﻿32 BULLETIN 2, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



depends on the fortunes of the fishermen, the supply of fish is un- 

 certain and irregular. No plant runs constantly at capacity. Some 

 may stand idle for months in the midst of the fishing season. The 

 fish are worked up as received. This is especially necessary in warm 

 weather, when the fish often bruised and softened by the crushing 

 produced from their own weight, are sure to spoil rapidly. Accord- 

 ingly, the factories are operated intermittently. A much higher 

 daily capacity is maintained therefore than would be necessary in 

 handling a raw material of a more permanent character, or one sup- 

 plied with greater regularity. 



THE FLOATING FACTORY. 



The perfection of the automatic apparatus for handling fish scrap 

 with dispatch has been followed by another attempt to manufacture 

 scrap in a vessel capable of following the menhaden during the 

 season. In Juty, 1911, the Mills was put into commission. This 

 steamer is a converted steel dredge of 5,000 tons, which has been 

 equipped with two elevators, one on each side, with a capacity of 

 1,500 barrels of fish per hour. These deposit the fish into receiving 

 bins of 5,000 barrels capacity. A continuous and automatic cooker is 

 provided and a rotary press. Storage room, with adequate fire pro- 

 tection, is reserved for the dried and bagged scrap, and likewise 

 storage tanks capable of holding as much as 3,000 barrels of oil. A 

 wireless outfit is likewise provided. 1 



COMPOSITION OF FISH AND FISH SCRAP. 



OLD ANALYSES. 



Since fish scrap is sold on the basis of its nitrogen content, a great 

 many analyses of it have been made, both by the manufacturer of the 

 finished goods and the inspectors of fertilizers. Many of these have 

 found their way into the literature. In addition a number of analy- 

 ses of the entire fresh fish are to be found in the literature. Certain 

 of these are quoted below. 



In the following table is given the analysis of fresh menhaden by 

 Cook: 2 



Table VI. — Analysis of fish. 

 FRESH. 



Constituent. 



Proportion. 



Water 



Per cent. 

 77 150 



Oil 





Dried fish 



18 936 







1 Dismantled at close of season of 1912. 

 2 Geol. of N. J., 1868, p. 497. 



