40 FERTILIZERS. 



it some fish-waste, such as blood, and particles of the flash 

 and scales of the fish ; for this reason, it has some value 

 as manure, in addition to its action on crops as salt. The 

 fish-scales analyze in the vicinity of sixteen per cent in 

 ammonia, and forty cents in phosphate of lime : they de- 

 compose 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 proportion ; for 

 ages of decay 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 their com- 

 position. The fish-heads and back-bones have as high 

 as 66 per cent: the chum pressed by 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 accumu- 

 late 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. 



HOW TO HANDLE FISH-WASTE, AND THE BEST WAY TO 

 FEED IT TO THE CROPS. 



All fish-waste used in a crude state, as might be inferred 

 from its composition, is very stimulating, and, being pur- 

 chased at a low figure, is oftentimes 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 cannot see the presence of the fish i:i 



