Chapter 81: Scraps from Fileting Fish

Chapter 81: Scraps from Fileting Fish

When talking about potash fertilizer, as a countryside kid, Marin naturally thought about phosphate fertilizer. When fertilizing crops, normally all three types of nitrogen, phosphate and potash fertilizers were needed.

The manure by the Ancient Chinese as fertilizer, was actually nitrogen fertilizer. Because manure contained nitrogen. However, only nitrogen fertilizer by itself was insufficient. The Europeans do not use fertilizer, thats why the yield of their wheat was only slightly over a hundred catty per mu. After the Chinese people used manure, the yield per mu reached over 200 catty.

Later, aside from manure, the Chinese also sprinkled wood ash into the fields. Wood ash contains potassium, so it was barely considered a type of lesser potash fertilizer. After using those two natural fertilizers, the wheat yield of the Chinese people could reach 300 catty per mu.

As for the paddy fields of Jiangnan, due to the large system of trenches, there were a lot of fish and shrimp within. And these fish and shrimp contained high amounts of phosphorus within them. After they die, the phosphorus content will seep into the ground.

And the effects of this was quite similar to the phosphate fertilizer in modern times.

Thats why, certain paddy fields in Jiangnan which had fertilized with manure, wood ash and high phosphate content, had a very high yield per mu, reaching 500 to 600 catty. Because in these fields, they contained all three elements of nitrogen, phosphate and potassium

Of course, the ancient people did not understand the theory of fertilizers, and did not know that dead fish and shrimp would fertilize the soil. As such, there had been the saying that the lands of Jiangnan were fertiile, while those in the North were barren.Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m

Actually, that wasnt even the case.

It had been proven that in modern times, as long as all three types of fertilizers were used, the Northern and Southern fields would have the same production yield.

On Texel, Marin was promoting the use of manure, as well as promoting the use of potash. Hwoever, the plant resources on Texel wasnt as abundant than inland. Because the potassium content of wood ash was very limited, thats why Marin deployed some men to the Harz Mountains to purchase bitter salt ores (potassium salt ore), and use the salt directly as potash fertilizer.

However, this phosphate fertilizer was a bit difficult to get ones hands on. Because Morocco which was a major producer of phosphate fertilizer, was not something Marin could mess with. Even the other location which was a major producer of phosphate fertilizers, Western Sahara, was also under the control of the Moroccans.

Marin had once read other transmigration novels, and know that around Laayoune, Western Sahara, there was an extremely large phosphate mine with reserves of up to 2 billion tonnes, and wasnt far away from the coast.

Damnit! Thats too wasteful! Marin who was doing a field investigation couldnt help but feel pain in his heart.

Young Master, whats wrong? Scholl the attendant asked.

These are all quality phosphate fertilizer! Theyre thrown away just like that! Phosphate fertilizer? What the hecks that? Scholls mind was filled with questions.

You wouldnt understand even if I told you Marin shook his head.

The next day, Marin decreed, all fishermen in the two large fishing ports, the scraps from filleting fish (aside from fish guts which contained toxic cyanide), as well as fish bones after eating fish, must all be gathered and handed in. If anybody throw them away by privately, they will be fined

As for the gathered scraps such as fishscales, fish organs and fishbones, Marin intended to organize some people to dry them under the sun, then crush them and process them into natural fertilizer like wood ash. Or, he could just toss them into the cesspits, to ferment along with excrements and wood ash into manure.

Although the phosphate content from filleting scraps was nowhere near phosphate fertilizers. However, it would still provide an effect similar to wood ash.

Also, due to Marins strong support, currently in the two large fishing ports of t Horntje and Oudeschild, counting only large fishing boats with displacement tonnage over 100 tonnes, there were already more than twenty.

Everyday, the amount of scraps produced by the fishing ports from filleting fish reached several dozen tonnes and more.

As for these scraps, no matter what happens the phosphate content would be at about 1%. Although it was incomparable to specialized phosphate fertilizer, but if the quantity was greater, it would still function as phosphate fertilizer.

Manure (nitrogen fertilizer), potash fertilizer (potassium salt) and phosphate fertilizer (fish scraps) were all in one place, forget reaching the standards of modern times with yields of thousand catty per mu, at the very least, it would be similar to the paddy fields like Jiangnan during the Ming Dynasty, reaching yields of 500-600 catty per mu

Which also means, the fishing scraps which were originally thrown away as trash by the fishermen, had been put into use by Marin as primitive and natural phosphate fertilize