36 
IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF 
cording to American rates it equals about 14 cents per lb. 
For these prices German farmers can get the same amount 
of nitrogen in the form of the finest sorts of steamed and 
very finely powdered bone dust and fish meal, almost free 
from oil and admitting of a very uniform distribution over 
the fields, while the Japanese fish manure consists of whole 
fish dried in the air, not freed from the oil at all, and neces¬ 
sitating before application careful preliminary treatment 
(pounding and fermenting). In America too, as in most 
European countries, the raw dried fish for manuring would 
sell at a considerably lower price than in the commercial 
emporium of Japan, in spite of the abundance of fish in the 
surrounding seas. For the Japanese farmer, however, who 
has hard work only during several short periods and enjoys 
much leisure during the rest of the year, it is a matter of 
indifference whether he gets commercial fertilizers in a very 
handy form, fit for immediate application, or whether he 
has to bestow some labour in the crushing and fermenting 
of the material ; time is at present unfortunately but rarely 
money to him. What is possible in other countries less near 
a rich sea, ought, however, not to be impossible in Japan, 
so favourably situated ; the farmers ought to be placed in 
a position to purchase raw fish manure at cheaper rates, 
than they can do at present. 
Finally, much interest attaches to the determination of 
the value of night-soil, by the help of the above prices of the 
nutrients in fish manure and ashes. On the farm itself the 
nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash of the human excreta 
will have the same value as in the raw fish, since the pre¬ 
paratory treatment required by the two is similar ; and 
whether a little more or less work is connected with their 
respective application, need not be seriously taken into 
account. Thus we find the following figures for 100 ku- 
wamme of ordinary nightsoil : 
