so numerous in these 

 districts, a factory where they convert into manure all the detritus 

 coming from these factories. This debris, which consists largely 

 of heads, cartilages and intestines, is received at the factory on 

 tables or sloped floors which allow the brine charged with blood to 

 drop into a pit, whence it is afterwards drawn off by a pump ; there 

 is thus a liquid and a solid portion. The liquid portion, that is the 

 brine mixed with a certain quantity of oil which is separated to be 

 sold, is delivered to the local farmers, who utilize it to enrich 

 their farmyard dung and especially for fertilizing meadows. 

 A proportion of ten to fifteen barrels to the hectare (say four to 

 six barrels to the acre) is sufficient to produce very good 

 crops. This manure undergoes an ammoniacal fermentation 

 in the pit and its action on vegetation is most energetic ; it 

 should therefore only be used on moist ground, as after rain, for 

 example; on analysis it shows a proportion of 1"34 per cent of 

 nitrogen. The fish debris after draining is lifted, made into a heap 

 and boiled over a naked fire, when a little water is added and clear 

 brine ; the boiling lasts two hours for 400 kg. (880 lb.) of sardine heads. 

 After boiling, the material is piled in layers between two wrought- 

 iron plates and submitted for five hours to the action of a press, 

 from which it issues in the form of a cake. The 400 kg. (880 lb.) 

 yield on an average 100 kg. (220 lb.) of cake with 25 per cent of 

 water. This cake is air-dried and then pulverized in a flatstone 

 mill, whence it issues ready to be delivered to the farmer. A pair 

 of flatstone mills yield 1 ton to 1^ tons of ground cake in twelve 

 hours, according as the weather is more or less dry. The average 

 composition of this manure is the following : — 



TABLE XC— ANALYSIS OF BEITTAXY FISH GUANO. 



Volatile r ^^t^i'. • 



, , - Organic matter .... 



V Nitrogen . . . . . . 



/- Phosphate of lime .... 



Ash . J Carbonate of lime and (alkaline) salts 



I Silica ...... 



5-00 



50-50 \ .rj,QQ 



6-50 j 

 28-00 ^> 



5-50 38-00 

 4-50 J 



100-00 



