NITROGEN IN AGRICULTURE. 175 



vicinity of Boston, who composts them with horse manure, and, 

 I infer, lets his compost heaps remain two years before using, 

 when the objection disappears. Being so abundant along the 

 coast, and so cheap, costing, at wholesale, but a dollar a 

 hundred fish, they are well worthy the attention of farmers who 

 live along the shore ; for, though it might be necessary to keep 

 them over a year, the investment would pay an interest of some 

 hundred per cent. The fishermen in many localities would catch 

 them if there were a market for them. The oil from the livers 

 averages about a cent each fish ; and with one cent from the livers 

 and another from the fish itself, quite a fair business can be done 

 during the hot months. 



Waste salt that has been once used on fish contains in it some 

 fish-waste, such as blood, and particles of the flesh and scales of 

 the fish ; for tliis reason it has some value as manure, in addition 

 to its action on crops as salt. The fish scales analyze in the vicin- 

 ity of 16 per cent in ammonia, and 40 per cent in phosphate of 

 lime ; they decompose more slowly than the flesh of the fish. 



Fish manure, having the same origin as Peruvian guano, has the 

 same constituents ; but not in the same proportions, for ages of 

 deca}' have reduced the guano greatly in bulk, and in the same 

 proportion have concentrated it. All forms of chum have a 

 large proportion of water in tlieir composition. The fish heads 

 and backbones have as high as GG per cent. The chum pressed 

 bj' a hand press has about 50 per cent, and that from a hydraulic 

 press about 40 per cent. The average of the whole fish, as taken 

 from the water, is about 80 per cent. The fish-guano, made from 

 dried fish-waste, contains, on an average, 7.8 per cent of nitrogen. 

 In making fish-guano the waste is dried in the sun, or by waste 

 steam, and when sufficiently dry is ground, and sold at about $33 

 per ton. 



The shells of lobsters, of which vast quantities accumulate at 

 canning factories, are ground up and sold as plant food. They 

 are a complete manure, and especially rich in nitrogen ; analyzing, 

 nitrogen, 6.2, potash, 0.2, phosphoric acid, 2.3 percent. 



How TO Handle Fish-Waste, and the Best Way to Feed 

 IT TO THE Crops. — All fish-waste used in a very ciude state is 

 very stimulating, as might be inferred from its composition, and, 

 being i)urchased at a low figure, is often used by farmers with a 

 very liberal hand. As a consequence their crops are sometimes 

 " burned up," as the phrase is. They are apt to infer that, if they 



