Uncle Dick and Lisa's Old Time Animal Tales

The journal of Commerce, speaking of a large haul of fish recently made in the East River, near N. Haven, states the number to have been two millions, while many estimated the number at three or four millions. This is no ordinary fish story, as some of the incredulous editor may suppose.
It has been stated, a seine about 1 mile in length is drawn in at high tide, by horses attached to a windlass, until the multitude of fishes are drawn to land or strike the bottom, when the tide leaves the fish are left high and dry on a hard sandy beach, ready to be carted away and sold for manure. We have seen an acre or two of these fish a foot or two deep and a constant procession of carts taking them back into the country to enrich the sand-hills where even the oak of Jerusalem will hardly grow, but which having received a layer of this marine manure-this guano-produces luxuriant crops of corn.