5(H ?he Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



THE PRESERVATION OF FISH. 



A New Process. 



A new process for the preservation of fish is 

 now being demonstrated by the Henderson Fish 

 Preserving Company at 57b, Le?denhall Market, 

 E.C. The fresh fish are first placed in a cool 

 chamber and then for three or four hours in sea 

 water to which about 15 per cent, of salt has 

 been added. In the preliminary cooling the tem- 

 perature of the chamber is reduced gradually to 

 32 deg. F., while that of the brine tank used in 

 the demonstration plant was about 14 deg. F. 

 It is claimed that the brine treatment destroys 

 or renders innocuous the germs of putrefaction 

 in the fish, and that it removes the gases which 

 assist decomposition. Samples of fish thus pre- 

 served have been sent to various restaurants and 

 clubs, with the result, it is stated, that although 

 the fish have been several days old when cooked 

 and served, no evidence of the fact was discerni- 

 ble. The method is stated to be particularly 

 suitable for use in the transport of fish during 

 hot weather to inland towns without ice or re- 

 frigeration. The cost of the treatment is said 

 to be ! about 3s to 6s per ton of fish. It is pro- 

 posed to equip a trawler with the plant in order 

 to demonstrate the value of the process in the 

 various fishing ports, and afterwards to erect 

 and equip some installations on land in the ports 

 themselves. — London Times, Nov. 29. 



In Bombay we hear little of attempts to im- 

 prove the fish supply, but in Calcutta and in the 

 Madras Presidency, there appears — perhaps, on 

 account of necessity— to be more enterprise. 

 Everyone must have heard, for instance, of the 

 trout fishing in the Nilgiris. Sir Frederick 

 Nicholson, in the Madras Agricultural Report, 

 writes that the 



TROUT HATCHED AND PLANTED OUT ON THE 

 NILGIRI8 BY MR. WILSON IN 1909-1910 



had so developed by 1911 that the waters were 

 thrown open to licensed anglers, and many fish 

 were caught, the largest of which weighed 5i lb; 

 the head of fish is very large. The upper waters 

 of the Bhavani and Moyar continued to be con- 

 served against illegal practices, such as dynami- 

 ting, poisoning, etc., with the result that there is 

 a marked improvement in the visible quantity 

 of fish. As for marine fish farms, an experimental 

 oyster farm at Pulicat was started late in 1910- 

 1911, and is now holding many thousands of 

 good oysters, mature though not exceeding 20 

 months in age. During the year 



MR. HORNELL 



examined and favourably reported on various 

 sites suitable for ordinary marine fish farming 

 in the lagoons and back-waters ; a site contain- 

 ing an area of about 160 acres was finally selec- 

 ted at Tuticorin and has since been sanctioned 

 by Government. This, site has the advantage 

 of accessibility and of continual supervision by 

 the fisheries staff as well as of proximity to a 

 large market ; it is intended to examine the 

 possibilities of breeding some of our best salt 

 water fish in comparative activity and of study- 

 ing the bionomics of as many food fish as pos- 

 sible as well as of the chank and pearl oyster. 

 A scheme for the creation of a breeding reserve 

 of pearl oysters on the Tinnevelly coast, and 

 for inducing the growth of pearls, was also 

 prepared and sanctioned. — Times of India. 



NOVEL TUBE WELL 



Lahore, Dec. 12. — The Civil and Military 

 Gazette publishes particulars of experiments 

 carried out in the Punjab with a view to 

 preventing water logging from canal irriga- 

 tion. Experiments were made with tube 

 wells near Amritsar, with a view to obtaining 

 one which could be used to draw water from 

 the soil in large quantities, yet without draw- 

 ing sand. It was found that woven wire mesh 

 while acting well at first, gradually became 

 choked with sand. A novel form of strainer tube 

 was then invented by Mr. Ashford, which was 

 formed by winding wire round a skeleton tube 

 in such a manner that narrow slits were left 

 between the wires, the slits being sufficiently 

 fine to prevent the passage of sand. The idea 

 was copied from the method of manufacturing 

 wire-wound guns. A strainer tube well of this 

 type was sunk near Amritsar and connected 

 with an electric centrifugal pump and a long 

 series of experiments carried out with great suc- 

 cess. It now appears that the way is open to 

 apply such tube wells, to the work of unwater- 

 ing water logged lands and also for irrigation 

 purposes, where canal irrigation is not possible. 



RED CAMPHOR OIL AS INSECTICIDE. 



Dr. Sasaki, Professor of the Agricultural 

 College of Tokyo University, has been experi- 

 menting with red camphor oil (one of the by- 

 products of camphor), and finds that it is an 

 effective remedy against wood-eating insects 

 and white ants. — Chemist and Druggist, Nov. 30. 



