FISH MEAL AS A STOCK AND POULTRY FOOD. 9 



COMPOSITION AND QUALITIES OF FISH MEAL. 



In the earlier experiments in this country, which have been re- 

 viewed, the material referred to is the undried cakes as they came 

 from the presses. Since the advent of drying this residue has been 

 converted into the fish scrap of the fish fertilizer industry. With 

 proper attention, however, to sanitary considerations in the processes, 

 it may be made into fish meal for feeding purposes. 



The preparation of the material in this form makes it at once a 

 commercial proposition, so far as shipping and ready use in com- 

 pounding stock food rations are concerned. The meal containing 

 less than 10 per cent of moisture will keep a very long time without 

 decomposition or apparent chemical change. Portions of the ex- 

 perimental lots of fish meals made from sardine waste have been 

 stored for over a year now, with apparently no change taking place. 

 The product is usually shipped in 80 or 100 pound bags and will 

 probably receive the same classification as fish fertilizer scrap, which 

 at present is classified as 6th class in carload lots, or as 4th in less 

 than carload lots (official classification); w^estern classification: L. 

 C. L., 3d; C. L., C. ; southern classification: L. C. L., not taken; 

 C. L., at fertilizer rates. 



During the season of 1913-14 the Bureau of Chemistry made an 

 extensive study of the sardine industry on the coast of Maine. It 

 was during these investigations that attention was drawn to the 

 large amount of waste in the packing of the fish as sardines, par- 

 ticularly at times when the fish Avere of large size. The possibility 

 of utilizing this material as a stock food was considered and an 

 investigation of the preparation and yield of material for this pur- 

 pose was instituted during the season of 1914, 



The question of the utilization of the fish waste on the Pacific 

 coast has been extensively investigated by J. W. Turrentine ^ of the 

 Bureau of Soils of this department as a part of the investigation of 

 the fertilizer resources of the United States. The report of this 

 work, which covers all phases of the subject, contains the analyses 

 of five samples of dried " scrap " which were prepared at as many 

 different factories from the waste in the canning of salmon. As 

 the analysis indicates, they were well dried products, the water con- 

 tent ranging from 3.91 per cent to 5.36 per cent. The protein con- 

 tent ranged from 47.69 per cent to 59.31 per cent. It can be seen, 

 therefore, that a product from this source has considerable value 

 as a high-protein material, and it is said to be of very high qualitj^ 



Attention is also directed in this report to the use of the higher- 

 grade " scrap " or meal as a stock and poultry food. 



1 U. S. Department of Agriculture BuUetin No. 150. 

 42864°— 16 1 



