produced from images produced by ,core  
,historical ,literature in ,agriculture 
7,,chla71 ,cornell ,university7         
,,guano3    ,a ,treatise of ,practical  
,information for ,farmers2              
,,containing    ,,plain ,,directions    
,,how ,,to ,,apply ,,peruvian ,,guano   
,,to ,,the ,,various    ,,crops ,,and   
,,soils ,,of ,,america1    ,,with ,a    
,,brief ,,synopsis ,,of ,,its ,,history1
 ,,locality1 ,,quantity1 ,,method ,,of  
,,procuring1   ,,prospect ,,of          
,,continued ,,supply1 ,,and ,,price2    
,,analysis ,,of   ,,its ,,composition1  
,,and ,,value ,,as ,a ,,fertilizer1     
,,over ,,all ,,other ,,manures4    ,if  
the experience of the last few years has
 taught us one thing   more certainly   
than another1 it is the unfailing       
excellence of ,guano   for every kind of
 crop which requires manure4            
,,prepared ,,and ,,published    ,,by    
,,solon ,,robinson1    ,,for            
,,messrs4 ,f4 ,,barreda  ,,brother1     
,,agents ,,for ,,the ,,peruvian         

,,government ,,at ,,baltimore2    ,,and 
,,theodore ,w4 ,,riley1 ,,esq41 ,,their 
,,agent ,,in ,,new ,,york4    ,,new     
,,york3   #ahec4       ,entered         
according to ,act of ,congress1 in the  
year #aheb1 by    ,,solon ,,robinson1   
in the ,clerks ,office of the ,district 
,court of the ,united ,states for   the 
,southern ,district of ,new ,york4      
,,introduction   ,the rapidly increasing
 use of guano1 in the ,united ,states1  
and the growing conviction upon the     
public mind1 that it is the cheapest and
 best purchasable manure in the world1  
together with the fact of a great want  
of information among ,american farmers1 
as to the best mode of applying it to   
the soil1 has induced the agents of the 
,peruvian ,government for the sale of   
guano in the ,united ,states1 to employ 
the author of this pamphlet to collect  
and publish such information4  ,it is   
hoped the favorably and well known name 
of the author1 as an agricultural writer
 and traveller1 together with his       

extended opportunities of witnessing the
 application and effect of guano upon   
the various soils and climates of this  
country1 will give this work such a     
character1 as to induce every improving 
farmer1 gardener1 or horticulturist1 in 
,america to give it a careful perusal4  
,the author believes it will be found to
 contain all and much more than its     
title imports1 and be of great value to 
every person using or dealing in guano2 
as the analysis1 not only of the pure   
article is given1 but that of several   
specimens of adulterated samples1 so as 
to enable the farmer to avoid being     
cheated by base counterfeits4  ,the     
author will be much obliged to any      
gentleman who will furnish him for      
publication in future editions of this  
work1 or in the columns of ,,the        
,,agricultor1 any details of experiments
 in the use of ,peruvian guano1 which   
will be useful to the farmers of this   
country1 as it is his desire1 as well as
 the guano agents1 to give them useful  

facts2 not only to increase the sale1   
but the fertility of the land1 and      
wealth of the owners4  ,with assurances 
to my friends that ,i have no other     
interest in the increased consumption of
 guano1 ,i am most sincerely and        
respectfully    ,your old ,friend1      
,,solon ,,robinson4    ,new ,york1      
,october #aheb4     ,a ,,treatise ,,on  
,,guano4     ,,peruvian ,,guano--,,its  
,,uses ,,and ,,benefits4  ,of all       
manures procurable by the ,american     
,farmer1 guano from the rainless islands
 of ,peru1 is perhaps not only the most 
concentrated--the most economical to the
 purchaser--but by its composition1 as  
we will show by analysis1 the best      
adapted to all the crops cultivated in  
this country requiring manure4 ,for     
wheat1 especially1 it is the one thing  
needful4 ,the mineral constituents of   
cultivated plants1 as will also be shown
 by analysis1 are chiefly lime1         
magnesia1 potash1 soda1 chlorine1       
sulphuric and phosphoric acid2 all of   

which will be found in ,peruvian guano4 
,nitrogen1 the most valuable constituent
 of stable or compost manures1 exists in
 great abundance in guano1 in the exact 
condition required by plants to promote 
rapid vegetation4 ,the concentration of 
all these valuable properties in the    
small bulk of guano1 renders it         
particularly valuable to farms situated 
in districts unprovided with facilities 
of cheap transportation4 ,in some hilly 
regions1 it would be utterly impossible 
to make any ordinary manure pay for     
transportation4 ,with guano the case is 
very different--one wagon will carry    
enough with a single pair of horses to  
dress #ab or #af acres2 while of stable 
manure it would require as many or more 
loads to each acre to produce the same  
effect4  ,but this is not the greatest  
advantage in the use of this fertilizer2
 the first application puts the land in 
such condition1 that judicious after    
cultivation renders it continuously     
fertile by its own action of            

productiveness and reproductiveness of  
wheat1 clover and wheat1 by turning in  
the clover of one year for the wheat of 
the next1 and by returning the straw    
back to the ground where it grew1 spread
 open the surface to shade the plants of
 clover and manure its roots1 which in  
turn manure the corn or wheat4  ,as a   
source of profit alone1 we should       
recommend the continuous application of 
,guano2 knowing as we do1 from our      
extensive means of observation1 that no 
outlay of capital ever made by the      
farmer1 is so sure and certain to bring 
him back good returns for his money1 as 
when he invests it in this invaluable   
fertilizer for his impoverished soil4   
,in proof of this1 we shall give the    
reader of this little work a number of  
experiments made by some of the most    
improving farmers in ,virginia and other
 ,states4   ,,effects ,,produced ,,by   
,,the ,,use ,,of ,,guano ,,in           
,,virginia4  ,in no other part of the   
world1 perhaps1 can the beneficial      

effects of ,guano be more plainly seen  
than in the tide-water region of        
,virginia4 ,in the counties of ,king    
,george1 ,westmoreland1 ,richmond1      
,northumberland1 ,lancaster1 in the     
northern neck1 as the peninsula between 
the ,potomac and ,rappahanock is termed2
 thousands of acres of land so poor and 
worthless a few years ago1 it was barely
 rated as property1 are now annually    
producing beautiful crops of wheat1 corn
 and clover1 solely by the application  
of ,guano4 ,in the meantime1 the        
discovery of such an easy means of      
improving a worn out and barren soil1   
has increased the money value of land   
three or four hundred per cent4 ,this is
 not all4 ,heretofore1 the only part of 
this district considered worth          
cultivation was the bottom land         
bordering the rivers and creeks2 the    
forest land yielding scanty crops for   
two or three years after being cleared1 
scarcely paying for the labor1 while its
 value was rated at from #a to #d per   

acre1 and unsaleable at that4 ,since the
 introduction of ,guano1 it is found    
these forest lands1 which are of a      
sandy1 loamy character1 and much more   
pleasant than the bottom lands to till1 
can be cultivated with equal or greater 
profit than the stiff lands upon the    
bottoms4 ,the writer has seen repeatedly
 in the counties mentioned1 luxuriant   
fields of wheat1 corn and clover1 while 
directly alongside of such crops1 the   
ground was almost as bare of vegetation 
as the sea-shore sands1 too poor1 as the
 common expression is there1 to bear    
poverty grass4 ,and what produced this  
change8 ,simply a dressing of #bjj lbs4 
of ,guano to the acre4   ,,dr4          
,,fairfax',s ,,experiments ,,with       
,,guano4  ,in ,april #ahej the writer   
was on the farm of ,dr4 ,fairfax of     
,king ,george county1 who was one of the
 first1 if not quite the first person in
 that part of the ,state who ever made  
use of this substance as a manure2 and  
his wheat was then so large that a good 

sized dog was hidden from view in       
running through the field2 while upon a 
neighboring piece of land of exactly the
 same quality1 sowed at the same time1  
the ground scarcely looked green2 in    
fact1 it was remarked at the time by way
 of contrast to the one field hiding a  
dog1 that the other would not hide a    
chicken--indeed1 an egg might have been 
seen as far as though no wheat was      
growing upon the ground4 ,both fields   
were just alike1 both plowed and sowed  
alike1 without manure1 except #bjj lbs  
of ,peruvian guano upon one1 and that   
sure to bring fifteen or twenty bushels 
to the acre1 while the other would not  
exceed three bushels4  ,one of his first
 trials was with the ,african1 of which 
he applied #djj lbs4 to the acre upon   
#bg acres1 which would not produce three
 bushels of wheat to the acre1 in its   
natural condition1 but with this        
application1 notwithstanding it was #cb 
per cent4 water1 and1 consequently1 had 
lost much of it ammonia1 he made an     

average of #ab-c_/d bushels to the acre 
on the whole field4 ,upon another1 he   
increased the usual average yield from  
#h to #ah bushels1 while1 in his        
opinion1 the permanent improvement of   
the land was of greater value than the  
increased yield of the first crop2 for  
now clover will grow where none would   
grow before2 another advantage arising  
from guano is1 the wheat ripens so much 
earlier 7#aeth of ,june7 it escapes the 
rust1 so apt to blight that which is    
late coming to maturity4 ,he now sows   
wheat in the fore part of ,september1   
three pecks to the acre1 after having   
previously plowed in #bjj lbs4 of       
,peruvian guano to the acre1 and after  
the first harrowing sows the clover     
seed4 ,the land is a yellow clay loam1  
uneven surface1 very much worn2 in fact1
 without the guano1 and with all the    
manure that could be made upon the      
farm--for no straw no manure--not worth 
cultivating4 ,dr4 ,f4 had been using    
guano three years1 at the date of our   

visit1 and thought his prospect good for
 a thousand bushels of wheat upon the   
same ground1 which1 without guano would 
not produce one hundred and fifty4      
,,mr4 ,,newton',s ,,experiments4  ,the  
,hon4 ,willoughby ,newton1 of           
,westmoreland ,county1 was one of the   
earliest and most successful            
experimenters in the use of guano in    
,virginia4 ,he owns large and productive
 farms on the ,potomac1 but on account  
of the forest land being more healthy   
for a residence1 he bought a tract of it
 for that purpose2 not having any design
 of ever putting it into cultivation4   
,in fact1 it was so poor he could not4  
,the manure of the farm1 if it had not  
been wanted there1 was several miles    
distant--too far to haul2 and so the    
land lay an uncultivated1 unprofitable  
barren waste around his fine mansion2   
but it did not lay so very long after he
 discovered the renovating power of     
guano4 ,it is now annually covered with 
broad fields of wheat1 from which he has

 realized upwards of twenty bushels to  
the acre2 and the most luxuriant growths
 of clover upon which he can pasture any
 amount of stock he pleases1 where three
 years previous a goat would have found 
difficulty in sustaining life4 ,mr4     
,newton's first experiment--what was    
then an experiment is now a             
certainty--was made with ,african guano4
 ,but we will give the account of his   
operations in his own straight-forward1 
easily understood1 farmer-like language4
  ,in the effect of guano1 especially   
the ,peruvian1 ,i have never been       
disappointed4 ,i have used it now for   
four years1 with entire satisfaction    
having each year been induced to enlarge
 my expenditure1 until last year it     
reached eight hundred dollars1 and for  
the crop of wheat this fall it exceeds  
one thousand4 ,i have observed with     
astonishment its effect in numerous     
instance on the poor forest lands       
alluded to in a former part of this     
address4 ,what the turnip and sheep     

husbandry have done for the light lands 
of ,great ,britain1 the general use of  
guano promises to do for ours4 ,lands a 
few years ago deemed entirely incapable 
of producing wheat1 now produce the most
 luxuriant crops4 ,from #ae to #bj      
bushels for one sowed1 is the ordinary  
product on our poorest lands1 from the  
application of #bjj lbs4 of ,peruvian   
guano4 ,i may remark1 it is not usual1  
in ,eastern ,virginia1 to sow more than 
a bushel of wheat to the acre1 and that 
,i deem amply sufficient4 ,upon this    
subject ,i hope a few details may not be
 considered tedious or uninteresting4 ,i
 applied last fall #cej worth of guano1 
partly ,peruvian and partly ,patagonian1
 on a poor farm in the forest1 which    
cost a few years ago four dollars an    
acre1 and reaped #ajhi bushels of       
beautiful wheat from #gh sowed4         
,forty-six bushels were sowed on fallow1
 7both guano and wheat put in with the  
cultivator1 followed by a heavy harrow17
 and yielded #gij bushels or over       

#ag-a_/d for one4 ,a considerable part  
of this was dressed with ,patagonian    
guano1 and was much inferior to the     
other portion4 ,a lot on which #ae      
bushels was sowed1 and dressed with     
,peruvian guano1 was threshed           
separately1 and yielded #cja bushels1 or
 over #bj for one4 ,the whole cost of   
the farm was #aebj1 and ,i have good    
reason to expect with a favorable season
 from the crop now sowed and dressed    
with guano1 a bushel of wheat for every 
dollar of the prime cost of the farm4   
,many other instances of profit from the
 use of guano1 equally striking have    
occurred among my neighbors and friends1
 but ,i confine myself to those stated1 
because having come under my immediate  
observation1 ,i can vouch for their     
entire accuracy4 ,it has been frequently
 objected to the use of guano1 that it  
is not permanent4 ,it would be          
unreasonable to expect great permanent  
improvement from a manure so active1 and
 which yielded go large a profit on the 

first crop4 ,yet ,i have seen some      
striking evidences of its permanency in 
heavy crops of clover1 succeeding wheat1
 and in the increase of the crop of     
wheat on a second application4 ,as an   
instance1 ,i may mention that two years 
ago ,i sowed upon a single detached acre
 of forest land1 one bushel of wheat and
 dressed it with a barrel of ,african   
guano1 costing #d1 and the yield was    
seventeen bushels4 ,last fall the same  
land1 after remaining one year in       
clover1 was again sowed with one bushel 
of wheat and dressed with #adj lbs4 of  
,peruvian guano1 costing #c1 and the    
product was #bb bushels4 ,yet ,i would  
advise no one to rely upon guano        
exclusively4 ,its analysis shows that it
 contains salts of ammonia1 alkaline    
phosphates and the other mineral        
elements necessary to produce the grain 
of wheat1 but is deficient in most of   
the elements of the straw and roots of  
the plants4 ,hence1 7says ,liebig7 'a   
rational agriculturist1 in using guano1 

cannot dispense with stable dung4' ,we  
should1 therefore1 be careful not to    
exhaust the soil of organic manures1 but
 by retaining the straw of the wheat1   
and occasionally a crop of clover1 which
 plant contains a large percentage of   
the alkaline carbonates1 which are      
entirely wanting in ,guano1 furnish all 
the elements necessary to the entire    
wheat plant4 ,in this view of the       
subject1 and for many other reasons that
 ,i cannot stop to enumerate1 there     
cannot be1 when guano is extensively    
used1 a more judicious rotation than the
 ,pamunky five field system1 in which   
clover occupies a prominent place4 ,i   
have now enumerated some of the most    
prominent means by which you may keep   
your land rich4 ,i would not discourage 
the use of others4 ,science is daily    
making discoveries in the art of        
enriching the earth1 and we should      
discard nothing1 without a trial1 which 
promises to be useful2 always bearing in
 mind that the wisest economy is        

entirely consistent with the most       
liberal expenditure1 in the purchase of 
manures1 provided we take care1 by      
judicious experiments and observation1  
to ascertain their efficacy1 and that we
 get back our capital1 with an actual   
net profit in cash1 on all our          
investments4 ,this latter caution is    
indispensable1 in our country1 where new
 lands are so abundant and cheap1 that  
highly improved farms can never be rated
 in the market at their true value4     
,the various manures compounded by      
chemists and manufacturers1 should also 
engage your careful attention4 ,they    
should not be recklessly thrown aside as
 humbugs1 without trial or              
investigation1 nor adopted and          
extensively used with blind confidence  
in their efficacy4 ,i have used many of 
these manures by way of experiment1 and 
the profit realized upon them has not   
justified me in enlarging my operations4
 ,poudrette1 manufactured in ,baltimore2
 ,bommers manure1 ,chappel's fertilizer 

and ,kentish  ,co4's prepared guano1    
7used1 it is true1 upon a small scale17 
have not realized the promises made in  
their behalf4 ,yet ,i would by no means 
discourage the praiseworthy efforts of  
the manufacturers1 and hope they will   
persevere until1 by lessening the bulk  
and increasing the power of their       
compounds1 they may be able to prepare  
an article that for cheapness1          
convenience of application and efficacy1
 shall equal or surpass the best        
,peruvian guano4  ,that desideratum1    
,professor ,mapes believes he has       
already attained by the addition of     
superphosphate of lime to the ,guano1   
making a compound of two-thirds of the  
latter to one of the former1 more       
valuable by weight than the pure        
article4 ,that being the case will      
greatly increase the consumption of     
,guano1 and greatly improve the         
condition of all that class of farmers  
who desire to make their poor lands     
rich4  ,of the use of lime1 ,mr4 ,newton

 has the following testimony1 which we  
embody here for its great practical     
value4  ,calcareous matter is the great 
want of most of our lands1 and in some  
form is essential to permanent          
improvement4 ,it should be regarded as  
the basis of all our operations1 and    
never to be dispensed with for any      
substitute4 ,from long experience in the
 use of lime1 ,i am satisfied that the  
,french plan1 of light and frequent     
dressings1 is not only much more        
economical1 but much safer1 in our      
climate1 than the heavy dressings common
 in ,great ,britain4 ,fifty bushels of  
slaked lime to the acre1 ,i have found  
amply sufficient for any of our lands1  
and a greater quantity often attended   
with injury to the soil and crops1      
whilst twenty-five bushels will answer  
every purpose on thin lands1 deficient  
in vegetable matter4 ,ashes1 bone dust1 
and the various marine manures that     
abound on the shores of the ,chesapeake 
and its tributaries1 will be found      

important auxiliaries in the work of    
'keeping your lands rich1' whilst the   
necessity of clover and the proper      
grasses1 to any system of permanent     
improvement1 is too obvious to require  
comment4  ,although caustic lime should 
never be used in connection1 or so as to
 come in contact with the ,guano1 there 
is no doubt of its being a valuable     
auxiliary4 ,upon land limed this year1  
,guano may be used next1 and if mixed   
with charcoal or plaster1 or plowed in  
and thoroughly incorporated with the    
soil1 especially if it contains a       
considerable portion of clay1 no loss of
 ammonia will occur1 in consequence of  
the action of the lime4 ,on the         
contrary1 the effect will be to make the
 action of the ,guano more active1 and  
the immediate benefit greater2 though1  
of course the succeeding crops would not
 receive as great a share4 ,but1 as ,mr4
 ,newton says1 ought we to ask for great
 advantages to succeeding crops1 from a 
manure which gives us such great profits

 from the present one4  ,from our notes 
taken upon the spot1 we give a few items
 more in detail of ,mr4 ,newton's       
operations1 than he has done in the     
preceding quotations4 ,the tract of land
 he speaks of is gently undulating2 of a
 sandy loam1 with a greater amount of   
clay in the subsoil2 had been literally 
worn out in former years by the shallow 
plowing1 skinning system of farming1    
until it would produce no more1 when it 
was abandoned and suffered to grow up   
again in forest timber1 principally pine
 of the old field species4 ,no land     
could offer less inducements to the     
cultivator or give smaller hope of      
renovation1 than these old fields of    
,virginia4 ,such was the conviction of  
impossibility to raise a crop upon this 
kind of land1 that ,mr4 ,newton's first 
essay was looked upon by his neighbors  
with a conviction that the fool and his 
money would soon part company4 ,one     
sensible old servant told us he thought 
his master for sartain was done gone    

crazy1 cause he nebber seed no nothing  
grow on dat land1 no how could fix him4 
,the negroes1 wherever guano has been   
introduced1 have been violently opposed 
to using it2 not alone from its         
disagreeable odor and effect upon the   
throat and nostrils while handling it in
 a dry state2 but because they could not
 be persuaded that such a small measure 
of stuff--#bjj lbs4 measures about three
 bushels--could possibly produce any    
effect upon the crop4 ,their            
astonishment and consequent extravagant 
laudation of the effect produced1 has   
often afforded us hours of amusement    
while listening to their recital of     
massa's big crop1 of perhaps ten bushels
 to the acre1 which was at least double 
that of any one ever seen upon the same 
field1 fore he put dem little pinch of  
snuff on him4  ,the increase of wheat   
from guano may be safely calculated upon
 at five bushels for each hundred weight
 of guano used1 one year with another1  
and up to what may be considered a fair 

judicious amount to be applied1 which   
may be set down at an average of #bjj   
lbs to the acre1 upon all light soils1  
similar to those of that part of the    
country we are writing about4   ,,guano 
vs4 ,,manure--,,effects ,,upon ,,heavy  
,,land4  ,mr4 ,newton related to us an  
anecdote of some value upon this point4 
,on one of his ,potomac farms1 a portion
 of the land is exceedingly             
heavy--pewtery land1 as it is termed    
from its tendency when wet to run       
together1 presenting a glistening       
appearance somewhat resembling that     
metal4 ,his overseer was about as       
unbelieving as the negroes1 and declared
 he could beat the guano by expending   
the same value in manure upon a given   
quantity of surface4 ,to test this and  
also to try its effect upon the stiff   
land1 he applied a little short of one  
ton of ,peruvian1 which cost #ej upon   
ten acres1 and promised a premium to the
 overseer if he could make a greater    
crop by the use of all the manure1 men  

and teams he saw fit to apply to another
 ten acres lying right along side1 and  
of the same quality of soil4 ,of course 
he spared no labor1 using both lime and 
manure freely1 but in the spring finding
 the appearance of his crop unequal to  
that guanoed1 he gave it a top dressing 
of fine manure and a good working with  
the harrow4 ,at harvest the guanoed     
portion was ready for the sickle several
 days earlier than the other1 and       
yielded #ace bushels of a quality so    
very superior1 it was all reserved for  
seed for himself and neighbors4  ,the   
product of the other was #ee bushels2   
difference in favor of the guano1 #hj   
bushels--#h bushels to the acre--while  
the value of extra manuring1 probably   
exceeded the cost of guano1 without any 
material advantage in the effect upon   
succeeding crops4 ,in fact1 it is       
probable1 that the additional growth of 
straw and clover would be worth more to 
the next crop on the guanoed portion1   
than the undecomposed manure and lime   

would be in the other4 ,it is needless  
to say both overseer and servants1 were 
fully convinced of the virtue of guano  
after this experiment4  ,according to   
our notes1 ,mr4 ,newton first used guano
 in #ahdf--one ton of ,ichaboe at #cj1  
on #h acres1 with #h bushels of seed1   
upon land so deadly poor1 that an old   
negro we conversed with said2 him so    
done gone massa1 wouldn't grow poverty  
grass nuff to make hen's nest for dis   
nigger4 ,no attempt had been made for   
years to grow any crop1 not even oats or
 rye1 the last effort of expiring nature
 to yield sustenance to man upon one of 
those old worn out ,virginia farms4     
,think of the astonishment of the poor  
negro1 who thought his master crazy to  
sow wheat there without manure1 to see  
#hh bushels harvested from the #h acres4
  ,in #ahdg1 he used #ajj worth of      
,patagonian upon same kind of land and  
reaped #ccj bushels4 ,in #ahdh1 #bjj    
worth of ,patagonian and ,chilian at #dj
 and #cj a ton1 gave #edj bushels1 which

 sold at #a #be1 mostly for seed1 on    
account of its superior quality4 ,in    
each case the advantage to the land of  
equal value as to the crop4 ,in #ahdi1  
he applied #aj tons ,peruvian at #dg1   
and #aa tons ,patagonian at #cj1 upon   
#bfj acres1 from #ge to #bej lbs4 to the
 acre4 ,when we saw this crop the next  
spring1 the appearance in favor of the  
,peruvian1 was fully #ej per cent4 upon 
the same cost of each kind per acre4    
,in #ahej he applied #cj tons1 of       
course1 all ,peruvian1 with equal       
success to former years4  ,mr4 ,newton  
says1 the second application of guano to
 the same land produces the best        
result--that notwithstanding the profit 
of the first application in the         
increased crop1 the profit to the land  
is always greater4  ,before leaving ,mr4
 ,newton1 we will place on record one   
expression highly creditable to him1 and
 convincing in its palpable truth of the
 value put upon this fertilizer1 by a   
gentlemen of sound judgment and candor  

of speech1 equal to any other within the
 circle of our acquaintance4  ,i look   
upon the introduction of guano and the  
success attending its application to our
 barren lands1 in the light of a special
 interposition of ,divine ,providence1  
to save the northern neck of ,virginia  
from reverting entirely into its former 
state of wilderness and utter           
desolation4 ,until the discovery of     
guano--more valuable to us than the     
mines of ,california--,i looked upon the
 possibility of renovating our soil1 of 
ever bringing it up to a point capable  
of producing remunerating crops as      
utterly hopeless4 ,our up-lands were all
 worn out1 and our bottom lands fast    
failing1 and if it had not been for     
guano1 to revive our last hope1 a few   
years more and the whole country must   
have been deserted by all who desired to
 increase their own wealth1 or advance  
the cause of civilization by a          
profitable cultivation of the earth4    
,we are satisfied that the above opinion

 will be considered of more value--more 
conclusive in favor of guano1 by all who
 are acquainted with the character of   
,willoughby ,newton1 than all else      
contained in the pages of this pamphlet4
   ,,other ,,witnesses ,,in ,,virginia  
,,in ,,favor ,,of ,,guano4  ,as our     
principal object is to convince the     
skeptical1 or induce unbelievers in its 
efficacy and value1 to try experiments  
themselves by which they will be        
convinced and enriched1 we offer the    
names of a few more gentlemen of high   
standing1 who have been very fortunate  
in the use of this essential element of 
successful cultivation in ,virginia1 as 
witnesses1 whose testimony ought to be1 
and will be1 where they are known       
entirely conclusive4  ,col4 ,robert ,w4 
,carter1 of ,sabine ,hall1 on the       
,rappahanock1 whose land is principally 
of that kind of clayey loam common upon 
that river1 once rich but badly worn by 
cultivation1 is so well satisfied that  
it is profitable to make rich lands     

still more rich1 he buys annually #cj or
 #dj tons of the best in market4 ,he    
says he cannot afford to sow wheat      
without guano--it is foolish and        
unprofitable4 ,he sows it broad cast1   
#bjj lbs4 to the acre1 with no other    
preparation than breaking the lumps2    
plows it in2 sows wheat and harrows     
that2 in some cases has sown clover1 and
 in others1 followed wheat after wheat  
with increasing productiveness every    
year2 clearly proving the effect of one 
application1 to be beneficial to the    
succeeding crop4 ,without guano1 or very
 high manuring1 wheat will deteriorate  
year after year1 if sown upon the same  
soil1 until the product would not pay   
for the labor of sowing and harvesting4 
,upon one upland field1 which without   
manure would not pay for cultivation1 he
 sowed one bushel of wheat and #bjj lbs4
 ,peruvian guano and made fifteen       
bushels4 ,plowed down the stubble with  
same application1 and when we saw the   
crop1 should have been willing to insure

 it at twenty-five bushels4 ,col4 ,c4   
has nearly #b1jjj acres in cultivation1 
which within his recollection was       
cultivated entirely with hoes--his      
grandfather would not use a plow--was as
 much set against that great land       
improver as some modern1 but no more    
wise farmers1 are against guano4 ,col4  
,c4 uses the best of plows2 sows #bjj   
lbs4 guano to the acre and plows it in  
six inches deep1 and sows one bushel of 
wheat and harrows thoroughly1 but not   
deep enough to disturb the guano4 ,his  
gain has been eight bushels average upon
 #baj lbs4 guano4 ,thinks ,peruvian at  
#ej a ton preferable to any other at    
current prices4 ,his land is mostly     
clayey loam and was so much exhausted by
 a hundred years hard usage1 it was     
barely able to support the servants1    
until the ,colonel commenced his system 
of improvements by draining1 deep       
plowing1 rotation of crops1 lime1       
plaster1 clover1 and guano2 the latter  
of which he looks upon as the salvation 

of lower ,virginia2 while his large     
sales of eight or ten hundred acres of  
corn and wheat1 sufficiently attest its 
value upon that location4 ,his actual   
annual profits upon the use of guano1   
cannot be less than two thousand        
dollars4  ,doctor ,brockenborough1      
,doctor ,gordon1 ,messrs4 ,dobyn1       
,micou1 ,garnett and others of          
,tappahannock and vicinity1 have all    
found the application even upon the     
bottom lands1 profitable1 though not to 
so great an extent as upon the poor old 
field-pine lands of ,mr4 ,newton2 but   
simply from the reason that his land was
 utterly worthless before1 but after the
 application of the guano1 was increased
 in value more than its whole cost1     
besides the profit derived from the     
crop4  ,wm4 ,d4 ,nelson1 a neighbor of  
,mr4 ,newton1 bought a tract of land for
 a residence1 at #d an acre1 which in   
its natural condition was not worth     
cultivating2 but with guano will pay all
 expenses of that and the cultivation   

and the cost of the land the first crop4
  ,upon a portion of this land1 a poor  
sandy loam1 he applied #bjj lbs4        
,peruvian guano and one bushel of wheat 
per acre1 and made #ab bushels1 while a 
strip through the field1 purposely left 
without guano1 did not produce the seed1
 and remained as destitute of clover as 
though it never had been sown1 forming a
 very striking contrast to the luxuriant
 growth upon each side4 ,in another     
trial he made #aj bushels from one      
sowed1 with #bjj lbs4 of ,patagonian    
guano1 of a very good quality4 ,this is 
about in proportion to the current price
 of the two kinds1 though the latter    
cannot be so certainly depended upon for
 good quality as the ,peruvian4 ,another
 trial was made with #a1ajj lbs4        
,peruvian and #a1ajj lbs4 ,patagonian1  
and #aa bushels of seed upon #aa acres  
which made #afj bushels of wheat of very
 fine quality1 and large growth of      
straw4 ,upon #cf acres1 same kind of    
soil1 well manured in the previous crop 

of corn1 sowed #cf bushels and made     
#afb4 ,the first had not been manured4  
,the evidence in favor of guano in this 
case1 needs no comment4 ,by an outlay of
 #dj1 a much more valuable crop was made
 from the #aa acres than from the #cf2  
the permanent improvement to the land   
from guano was much greater than from   
the manure4 ,in this case the guano was 
plowed in about four inches deep4  ,mr4 
,nelson thinks the yield of wheat will  
average in that neighborhood1 an        
increase of #af bushels for #bjj lbs4 of
 ,peruvian guano4  ,h4 ,chandler1       
,westmoreland ,court ,house1 bought a   
farm at a price for the whole below the 
cost of the mansion house alone1 because
 the land was so utterly and hopelessly 
worn out1 as to be past the ability of  
supporting those engaged in its tillage4
 ,when we saw it1 we should have been   
willing to insure the growing crop of   
wheat at #bj bushels1 the result of #baj
 lbs4 of ,peruvian guano to the acre2   
while the clover upon the stubble of the

 previous year could not be excelled in 
point of luxuriousness upon the richest 
field in the ,state of ,new ,york1 where
 the land was valued at #ajj an acre4   
,mr4 ,chandler first commenced with #bej
 lbs4 ,african guano1 measuring #c-a_/b 
bushels1 to the acre1 upon which he     
sowed one bushel of wheat4 ,the result  
#ag bushels to the acre upon land which 
only gave #e-a_/b bushels in any        
previous crop4 ,cost of guano #e2       
profit1 #f #ej4 ,the next year he gained
 an increase of #ab bushels to the acre 
over previous years1 by the use of #bej 
lbs of ,patagonian guano2 while the     
clover1 ,mr4 ,chandler thinks1 worth    
more than the whole cost of the         
application4 ,a still better result was 
produced last year from #baj lbs4 of    
,peruvian4 ,the soil is a yellow clayey 
loam1 which in its unimproved condition 
looks about as unpromising for a crop1  
as the middle of a hard beaten road4    
,mr4 ,c4 tried guano upon river bottom  
land1 but the improvement was not so    

remarkable4  ,we were assured by ,mr4   
,c41 that many persons who had long been
 accustomed to look upon the hopeless   
barrenness of this land1 were wont to   
stop as they rode past this field of    
clover1 and look at it with utter       
astonishment4 ,some could not be        
satisfied with looking1 but would drive 
to the house to inquire what magical    
power had been used to produce such a   
strange metamorphosis in the appearance 
of the place4 ,when assured it was all  
effected by guano1 they went away--not  
satisfied--but unbelieving4  ,what tends
 much to increase the effect of this    
improvement1 is the fact1 that directly 
opposite lies another tract1 still in   
its barren condition1 lately purchased  
by ,dr4 ,spence1 a very enterprising    
gentleman1 imbued with the spirit of    
improvement1 which will soon be brought 
into the same condition1 notwithstanding
 its unforbidding appearance4  ,mr4 ,s4 
,b4 ,atwell who owns an adjoining farm1 
has been equally successful in the use  

of guano4 ,before using it1 his wheat   
upon #bj acres was hardly sufficient to 
pay for harvesting4 ,the first crop     
after using it1 #djj bushels4 ,he has   
also increased the crop of corn from #bj
 to #bfj barrels by lime1 guano and     
clover4 ,in the meantime1 the land has  
increased in value in about the same    
ratio4  ,in ,lancaster ,county1 we saw a
 field of wheat on the farm of ,dr4     
,leland1 sown upon corn ground1 one part
 with #bjj lbs4 of ,peruvian guano to   
the acre1 the other with a full dressing
 of hog-pen manure1 by the side of which
 the ground was seen in its natural     
barrenness1 scarcely making a show of   
greenness2 while the rank growth of the 
guanoed portion made as great a contrast
 with that manured upon the opposite    
side4  ,guanoed wheat upon the farm of  
,col4 ,downing in the same county showed
 as great a contrast with land both     
limed and manured2 while directly       
alongside of this luxuriant growth1 the 
land was as destitute of vegetation as a

 brick pavement4  ,the effect of guano  
upon strawberries1 ,col4 ,d4 found to   
excel anything else ever tried4  ,a     
neighbor of ,col4 ,downing had a fine   
show for a wheat crop on exceedingly    
poor land from the application of only  
#ij lbs4 ,peruvian ,guano to the acre4  
,capt ,wm4 ,harding1 ,northumberland1   
,c4 ,h41 assured us he made #bg bushels 
per acre upon only tolerably fair land1 
by the use of #bjj lbs4 ,peruvian guano1
 plowed in and followed by clover1 worth
 more than the guano cost4  ,col4       
,richard ,a4 ,claybrook1 in the same    
neighborhood1 made #ae bushels--the land
 along side almost as bare as the       
surface of the guano islands4  ,we might
 mention a dozen others in the same     
place1 in fact in most of the places    
mentioned1 whose testimony would be as  
strong as those we have named4  ,col4   
,edward ,tayloe of ,king ,george ,co41  
having been very successful in the use  
of guano1 induced his neighbor1 ,wm4    
,roy ,mason1 ,esq4 to test its powers by

 the most severe experiment we have ever
 known it subjected to4 ,he selected a  
point of a hill1 from which every       
particle of soil had been washed away1  
until nothing in the world would grow   
there4 ,it would not produce1 said he1 a
 peck of wheat to the acre1 but with a  
dressing of #cjj lbs4 ,african guano1 it
 gave me thirteen bushels1 and now while
 that is covered with clover1 other1 so 
called1 rich parts of the field are     
almost bare4 ,a field which had never   
produced for years1 over four bushels of
 wheat to the acre1 was dressed with    
#bej lbs4 of guano and one bushel of    
plaster at a cost of #g to the acre1    
which gave thirteen bushels of a quality
 greatly improved1 and a very large     
growth of straw1 which he esteems highly
 as a top dressing for the clover1 which
 far exceeded upon the guanoed land that
 which was highly manured4 ,the success 
of ,mr4 ,mason was so flattering1 he    
immediately purchased six tons for the  
next experiment4  ,if all the faithless 

would pursue the course indicated in the
 following experiment with guano1 by    
,mr4 ,richard ,rouzee of ,essex ,co4    
,va41 they would probably be as well    
convinced as he1 that the greatest      
humbugging about guano1 is in neglecting
 to profit by its use4 ,he says3--,i    
must confess that ,i have been skeptical
 in relation to the various accounts of 
the fertilizing properties of guano1    
especially in these times of humbuggery1
 and therefore determined to subject it 
to the most rigid test4 ,in view of     
this1 on the #c;d of ,october last1 ,i  
selected two acres of land by actual    
measurement1 proverbially poor1 never   
having yielded in a course of ten years 
cultivation more than three bushels per 
acre1 and in consequence1 was called by 
way of derision1 ,old ,kentuck4 ,to the 
two acres #efj lbs4 of guano were       
applied in the most injudicious manner  
by strewing it on the top of the corn   
bed--the consequence was1 when the wheat
 was ploughed in1 and came up1 a small  

girth was only seen on the top and a    
space between each row at least one     
third of its width2 in this condition it
 remained until about the middle of     
,november1 when it had so sensibly      
disappeared1 that it attracted the      
attention of one of my neighbors1 who   
remarked to me1 that at least one half  
of it had been destroyed1 in which      
opinion ,i concurred2 in examining that 
which remained1 we were of opinion that 
three-fourths of it had from three to   
ten flies in the maggot state on each   
stalk2 in this state of things ,i       
surrendered all hope of any tolerable   
return1 more especially as the rust made
 its appearance in it a short time      
before it ripened4--,now for the        
result--    ,the #b acres of land       
yielded me #cb #a_/d bushels of wheat at
 #a per   bushel1                       
#cb #be   ,deduct for average yield of  
the above1 #b acres1 #f bushels   at #a 
per bushel1                             
#f #jj   ,deduct for ,cost of #efj lbs4 

,guano1                     #ab #gj     
-------                                 
#ah #gj                                 
-------                                 
#ac #ee   ,add for additional straw1    
#ej                                     
-------                                 
,clear profit1                          
#ad4je  ,here is a clear profit of #ad  
upon #ab4gj invested1 and acknowledged  
to be applied in the most injudicious   
manner4 ,it is easy to judge what would 
have been the profit under different    
circumstances4 ,in the vicinity of this 
city where straw sells for #e per       
hundred little bundles1 instead of a    
credit of #ej cents it would have been  
at least half the cost of the guano4    
,,guano ,,in ,,north ,,carolina4  ,henry
 ,k4 ,burgwyn's first trial with guano4 
,its effect on grass sown with          
wheat4--,the name and farm of this      
gentleman is so widely known as a       
successful renovator of miserably poor  
worn out fields1 that we are delighted  

to have it in our power to have his     
testimony to our impregnable array of   
witnesses in favor of the most valuable 
substance for the improvement of such   
land1 ever given by an overruling power 
for the benefit of those who ought to be
 exceedingly thankful for so good a     
gift4 ,but hear what this writer has to 
say upon this interesting subject4      
,having about #aej acres of my wheat1   
this year sown upon last year's corn    
ground1 and the land being rather light 
and not too rich1 ,i feared lest ,i     
should fail with my grass sown on this  
wheat1 because of the two successive    
cereal crops2 ,i therefore bought guano1
 mixed it with its bulk of plaster1 then
 added fine charcoal1 the same1 and to  
this mixture double the whole bulk of   
deposit of the ,roanoke river1 a rich   
alluvial earth1 and sowed the whole     
broadcast in ,february and ,march1 and  
harrowed it in1 on the top of the wheat 
,i sowed at the rate of #bjj lbs4 of    
guano to the acre2 the value of which1  

no doubt1 was doubled by the mixture    
with the absorbents of the ammonia1     
which is so exceedingly volatile even   
when left for a few hours1 is easily    
dissipated by the ,march winds4 ,on this
 land1 ,i had sown in ,october previous1
 clover1 timothy1 ,kentucky blue grass1 
and ,italian ray grass4 ,my harvest has 
now been over1 three weeks1 and ,i have 
never had a finer stand of all these1   
even on our rich bottoms4 ,the ray grass
 matured its seed1 rather sooner than   
the wheat was two-thirds as tall1 and   
where very thickly sown1 materially     
injured the product of the wheat1 ,i    
have reaped an increased product from my
 wheat1 amply sufficient to repay my    
outlay for the guano1 plaster1 c41 and  
have my grass as my profit on the       
investment2 this in turn will shade and 
improve my land1 fatten my stock1       
increase my crops1 and cheer my eye with
 'grassy slopes1' in place of 'galled   
hill sides2' this is profit sufficient  
for the most greedy if turned to a      

proper account2--be it remembered1 too1 
this was a light and rather poor soil1  
but based on a good clay subsoil4  ,to  
this we beg leave to add from our own   
knowledge of this land1 which is        
situated on the ,roanoke river #f or #g 
miles below ,halifax1 that it was before
 being improved by ,mr4 ,burgwyn1 about 
as unpromising a tract as can be found  
upon all the cottoned to death1 poor old
 fields of that sadly abused ,state4 ,in
 the condition it was when we first saw 
it1 while undergoing the operation of   
putting a four horse plow through the   
broom straw and old field pines1        
notwithstanding our strong faith in the 
ability of such men as the ,messrs4     
,burgwyns to redeem such land from its  
condition of utter and apparently       
hopeless barrenness1 we must own1 that  
if ,mr4 ,b4 had made the assertion while
 we were riding over this very tract1   
that within two years he would reap a   
remunerating crop of wheat from the     
barren waste1 and coat the ground with a

 carpet of luxuriant grass1 we should   
have told him the day of miracles had   
passed away4 ,but we had not then seen  
as much as we have since of the         
miraculous power of ,peruvian guano4    
,we might continue to cite hundreds of  
similar cases but propose to pass over  
into ,maryland1 and after showing its   
application there has produced equally  
beneficial results1 travel northward1   
calling here and there a witness as we  
proceed4 ,among others1 we may call to  
the stand in ,maryland1 will be the     
editor of the ,american ,farmer1 whose  
testimony we consider almost invaluable1
 having devoted much attention to the   
subject1 and to whom1 and his able      
correspondents1 we desire to award full 
credit1 in this general manner1 to save 
repetition1 for much of the information 
we shall give the readers of several of 
the succeeding pages4 ,the testimony of 
witnesses of such high standing1 cannot 
be too highly estimated by those who are
 anxious to learn how to renovate their 

worn out farms1 or make the rich ones   
richer4   ,,experiments ,,in ,,maryland4
  ,effects of guano upon the crop to    
which it is applied4--,edward ,stabler1 
in the ,american ,farmer1 thus speaks of
 an experiment he made in #ahde1 soon   
after the introduction of guano to any  
extent into this country4  ,in a field  
of some #aj acres1 one acre was selected
 near the middle1 and extending through 
the field1 so as to embrace any         
difference of soil1 should there be any4
 ,on this acre #bjj lbs4 of ,peruvian   
guano1 at a cost of about #e was sown   
with the wheat4 ,adjoining the guano on 
one side1 was manure from the barn yard1
 at the rate of #be cart loads to the   
acre2 and on the opposite side          
7separated by an open drain the whole   
distance27 ground bones were applied on 
the balance of the field1 at a cost of  
#f to the acre2 the field equally limed 
two years preceding4 ,there was no      
material difference in the time or      
manner of seeding2 except that the      

manure was lightly cross-ploughed in1   
and the guano and bones harrowed in with
 the wheat4  ,the yield on the guanoed  
acre was #ce bushels2 the adjoining acre
 with bone1 as near as could be         
estimated by dozens1 and compared with  
the guano1 was about #bg bushels2 and   
the manured1 about #bd bushels4 ,the    
season was unusually dry2 and the       
manured portion suffered more from this 
cause than either of the others2 the    
land being considerably more elevated1  
and a south exposure4  ,in our opinion  
,mr4 ,s4 is in error in regard to the   
manured land suffering most from drouth4
 ,in our experience we have always found
 the best effects from ,guano1 in wet   
seasons1 or upon irrigated land4 ,he    
says also1 ,this is one of the most     
active of all manures2 and although he  
thinks the effect evanescent1 it might  
aid materially in renovating worn out   
lands4 ,since that time a great many    
other ,maryland farmers have1           
undoubtedly come to the same conclusion1

 for notwithstanding the price1 which he
 thinks too high to justify its         
extensive use1 has not been materially  
reduced1 there is more guano sold in    
,baltimore than any1 or perhaps all the 
ports in the ,united ,states2 and the   
benefits derived from its use upon the  
worn out lands of ,maryland1 have been  
of the most satisfactory character4  ,in
 speaking of the after crop of grass    
upon the land above mentioned1 he says3 
,the field has since been mowed three   
times2 the first crop of grass was      
evidently in favor of the boned part2   
the second1 and third1 were fully two to
 one over the guano1 and also yielding  
much heavier crops of clover seed4 ,on a
 part of one land1 #ah bushels to the   
acre of the finest of the bone were     
used2 on this1 the wheat was as heavy as
 on the guanoed1 and the grass generally
 lodges before harvest1 as it also does 
on much of the adjoining land with #ab  
bushels of bone4  ,this is all right2 it
 should never be mixed with lime1 and it

 should be plowed in4 ,in his           
experiments1 the lime in the soil had   
the effect to disengage the ammonia1 and
 not being sufficiently buried or mixed 
up with the earth to prevent its escape 
during a very dry season1 much of its   
value went afloat in the atmosphere4 ,if
 he had given a bushel of plaster as a  
top dressing1 there is no doubt the     
effect upon the grass crop would have   
been entirely different4 ,the action of 
guano is very variable upon different   
soils1 as well as upon the same kinds of
 soil in different seasons1 or from the 
different manner of applying it2 but    
there is one thing in its favor1 it     
seldom fails to pay for itself1 as ,mr4 
,newton remarks1 in the first crop2 and 
if properly applied1 that is1 plowed in 
with wheat1 upon poor1 sandy1 worn out  
land1 and followed by clover1 and that  
dressed with plaster1 it will pay far   
better in the succeeding years than the 
first4 ,this has been fully proved in a 
hundred cases1 since ,mr4 ,stabler tried

 his experiments2 for two years after1  
in writing upon the same subject1 he    
says ,harrowing in the guano with the   
wheat will generally produce a better   
crop2 but its fertilizing properties are
 more evanescent4 ,i prefer plowing it  
in for all field crops2 and when        
attainable1 would always use it in      
conjunction with ground bones1 for the  
benefit of succeeding grass crops4 ,this
 is pre-supposing that you determine to 
improve more land than the resources of 
the farm will accomplish1 and are       
willing to do it by the aid of foreign  
manures2 and being 'far removed from    
lime4' ,if the object is to realize the 
most in a single crop1 and to obtain the
 quickest return for the outlay1 use the
 guano alone1 and harrow it in with the 
wheat2 but the land1 according to my    
experience1 will derive but little      
benefit from the application1 unless the
 amount is large4 ,by plowing it in1    
particularly if mixed with one third its
 bulk of plaster1 the effect is         

decidedly more durable2 nor is it then  
necessary that the seeding should so    
immediately follow its application4 ,if1
 however1 the object is to improve the  
land at the same time2 and surely it    
should be a primary object with every   
tiller of the soil--and lime1 from your 
location1 or the price1 is unattainable1
 ,i would advise about half the amount  
determined on1 to be expended for ground
 bones4 ,this may be harrowed in with   
the wheat4  ,it is surprising what an   
effect a few bushels of ground bones to 
the acre will produce2 reference is made
 to a single experiment1 and not an     
isolated one either4 ,some six years    
since1 we applied ten to twelve bushels 
of coarsely ground bones to the acre1 on
 about half of a twelve acre field2 on  
two lands adjoining1 was guano1 at the  
rate of #bjj pounds to the acre1 7the   
cost of each about the same17 and       
extending nearly through the field2 both
 were applied in the spring1 on the oat 
crop--and which was decidedly better1 by

 the eye1 on the two lands with guano4  
,in the fall1 the field was sown with   
wheat1 manuring heavily from the barn   
yard1 adjoining the guano1 but not      
spread on the two lands1 or on the boned
 portion of the field4  ,there was but  
little difference perceived in the      
wheat1 except from the manure1 which was
 the best--the field having been limed  
for the preceding corn crop1 #hj bushels
 to the acre4 ,the experiment was made  
to test the comparative durability of   
the three kinds of manure2 the guano1   
ground bones1 and manure from the barn  
yard2 and the ultimate profit to be     
derived from each1 in a full rotation4  
,after the first crop of grass1 and     
perhaps the second1 which was in favor  
of the manured portion1 the succeeding  
crops of hay and clover seed1 have been 
decidedly better on the boned part of   
the field4 ,at the present time1 and    
also the past season1 this being the    
fourth year in grass1 the guanoed lands 
present about the same appearance1 that 

does a small adjoining space1 purposely 
left without manure of any kind1 lime   
excepted4 ,the manured part affords good
 pasture1 but is quite inferior to the  
boned1 which would give a fair crop of  
hay1 and probably three times as much   
grass as the two lands with guano4 ,it  
is believed that the increased crop of  
clover seed on the boned1 over the      
guanoed portion1 paid for the former2   
and that the two crops of clover since  
taken from the field1 have paid1 or     
nearly so1 for the lime or other manures
 applied4  ,this evidence corresponds   
with the opinion of ,professor ,mapes2  
that is1 that the value of an           
application of guano is greatly enhanced
 by the addition of phosphate of lime1  
in some shape2 the guano acting         
immediately and producing a direct      
profit1 while the slow action1 for which
 some farmers cannot wait1 keeps up the 
fertility for years1 or until the owner 
may find time to profit by another      
application of guano4  ,we quote again a

 few more of the very sensible remarks  
of friend ,stabler4 ,i am an advocate   
for the liberal use of all kinds of     
manure1 guano included1 if the price    
will justify it4 ,a farmer had better   
buy manure than to buy grain1 if        
compelled to do either2 for we cannot   
expect much from nothing1 or reasonably 
calculate upon improving very poor land 
without manure of some description1     
unless plaster will act with effect2 nor
 is this generally the case without the 
land possesses naturally1 some          
particular source of fertility1 not     
wholly exhausted by bad or improvident  
tillage4  ,it is probable those will be 
disappointed who expect to do everything
 with guano--make fine crops and improve
 the land1 while they take everything   
off1 and dispense almost1 if not        
entirely1 with the more permanent       
manures1 all equally within their reach4
 ,true1 we may exist for a time1 only   
half fed and half clothed2 but it is    
just as reasonable to expect to improve 

under such a regimen1 as to calculate   
upon continued1 not to say increased    
fertility of the soil1 without an ample 
supply1 of the right kind of manure4    
,with all its acknowledged advantages1  
it may be questioned whether there is   
not one drawback to the introduction of 
guano4 ,it is used with less profit in  
direct connexion with lime1 than with   
most kinds of manure2 and its facility  
of application1 and quick return1 has   
induced many to give up the lime        
entirely1 if not also to some extent1 to
 neglect the resources of the farm4     
,others again1 in improving poor land1  
advise the guano first1 and the lime    
afterwards4 ,this may do very well2 but 
is often better in theory than in       
practice1 for the lime is omitted       
altogether1 and perhaps at some risk of 
loss1 in both time and money1 as regards
 permanent improvement4 ,to use a figure
 of speech--the prudent architect will  
first secure a solid foundation to build
 upon1 and with materials of known      

durability2 this accomplished1 he need  
have no fears of the stability of the   
structure1 and may1 at pleasure add     
thereto1 either for ornament or utility4
  ,that thin lands may be brought to a  
very productive state1 by the liberal   
and repeated applications of guano1     
there is no doubt2 but at what cost and 
how durable the improvements might be1  
,i am not prepared to say4 ,in two      
instances1 from #gjj to #hjj lbs4 were  
applied at one time to an acre2 but in  
neither did the results correspond with 
the expense1 or induce a repetition of  
the experiment4 ,my own experience so   
far1 is in favor of more limited        
applications1 say #ajj to #bjj lbs4 to  
the acre1 7taking in consideration the  
price of both grain and guano17 and also
 used in connection with other manures1 
which is found to be the most           
profitable1 and probably more durable in
 its effect2 in two experiments1 with   
from #ej to #aej lbs4 of guano to the   
acre applied three years since with     

barnyard manure1 for wheat1 the effect  
on the grass crop at this time1 is quite
 marked2 applied in this way1 it hastens
 maturity--thus1 in a degree1 guarding  
against rust--renders the grain more    
perfect1 and is believed to be one of   
the most profitable modes of using      
guano4  ,nothing could be more sensible 
than the advice of this gentleman1 not  
to rely upon guano alone4 ,to waste or  
neglect stable and home made manures1 or
 throw away bones or other valuable     
fertilizers1 because we could buy guano1
 would be as insensible as it would for 
a man to throw away a handful of bank   
bills1 because he happened to have just 
then a pocket full of gold and silver   
coin4  ,we never have1 nor shall we     
recommend guano to the exclusion of     
everything else2 but we do recommend    
every farmer in ,america1 to whom an    
additional quantity of manure would be  
an object1 to buy guano2 because he will
 be almost sure to derive a certain and 
immediate profit from the investment4   

,it will make poor lands rich1 and rich 
lands richer4   ,,evidence ,,of ,,the   
,,durable ,,effects ,,of ,,guano4  ,upon
 this point1 we have the following      
testimony of ,thomas ,p4 ,stabler1 of   
,montgomery ,county1 ,md41 a gentleman  
of the highest degree of intelligence   
and integrity2 one of the society of    
,friends1 who are rather noted for not  
being extravagant in their expressions  
or encomiums of an article1 without good
 grounds therefor4 ,we make these       
remarks1 because1 as every good lawyer  
will tell you1 the character and        
standing of your witnesses is of more   
importance than their language1 to make 
a strong impression in your favor4  ,in 
speaking of the means within reach of   
farmers1 by which they can renovate     
their worn out lands1 of which ,maryland
 has an ample share1 friend ,stabler    
says1 ,in some districts the distance   
from lime is so great1 that the man with
 small means can scarcely be expected to
 use it upon a large scale--but in      

regions of country where bone1 guano and
 poudrette act favorably1 none need be  
without important aid from their use4   
,under a judicious system of cultivation
 and correct management1 either of these
 will make bountiful returns the first  
year1 and the strongest and most        
conclusive evidence exists of their     
durability as manures4 ,proofs of this  
abound in my neighborhood4 ,reference to
 the 'facts' in a single case in point  
may suffice for an example4 ,in the     
summer of #ahde1 ,i prepared seventeen  
acres and a few perches of land for     
wheat ,about five sixths of this was    
extremely poor--upon a portion of the   
field1 was put #aab ox-cart loads of    
manure from the barn yard and stable1 on
 what ,i considered about an average    
quality of the land4 ,on the #abth of   
the #ith month1 7,september17 ,i sowed  
seven bushels of wheat on this part of  
the ground and plowed the manure and    
wheat in together with the double shovel
 plow--very soon after the balance was  

sowed with #bgj pounds of good ,african 
guano per acre1 for which ,i paid #dj   
per ton1 and plowed this in with the    
wheat1 immediately after sowing1 in the 
same manner as the other4 ,during the   
succeeding winter and spring1 the       
appearance of my wheat field became the 
subject of much notice and remark on the
 part of my neighbors1 as well as others
 from several adjoining counties who saw
 it1 many of whom supposed that this    
application of guano could not possibly 
produce such a crop as its then present 
appearance indicated--in this1 however1 
they were disappointed--there were two  
small pieces left without manure of any 
kind4 ,one of these upon the best part  
of the field1 and the other upon a part 
of medium quality4  ,it may be          
recollected that the crop of wheat that 
season was generally most inferior1 both
 in quality and quantity4 ,upon the     
parts left without manure1 it was       
scarcely worth cutting1 and men of      
integrity and good judgment1 were of the

 opinion that without the aid of the    
guano1 ,i could not have saved more than
 #fj or #gj bushels of wheat from the   
field4 ,the product was #cbj bushels1   
that weighed #fd lbs4 to the bushel4    
,the guanoed portion continued at       
harvest to be decidedly better than that
 manured from the barn yard and stable4 
,this field was sown with clover in the 
spring of #ahdf1 and to this time its   
appearance affords as strong evidence of
 great improvement in the land1 as it   
did during the growth of wheat4 ,it has 
now been pastured freely during two     
summers1 and been exposed to the action 
of the frosts of two winters1 and upon  
the guanoed portion ,i have not yet seen
 a single clover root thrown out of the 
ground1 while from the part manured from
 the barn yard1 it has almost entirely  
disappeared4 ,good farmers have         
frequently remarked during the present  
summer that the appearance of this field
 warrants the conclusion that it is now 
capable of producing largely of any crop

 common to our country4  ,thus 'worn out
 land' is renovated1 and ample means    
produced for increasing its fertility4  
,similar instances of improvement exist 
in very many examples that can be seen  
in this portion of our country1         
resulting from the application of lime1 
bone and poudrette1 as well as from     
guano4  ,guano prevents clover from     
being thrown out by frost4--,we wish to 
call back the attention of the reader to
 this reliable statement of ,mr4        
,stabler1 not only for its importance to
 farmers1 but because the same thing has
 been remarked by other gentlemen who   
have used guano4 ,it can only be        
accounted for from the fact1 that guano 
seems to be peculiarly adapted1 more    
than any other manure1 to give the young
 clover a vigorous start1 so that in its
 early stages it acquires a growth too  
strong to be affected by the usual      
course of freezing and thawing1 by which
 less vigorous plants are thrown out4   
,for this reason alone1 if guano had no 

other value1 farmers in some sections of
 the country where the soil is          
peculiarly affected by this difficulty1 
would find their account in the use of  
an article which would enable them to   
grow clover1 for clover is manure1 and  
it should be a sine qua non with every  
farmer to avail himself of all the means
 within his reach to increase the supply
 of manure from the products of his     
farm4 ,let him not depend alone upon the
 purchase of guano1 but rather upon the 
means which that brings within his reach
 of increasing his home supply by the   
growth of clover1 and largely increased 
production of straw4 ,those who are     
interested pecuniarily1 which the writer
 is not1 in the increased sale of guano 
in the ,united ,states1 have no fears   
that our recommendations to make manure 
at home--to use lime1 plaster1 bones1   
clover1 and every other source of       
fertility within their reach1 will      
decrease the sale of guano4 ,on the     
contrary1 those who are most disposed to

 use all these sources of fertility1 are
 the very men most disposed to use a    
substance which all experience has      
proved superior to all others4 ,besides1
 there is1 and probably always will be1 
enough worn out lands which can be      
profitably renovated1 to use up all the 
guano which will ever find its way into 
this country4 ,so our earnest           
recommendation is1 where lime is        
available1 let no man claiming the      
honorable title of farmer1 fail to make 
the application4 ,let him also gather up
 all the fragments--let nothing be      
lost--make all the manure at home he    
possibly can1 and then he will not only 
have the means1 but a disposition also  
to buy that which a beneficent          
,providence sends him from the coast of 
,peru2 of the good effect of which we   
will prove by further testimony--that of
 the ,hon4 ,james ,a4 ,pearce1 ,senator 
from ,maryland1 and a farmer of no small
 note in that ,state4 ,he says--,in     
,april #ahde1 ,i applied #cej lbs41     

probably of ,african or ,patagonian     
guano to an acre of growing wheat1 the  
land being entirely unimproved and very 
poor4 ,it was applied as a top dressing1
 of course1 but mixed with plaster4 7,in
 what proportion he does not say1 but we
 will by and bye2 but he does say7--,the
 wheat was doubled in quantity at       
least--fine clover succeeded it--and in 
two crops1 one of corn and one of small 
grain1 three and four years afterwards1 
the effects are still apparent4 ,now    
this effect was produced by the use of  
the guano as a top dressing2 a method   
universally acknowledged to be the most 
unfavorable to the development of the   
full value of the application4  ,the    
editor of the ,farmer in answer to an   
inquiry whether a combination of        
charcoal1 plaster1 and guano would make 
a profitable top dressing in spring for 
wheat1 says1 yes--but thinks if it had  
been plowed in with the seed in the     
fall1 the result would have been much   
better4 ,however1 says he1 we entertain 

not the slightest doubt1 that1 if his   
wheat field be top dressed with the     
mixture next spring1 it will greatly    
increase the yield of his wheat crop1   
unless the season should prove a very   
dry one1 as the charcoal1 and plaster1  
will each tend to prevent the escape of 
the ammoniacal gases of the guano1 and  
as it were1 offer them up as food to the
 wheat plants4  ,in ,april #ahde1 ,i    
applied #cej lbs4 of guano to an acre of
 growing wheat1 the land being entirely 
unimproved and very poor4 ,of course it 
was applied as a top-dressing1 mixed1   
however1 with plaster4 ,the wheat was   
doubled in quantity at least2 fine      
clover succeeded it2 and in two crops1  
one of corn1 and the other of small     
grain1 last year and the present1 the   
effects are still apparent4  ,if our    
correspondent would mix1 in the         
proportion of #bjj lbs4 of guano1 one   
bushel of charcoal1 and half a bushel of
 plaster per acre1 and sow the mixture  
on his wheat field next spring1 after   

the frost is entirely out of the ground1
 then seed each acre with clover seed1  
and roll his land1 we have no doubt that
 his wheat crop would be increased five 
or six bushels to the acre1 perhaps     
more1 and that he would have a good     
stand of clover plants1 and a luxuriant 
crop of the latter next year4  ,our     
opinion is1 that guanoed land should    
always be sowed to clover1 or clover and
 orchard grass4  ,in this1 particularly 
the opinion of the last paragraph1 we   
fully concur--to obtain the full value  
of guano it must either be mixed with   
plaster or charcoal1 or what is better1 
plowed in and thoroughly incorporated   
with the soil1 and the land always sown 
with clover1 peas or some other plant of
 equal value for green manure4 ,it is   
true ,col4 ,carter has been successful  
with wheat after wheat2 while many      
continue successful1 by carefully       
retaining all the straw2 the guano being
 sufficient to keep up the everlasting  
ability of the soil to produce an annual

 crop of grain4   ,,the ,,five ,,field  
,,system ,,and ,,guano4  ,we look upon  
this as the most preferable of all other
 systems of farming ever adopted in the 
,south--it is the system of ,edmund     
,ruffin1 to whom ,virginia owes a debt  
of gratitude beyond her power to pay4   
,it will be seen from the following     
extract from a letter of ,mr4 ,newton   
that that eminent agriculturist is of   
opinion that improvement of poor land is
 unlimited1 if guano in connection with 
this system is perseveringly applied4   
,he says--,the five field ,system1 which
 is now rapidly extending over all the  
poor and worn lands that are now under  
improvement by marl1 lime1 or guano1    
originated1 or at least was first       
extensively introduced in lower         
,virginia1 on the ,pamunkey1 and has    
there wrought wonders1 aided by marl and
 judicious farming4 ,the rotation is    
corn1--wheat1--clover--wheat1 or clover 
fallow1--and pasture1 and after pasture 
one year1 commencing the round again    

with corn4 ,this system1 if guano be    
applied to both crops of wheat1 on corn 
land and fallow1 or alternately with    
lime or marl1 when calcareous manures   
are required1 will readily increase the 
crops and permanent improvement of the  
land4 ,in the commencement of the       
rotation1 lime had better be applied    
with the putrescent manures to the corn 
crop1 to be followed by guano on wheat4 
,if this system be perseveringly1       
pursued1 ,i can scarcely see any        
reasonable limits to the improvement of 
poor lands and the increase of the      
profits of agriculture4  ,disappointment
 will result from the application of    
lime1 marl1 salt potash1 guano1 or any  
special and highly concentrated         
substance as a fertilizer1 to the       
neglect of organic manures4 ,we lay down
 this fact as incontrovertible1 that no 
soil1 however fertile it may be made for
 the time being by any of these special 
manures1 can remain permanently so1     
unless care is used to maintain a       

healthful supply of organic             
matter1--rich mould--good soil upon the 
land cultivated4 ,if this is done1 we   
never shall hear of guano failing to    
bring increased crops or of the land    
running out1 where it has been applied4 
,special manures of any kind may fail to
 produce crops1 where this essential    
requisite to good farming is neglected4 
,guano1 in our opinion1 should always be
 followed by crops of clover1 grass1    
peas1 or some crop that will shade the  
earth1 and can be turned under with the 
plow1 to keep up the necessary supply of
 nitrogenous food for cereal crops4     
,the effect of ,lime and ,salt upon land
 is to dissolve the inert portions of   
organic matters in the soil1 so that    
plants can suck up their substance into 
their own composition4 ,both are highly 
beneficial1 but insufficient to add     
permanent fertility4  ,the effect of    
guano1 is greater than any other highly 
concentrated manure ever discovered and 
applied to any soil4 ,its benefits are  

immediate continuous1 and unlike lime1  
without exhausting the soil of its      
organic matter4 ,yet its benefits will  
be increased by the addition of organic 
manures derived from green crops1 straw1
 or the stable1 and the value of these  
will be greatly increased by the        
addition of lime1 salt and plaster1     
while any deficiency of phosphates must 
be supplied by powdered bones or another
 application of guano4  ,the effect of  
plaster with guano is to arrest the     
excursive disposition of the volatile   
parts of the guano1 and imprison them in
 the earth until called forth by the    
growing plants to do the ,state some    
service4 ,the following question to the 
,editor of the ,american ,farmer1 and   
his reply1 are to the point in this     
matter3--  ,a correspondent says--,as to
 the question of mixing plaster with    
guano1 there is one question ,i should  
like to propose to the editor1          
viz4--'what will be the effect of sowing
 guano upon land by itself1 and then1   

the seed being in the ground1 giving it 
a heavy top-dressing of plaster1 so as  
to arrest the 'excursion1' of which so  
much is said8  ,reply by the            
editor4--,the effect of such application
 of guano and plaster would be1 to      
prevent the waste of the ammonia of the 
former1 as every rain would decompose   
more or less of the plaster1 separate   
the sulphuric acid from the lime1 and   
the sulphuric acid when liberated1 would
 unite with the ammonia1 form a sulphate
 of ammonia1 and hold the latter in     
reserve to be taken up by the roots of  
the plants4 ,the presence of plaster    
with all organic manures1 either        
directly mixed with them1 or broadcasted
 after they may be applied1 tends to    
prevent the escape of their volatile    
parts4 ,we prefer them together for two 
reasons1--first1 because1 by bringing   
the two into immediate contact1 the     
action of the plaster is more direct2   
and secondly1 because the time and      
expense of one sowing is thereby saved4 

,we go for saving every way1 as time and
 labor costs money1 and we look upon    
economy as a virtue1 which should be    
practised by all1 and especially by     
husbandmen4  ,if the plaster and guano  
is mixed together1 #be lbs4 of the      
former to #ajj lbs4 of the latter1 will 
be found a proper proportion1 and       
sufficient to prevent the ammonia from  
making an excursion4 ,unless the soil be
 very poor1 #bjj lbs4 of good ,peruvian 
guano is as much as we should recommend 
for wheat4 ,in this we have the         
concurrence of the editor of the        
,farmer1 and perhaps a hundred gentlemen
 whom we have conversed with upon this  
subject4 ,all agree in the opinion1     
whether mixed with plaster or not1 that 
a judicious application of guano will   
more certainly restore productiveness to
 worn out land1 or add fertility to that
 already productive1 than any other     
substance ever applied4  ,want of ,faith
 in the efficacy of guano4--,whatever   
doubts may have existed in the minds of 

careful men1 there is no room for doubts
 now1 that ,peruvian guano possesses    
regenerating properties beyond belief1  
without evidence1 and capacity to       
increase the productiveness of lands in 
sound condition1 in such an eminent     
degree1 that any farmer who has the     
power to obtain it1 evinces great folly 
and perverse obstinacy1 if he continue  
to cultivate his land without applying  
it2 either for want of faith1 or        
pretended disbelief in its efficacy2 or 
because he thinks the price fixed upon  
it by the ,peruvian ,government1        
unjustifiably high2 or because although 
he has no doubt it will answer in the   
moist climate of ,england1 is sure it   
will never answer in this dry climate2  
or because he is afraid the luxuriant   
crops produced by the application of    
guano will exhaust his land2 or because 
his neighbor ,jones killed all his seed 
corn by putting only a handful in the   
hill2 while ,mrs4 ,jones killed all her 
flowers and fifty kinds of roses with   

the pisen stuff2 and therefore he don't 
want any more to do with it2 or because 
it has failed to give remuneration under
 the most injudicious application1 made 
contrary to all instructions or         
experience of those who have used it2 or
 for any and all the other thousand and 
one objections raised by those who have 
never used it1 and seem determined they 
never will2 probably because when the   
almost miraculous accounts of its       
operations were first published1 they   
had cried out humbug so loudly they are 
determined no after evidence shall      
convince them the only humbug in the    
case was in their own disbelief4 ,it is 
for the benefit of these unbelievers we 
are now writing4 ,our object is to      
present such an array of facts          
guaranteed by such respectable names1   
they shall have no hook to hang a doubt 
upon--no reason--no justifiable excuse  
for any sane man longer to neglect to   
apply an article of such positive1      
certain benefit to his hungry soil4     

,,ed4 ,,reynolds ,,esq41 ,,of           
,,baltimore1 ,,on ,,the ,,value ,,of    
,,guano4  ,writing on the subject of    
bought manures1 as everything is termed 
not produced upon the farm1 and how     
dubiously they are looked upon by some  
persons calling themselves good farmers1
 for fear of being humbugged1 ,mr4      
,reynolds says1 in a letter dated ,july1
 #ahej1 ,since #ahdc1 ,i have been      
trying to find out which is the best of 
all these 'new things1' and have now1   
after having been very considerably     
humbugged1 settled down upon bones and  
guano--although1 even the last named in 
a very dry year1 has also 'cheated me'2 
but this is by no means its character1  
as ,i am constrained to admit1 that     
after having tried it on all sorts of   
soil1 and perhaps as long if not longer 
than any other person in the ,state1 it 
is my opinion that when properly        
applied1 with an average fair season1 it
 is a very powerful fertilizer4 ,my mode
 of using it is1 when applied to        

tobacco1 to mix one and a half bushels  
of the ,peruvian1 7which is ordinarily  
#ajj lbs47 with one bushel rich earth1  
and one bushel of plaster1 which admits 
about the fifth part of a gill of the   
mixture to each hill for every #e1jjj   
hills--and putting it in the center of  
the check before being scraped--so that 
when the hill is made1 it lies beneath  
the plant4 ,on wheat1 ,i apply three    
bushels of ,peruvian guano equal to #bjj
 lbs4 mixed with one bushel of plaster1 
one bushel rich earth to the acre1      
sowing on the surface and plowing it in 
as soon and as deep as possible1 after  
it is sowed4 ,the past spring ,i have   
put #cjj lbs4 to the acre1 on #cj acres 
of corn1 being half of a field1 on a    
farm in ,calvert1 mixing with it the    
same quantity of rich earth and plaster1
 and sowing on the surface1 plowing in  
at once very deep1 using the cultivator 
only in working it afterwards4 ,i do not
 intend to use it at all with corn1     
hereafter1 but not because ,i do not    

think it also a good fertilizer with    
this crop1 7as my corn on my ,calvert   
farm1 upon which it has been used1 now  
shows very fair17 but only because it   
has never failed to pay me three fold   
better on wheat1 than on anything else4 
,in order to test its virtue1 it is     
essentially necessary to plow it in     
deeply1 and stir it as little as        
possible afterwards4  ,bones4--,of these
 ,i have used both ground and crushed1  
and always to advantage at ten to twelve
 bushels per acre2 bought from          
manufacturers here1 and agents of houses
 in ,new ,york2 but ,i am using the     
crushed dissolved by oil of vitriol1 as 
prepared by myself on my farm in        
,calvert in the following way3 ,the     
bones1 7which we buy in the neighborhood
 at #ej cents per #aab lbs47 after      
breaking them with a small sledge hammer
 on an old anvil1 we put at the rate of 
three bushels in half a hogshead1 and   
apply to that quantity #ge lbs4 oil of  
vitriol1 filling up the half hogshead to

 within eight inches of the top with    
water1 letting them remain1 7but stir   
the contents occasionally with a stick17
 say two to five weeks1 according to the
 quality and strength of the vitriol2   
then start the contents of the half     
hogshead into a large iron kettle1 apply
 a slight fire and the whole contents   
will in less than an hour be reduced to 
a perfect jelly4 ,we use two half       
hogsheads at once1 to prepare it        
expeditiously4 ,we then mix the contents
 of each kettle1 with a horse cart load 
of rich earth1 or ashes1 throwing in a  
half barrel of plaster1 mix or compost  
it handsomely1 and use at pleasure1 on  
an acre of land with any crop you       
choose1 and you will have permanently   
improved two acres at the following     
cost1 viz3 ,bones1 #a4ej1 vitriol1      
#c4ge1 plaster1 #a4ab1 making #f4cg1 or 
#c4ah per acre1 and this may be repeated
 so as with proper attention1 as much   
lasting improvement may be made each    
year as many farmers derive from their  

barn yards4 ,bones in any form never    
fails to show their striking effects on 
clover and other grasses--but either    
bones or guano will scarcely ever fail  
to produce a better crop of clover1     
which1 with the increased quantity of   
straw1 7particularly when guano is      
used17 will enable and encourage the    
saving of larger quantities of barn yard
 manure1 and which must inevitably cause
 a lasting improvement4  ,this coincides
 with our views exactly1 as we have in  
all these pages endeavored to impress   
upon our readers1 that the increased    
growth of straw from the use of guano1  
will increase the manure pile1 and      
inevitably cause a lasting improvement4 
,poudrette4--,i have used also1 to good 
advantage1 particularly on clayey lands1
 at the rate of six to eight barrels per
 acre4 ,it is a first rate top dressing 
on young clover in spring1 at two to    
three barrels per acre2 this article has
 been prepared so badly heretofore1 that
 a great quantity of it was really      

worthless4  ,we also concede to         
poudrette as much credit as ,mr4        
,reynolds but as will be seen1 it will  
cost more to improve land with it than  
with guano4  ,prepared                  
,guano--,agricultural                   
,salts--,generators and                 
,regenerators4--,of these1 the testimony
 of ,mr4 ,reynolds is exactly to the    
point1 concise and strong1 and exactly  
in accordance with all the facts we have
 been able to collect upon the same     
subject4 ,he says1 ,i have tried them on
 corn1 wheat1 oats1 clover and tobacco2 
but have yet to discover that they ever 
generated anything for me1 though ,i    
have heard them sometimes well spoken   
of4  ,want of room in this pamphlet     
alone prevents us from inserting the    
names and operations of many other      
gentlemen in this rapidly improving     
,state--a ,state now undergoing the     
process of renovation by the use of     
guano1 to a greater extent1 perhaps1    
than any other in the ,union4   ,,guano 

,,in ,,delaware4  ,hon4 ,john ,m4       
,clayton's ,farm4--,no one who looks    
upon this highly improved farm now1 with
 its most luxuriant crops1 can be made  
to believe it was a barren waste seven  
years ago--hardly worth fencing or      
cultivating4 ,this great change1 so far 
beyond the power of human belief1 has   
been effected by lime1 plaster and      
guano4 ,the railroad from ,frenchtown to
 ,new ,castle1 passes through this farm1
 four miles from the latter place4 ,it  
is well worthy a visit from any one     
anxious to make personal observations of
 the effects of bought manures1 upon a  
soil too poor to support a goose per    
acre4  ,effect of ,guano on             
,oats4--,during a visit to ,mr4         
,clayton1 in #ahea1 we saw the most     
luxuriant growth of oats upon one of the
 fields of this farm1 which we have ever
 witnessed1 and it has been our fortune 
to see some tall specimens of this crop 
on the bottom lands of ,ohio1 ,indiana1 
and ,illinois4 ,the seed he had obtained

 from ,england1 and the means of making 
it grow1 from ,peru4 ,the guano was     
plowed in with the oats1 at the rate of 
#cej lbs4 to the acre4 ,the soil is a   
yellow clayey loam4 ,the effect upon    
other crops had been equally beneficial4
 ,the growth of clover was so great he  
had purchased thirty bullocks to fatten1
 for the purpose of trying to consume   
some of his surplus feed4 ,the effect   
upon wheat1 corn1 potatoes1 turnips1    
garden vegetables and fruit trees1 was  
almost as astonishing as upon the oats  
and grass4  ,c4 ,p4 ,holcomb1 ,esq41 one
 of the most improving farmers of one of
 the most improving counties in the     
,u4,s41 has met with great success in   
the use of lime1 plaster1 and guano4    
,his beautiful highly improved home farm
 is near ,newcastle2 but that upon which
 he has met with great success in the   
use of guano1 lies about four miles from
 ,dover4 ,before he purchased it had    
become celebrated for its miserable     
poverty4 ,it is now equally celebrated  

for its productiveness4 ,the use of     
guano in that part of the ,state has now
 reached a point far beyond what the    
most sanguine would have dared to       
predict four years ago2 and the benefits
 are of the most flattering kind4 ,lands
 have been increased in value to a far  
greater extent than all the money paid  
for guano2 while the increased profit   
from the annual crops1 has produced     
corresponding improvements in the       
condition and happiness of the people4  
,no greater blessing1 said an           
intelligent gentleman to me1 ever was   
bestowed upon the people of ,delaware4  
,extensive use of ,guano by a ,delaware 
farmer4 ,maj4 ,jones1 whose name is     
extensively known as a very enterprising
 farmer1 purchased in the summer of     
#ahea1 of ,messrs4 ,a4,b4 ,allen  ,co4  
,new ,york1 sixty tons of ,peruvian     
guano1 for his own use4 ,with this he   
dressed #cjj acres of wheat1 upon the   
farm at his residence on the ,bohemia   
manor2 plowing in part of it and putting

 in part of it by a drilling machine at 
the rate of #bjj lbs4 to the acre1      
sowing the wheat all in drills4 ,part of
 the ground was clover1 part corn1 and  
perhaps one half wheat and oat stubble4 
,the earth at the time of sowing was so 
dry1 doubts were entertained whether it 
would ever vegetate2 and that and other 
causes extended the work so late1 upon a
 portion of the ground1 there was       
scarcely any appearance of greenness    
when it froze up4 ,with all these       
disadvantages1 the crop was estimated at
 harvest at twenty bushels to the acre4 
,without guano no one acquainted with   
the farm would have estimated the crop  
at an average of ten bushels4 ,this     
gives an undoubted increase of five     
bushels for each hundred weight of      
guano2 and as the soil contains a good  
deal of clay with which the guano was   
well mixed1 it will retain much of the  
value of the application1 for the next  
crop4 ,maj4 ,jones has heretofore       
derived very great benefits from the use

 of guano1 as might safely be adjudged  
from the fact of his risking #c1jjj in  
one purchase of the same article4       
,lasting effects of ,guano4--,maj4      
,jones is well satisfied upon this      
point4 ,in #ahdg1 he used #af tons1 half
 ,peruvian and half ,patagonian1 sowed  
with a lime-spreading machine and plowed
 in deep1 say eight inches on clayey    
loam--planted corn and made #fj bushels 
per acre on #ajj acres2 which was an    
increase of #ab bushels per acre over   
any former year4 ,next spring the weeds 
grew as high as his head on horseback4  
,rolled them down and plowed under and  
sowed wheat1 five pecks to the acre1 and
 made a heavier crop than ever before   
made on same land1 which he attributes  
entirely to the guano4 ,thinks the third
 crop of wheat is benefitted from guano 
plowed in three years previous4  ,the   
extent to which guano is used in the    
,state of ,delaware may be inferred from
 the fact that it is not at all unusual 
for merchants in small country villages 

to purchase from #ej to #bjj tons at a  
time for their retail trade4  ,among    
other successful users of guano in that 
,state1 we may mention ,governor ,ross1 
who1 if as good a ruler as he is farmer1
 ought to be continued in office to the 
end of life4  ,the soil to which guano  
has been mostly applied in this ,state  
is a sandy loam1 and the process of     
applying it1 by sowing broadcast from   
#bjj to #cej lbs4 per acre1 and plowing 
in from four to six inches deep1        
previous to sowing wheat1 which is      
always followed by clover1 by every one 
who understands his own true interest2  
for wherever that course has been       
pursued1 there has been a certain profit
 derived from the application1 even when
 the wheat has failed4  ,the            
improvements in farming in ,delaware    
within the last ten years1 will probably
 exceed in proportion to acres and      
people1 any other ,state in the ,union4 
,nearly all the northern part of the    
,state has been whitened with lime1 and 

the southern part is rapidly following  
the same path2 while the sale of guano  
in all parts will exceed any other      
section of the country1 if not in       
quantity1 certainly in numbers of       
persons making use of this sure means of
 restoring the lands of an almost ruined
 ,state1 to their pristine fertility4   
,,guano ,,in ,,pensylvania4  ,there has 
probably been less guano used in this   
great ,state1 than in her little sister1
 of which we have just been speaking4   
,this may be owing to the fact that     
great improvements have been made by the
 use of lime1 and that ,pensylvania     
farmers generally are not much inclined 
to leave the path their fathers trod    
before them2 or that they are skeptical 
as to what they hear of the miraculous  
powers of guano2 hence1 its use has been
 in a great measure confined to market  
gardeners1 or experiments in a small    
way2 the sales at ,philadelphia1 for    
home consumption1 so far as we have     
noticed1 are mostly in small lots of one

 to ten bags4 ,among all with whom we   
have conversed1 however1 who have used  
,peruvian guano in that ,state1 we have 
never heard a doubt expressed of its    
value1 though the idea1 strangely enough
 seems to prevail1 that it will only be 
profitable for gardners and small       
farmers1 and that it is of no benefit to
 succeeding crops4 ,no doubt the        
progress of improvement by the use of   
guano in that vicinity has been greatly 
retarded1 in consequence of the sale of 
considerable quantities of cheap guano1 
which however low in the scale of       
prices1 is still lower in the scale of  
values4 ,in fact1 there is but one thing
 connected with the spurious stuff1     
lower in any scale1 and that is the     
honesty of those who manufacture or     
knowingly sell such a villainous        
compound to farmers1 who are utterly    
ignorant upon the subject1 under solemn 
assurances1 that it is equal to any     
guano in market1 and only a little more 
than half price4  ,mr4 ,landreth1 the   

celebrated seedsman of ,philadelphia1   
applied #ejj worth of ,peruvian guano   
last spring1 principally on the bean    
crop--he thinks guano admirably adapted 
to all the ,brassica tribe1 including   
turnips1 cabbages1 rutubaga1 radishes   
and all cruciform plants4 ,upon a lawn  
which appeared to be running out1 he    
applied guano1 and the grass is now     
green and vigorous4 ,the character of   
his soil may be judged from its         
location2 it is on the ,delaware river  
above ,bristol1 and had been awfully    
skinned before he came in possession4   
,now1 with a liberal expenditure for    
manures1 he gets two crops a year4      
,guano for grass lands4--,the           
,germantown ,telegraph says3 ,the       
application of guano broadcast to grass 
lands has been found to produce a       
decided difference in the crop4 ,in     
several instances this season1 where    
,peruvian guano has been applied at the 
rate of #bjj lbs4 per acre1 about the   
middle of ,april1 the yield of hay has  

been double in quantity1 over the       
intermediate lands not so treated2 and  
in every instance noticed1 it is        
believed that the difference in quantity
 produced will amply repay the cost of  
the guano4   ,,guano ,,in ,,new         
,,jersey4  ,guano has not been          
extensively used in ,new ,jersey1 owing 
to the abundance of green sand marl1    
which is a very valuable fertilizer1    
abounding in that part of the ,state    
most in need of artificial manures4     
,guano has1 wherever used1 produced the 
most astonishing results4 ,one of these 
we witnessed upon the farm of ,mr4      
,edward ,harris1 a gentleman well known 
for his enterprising spirit of          
improvement and intelligence in         
agriculture1 who resides at ,moorestown1
 which lies in the sandy region east of 
,philadelphia4 ,he sowed #djj lbs4 to   
the acre1 plowed in with double plow1   
sowed oats and seeded with timothy1     
which upon similar soil often burns out 
for want of shade1 after the oats are   

harvested4 ,not so in this case4 ,the   
shattered oats from a remarkably fine   
crop1 vegetated and grew with such a    
dark green luxuriance1 there was more   
danger of the young grass being         
smothered out2 so he had to put the     
mowers at work1 who cut heavy swaths of 
this second crop of oats1 for hay4 ,if  
it had been situated so it could have   
been fed off1 the amount of pasture     
would have been almost incalculable4 ,it
 is needless to say the effect of guano 
upon this land1 was not evanescent4     
,other trials made by ,mr4 ,harris1 have
 convinced him of its value to ,jersey  
farmers1 and that good as ,squankum marl
 undoubtedly is1 farmers would do better
 to expend part1 at least1 of their     
money in guano4  ,the name of ,james    
,buckalew is known1 perhaps1 more       
extensively than any other in ,new      
,jersey1 as one of her most             
enterprising1 rapidly improving1 money  
making farmers1 whose testimony in favor
 of guano may be easily obtained by any 

one who will take the trouble to go and 
see what beautiful farms he has made out
 of the barren sands near the ,jamestown
 station1 on the ,camden  ,amboy        
railroad1 by the use of lime1 plaster1  
marl1 manure and guano4 ,it is a pity   
that every one who doubts the           
feasibility of profitably improving the 
worst land in that ,state1 by the power 
of such an agent as ,peruvian guano1    
could not see what has been done by ,mr4
 ,buckalew4 ,let them also look at what 
were once bare sand hills around the    
residence of ,commodore ,stevens1 at    
,south ,amboy1 a gentleman who ought to 
be more renowned for his improvements on
 land than water1 notwithstanding his   
world wide reputation1 in connection    
with the yacht ,america4 ,go ask how it 
is that these drifted sand hills have   
been covered with rank grass1 clover1   
corn1 turnips and other luxuriant crops2
 the very echo of the question will be1 
guano4  ,look at the astonishing crops  
of ,professor ,mapes1 at ,newark4       

,peruvian guano1 in combination with his
 improved superphosphate of lime1 hath  
wrought the miracle1 aided as it has    
been1 by the deepest plowing ever done  
in that ,state4  ,mr4 ,samuel ,allen1 at
 ,morristown1 has now growing upon a    
poor barren1 gravelly knoll1 a crop of  
corn which might put to blush the owner 
of a rich and well manured field1 and   
which ought to put to blush some of the 
unbelievers in the power of guano to    
produce such a growth upon such a soil2 
rather where there was no soil1 hardly  
enough to grow a respectable crop of    
mullen stalks4 ,mr4 ,allen has tried    
guano for several years upon every kind 
of garden vegetable1 with the most      
wonderful success4 ,a crop of ,lima     
beans now growing exhibit its wonderful 
power in the strongest manner4 ,the     
application has been made by a small    
dose at planting and two sprinklings    
hoed in during their growth4  ,a great  
many other persons in this ,state have  
produced most wonderful effects upon    

land almost utterly worthless1 while in 
the immediate benefits1 those who have  
applied it to lands in good condition1  
have profited more than with double the 
cost of manure4  ,guano for ,peach      
,trees4--,a ,new ,jersey nurseryman     
assured us of his firm conviction in the
 power of guano to cure the yellows in  
peach trees--that no grub or worm can be
 found alive in the roots of a tree     
where guano is applied--that young trees
 can be brought into bearing by the use 
of guano1 a year earlier than by any    
other forcing process with which he is  
acquainted4   ,,guano ,,on ,,long       
,,island4#a  ,one gentleman assures us  
he tried an experiment very carefully1  
and found an application of guano at two
 and a half cents a pound1 #cjj lbs4 to 
the acre1 more economical than hauling  
his own manure one mile4 ,the fair value
 of team work and cost of labor hired1  
was more to the acre than the guano1 and
 the first crop quite inferior1 the     
second no difference1 and the third     

slightly in favor of the manure4 ,he    
thinks buying city manure1 particularly 
street sweepings1 about the poorest use 
to which he could put his money1 as he  
certainly could make #ej per ct4 more   
upon the same amount expended in        
,peruvian guano4 ,professor ,mapes      
entertains the same opinion1 about      
hauling manure1 where guano1 or rather  
with him1 guano improved by the addition
 of his improved superphosphate of lime1
 can be procured4  ,dr4 ,peck1 a        
gentleman well known for his            
philanthropic motives in settling and   
improving the ,long ,island barrens1 has
 proved that every acre of that long    
neglected1 and until quite recently     
considered worthless portion of the     
,island1 can be rendered fertile1 so as 
to be cultivated with great profit1     
either in farms or market gardens1 by   
the aid of this greatest blessing ever  
bestowed by ,providence upon an         
unfertile land4  ,several of the        
,messrs4 ,smith1 of ,smithtown1 could   

show any ,long ,island farmer who still 
has doubts upon the subject1 that guano 
is the greatest worker of miracles in   
this age--that it is just as capable of 
producing great crops on the barren     
sands of the ,island1 as it is on the   
tide water shores of ,virginia1 upon    
soil of the same character4  ,a great   
deal has been said in deprecation of the
 waste of fertilizing matters in the    
city of ,new ,york1 in which the writer 
of this pamphlet has conscientiously    
joined2 because1 he thought it wicked to
 commit such waste1 while we were       
surrounded by lands lying idle1 for the 
want of these very substances4          
,precious1 however1 as they would be to 
the farmer1 he cannot afford to use     
them4 ,that is1 it would be poor economy
 for a ,long ,island farmer1 no matter  
how near the city1 to expend money in   
the hire of men1 vessels and teams1 to  
save1 carry1 haul and apply to his farm1
 the immense amount of fertilizing      
substances now wasted2 because the same 

capital expended in purchasing and      
applying guano1 will produce a much     
greater profit4 ,the difference in      
cartage is enough to astonish one who   
has never thought upon the subject4 ,one
 man with a pair of horses can easily   
carry guano enough in one day1 thirty   
miles into the country1 to manure ten   
acres of ground4 ,to carry an equivalent
 of city manure1 in the same time1 would
 require #cjj pair of horses and #cej   
men4 ,who can wonder that barren lands  
have remained barren8 ,who will not     
wonder if they still continue so1 with  
such fertilizers as their owners might  
possess to render them otherwise8 ,but  
few of the residents in the interior of 
,long ,island1 if the manure was given  
to them1 can afford the time and team   
work to haul #cjj loads for ten acres1  
while all can afford the time for one   
load2 and they may be morally certain   
the capital invested in that load will  
be returned in the first crop4 ,the     
great advantage of guano over all other 

manures is1 the concentration of immense
 fertilizing power in such small bulk4  
,guano in ,new ,york and ,connecticut1  
generally1 has been less used than any  
sound reason will justify4 ,a           
comparatively small portion of the      
market gardeners--a few gentlemen in the
 improvement of rural homes1 and here   
and there a nurseryman1 have derived    
immense benefits2 but the bulk of the   
farmers are still either faithless1 or  
ignorant2 in most cases the latter1 of  
the benefits they might derive from a   
liberal expenditure in the means1 and   
the only means within their reach1 of   
rendering their lands productive4       
,effect of ,guano on ,garden            
,seeds4--,from the society of ,shakers1 
at ,lebanon1 so justly celebrated for   
growing garden seeds1 we receive the    
most positive assurance that no manure  
ever applied by them1 has had such an   
effect as guano4 ,the production of     
seeds of all descriptions1 is not only  
increased1 but the quality is improved  

to an astonishing degree4 ,the same     
effect has been noted upon wheat1       
particularly in our account of ,mr4     
,newton's operations4 ,so also has it in
 ,england4 ,this view of the case should
 give an additional value to guano to   
the farmer1 as not only an improver of  
the quantity of his products1 but by the
 gradual improvement in the quality of  
the seed1 calculated to be of vast      
benefit to him in that respect4 ,garden 
seeds raised by guano1 as soon as their 
superiority becomes known1 will be in   
such demand that no other can be sold4  
,another advantage will arise from the  
fact that such seeds will be found      
entirely free from weeds1 as none grow  
after a few years upon land manured only
 with guano4  ,the beautiful residence  
of ,mr4 ,edwin ,bartlett1 near          
,tarrytown1 exhibits strong evidence of 
the fertilizing power of guano upon the 
poor1 unproductive hill sides of        
,westchester ,co4 ,that place1 now so   
luxuriant1 was noted a few years ago1 as

 too poor to support grasshoppers4 ,it  
was the poverty stricken joke of the    
neighborhood4  ,footnote #a3 ,for       
interesting letters from ,long ,island1 
see appendix4   ,,guano ,,in            
,,massachusetts4  ,we have heard a good 
many assertions that guano1 however     
valuable it might be upon the warm sandy
 soils of the south1 would not answer in
 the cold land and climate of the ,new  
,england ,states4 ,to refute this       
fallacy1 we have some strong testimony4 
,seven years ago1 while the very name of
 guano1 and much more its virtues were  
unknown to half the farmers of ,america1
 ,mr4 ,s4 ,s4 ,teschemacher1 of ,boston1
 a gentleman of science and practical   
skill in gardening1 became so fully     
convinced of its value to the           
cultivators of ,american soil1 he       
published a pamphlet for the purpose of 
inducing others to profit by its use4   
,from that pamphlet we make a few       
extracts4 ,he says--,one of the numerous
 objections to this manure is1 that1    

although it may answer well in the humid
 atmosphere of ,england1 it cannot      
produce equal benefit in the hot1 sandy 
soils of this country4 ,in reply to     
this1 it may be observed1 that the sandy
 soils of ,south ,america are more hot  
than they are here2 and1 on the coast of
 ,peru1 where it is most used1 it       
scarcely ever rains at all4 ,the truth  
is1 that it certainly requires moisture 
to decompose it1 and enable it to enter 
into the juices of the plant2 by no     
means1 however1 so much as is usually   
supposed2 but1 once absorbed by the     
roots and plants1 it imparts that       
strength and solidity which enable them 
to resist both drought and cold4  ,it is
 beyond dispute that guano contains the 
chief ingredients required for the      
growth of plants4 ,the instances        
hereafter adduced will show that the    
combination and form of these           
ingredients are such as to promote not  
only its immediate action1 but clearly  
to accelerate considerably the progress 

of vegetation4  ,the chief ingredients1 
then1 of guano1 are1    ,ammonia1 in    
various forms and combinations2         
,phosphate and oxalate of lime and      
magnesia2   ,salts of potash and soda2  
,animal organic matter2   ,sand and     
moisture4  ,besides the evidence we have
 given of the value of an application of
 such a compound1 it contains evidence  
within itself to every mind embued with 
any knowledge of agricultural chemistry1
 that it will not only promote immediate
 growth of vegetation1 but produce a    
lasting benefit to the soil4 ,it        
contains all the materials necessary for
 the growth of cereal or esculent       
vegetation in the exact form            
required--that is an impalpable         
powder--to promote rapid1 certain1 large
 growth1 and abundant fruitfulness1 and 
consequent profit4   ,,experiments ,,by 
,,mr4 ,,teschemacher4  ,to ,indian corn1
 applied one teaspoonful to the hill1   
well mixed with earth1 at time of       
planting4 ,when twelve or fifteen inches

 high1 hoed in three tea spoons full    
around the corn1 and covered two inches 
deep and watered4 ,soil--a poor1 sandy1 
sterile one4 ,product--one seed produced
 three main stalks with eight perfect   
ears and five suckers1 weighing #h-a_/d 
lbs4 ,the best plant without guano1     
weighed #a-a_/d lbs4 and only had one   
ear4--,i find the best mode of applying 
guano is to hollow out the hill1 put in 
one teaspoonful and a half of guano1 and
 mix it well with the soil4 ,spread     
even1 then put on this about one or one 
and a half inch depth of light soil1 on 
which sow the seed and cover up4 ,when  
the corn is about twelve inches high1 or
 the time of first hoeing1 begin with   
the hoe about four inches from the      
stems1 and make a trench the width of   
the hoe about two or three inches deep4 
,spread in this trench about three or   
four teaspoonfuls guano1 stir it in1 and
 cover the trench as quickly as         
possible4 ,if this last operation can be
 performed just before or during rain1  

the action will be quicker and more     
effectual4  ,four or five teaspoonfuls  
of dry powder producing such an effect1 
is what staggers the belief of those who
 see with their own eyes4  ,so great is 
the luxuriance of growth from such an   
insignificant application1 it is        
necessary to increase the space nearly  
double between the hills4 ,in a country 
where fodder is so valuable as it is in 
,massachusetts1 the great increase of   
stalks is of equal importance with the  
increase of grain4 ,indian corn requires
 both phosphate of lime and magnesia    
which it finds in guano1 in combination 
with ammonia1 in a state just ready to  
be absorbed by the growing plant1       
wherever brought in contact1 with its   
roots4  ,mr4 ,t4 found the guanoed corn 
planted ,may #bb;d1 ripened sooner than 
that planted ,may #ast4 with manure4    
,this alone on account of the difficulty
 from frost1 is sufficient to give it   
great claim upon northern farmers4      
,effect on ,grass4--,the application of 

this manure to grass land already laid  
down is for many reasons often attended 
with uncertain results4 ,the best mode  
is1 to spread broadcast about #bej lbs4 
per acre of the ,peruvian guano as soon 
as the snow is off the ground4 ,it would
 be very advantageous if1 after it was  
spread on1 some light loam could be put 
over it1 in the manner of a top         
dressing4 ,i state the ,peruvian guano  
is the best for this operation1 as it   
contains what ,dr4 ,ure calls potential 
ammonia1 or ammonia in a more permanent 
form2 whereas the ammonia from the      
,ichaboe guano evaporates more easily1  
and this valuable ingredient is         
therefore lost in the atmosphere when it
 is spread on the surface4  ,most       
excellent crops have been obtained1     
where the grass is sown and laid down in
 the autumn1 on light1 sandy soils1 by  
sowing the guano evenly broadcast1 then 
harrowing twice1 sowing the grass seed1 
and rolling4  ,the best mode of applying
 it1 however1 is to sow broadcast and   

plow it in--at the south1 on sandy      
soils1 no matter how deep--at the north 
on soils more clayey1 plow it in about  
four inches deep--the real object being 
to so mix it with the soil as to prevent
 the escape of ammonia1 which is        
exceedingly volatile4 ,remember1 ,guano 
should never be used as a top dressing1 
except in combination with plaster1 or  
some other substance which will prevent 
the escape of the most valuable portion 
of its composition4  ,in several case1  
where sods have been laid down for lawns
 or embankments round houses1 the most  
surprising growth has been obtained by  
strewing the surface with guano previous
 to laying on the sod4  ,e4 ,baylies1 of
 ,taunton1 sowed #dfj lbs4 ,african     
guano per acre1 with grass seed1 which  
yielded1 this year1 one ton per acre    
more than that without2 and the         
appearance of the guanoed grass is now  
much more thick1 luxuriant1 and         
promising1 for next year than the other4
  ,another friend of mine sowed grass in

 sandy soil with a full quantity of     
manure1 and an adjoining acre1 with #djj
 lbs4 ,ichaboe guano4 ,the guanoed acre 
grew stronger1 and retained its full    
verdure the whole winter2 the manured   
piece1 on the contrary1 became1 as      
usual1 brown by the action of the frost4
  ,mr4 ,t4 as well as nearly all the    
,english writers upon the subject1 has  
noticed the improvement in quality as   
well as quantity of grain and garden    
vegetables4 ,it is a well authenticated 
fact1 that birds wont touch the manured 
wheat1 while they can obtain that which 
is much more plump and rich where guano 
has been applied4  ,effects on ,trees   
and ,grape ,vines4--,the experiments    
with guano on trees which have come     
under my observation1 including exotics 
number about one hundred and fifty4 ,the
 action has invariably been to produce  
large foliage1 of a deep healthy green4 
,the best mode of applying guano to     
fruit-trees1 or flowering shrubs1 is to 
dig it into the earth at such distance  

from the trunk as will be likely to meet
 the largest number of fibrous roots4   
,for instance1 round an apple-tree of   
ten years' standing1 dig a trench one or
 one and a half foot deep1 at about the 
same distance from the stem that the    
branches extend2 let this trench be     
about one foot wide2 then put at the    
bottom one and a half inch depth of     
guano1 dig it well in1 and incorporate  
it with the soil2 then cover up         
carefully and press the earth down4 ,the
 effect of this application will        
unquestionably be felt for several      
years4  ,on grape vines1 the action of  
guano has been proved exceedingly       
beneficial2 increasing the growth of    
vines and fruit1 improving the flavor   
and hastening the ripening1 so as to    
escape early frosts4  ,in planting young
 trees1 put about a pint in the bottom  
of the hole covering with soil so the   
roots will not touch it4 ,no insects or 
grubs will disturb the roots of such a  
tree4  ,several friends1 who have tried 

guano this year on their pear-trees1    
have reported to me the result to be    
greater crops1 and of a much larger     
size1 than they ever had previously4    
,guano on ,peas--,method of             
,applying4--,the kinds on which ,i      
experimented were ,prince ,albert1      
,shilling's early grotto1 7a dwarf pea17
 blue imperial1 and marrowfat4 ,draw a  
deep trench with a hoe1 strew guano in  
the trench1 mix it up with the soil1    
over this put about one inch and a half 
of earth1 then sow the seed1 and cover  
up4 ,the quantity used should about     
equal the quantity of seed4 ,the produce
 of the three first kinds of peas1 was  
five full pecks to the quart of seed1   
besides a full quart of seed gathered   
for next year4 ,from the marrowfats ,i  
obtained only four pecks and a half1 and
 no seed4 ,the growth of all was        
extremely luxuriant4 ,the marrowfats    
were six and a half feet high1 the stems
 from one to one and a quarter inch in  
circumference4 ,guano should be placed  

at such a depth that the natural        
moisture of the earth will decompose it 
and render it fit for the plant4 ,in the
 lightest soils--plow and bury guano a  
little deeper than in others more heavy2
 the guano itself retains moisture1 and 
absorbs it naturally4  ,guano on ,beans1
 doubled the yield of a paralel row1    
while the improved flavor was           
perceptible to those who had no idea of 
the cause which produced it4 ,in drouth1
 the power given plants by guano1 to    
resist the scorching rays of the sun1 is
 remarkable4  ,on ,melons1 the effect   
was equally favorable1 giving a large   
increase of highly flavored fruit4  ,on 
,potatoes4--,we give out of many equally
 favorable1 only one experiment1 just to
 show the ability of farmers to grow    
this crop in the most unsuitable soil1  
by a small expenditure for guano1 twenty
 per cent4 better than with manure4     
,here it is4 ,soil1 very sandy and      
light2 quantity1 #hjj lbs4 ,african 7per
 ship ,samos7 to the acre2 cost1 #bj4   

,same soil1 with twenty-two loads fine  
compost manure1 cost #bb4 ,yield1 as    
eleven to nine1 or twenty-two per cent4 
in favor of guano1 the potatoes with    
which were larger than the others4  ,on 
,turnips1 no manure is equal to guano4  
,the crop has been doubled in numerous  
instances4 ,mr4 ,t4 says of one         
experiment he made1 ,the plants on this 
portion are now twice as large as those 
which have not had any4 ,it is perfectly
 beautiful to see the luxuriance of all 
these guanoed vegetables compared with  
the others4  ,on ,strawberries1 nothing 
has ever been applied equal to guano1   
provided the plants are plentifully     
watered4 ,the best mode of application  
is in solution4 ,one pound is enough for
 ten gallons of water4  ,on             
,cauliflowers4--,two experiments1 one   
with guano1 the other with a solution4  
,the first are fine strong plants1      
particularly one to which ,i gave a     
larger share than the other2 it is      
heading finely4 ,but those with the     

solution are much larger and finer4 ,i  
have been accustomed to observe the     
cultivation of this vegetable1 and never
 saw such a luxuriant growth4 ,they are 
now1 7,sept4 #aeth7 beginning to show   
flower2 and1 if the season is favorable1
 ,i expect the heads will be very fine4 
,the plants are at least four times     
larger than those on the same piece     
without guano1 or any manure at all1    
planted on the same day1 from the same  
seed bed4  ,on ,rhubarb or ,pie ,plant1 
guano has the most decided beneficial   
effect1 increasing the size1 flavor and 
tenderness of the stalk2 besides the    
very great advantage of bringing it     
forward some two or three weeks earlier 
in the spring4 ,fork it in all over the 
bed1 just as early as the frost will    
permit1 at the rate of #fjj lbs4 to the 
acre4  ,on ,asparagus1 the same         
treatment will more than double the     
quantity of this excellent1 healthy     
vegetable4 ,in the fall1 give a dressing
 of salt equal to #ae or #bj bushels to 

the acre4 ,with the guano1 nothing else 
need be applied1 if it is thoroughly    
mixed with the soil4  ,for ,vegetables1 
,plants1 ,trees1 and ,shrubbery         
generally1 where fruit is an object1    
apply the guano as above1 in powder4    
,where flowers of rare size and beauty  
are desired1 apply it in solution1 or by
 frequently stirring in small dressings 
just before a shower4 ,another important
 observation on this subject is1 that   
guano1 or its solution1 should never be 
applied except at that period of the    
season when the growth of wood is proper
 and natural4  ,in forcing houses1      
nothing can be equal to guano4 ,one     
thing1 it produces no weeds1 or insects2
 this is enough to insure its favor     
wherever it may be tried4  ,on roses1   
the beneficial effect is already well   
known4 ,if tea roses are cut down when  
the bloom is over1 repotted in fresh    
earth1 and well watered twice or thrice 
a week1 with guano water1 they will     
immediately throw out luxuriant shoots1 

and be covered with their fragrant      
blossoms4 ,the cactus tribe will bear a 
larger quantity and stronger solution of
 guano1 without injury1 than most other 
plants4  ,during the progress of my     
experiments1 says ,mr4 ,t41 ,i have been
 delighted with the unfailing and       
extraordinary luxuriance of growth and  
produce on a miserable spot of land1    
induced by the use of this manure1 and  
struck with the numerous instances which
 have come to my knowledge of erroneous 
applications of it4 ,on a stiff clay1   
guano would be of little value1 except  
on the surface1 or an inch or two deep1 
unless it were considerably lightened by
 the addition of sand1 or well broken up
 by exposure1 in ridges1 to frost1 as   
every clay soil should be4 ,a light1    
porous1 sandy soil would require #cjj   
lbs4 ,peruvian1 or #djj lbs4 best       
,ichaboe2 and for this soil ,i think the
 ,peruvian best adapted1 as it retains  
the ammonia longer1 and1 being less     
soluble in water than the ,ichaboe1 its 

qualities are not so soon washed out4   
,in a soil already much enriched with   
manure1 and at the same time abounding  
in phosphate of lime1 ,i have found the 
guano to produce less visible effects   
than on a poor1 sandy soil4  ,most      
excellent effects have been produced by 
steeping seeds in guano water of        
moderate strength for eight to twelve   
hours1 dependent on the kind of seeds1  
and then planting with one to three     
inches soil between the seed and the    
guano4 ,the steep encourages the growth 
of the young plant1 whose roots1 in a   
more advanced stage1 find the guano1    
which continues the stimulus4  ,quantity
 for a ,steep4--,put one1 one and a     
half1 or two teaspoonfuls of guano1     
according to quality1 in a quart bottle1
 shake up1 and when settled1 use2 then  
refill and use two or three times1      
previous to putting in fresh guano4 ,or1
 in the large way1 from fifteen to      
twenty gallons of water to one pound2   
mix in a barrel1 stir up and leave it to

 settle1 taking care1 however1 to put a 
cover on1 to prevent the escape of      
ammonia4   ,,directions ,,as ,,to       
,,quantity ,,and ,,manner ,,of          
,,applying ,,guano ,,to ,,various       
,,crops ,,and ,,soils4  ,the best action
 of guano is undoubtedly upon naturally 
poor or worn out light sandy soils4     
,next sandy loam--then loam proper--then
 clayey loam or exhausted gravelly soil1
 and lastly cold stiff clay1 or land    
naturally wet4 ,upon the first          
particularly at the south1 it should    
always be plowed in from four to six    
inches deep2 and will always afford the 
greatest profit when applied to wheat   
land and that sown with clover4         
,preparation of guano for use4--,until  
some ingenious ,yankee invents a cheap  
mill by which he will make a fortune and
 the lumps be easily ground1 the        
following method may be pursued4 ,take  
the bags on the barn floor or in some   
close room with tight floor and sift the
 guano over a box1 through a #c_/h mesh 

sieve1 putting the fine back in the bags
 and lumps on the floor4 ,these may be  
mashed with a stout hoe or shovel1 or   
with a block like a pavier's rammer4    
,sift and break again until all is fine4
 ,lay the dust with a very slight       
sprinkle from the nose of a watering    
pot2 of a solution of copperas1 at the  
rate of #aj lbs4 to the cwt4 of guano1  
or with plaster or loamy earth--woods   
mould or dry fine clay4 ,many persons   
prefer to mix plaster with the guano in 
the first instance at the rate of a peck
 of plaster to a bushel of guano--others
 use an equal weight of each4 ,where    
plaster is not to be had1 from five to  
ten bushels of pulverized charcoal or   
dust from the coal pit1 or pulverized   
peat1 to each hundred weight of guano   
may be used to fix the ammonia and      
prevent loss4 ,sulphuric acid #a lb4 to 
#aj of water1 with which to sprinkle the
 mass may be used as a fixer4 ,but if it
 is kept in the bags1 in a dry room1    
until ready for use1 and then prepared1 

sown and plowed in at once with as      
little exposure to the air as possible1 
very little of the ammonia will escape4 
,the true axiom to be observed in the   
use of guano1 is to plow it in as soon  
as possible after it is sown and before 
it is moistened with dew or rain2 and to
 plow it in deep1 or in some way        
thoroughly incorporate it with the soil1
 so that rains will not wash it away1 or
 hot sunshine cause it to evaporate4 ,we
 hold all top-dressings with guano1 to  
be wasteful1 on account of its volatile 
character1 and because it needs the     
moisture in the earth to fit the        
substance of which it is composed so its
 fertilizing properties can be taken up 
by the roots of the plants4 ,if spread  
upon the surface1 it must wait for a    
dissolving shower to carry it down to   
the roots2 in the meantime1 it is       
moistened by dews and evaporated by the 
sun1 and carried off to enrich your     
neighbor's crops half as much as your   
own4  ,preparing ,land and              

,sowing4--,when ready to plow the land  
for wheat1 measure an acre and lay it   
off in lands #ah feet wide2 put the     
guano in a pail and walk up one side and
 down the other with a moderate step    
throwing handfulls across at each step1 
and you will find you do not vary much  
from two hundred pounds to the acre4    
,never sow in a windy day if it can be  
avoided1 nor faster than it can be      
plowed in the same day4  ,to prevent    
guano from getting into the mouth and   
nostrils4--,take a thin piece of sponge 
and wet it and tie over the mouth and   
nose4 ,whenever the dust accumulates1   
wash it out4 ,if you must sow while the 
wind is blowing1 mix earth enough with  
guano to prevent blowing away4  ,depth  
it should be plowed in4--,on light sandy
 land1 there is no danger of its ever   
being plowed in too deep4 ,on sandy     
loam1 it ought to be plowed under at    
least six inches--eight inches would be 
better4 ,on true loam1 a less depth will
 answer1 though we are strong advocates 

of deep plowing4 ,on clayey loam1 four  
inches will answer1 and on clay1        
particularly in the ,northern ,states1  
if well harrowed or put in with the     
cultivator1 there will be no great loss 
of ammonia1 as the clay is a great      
absorber of that volatile substance4    
,this rule may in general be observed2  
upon the light lands of the south1 it   
cannot be too deeply buried2 in the clay
 lands1 or in the more heavy1 cold1 or  
moist lands of the north1 it may be     
covered too deep to benefit the first   
crop2 but1 if the after cultivation is  
good1 whatever is planted will be sure  
to be benefitted4 ,upon granite soils1  
it will be of less value than silicious 
or aluminous ones4 ,though most valuable
 on poor sandy or worn out old fields   
like those of ,virginia1 already        
described1 still it must not be rejected
 by the owner of any land which can be  
improved by manure1 because this is a   
manure of the very best and most        
concentrated kind2 containing more of   

the ingredients necessary to promote    
vegetable growth1 in the exact          
proportion and combination1 ready       
prepared for use1 than any other        
substance in the known world4 ,it is a  
fertilizing substance which none will   
reject who once learn its value1 unless 
very deeply prejudiced4 ,it is idle to  
reject it because the ,peruvian         
,government wont let us have it at our  
own price1 because we can profit by it  
at theirs4 ,it is nonsense to say1 it   
will answer in the moist climate of     
,england1 but not in our dry one4 ,truth
 deduced from experience1 in several    
,states1 in various climates and soils1 
refutes all such sayings4 ,besides1 it  
has been used with continued success in 
the burning sun and soils of ,peru1 ever
 since the conquest by the ,spaniards1  
and1 according to tradition for ages    
untold previous to that time4  ,guano on
 ,wheat4--,we repeat1 sow broadcast and 
plow in upon all light lands1 deep2 at  
the rate of #bjj to #fjj lbs4 to the    

acre1 as you can afford1 or as the land 
requires--we believe in the small       
quantity and repeat the next sowing1 to 
be by far the most judicious4 ,on heavy 
lands you may harrow or cultivate it in1
 but the plow is better4 ,it will do    
well on lands previously limed1 but     
should never be mixed with lime or      
ashes1 unless mixed with plaster or     
charcoal4 ,if you must use it as a top  
dressing in the spring1 mix a bushel of 
plaster with every hundred of guano1 sow
 and harrow in--don't be afraid of      
injuring the wheat ,always sow clover or
 grass on guanoed grain4  ,on ,indian   
,corn4--,follow the same directions as  
for wheat1 or if the land is already    
rich1 and you wish to give the corn an  
early start1 scatter at the rate of #ajj
 to #bjj lbs4 guano in the furrow1 and  
cover it two inches deep with another   
furrow and then drill the corn4 ,be sure
 and never let the seed come in contact 
with the guano1 or you will kill it most
 certainly4 ,guanoed corn should be     

sowed in wheat1 particularly whenever it
 has been dressed with a large quantity4
  ,to growing ,corn1 if it is desirable 
to apply it1 turn a furrow away from the
 row on each side and scatter in the    
bottom at the rate of #cjj lbs4 per     
acre1 and turn back the earth           
immediately4  ,green ,corn--roasting    
ears--are improved in taste by guano    
beyond anything ever conceived of by the
 lovers of this luscious food4          
,quantity per acre4--,thomas ,s4        
,pleasants of ,petersburg1 ,va41 a      
well-known writer upon agriculture1 and 
who has had much practical experience   
ever since the first introduction of    
guano into this country1 says3--,corn is
 a gross feeder and will take up a      
greater quantity of guano than perhaps  
any other crop4 ,i have known as much as
 #fjj lbs4 applied to the acre and the  
product was in proportion4 ,each hundred
 pounds will give an average product of 
ten bushels as various experiments have 
proved ,from the above mentioned        

application of #fjj lbs4 a product of   
#gc bushels was obtained1 which left #ac
 bushels as the product of the soil     
alone4 ,for corn1 guano may be spread   
broadcast on the land and ploughed in as
 deeply as it is desirable to break the 
soil2 or it may be strewed along deep   
furrows to be afterwards ridged over and
 the cultivation to be in only one      
direction4 ,the best result ,i ever     
obtained was from this latter mode1 when
 from land not capable of producing five
 bushels1 ,i harvested a crop that could
 not have been less than #ce bushels to 
the acre4  ,the furrows were opened deep
 and wide by passing the plow both ways 
and the guano strewed along these at the
 rate #a lb4 per every ten yards4 ,they 
were then covered over and the land     
thereby thrown into beds4 ,but in       
whatever way it is used1 the roots of   
the corn will be sure to find it all1   
and between these two modes1 ,i think   
there is little or no choice4 ,i would  
certainly advise against putting it in  

the hill1 though ,i have sometimes seen 
good results4 ,it is difficult1 however1
 in such a case1 to prevent the guano   
and seed from coming into close contact2
 and1 unless there are two or three     
inches of earth interposed between them 
the seed will be certainly destroyed4   
,for wheat1 the guano should be spread  
broadcast at the time of seeding the    
wheat1 at the rate of #bjj lbs4 to #bej 
lbs4 per acre and ploughed in4 ,if the  
land has been previously fallowed1 it   
will be sufficient to plow it in with a 
one horse plow2 if broken up for the    
first time1 there will be no objection  
to using a larger plough4 ,the best     
depth for getting it in1 however1 is1 ,i
 think1 from four to six inches4 ,it    
always acts more powerfully on clean    
land2 indeed if there is much crude     
vegetable matter in the soil1 there is  
frequently little or no advantage       
derived from its application4           
,experience1 therefore goes to show that
 the most economical application is to  

corn land2 that is1 to land that has    
just produced a crop of corn1 no matter 
how poor it may be4 ,if it is intended  
to be put on land that has been lying in
 grass1 it would be advisable to fallow 
it as early in the season as            
practicable1 and afterwards to get it in
 with a small plow as already suggested4
  ,the same direction will apply to oats
 and also to rye4 ,but for oats1 #abe to
 #aej lbs of guano will be as much as   
can be used to advantage4  ,a4 ,b4      
,allen of ,new ,york1 one of the        
earliest1 and most strenuous advocates  
of using guano1 who1 long before he ever
 thought of being engaged in its sale1  
used to distribute small parcels among  
farmers and gardeners to enable them to 
try experiments and learn its value1 in 
a letter to the ,southern ,cultivator1  
says3--,never put guano in the hill with
 corn1 no matter if covered two or three
 inches deep2 for the roots will be     
certain to find it1 and so sure as they 
touch the guano1 so caustic is it1 that 

it will certainly kill the corn2 the    
same with peas1 beans1 melon vines1 in  
fact most vegetable crops4 ,wheat and   
other small grains have so many roots1  
and tiller so well1 there is no danger  
of guano killing them1 when sown        
directly with the seed4 ,still1 as      
before remarked1 it is better to plough 
it in before sowing the seed4  ,after   
corn is up1 you may apply a table       
spoonful1 at the first time hoeing2 dig 
it an inch or two deep six inches from  
each stalk4 ,a table spoonful to the    
hill will take #bej to #cej lbs41 per   
acre1 according to the distance the     
hills are apart4 ,if the soil be rather 
poor1 a second dose at the time the corn
 first shows its silk1 will add         
considerably to the yield in grain1 if  
followed by rains1 but little or nothing
 to the growth of stalk4 ,guano         
increases the size of grain more than   
stalks2 hence one must be content to    
wait till the grain is fully matured    
before giving an opinion of the virtues 

of guano4  ,before applying the guano1  
it is better to mix it well with an     
equal quantity of plaster of ,paris or  
charcoal dust4 ,either of these         
substances help to retain the ammonia   
and prevent its evaporation4  ,the      
genuine unadulterated ,peruvian guano1  
is so much superior to any other kind1  
it is in reality the cheapest1 though   
the price is considerable higher than   
that of the other qualities4  ,guano on 
,oats4--,mr4 ,allen says1 ,i am         
satisfied from experience and           
observation in the use of guano1 for the
 past twelve years1 that the best       
method1 decidedly1 of applying it to    
crops in our dry climate1 is to plow or 
spade it into the ground2 and autumn is 
the best time for doing this1 as it     
gives time for the pungent salts        
contained in the guano1 to get          
thoroughly mixed with the soil before   
spring planting4 ,do not fear to loose  
the guano by plowing it in as deep as   
you please--it will not run away1 depend

 upon it4 ,at the south1 it loses half  
its virtue if not plowed in at least    
three inches deep2 six or twelve inches 
would be still better4  ,because autumn 
is1 for many reasons1 the best season   
for applying guano1 as a general thing1 
we do not recommend an application to   
this crop1 notwithstanding our full     
conviction it will increase the product 
upon any light1 poor soil1 from ten to  
twenty bushels to the acre1 for each    
cwt4 applied4 ,as some however1 will    
find it more convenient and profitable  
to manure the oat than wheat crop1 we   
recommend them to plow in from #bjj to  
#cjj lbs4 to the acre1 on ground that   
was clean tilled the previous year1 and 
sow the oats in drills1 three or four   
bushels to the acre and seed with       
clover1 herds1 or ray grass4 ,if not to 
be followed with grass1 we would use a  
much less quantity2 say #abe or #aej    
lbs4 to the acre4 ,as may be seen in the
 account of ,mr4 ,harris' crop1 not one 
half of the #djj lbs4 was taken up by   

the oats4 ,with wheat1 on the contrary1 
the guano is dissolved more slowly by   
winter rains1 giving the crop a vigorous
 growth in fall1 and sometimes all      
winter1 so it sends out double the      
number of stalks in spring4 ,the sun    
too1 is so much less powerful at that   
season1 evaporation does not take place 
so easily as in summer4  ,great ,crops  
from ,guano4--,in ,england1 #dh bushels 
of wheat and #ajj of oats have been made
 from an acre dressed with #bjj lbs4 of 
guano4 ,a late ,english writer1 in      
detailing his own experiments1 and      
urging others to the same course1 says2 
,the reason guano is serviceable to all 
plants arises from its containing every 
saline and organic matter required as   
food4 ,it is used beneficially on all   
soils2 for1 as it contains every element
 necessary to plants1 it is independent 
of the quality of the soil4 ,so far as  
the experiments in ,england and         
,scotland may be adduced1 one cwt4 of   
guano is equal to about five tons of    

farm-yard manure1 on an average2 but it 
is much higher for turnips than for     
grass4  ,guano on ,grass4--,as we are   
opposed to using it as a top dressing1  
of course we shall not recommend its    
application to this crop4 ,generally1 by
 using it on wheat and other crops1 the 
farmer will save manure enough to top   
dress his meadows4 ,nevertheless1 in    
combination with proper ingredients1 we 
do say it is a good and profitable      
manure for grass4 ,for each acre mix    
from #bjj to #djj lbs4 with as many     
bushels of plaster1 or ten to one of    
charcoal1 or twenty to one of dry swamp 
muck or peat1 woods mould or fine clay1 
and sow upon the meadow or pasture early
 in spring4 ,if the season is moist1 the
 benefit will be very great2 if dry1 it 
will probably be said1 as it has been   
before2 ,oh1 this guano is good for     
nothing--,i tried it once on grass and  
it never done a bit of good4  ,on       
potatoes1 #djj lbs4 to the acre1        
broadcast1 may be used to good          

advantage1 if it is plowed in deep      
enough1 on clean land4 ,as it is a      
caustic manure1 and requires a good deal
 of moisture1 as well as potatoes1 it is
 not suitable for the hill or surface   
dressing4 ,a less quantity will pay a   
greater profit to the immediate crop1   
without much after benefit1 if it is    
drilled in the bottom of a deep furrow  
and then covered by turning two furrows1
 one from each side1 so as to leave a   
slight depression between them1 and     
directly over the guano4 ,upon these    
beds plant the tubers in drills4 ,after 
hoeing1 scatter a mixture of equal parts
 of lime1 salt1 ashes and plaster1 a    
large handful every yard1 all over the  
rows1 and we will warrant the crop free 
from the potato rot4  ,on turnips1      
nothing can exceed guano1 unless the    
phosphate of lime in bones could be     
rendered equally pulverulent4 ,use #c to
 #fjj lbs4 per acre1 and plow it in at  
the last plowing1 and top dress with    
five bushels of ashes and two of salt as

 soon as the turnips are up4 ,follow    
with wheat or rye and grass4 ,one half  
the above quantity and five bushels of  
bone dust dissolved in sulphuric acid1  
will produce a wonderful crop of        
turnips1 or ruta bagas4 ,guano may be   
used to equal advantage upon all kinds  
of root crops4  ,benefits to the ,dairy 
,farmer4--,the beneficial use of guano  
in the manufacture of butter and cheese1
 is unquestionable4 ,in many districts  
in ,england1 and in some in this        
country1 the continual cropping of grass
 and conversion of it into cheese1 has  
so exhausted the soil of its phosphates1
 the milk will no longer produce the    
quantity of casein necessary to make    
cheese making profitable4 ,when this is 
the case1 you will find the cows seeking
 to supply the deficiency by eating     
bones4 ,wherever guano has been used    
upon pasture land1 it is found that cows
 eat the increased luxuriant grass most 
greedily1 and improve not only in       
quantity but quality of their milk4 ,we 

cannot1 therefore1 recommend too        
earnestly1 to all dairy farmers1 to give
 their pasture lands an immediate       
dressing of guano4 ,if you have not full
 faith in what we are telling you1 try  
an experiment for yourself4 ,mix #bjj or
 #cjj lbs4 of guano with two or three   
bushels of plaster1 and that with two or
 three loads of charcoal dust from the  
bottom of some coal pit1 or from burnt  
peat1 or swamp muck2 or1 if the charcoal
 is not attainable1 use woods mold1 or  
powdered clay or fine loam1 to any      
extent you can afford2 and if you can   
afford nothing but the guano and        
plaster1 don't fail to afford a dressing
 of that1 because it will afford you a  
rich return4 ,no other manure can be    
used upon pasture land1 to produce the  
same effect4 ,cattle never reject the   
grass of guanoed land1 as they do that  
lately manured4  ,on                    
,flax4--,experiments in ,england have   
proved guano superior to any other      
substance ever applied to this crop4    

,with the aid of this manure1 farmers   
will never complain of flax exhausting  
the soil4 ,with #cjj lbs4 per acre1     
successive large crops can be grown upon
 the same ground4 ,it should be plowed  
in1 but not so deeply as for some other 
crops1 as it is not expected to benefit 
succeeding ones as much as the present4 
,as soon as the flax cotton movement now
 progressing is fully understood1 there 
will be immense fields of flax grown for
 that purpose1 and the best and most    
economical fertilizing material1 and for
 which there will be a large demand1    
will be ,peruvian guano2 for no good    
farmer will attempt to grow a crop      
without it4 ,a top dressing of #be or   
#cj bushels of ashes to the acre will be
 found beneficial2 but farmers ought to 
try which is best1 more guano and less  
or no ashes1 or the reverse4 ,we cannot 
advise rotation with this crop1 where   
guano is used1 because the ground       
becomes so clean and free from weeds1 it
 is of great advantage1 and so far as we

 are informed1 continuous good crops    
result from the annual application of   
the same quantity of guano1 year after  
year4  ,on ,cabbages4--,field culture4  
,after the ground is well prepared1 lay 
it off in checks three to four feet     
square4 ,with a spade1 throw out a deep 
spit at each check and put in a spoonful
 of guano1 or at the rate of #djj lbs4  
per acre1 and cover with soil4 ,set the 
plants immediately and water if         
possible4 ,after the first hoeing1 throw
 a handful of ashes on each plant4  ,for
 ,carrots1 ,beets and ,parsnips1 plow in
 #ejj lbs4 per acre1 twelve to eighteen 
inches deep4 ,top dress with ashes1     
salt1 and fine manure in compost1 to    
assist the young plants2 the long roots 
will find the guano and it will produce 
such a crop as you never saw before4    
,on ,hops4--,make a mixture of three    
cwt4 of guano1 one of salt1 one and a   
half of saltpetre1 and one of gypsum1   
for each acre2 sow broadcast and plow in
 about four inches deep1 and you will   

find your manure well paid for1 and no  
exhaustion of the soil1 as is usually   
the case wherever this crop is          
cultivated1 as it is a very gross       
feeder1 and requires very rich land or  
great deal of manure2 for which reason  
it is not as much cultivated as it will 
be as soon as the virtues of the above  
application become fully known4  ,for   
,tobacco1 guano has been found to       
possess superior qualities1 particularly
 in obviating the difficulty heretofore 
experienced in getting plants           
sufficiently early4 ,we have the        
testimony of several witnesses to prove 
that burning a seed bed is quite        
unnecessary1 if guano at the rate of    
#djj to #fjj lbs4 to the acre be mixed  
with an equal amount of ashes1 and      
plaster and well raked in previous to   
sowing4 ,of the effect upon the crop1 we
 give the testimony of a ,virginia      
planter4  ,in the spring of #ahej1 ,i   
applied #bjj lbs4 to the acre1 on eight 
acres of land1 which had been manured   

three years before for tobacco1 and the 
same quantity1 on three acres which had 
never been manured1 and was very poor4  
,on the last ,i also turned in some half
 rotted straw1 raked up in the barn     
yard1 after all the farm yard manure had
 been hauled out4 ,between these two    
pieces of land1 #ai acres were heavily  
manured4 ,the whole #cj acres had been  
well broken with four horses1 early in  
the winter4 ,the last year was the worst
 ,i have ever known for tobacco4        
,nevertheless1 the first eight acres    
produced a very fine crop--the last     
three acres brought much better tobacco 
than the adjoining manured land1 ,i     
should say not less than #fjj lbs4 to   
the acre4  ,wheat on ,guanoed ,tobacco  
,land4--,this field was sown with wheat1
 and the writer says--,i measured from  
these #cj acres next year upwards of    
#fjj bushels of wheat of very fine      
quality2 both pieces of guanoed land    
being above the average of the whole    
lot4 ,adjoining the three acres is an   

equal quantity of land of the same      
quality1 which did not yield five       
bushels to the acre4  ,of the effect    
upon another crop of wheat1 the same    
gentleman says--,two years ago ,i       
purchased three tons1 two of which ,i   
applied to #bj acres of a ,james ,river 
hill1 which though not gullied1 had been
 a good deal worn by hard croppings1 or 
bad cultivation1 or both combined4 ,the 
,guano was sowed dry1 and on the wide   
rows laid off for sowing wheat1 and     
ploughed in with two horses1 the wheat  
then harrowed in4 ,i forgot to say that 
the land had been fallowed in with three
 horses in the month of ,august1 and the
 wheat sowed in ,october4 ,in           
consequence of the dryness of the guano1
 and the width of the rows1 the wheat   
was very much striped1 being very       
luxuriant where the guano fell in the   
largest quantities4 ,the product did not
 exceed #bjj bushels1 or #aj bushels to 
the acre1 but the quality was so        
superior that ,i saved it all for seed4 

,the land sowed two years ago1 is now   
striped with clover1 as it was with     
wheat4  ,this land is a tenacious red   
clay formation1 from which the soil we  
presume has all been washed away long   
time ago4 ,no planter1 he says1 would   
have put such land in tobacco without   
heavy manuring2 and yet it produced a   
fair crop of tobacco4 ,owing to distance
 from navigation1 he could not use lime1
 or any heavy manure1 and without guano 
he could not make crops1 and1           
consequently could not make manure at   
home4  ,the editor of the ,american     
,farmer1 in a note says--,our           
correspondent appears to desire that his
 land should be brought to a state of   
fertility by the quickest practicable   
process1 and from the beautiful results 
of his experiments with guano1 we know  
of no agent to which he could look with 
so much certainty of success as to that 
very manure4  ,the quantity per acre for
 ,tobacco4--,we should recommend at     
least #djj lbs4 sown broadcast and      

plowed in1 on such land as described1   
not over four inches deep4 ,the tobacco 
to be followed with wheat1 the wheat    
with clover1 the clover after one year  
with corn and then tobacco and guano    
again4 ,the clover should have a bushel 
of plaster fall and spring4 ,whoever    
tries this will find the benefit of     
guano on tobacco4 ,but there is one     
still greater benefit2 we have been     
assured that the tobacco worm which it  
was supposed from his natural taste1    
nothing could nauseate1 actually gets   
sick of guano1 and refuses his          
accustomed food4  ,another mode of      
applying it to tobacco has been         
practised successfully as               
follows3--,mark off the land in checks  
and put a small spoonful in each check1 
and cover up directly under the bed     
where the plant is to stand1 three or   
four inches deep4 ,to this a handful of 
ashes and plaster may be advantageously 
added4 ,guano does not give tobacco the 
rank flavor that is often acquired from 

high manuring4  ,mr4 ,pleasants1        
although many experiments have failed1  
principally1 as he believes1 from       
improper application1 says in a recent  
letter--,there is no actual reason why  
guano should not act as well on tobacco 
as any other crop4 ,the failures are    
doubtless to be ascribed to the         
injudicious manner in which it has been 
applied4 ,i can conceive of only one    
mode in which it can be used to         
advantage1 and that is by strewing it   
along a deep furrow as described for    
corn2 then bedding upon it and confining
 the cultivation to one direction4 ,this
 has been my way of cultivating cabbages
 for the market for several years1 and  
the guano has always acted promptly and 
powerfully4 ,if chopped in at the base  
of the hill it would require a great    
quantity of rain to dissolve it and make
 it available to the young plants1 for  
the conical shape of the hill has a     
tendency to shed the rain instead of    
absorbing it4 ,i expect soon to receive 

very accurate results of a crop grown   
with guano1 which ,judge ,nash          
represented to me as splendid4 ,if ,i   
cultivated tobacco1 ,i should have every
 confidence of success by planting it on
 ridges with the ,guano buried at a     
considerable depth1 say from four to six
 inches beneath the surface of the      
ridge--#a lb4 to ten yards would be a   
sufficient quantity4  ,in short1 ,i     
consider guano good for any crop4 ,for  
potatoes 7that is ,irish potatoes7 ,i   
regard it as a specific manure4 ,the    
quantity ,i apply is #c_/d lbs4 to every
 ten yards put in the furrows as        
recommended for corn and tobacco1 and   
then covered over about one inch with   
earth drawn from the sides of the       
furrows4 ,after this the potato cuttings
 are planted and covered over with the  
plough or hoe4 ,the quantity recommended
 is about right as far as my experience 
goes 7which is of several years         
duration7 if the cuttings are placed    
about two inches apart4  ,guano for     

,cotton4--,but few trials upon this crop
 have come to our knowledge1 but such as
 have1 indicate that it will prove one  
of the most valuable promoters of the   
growth of this staple product of        
,america ever discovered4 ,the analysis 
of cotton--stalk1 seed and              
lint--compared with that of guano1 is   
sufficient to prove the latter to be the
 very matter required to produce the    
former4 ,we are assured upon the most   
reliable authority that guano will give 
an average increase of pound for pound  
upon any soil producing less than a bale
 per acre so that every pound of guano  
costing two and a half cents1 will give 
a pound of cotton averaging at least    
#f-a_/d cents4  ,mode of applying on    
,cotton ,land4--,open a deep furrow and 
drill in the bottom at the rate of #djj 
lbs4 to the acre1 upon land usually     
producing #cjj to #ejj lbs4 seed cotton1
 and less for a better quality of land1 
down to one-fourth the quantity4 ,bed on
 this as deep as you please2 the        

moisture of the earth will disengage the
 ammonia and phosphates1 and send their 
fertilizing properties up to the roots4 
,never use guano as a top-dressing for  
cotton4 ,the seed will be found better  
matured1 and consequently more valuable 
to manure another crop1 besides being so
 much easier separated from the lint1   
which will be found as much improved in 
quality as quantity4 ,for ,sea ,island  
planters1 where manure is so valuable   
and so hard to obtain1 we would         
earnestly recommend a thorough trial of 
guano4 ,as the land for this crop is    
mostly prepared with hoes1 care must be 
taken that the servants do not neglect  
to bury it at the very bottom of a good 
bed4  ,from the knowledge the writer has
 of the culture and value of long staple
 cotton1 and the price and value of     
guano1 he has no hesitation in          
expressing his honest conviction that a 
clear profit of two to four hundred per 
cent4 may be made upon every dollar     
expended in the purchase and proper     

application of guano to that crop4      
,guano1 for all staple crops in the     
,united ,states1 is no longer an        
experiment4 ,it has been clearly        
demonstrated1 to be the cheapest and    
most valuable fertilizer1 particularly  
for all poor1 worn out1 hard used and   
exhausted soils ever discovered2 which  
no sensible man will neglect to profit  
by1 as soon as he learns its value1     
unless prevented by deep prejudice or   
strong circumstances4  ,application to  
,miscellaneous ,crops4--,under this head
 we will give the experience of several 
individuals in various sections1 soils  
and climates1 in hopes it may encourage 
the doubtful1 and direct those who are  
disposed to emerge from darkness into   
the light of scientific agriculture4 ,a 
gentleman from ,warsaw1 ,virginia1 where
 the soil is generally a sandy loam1    
badly worn by long years of bad tillage1
 says1 ,my wheat looks finely1          
especially where ,i applied guano last  
fall4 ,i put it in with the seed furrow 

about three inches deep1 and also with  
double plow six inches deep1 harrowing  
in the wheat frequently side by side4   
,at this time ,i can see no difference  
in the wheat crop4 ,i use a large wooden
 toothed harrow extending over the bed  
of ten feet1 and an even soil1 free from
 stone2 they do admirable work and drill
 the wheat as if put in with the drill4 
,willoughby ,newton1 whose operation we 
have already spoken of1 says2 ,i do not 
believe it possible to improve a farm1  
on the old three shift system1 of corn1 
wheat and pasture1 without a large      
supply of foreign manures4 ,if clover   
can be substituted for pasture in the   
summer1 then the land1 if not naturally 
poor1 may be rapidly improved by the use
 of lime alone1 in addition to the      
putrescent manures that may1 by proper  
care1 be made on the farm4 ,on other    
land of less fertility1 and drier1 ,i   
greatly prefer the five field system1   
under which1 with the use of lime1 guano
 and clover1 a rapid improvement may be 

effected at the same time that heavy    
crops of wheat are reaped4  ,another    
writer in speaking of how to improve    
worn out lands1 says2 ,let whatever     
little surplus he can spare from        
supplying the necessary wants of his    
family be laid out in the purchase of   
some one of the reliable concentrated   
manures4 ,guano is by far the cheapest1 
and therefore the best for him1 if he   
will plow it in well4 ,and my           
observation and experience have         
convinced me that he may make such      
improvement as will bring him a quick   
return1 and soon enable him to get his  
farm well set in grass4 ,this once      
effected1 his facilities for its further
 improvement will assuredly increase in 
a ratio just in proportion as he is     
careful to pursue the course indicated4 
,if a farmer can succeed in getting his 
fields well set in grass1 a large and   
long array of facts and experience have 
proved that he may then1 under a        
judicious course of management1 render  

them more and more fertile without      
foreign aid of any kind whatever4  ,the 
editor of the ,american ,farmer1 in     
deprecating the price of guano says1 ,of
 the efficacy of guano1 in restoring    
worn out lands to productiveness--of its
 capacity to increase the yield of any  
lands in a sound condition--there cannot
 be a doubt2 but even with all its      
regenerating properties1 we do think    
that its market value is too high4      
,forty-eight dollars for a ton of #b1jjj
 lbs4 of ,peruvian guano is more than it
 is intrinsically worth1 and should it  
be continued thus high1 must1 we should 
think1 limit its use1 for the obvious   
reason1 that farmers cannot afford to   
pay a price for it which is so          
disproportionate to its real value4     
,yet they do continue to pay1 and make  
it pay a greater profit than any other  
manure ever purchased4 ,we hold to have 
done as much as any other individual to 
reduce the price of guano1 and wish as  
heartily as does the editor of the ,am4 

,farmer1 it was only half the price it  
now is2 yet1 we must counsel our readers
 not to wait for that cheap time coming4
 ,it is now cheaper than it was then1   
and probably as low as it will be for   
years2 and in the hands of the present  
agents1 the public may depend upon a    
regular supply1 and of genuine quality1 
at what the ,peruvian government deem a 
fair price4  ,guano for ,melons and     
other ,vines4--,mr4 ,pleasants1 of whom 
we have before spoken1 and whose long   
experience in the use of guano in       
connection with a market garden1 entitle
 him to a high degree of credit1 says1  
,i have been in the habit of using it   
for several years1 and can testify to   
its value1 not only using it for melons1
 but for the whole tribe of cucurbitac4 
,the mode of application which ,i prefer
 is this2 when the ground is prepared   
and checked off1 remove the loose soil  
at the intersections of the furrows1    
leaving clear spaces on the substratum  
of not less than eighteen inches in     

diameter4 ,upon these spaces sprinkle   
guano1 at the rate one pound to eight   
hills4 ,follow with a hilling or        
grubbing hoe1 and incorporate the guano 
with the subsoil2 then draw the loose   
earth back1 and finish by chopping a    
small quantity1 a spadeful or less1 of  
well rotted manure into the hill near   
the surface4 ,guano placed near the     
surface1 will remain almost inert1 and  
buried deep1 as ,i recommended1 it will 
be too remote from the seed to give the 
young plants the quick start which is   
indispensable to an early crop of       
melons4 ,the small quantity of manure   
near the top of the hill answers the    
purpose of immediate forcing1 and       
enables the roots to strike rapidly into
 the guano1 when the growth of the vines
 will be stimulated to such a degree as 
to cause them to mature their fruit a   
week or ten days earlier than they would
 do from either guano or manure alone4  
,melons equally fine may be raised from 
nothing but guano1 applied in the manner

 directed2 but they will not be an early
 crop1 from the fact that the plants    
remain almost stationary until the roots
 reach the guano4 ,last year1 from such 
a preparation as is now recommended1 ,i 
had as fine a crop of melons as ,i ever 
saw2 and they began to ripen at a very  
early period in the season4 ,two years  
ago1 ,i had them nearly or quite as good
 from guano alone2 but they were late4  
,this year the crop was almost a        
failure1 from the wetness of the season1
 which caused the vines to die4         
,cantelope melons1 however1 have        
produced abundantly1 grown entirely with
 the aid of guano4 ,where manure is     
scarce1 ,i have no doubt an admirable   
compost might be prepared1 consisting of
 guano and rich earth4 ,it should be    
made several weeks1 or even months1     
before it is wanted for use2 and the    
heap worked over frequently in order to 
bring it into a suitable condition4     
,such a compost would doubtless supply  
the place in the hill which ,i have     

assigned to the manure4 ,for pumpkins1  
squashes1 cymblins and cucumbers1 when  
it is not particularly desirable to have
 them early1 nothing more is necessary  
than to prepare the hills with guano4   
,the following extract from a letter of 
,e4 ,g4 ,booth1 to ,f4 ,c4 ,stainbrook1 
written in that plain familiar style of 
one friend to another1 which            
characterises the man1 with an evident  
intent to do good2 though it was not    
designed for publication1 we give it    
because we believe it will do others    
good1 as well as the recipient4 ,mr4    
,booth confirms our opinion often       
expressed1 that the poor old barren     
fields of lower ,virginia1 are really   
more valuable than the rich lands of the
 west2 because1 owing to facilities of  
intercourse with commercial cities by   
water1 these lands can be bought1 and   
cultivated by aid of guano1 with more   
profit than the richest prairie farm in 
,illinois4 ,mr4 ,booth's testimony upon 
the durability of this manure1 is enough

 to contradict all the assertions that  
it is of no use for only one crop4 ,on  
his land1 strangers can easily tell     
where guano was applied four years      
previous4  ,yours of the third has been 
received1 and it affords me pleasure to 
give you any information in my power4   
,the wheat crop during the the winter   
was very unpromising4 ,there was a      
general complaint that it was too thin4 
,the ,poland wheat 7most generally sown 
in this neighborhood17 is said to branch
 more than other kinds1 and ,i regard   
the present prospect of the wheat crop  
as flattering1 particularly where guano 
was used4 ,it is now a fixed fact1 that 
no poor land ought to be cultivated     
without guano1 by any person who can    
command the money or credit to buy it4  
,it is remarkable that it pays a much   
better profit1 or per cent4 on the      
investment1 on poor land1 than rich4 ,i 
was inclined for some time to believe   
that the difference was really in       
appearance alone4 ,the difference of    

five bushels increase on land which     
without it would bring only fifteen--or 
in other words1 an increase from fifteen
 to twenty bushels to the acre1 would   
not be very perceptible1 while an       
increase of five bushels on land        
previously making only five1 would be   
very evident4 ,still1 the real increase 
would be five bushels in each case4 ,i  
am now however1 decidedly of the opinion
 that it pays a much larger per cent4 on
 poor than rich land2 because it        
supplies that in which poor land is     
deficient1 and of which rich land may   
have enough4 ,i have it now in strips on
 a clover fallow1 scarcely showing any  
difference4 ,i last applied it on about 
the poorest land on my plantation1 and  
the product was remarkable4 ,this       
circumstance much reduces the difference
 between the value of poor and rich     
land1 and admonishes us that there is   
not a plot in our wide extended surface1
 which need be abandoned or neglected4  
,we can1 if we manage properly1 support 

a population which will out vote the    
,west in #ahfe4 ,there is another fact  
which experience confirms1 that is it is
 much more durable than at first        
supposed4 ,my visitors have been able to
 point out the strips of land on which  
it was sown1 four years after its       
application4 ,i noticed a very evident  
effect on the farm of ,mr4 ,william     
,fitzgerald1 a few days ago4 ,he last   
year put it in drills1 and hilled on    
them for tobacco1 in the fall the whole 
surface was sown in wheat1 which is now 
growing in ridges corresponding with the
 furrows where it was placed4  ,while on
 the subject ,i will mention another    
fact different from first impressions1  
viz3 that it is more productive1 7the   
first crop1 at least17 when harrowed in 
with the grain1 on the surface1 than    
when turned in very deep4 ,i have yet to
 satisfy myself which is most durable4  
,in the experiment which lasted four    
years1 ,i think it was turned in4 ,the  
purchases the ensuing fall will be very 

large4 ,those who were most incredulous 
are now going in largely4 ,a very       
intelligent and enterprising friend of  
mine1 who has been improving his land   
judiciously and profitably in this way1 
related to me an anecdote which occurred
 to him4 ,he had two neighbors          
remarkable for their judgment and       
success in farming as well as other     
things1 who1 however1 were inclined to  
underrate his expenditure of money in   
these elements of improvement4 ,they    
knew he had purchased and used a ton of 
guano1 and thought they knew where he   
had used the whole of it4 ,they went1   
not exactly by night1 but rather        
privately1 to examine into the result4  
,they made their observations and       
calculations1 and agreed that he had got
 his money back1 but no profit worthy   
consideration1 and were only confirmed  
in their opposition to such an          
expenditure4 ,the truth was1 however1   
that only about one eighth of the ton   
had been used where they calculated for 

the whole4 ,one of these gentlemen1 ,i  
am informed1 is now about the largest   
purchaser of such articles in the       
county2 and perhaps the other also1     
though ,i have not been informed4       
,,plaster ,,with ,,guano4  ,a ,virginia 
farmer1 in a letter of ,december #ahdg1 
in speaking of using plaster with guano1
 and the effect says--,i am a firm      
believer in the merits of the mixture1  
and always use it4 ,i have used it on   
turnips with decided effect1 as decided 
as that following any application of    
guano ,i ever saw4 ,several farmers of  
my acquaintance used the mixture of     
guano and plaster1 and stable manure and
 plaster habitually1 like myself1 and   
one told me he used it half and half1   
producing the most marked effect on     
wheat1 and that a neighbor of his had   
used it in the same proportion with the 
same effect--the usual surprising effect
 of guano4 ,for myself1 ,i used some    
#djj worth of guano on wheat this fall1 
the whole of it mixed with plaster4 ,i  

believe the effect of the mixture will  
not be so vigorous on the first crop1 as
 guano by itself--the plaster husbanding
 the ammonia for succeeding crops1 upon 
which the mixture1 7if the theory be    
correct17 will have more effect than    
guano unmixed1 that being exhausted by  
the first crop4  ,a gentleman after     
making sundry careful experiments with  
plaster and carbonate of ammonia1 thus  
expresses his conclusions--,these       
experiments prove to me that no matter  
in what state1 7whether wet1 moist1 or  
dry17 plaster is presented to guano1 or 
any other manure from which the         
carbonate of ammonia is escaping1 it    
must retain a certain amount of ammonia 
that would otherwise be lost in the     
atmosphere4  ,the editor of the         
,american ,farmer says--,if the soil be 
poor1 and it be desired to permanently  
improve it1 at least four hundred pounds
 of guano1 without respect to the fixer 
used1 should be spread broadcast1 on    
every acre of it1 and plowed in to the  

full depth of the furrow4 ,if the land  
be in moderate heart1 three hundred     
pounds will be enough per acre4 ,where  
the soil may be good1 two hundred will  
be sufficient4 ,these quantities1 as the
 reader will observe1 have relation to  
broadcast applications1 as all should be
 where general improvement is           
contemplated2 if compelled to confine   
his experiments on corn to applications 
in the hill1 a form of manuring1 we have
 ever disapproved1 two hundred pounds1  
or even one hundred of guano1 will      
manure an acre1 mixed with a bushel of  
plaster1 five bushels of slaked ashes1  
and a double horse cart of wood mould   
more effective than ten loads of manure 
applied in the hill4  ,yes1 as has been 
proved by careful experiment made in    
,england1 more than fourteen tons of    
manure4 ,the editor also says1 what we  
have so often repeated--,we hold these  
to be agricultural truths--that guano is
 most beneficially applied1 when        
ploughed in as spread on the the earth1 

never less than four inches deep--and   
better1 for permanent effect1 to be     
ploughed in deeper1 say six to eight    
inches--where it may be desirable only  
to bury it four inches deep1 the land   
should be previously ploughed as deep as
 the furrow can be turned up1 and the   
guano applied at a second               
ploughing--that all top-dressings with  
guano are wasteful1 inasmuch1 as from   
the volatile nature of the more active  
parts of the manure1 great loss must    
inevitably result from all such         
applications1 and because1 more moisture
 than is to be found on the surface1 is 
necessary to excite1 and carry on1 that 
healthful progressive state of          
decomposition1 which is required to     
render guano most available for present 
production and future improvement4  ,we 
do not hesitate to express the opinion1 
that when properly used1 as an adjunct  
to lime or marl1 that it will bring up  
any sound worn out land1 to at least its
 original degree1 if not a greater      

degree of fertility2 provided its       
application be followed by clover4 ,we  
believe that1 when properly applied to  
land1 either limed or marled the        
previous year1 it will add twenty-five1 
thirty1 and1 in some instances1 forty   
per cent4 to the product of wheat2      
besides infusing into the soil1 the     
capacity to grow luxuriant crops of     
clover1 and thus fit it for profitable  
future culture4 ,if it will do this1 and
 we are certain it will1 then it will   
achieve all that any agriculturist can  
reasonably expect of it1 or of any other
 fertilizing agent2 and we are very sure
 there is no other manure equally       
efficacious1 within the reach of farmers
 and planters4  ,guano differs much in  
quality2 that from ,peru1 is confessedly
 best of any which has yet been         
submitted to actual experiment by       
agriculturists1 or tested by the        
analysis of chemists1 being much richer 
in its nitrogenous element1 than either 
the ,patagonian or ,african variety4    

,he also says--#djj lbs4 of guano and #a
 bushel of plaster1 will ensure a good  
crop of corn1 so will #bjj lbs4 guano   
and eight bushels of bone earth1 or #bj 
bushels of bone earth1 #aj bushels of   
ashes and #a bushel of plaster4 ,each to
 be ploughed in4  ,much more might be   
said in favor of using plaster with     
guano1 or some other fixer of ammonia1  
wherever it is exposed1 on or near the  
surface4 ,we add a few more extracts    
mainly to show that deep ploughing1 and 
plentiful manuring1 are the sure        
guarantee of bountiful crops4           
,bone-dust1 except when used in the     
drill1 should always be harrowed in4 ,it
 should be put in bulk with other       
matters1 and excited into an incipient  
state of decomposition before being     
used4  ,guano should always be ploughed 
in1 if practicable4 ,harrowing and      
cultivating in guano have been practised
 both in this country and in ,england1  
by intelligent farmers2 and in various  
instances have been spoken approvingly  

of1 success having attended such        
applications in single crops2 but we    
doubt whether much1 if any permanent    
benefit were done to the soil1 in       
qualifying it for the production of the 
subsequent crops of a course of         
rotation4 ,in ,peru it is used          
topically1 but such applications are    
always followed by immediate irrigations
 of the soils to which it is applied1   
the ,peruvians acting upon the          
philosophical principal1 whether they   
comprehend its theory or not1 that to   
secure the nutrient properties of this  
active fertilizer to their growing      
crops1 it is essential that they provide
 an absorbent1 and that they find in the
 water furnished by their processes of  
irrigation4 ,experience1 practice1 and  
irrigation have taught them1 that unless
 they cause the carbonate of ammonia1   
and the various compound substances with
 which it exists in the guano1 to       
descend speedily to the roots of their  
plants1 that from the volatility of its 

more active and efficient elements1 they
 will be expelled by the heat of the    
sun1 escape into the air1 and be lost   
for all the purposes of vegetable       
growth4  ,but in view of the whole      
ground1 taking into consideration the   
evanescent nature of any ammonia in     
guano in the compounds in which it      
exists1 to be converted into that form1 
we honestly believe1 that so far as     
lasting benefit to the land may be      
concerned1 guano should be ploughed in4 
,in all tolerably good ,guano1 there is 
a sufficiency of the carbonate already  
formed to carry on healthful vegetation1
 and therefore1 it is best to place it  
sufficiently deep to prevent the waste  
of an element so essential to the growth
 of plants1 and so liable to loss4  ,it 
is possible where the soil had been1 by 
repeated harrowings1 reduced to a state 
of very fine tilth1 that guano may be   
covered sufficiently deep with the      
,cultivator to become mixed with1 and   
consequently be absorbed by the         

vegetable remains of the earth1 and thus
 be prevented from loss by escape of its
 volatile gases2 especially would this  
be the case1 if the process of          
cultivating it in1 were soon after      
followed by penetrating rains4 ,in      
admitting this1 we still adhere to the  
opinion1 that so far as permanent       
benefits are concerned1 the most        
economical mode of applying guano to the
 earth1 is by the plough4  ,as soon as  
the guano is ploughed in1 the wheat     
should be sowed and harrowed in1 in the 
usual way4 ,in our climate we can sow   
wheat on the poorest corn ground late in
 ,november and have as fine a crop1 and 
harvest it as soon1 as we can obtain    
from well prepared and fallowed without 
guano sowed early in the season1 ,for   
every #ajj lbs4 of guano1 not exceeding 
#bej lbs4 we calculate on reaping of an 
average season from six to seven        
bushels1 sometimes eight4 ,from a       
greater quantity though the product will
 be increased1 yet it will not be       

increased in the same proportion1 and   
#bjj lbs will also be sufficient for the
 production of two good grass crops     
following the wheat and will then leave 
the land in an improved condition4      
,charcoal and ,guano4--,the benefit of  
charcoal with guano will be understood  
from the following extract from         
,scientific ,agriculture1 on the nature 
of charcoal and its use as a            
manure4--,charcoal on account of its    
power of absorbing gases and destroying 
offensive odors1 is a valuable addition 
to the soil2 its operation as a manure  
is not so direct as some other manures2 
that is1 it is not so useful on account 
of any element it furnishes to plants1  
as by the intermediate office which it  
performs1 of absorbing and retaining in 
the soil those volatile matters which   
plants require1 and which would         
otherwise escape and be lost4 ,it is    
beneficial as a top-dressing1 and as an 
ingredient in composts2 it evolves      
carbonic acid in its decomposition1 and 

is in this way directly useful to       
plants4 ,its powerful antiseptic        
properties render it very useful to     
young and tender plants1 by keeping the 
soil free of putrifying substances1     
which would otherwise destroy their     
spongioles and prevent their growth4    
,and its capacity to absorb many times  
its bulk of gaseous matter1 will always 
give it value as an absorbent of        
escaping ammonia from surface dressings 
of guano4  ,the editor of the ,farmer   
also says--,in our climate1 we should be
 opposed to all topical applications of 
any strongly concentrated manure like   
guano by itself1--and1 indeed we should1
 under all circumstances1 prefer to have
 it ploughed in1 if practicable2 but as 
we presume our correspondent has been   
prevented by circumstances1 from using  
guano at the time of ploughing for      
wheat2 and of course1 must avail himself
 of the next best plan of deriving      
benefit from its use1 we would advise1  
him next spring1 as soon as the frost is

 out of the ground1 and it is in a state
 to bear a team2 to mix1 in the         
proportion of #ajj lbs4 of guano1 one   
bushel of fine charcoal1 and one peck of
 plaster per acre1 then to sow the      
mixture over his wheat field1 lightly   
harrow the ground1 and finish by        
rolling2 and we have no hesitation in   
saying1 that his wheat crop will be     
benefitted more than twice the cost of  
the manure4 ,we say to him farther that 
he need not fear injuring his wheat     
plants by the operation of harrowing and
 rolling2 for1 on the contrary1 it will 
act as a working1 and prove of decided  
advantage4 ,we feel very certain that   
the admixture of charcoal and plaster   
with guano1 together with the covering  
it will receive by the harrowing1 will  
prevent any material loss of the        
ammoniacal principles of the latter2 as 
independent of the affinity existing    
between charcoal1 plaster1 and all      
nitrogeneous bodies1 they will be       
greatly aided by the vital principle of 

the plants themselves4 ,we are not1     
however1 left to the lights of theory   
alone1 in this matter1 but have the     
experience of the ,honorable ,mr4       
,pearce1 of ,kent county1 of this       
,state1 to guide us to a practical      
result1--he used1 some years since1 a   
top-dressing of guano and plaster upon  
his wheat field1 and was rewarded by a  
large increase of crop4  ,a             
correspondent says--,i am satisfied from
 experience and observation in the use  
of guano for the last twelve years1 that
 the best method1 decidedly1 of applying
 it to our crops in this dry climate1 is
 to plow and spade it into the ground2  
and autumn is the best season for doing 
this1 as it gives time for the pungent  
salts contained in the guano to get     
thoroughly mixed with the soil before   
spring planting4 ,do not fear to lose   
the guano1 by plowing it as deep as you 
please--it will not run away1 depend    
upon it4 ,at the south it loses half its
 virtue if not plowed in at least three 

inches deep2 six to twelve inches would 
be still better4  ,spread broadcast on  
grass land1 late in the fall or early in
 the spring1 if not plowed in before    
sowing buckwheat1 rye or wheat1 then    
spread it broadcast after sowing the    
grain1 and harrow well and roll the     
land4 ,this last operation is quite     
important4  ,value of ,guano on account 
of its ,phosphates4--,he who wishes to  
have the best grazing grounds1 where he 
can present the richest and most        
nutritious herbage to his cattle1 will  
keep his ground well supplied or manured
 with guano that abounds in phosphates1 
knowing that it will supply the needed  
nutriment to the grass1 and by the grass
 to the cattle2 and thus his stock will 
be kept in a high condition and full    
flesh1 either for the farm or the       
market4  ,again2 he who raises wheat1   
corn1 or other grains1 has an equal     
inducement to look to it that his       
manures are abundantly impregnated with 
these essential elements4 ,phosphates1  

so available to the raiser of stock1 are
 equally so to the producer of grain2   
because the size1 richness1 and         
nutritious qualities of the grain depend
 largely on the presence of these in the
 soil4 ,a farmer1 therefore1 has a vital
 interest in this matter1 and should    
obtain what best suits his purpose4 ,the
 most intelligent ,english farmers are  
so well convinced on this point1 that   
substances containing only ten per cent4
 of phosphate of lime1 are sought after1
 dissolved in sulphuric acid and water1 
and sprinkled on the soil4 ,bone dust   
also is used1 and to a certain extent1  
is available1 because one of the        
principal constituents of bones1 is     
phosphate of lime4 ,but the article in  
which the phosphates are the most       
convenient1 because the most minutely   
distributed1 is guano2 and this1 when   
judiciously used1 must find favor       
wherever it can be obtained4  ,that     
which contains a large proportion of    
phosphates1 in combination with ammonia1

 nitrogen and alkaline salts1 apparently
 in the exact proportion required by    
nature1 such as analysis and experience 
proves is the case with ,peruvian guano1
 will be sought after by every farmer   
who reads the evidence of its value     
which we have given in these pages4  ,it
 is idle to talk of bones to restore the
 waste of phosphates in the soil that is
 being constantly carried away in grass 
and grain1 beef1 pork1 mutton1 milk and 
cheese1 much of which passes into the   
sea from the sewers of cities1 to be    
there retained in that great reservoir  
for the future use of men4 ,it is from  
that we are now drawing our present     
supplies4 ,happily for mankind in all   
civilized countries1 the discovery of   
guano has1 in a providential manner1 met
 the very wants of the times1 in        
reference to the reinvigoration of      
certain kinds of soil1 since this manure
 furnishes the elements most needed to  
supply the waste arising from           
cultivation1 and to develop vegetation4 

,the impossibility of procuring bones   
enough to supply the wants of the       
comparative few now engaged in using    
guano1 may be readily learned by any    
farmer who uses ten tons of guano per   
annum1 if he will undertake to pick up  
bones enough to furnish him the same    
amount of phosphates contained in that  
quantity of guano4 ,then if all who are 
now using it1 would drop guano and take 
to bones1 it would soon be found to be  
hard picking4 ,save all the bones and   
apply them to the soil1 is a standing   
text with us2 upon the same soil use all
 the guano your can procure and you will
 not need to pick bones--you will grow  
bones to pick4 ,it may be very patriotic
 to talk about expending the money at   
home1 for bones1 instead of sending it  
to ,peru1 for guano2 but that talk is   
all for ,buncombe1 there is not a       
particle of sound reason in it4 ,if all 
the bones in the ,united ,states could  
be saved and applied to the land again1 
we should still fall short of a supply1 

and be obliged to do as ,england did    
before the introduction of guano2 go    
about and ransack grave yards of great  
battlefields1 for more bones4 ,with all 
the guano imported1 or that will be     
imported1 and all the bones that will be
 saved1 there will still be room for    
more phosphates in the millions of acres
 of hungry soil in ,america4 ,what would
 be the effect if a few such farms as   
,willoughby ,newton's1 and ,col4        
,carter's1 who each use #cj to #dj tons 
per annum of guano1 should come all at  
once into the bone market for their     
supplies4 ,in our opinion there would be
 such a rattling among the dry bones1 we
 should hear no more about substituting 
them for guano4 ,the fact is an         
incontrovertible one1 that nothing on   
earth nor under the earth1 or in the    
sea1 has ever been discovered1 which can
 be used as a substitute for guano4 ,its
 small bulk is alone sufficient to      
commend it to favor4  ,the ,royal       
,agricultural ,society of ,england      

offers a prize of #a1jjj and the gold   
medal of the society1 for the discovery 
of a manure with equal fertilizing      
properties to the guano1 of which an    
unlimited supply can be furnished in    
,england1 at #e per ton4  ,analogy      
between ,bones and ,guano4--,there is a 
striking analogy in composition between 
bones and guano1 which is1 for other    
reasons interesting to the practical    
man4  ,the following table exhibits the 
composition of bones compared with      
guano1 supposing both in the dry state4 
,bones1 as they are applied to to the   
land contain about #ah per cent4 of     
water4 ,ichaboe guano from #bj to #be   
per cent4                               
,bones4      ,guano4    ,organic animal 
matter1             #cc            #ef  
,phosphates of lime and magnesia1   #ei 
#bf   ,carbonate of lime1               
#d             #f   ,salts of soda1     
#d            #aj   ,salts of potash1   
trace         trace   ,silicious matter 
#j             #b                       

----          ----                      
#ajj            #ajj  ,and these        
substances are found in guano already in
 a pulverulent state1 while bones have  
to be reduced by mechanical or chemical 
means to the same condition before they 
are of any use as manure4 ,do not1 we   
again repeat most emphatically1 do not  
waste a bone2 dissolve all you can get  
in sulphuric acid and mix with          
guano--save and make all the manure     
possible1 both by the stable1 compost   
heap and green crops1 and then you will 
have money to buy guano1 by which you   
can save the immense labor of hauling to
 distant fields1 and still have the     
satisfaction of seeing them as fertile  
as those highly manured near home4      
,when the farmer raises crops for sale1 
and removes his grain and grasses from  
the land1 he sells a portion of his     
soil2 and if he does not renew in some  
way the saline matters taken away in his
 crops1 he invariably impoverishes his  
farm4 ,this work of exhaustion is now   

going on to an alarming extent1 and the 
prolific wheat lands are to be searched 
for farther and farther westward as the 
operation proceeds4  ,every one knows   
the superiority of wheat grown on newly 
cultivated lands1 and most farmers are  
aware of the fact that soils become     
exhausted of something1 they know not   
what1 but of something essential to the 
most favorable production of grain4     
,this something is found in guano1 and  
by it the original fertility of land can
 be more easily1 more certainly and     
cheaply restored than by any other means
 as yet discovered4  ,professor ,mapes  
in one of his letters of advice says2   
,as no farm1 under ordinary usage1 will 
supply as much manure as may be used    
upon it with profit1 ,i am glad you     
intend to use guano1 as it is an        
admirable manure1 replete with many     
requirements of plants4 ,the ammonia of 
the guano is in the form of a carbonate1
 and therefore so volatile as to escape 
from the soil into the atmosphere before

 plants can use it4  ,you will readily  
perceive1 therefore1 that the sulphuric 
and phosphoric acids require amendments1
 and the ammonia should be changed from 
a carbonate to a sulphate of ammonia1   
which is not volatile4 ,all this may be 
readily done by dissolving bone dust in 
dilute sulphuric acid1 mixing it with   
the guano1 and then with a sufficient   
amount of charcoal dust to render the   
mass dry and pulverulent4 ,the more     
charcoal dust the better1 as it absorbs 
and retains ammonia1 and after it is in 
the soil1 will continue to perform      
similar offices for many years1 only    
yielding up ammonia as required by      
plants1 and receiving new portions from 
rains1 dews1 c4  ,if used as a top      
dressing1 this change from a carbonate  
to a sulphate may be necessary2 but not 
so if well mixed with the soil1         
particularly one in which clay          
predominates4 ,in such a soil it is not 
even necessary to adhere to the         
direction to plow the guano deeply      

under4 ,if it is but slightly harrowed  
in1 the nature of the clay is such it   
will prevent the escape of the ammonia4 
,if you require phosphates1 more than   
ammonia1 add the superphosphate of lime2
 but in no case omit the guano4  ,use of
 ,salt with ,guano4--,common salt at the
 rate of a bushel to #ajj lbs4 of guano1
 well mixed1 may be used to good        
advantage either as a top dressing1 or  
when plowed in4 ,the effect of the      
muriatic acid of the salt upon the guano
 will be1 as both are dissolved in the  
earth1 or by dews and rains1 to form    
muriate of ammonia1 which is not        
volatile2 consequently the salt prevents
 loss by exhaustion1 which is sure to   
take place when the guano is used as a  
top dressing1 unless prevented by       
something to act as a fixer of the      
ammonia4  ,the wisdom of this law of    
nature in making the most precious      
saline manure a fixed and difficultly   
soluble salt1 is at once obvious2 for it
 is thus kept always ready in the soil  

for the plants to act upon according to 
their need4 ,if we cut plants down      
before the seeds form1 we have all the  
phosphates the plants contain diffused  
throughout them1 and if we allow the    
seed to ripen1 the phosphates1 as before
 observed1 will be found mostly in the  
seed4 ,we find them in the state of     
phosphate of potash1 phosphate of soda1 
phosphate of magnesia1 and phosphate of 
lime1 and probably1 also1 phosphate of  
ammonia4 ,now all these salts are       
essential to the growth and sustenance  
of animals1 and without them grain would
 cease to be sufficient4  ,the necessity
 of restoring inorganic substances to   
the soil1 may be better understood by   
examining the following table3  ,mr4    
,prixdeaux states that the following    
quantities 7of inorganic matters7 are   
removed from an acre of soil by a crop  
of wheat1 of #be bushels of grain1 and  
#cjjj lbs4 of straw--                   
,by the grain4       ,by the straw4     
,total4                                 

lbs4                  lbs4              
lbs4   ,potash1                    #g4ae
                 #bb4dd                 
#bi4ei   ,soda1                         
#b4gc                  #j4bi            
#c4jb   ,magnesia1                      
#c4fc                  #f4ii            
#aj4fb   ,phosphoric acid1              
#ae4jb                 #e4ed            
#bj4ef   ,sulphuric acid1               
#j4jg                #aj4di             
#aj4ef   ,chlorine                      
#j4jj                 #a4ih             
#a4ih                               ----
                 ----              ---- 
#bh4fj                #dg4gc    ,gross  
weight to be returned to an acre1       
#gf4cc  ,professor ,johnson says--,soils
 are barren either from the presence of 
a noxious principle or the absence of a 
necessary element4 ,it is therefore     
highly important to be able to          
distinguish between the two cases4  ,the
 art of culture is almost entirely a    
chemical art4 ,its processes are        

explained on chemical principals in     
part1 but partly on mechanical and      
natural ones4  ,all forms of matter may 
be divided into one of the two great    
groups--organic or inorganic matter4    
,in ,peruvian guano1 both these         
substances exist in a better and cheaper
 form than can be obtained from any     
other source4  ,the editor of the       
,genesee farmer1 whose scientific       
information none can dispute1 strongly  
corroborates this opinion4 ,in a late   
number he says--,if we admit that       
phosphate of lime is a necessary        
ingredient in a special manure for      
wheat--,peruvian guano would at present 
be much the cheapest source of it2 for1 
in addition to the #af per cent4 of     
ammonia1 it contains #bj per cent4 of   
phosphate of lime in first-rate         
condition for assimilation by the plant1
 as well as other fertilizing           
ingredients of minor importance4  ,as a 
manure for wheat1 therefore1 we greatly 
prefer good ,peruvian guano1 even to the

 improved superphosphate of lime4       
,difference in favor of ,guano over     
,bone dust4--,robert ,monteith1         
,england1 dressed oat ground with #bgf  
lbs4 guano per acre1 cost #ca shillings1
 produce #ei bushels1 value #g #gs #f;d4
 ,same quality of land with #aj bushels 
bone dust1 cost #bc shillings and       
fourpence1 produced #dc bushels value #e
 #gs #f;d1 which gives a balance in     
favor of guano of #a #abs #d;d1 or about
 #g #ej per acre4  ,difference in favor 
of ,guano over ,manure4--,the ,yorkshire
 ,agricultural ,society of ,england1    
instituted a series of experiments      
several years ago for the purpose of    
working out practical facts in relation 
to guano1 through a series of crops1    
upon different soils1 by different      
persons1 upon whose report the utmost   
reliance might be placed1 so as to      
determine the value1 or advantage to    
,british farmers1 who might use this    
extraordinary fertilizer4 ,this report  
has just been published1 and the        

following is a synopsis of the results4 
,the experiments were arranged under the
 following heads--  #a4 ,to show the    
natural produce of the land1 one part   
was to have no manure whatever4  #b4    
,was to have twelve tons per acre of    
farm-yard dung4  #c4 ,was to have six   
tons of dung1 and one cwt4 each of guano
 and dissolved coprolites2 and  #d4 ,was
 to have two cwt4 of guano and two cwt4 
of the coprolites4  ,other substances   
might be tried as additions1 but these  
were to be the standard experiments4    
,mr4 ,cholmeley's turnips1 grown on a   
loamy soil had the heaviest crop on ,no4
 #c1 the dung1 coprolite1 and guano1    
beating the farm-yard manure by some    
#e-c_/d tons per acre4  ,mr4 ,johnson's 
experiments were tried with various     
manures singly2 and his ,peruvian guano 
gave the greatest weight of the class of
 substances tried2 but #aj cubic yards  
of farm-yard manure had previously been 
applied to the whole land4  ,mr4        
,maulevere's heaviest weight1 also      

applied singly1 was with the #ab tons of
 dung2 but only #ad cwt4 more than the  
dressing with #b cwt4 of coprolites4    
,this soil was a light clay4  ,mr4      
,newham's on a limestone soil1 were the 
heaviest with ,no4 #c--the same as ,mr4 
,cholmeley's--and were #af cwt4 heavier 
than an application of dung alone4  ,mr4
 ,outhwaite's1 on a hungry gravel1 were 
the heaviest1 with #i-c_/d tons of dung 
and #b cwt4 of guano1 for all the land  
had been dunged at this rate1 and       
exceeded #ad-a_/b tons of dung by #b    
tons #i cwt4 per acre4  ,mr4 ,scott's   
were the heaviest on ,no4 #d1--the guano
 and coprolites1 and #a ton #g cwt4 more
 than #bj tons of dung1--his soil was a 
strong loam4  ,mr4 ,wailes's were the   
heaviest1 with #d cwt4 of coprolites1   
showing an increase over #bj tons of    
dung of #b tons #i cwt4 per acre2 the   
soil is a useful loam4  ,the first fact 
which strikes the observer1 is1 that as 
a general rule1 there is not only an    
addition to the crop by the addition of 

those artificial manures1 but there is1 
in some cases1 more absolute crop       
produced by them than by farm-yard      
manure alone4  ,now to bring this to the
 test of figures1 the coprolites at #e  
per ton1 and the guano at #aj per ton1  
will be at the rate of #b cwt of each1  
#a #ajs per acre4 ,now assuming this to 
be equal to #bj tons of dung per acre1  
we should require to be able to produce 
the dung at #as #f;d per ton to cost us 
the same money4 ,but it can be neither  
produced nor purchased at any such      
money4 ,in the whole of the cases       
referred to1 the manure is most costly1 
and yet we find hardly any case where   
there is not an addition to the crop1 of
 say two to three tons of turnips per   
acre1 by such an increase of manure as  
the guano4 ,now1 if a ton of turnips be 
worth #ajs41 or even #is1 there is at   
once an element of repayment2 for1 if a 
soil be in a condition to give a large  
crop of turnips1 it is almost certain to
 be capable of giving a large crop of   

any other plant to succeed4  ,mr4       
,charnock gives it as the result of his 
practical experience1 that #d cwt4 of   
,peruvian guano1 without manure1 is the 
cheapest and best mode of growing       
turnips2 but the general testimony seems
 to be decidedly in favor of what all   
farmers find it the best and easiest to 
do1 viz41 to add a small quantity of    
artificial manure to that which the farm
 will supply1 and so to spread the whole
 over the land1 rather than put all the 
dung in one place1 and all the          
artificial manure in another4  ,no one  
can doubt the true statement of this    
report1 which proves #g #ej4 worth of   
guano equal to #bj tons of              
manure--reducing the worth of that to   
one shilling and sixpence--about #cd    
cents--per ton1 or one dollar a cord4   
,now1 as manure is often estimated in   
this country by the cord1 and valued at 
about #d1 and applied at the rate of #f 
cords per acre1 it follows that a saving
 of #ad #ej per acre may be made by     

using #bej lbs4 of guano instead of     
purchasing the manure4 ,this ,yorkshire 
experiment exactly corresponds with     
those made in this country1 some of     
which we have detailed1 and which proves
 that a farmer cannot buy manure at the 
common selling prices2 and if he hauls  
his own the distance of a mile1 he will 
expend more value of time1 than it is   
worth to him on the land2 because the   
same value of time--time is             
money--expended for guano1 will bring   
him better returns4 ,in this1 as before 
stated1 we are confirmed by ,professor  
,mapes2 and here is the opinion of ,mr4 
,hovey of ,boston1 the eminent          
horticulturist1 which we find in the    
,august ,no4 of his magazine1 as        
follows--  ,if1 after such evidence as  
this1 farmers will continue to buy ashes
 at eight cents a bushel1 or manure at  
three to six dollars a cord1 including  
carting1 and use them alone1 then let   
them do so1 but they should not complain
 that their crop cost more than it comes

 to4 ,to orchardists and fruit growers1 
this information is of the greatest     
value1 and we trust they will not let it
 pass unheeded4  ,this opinion is       
valuable because it has been stoutly    
asserted1 that however well guano might 
answer at the ,south1 it was of no use  
in the hard soil and cold climate of    
,new ,england4 ,this is a fallacy which 
will soon be cured by knowledge1 and    
self-interest is a very strong prompter 
towards the acquisition of the          
knowledge1 that guano is the best1      
cheapest1 most suitable1 convenient and 
productive manure ever used by a ,new   
,england farmer1 and just as suitable   
for that climate and soil as it is for  
,virginia4 ,we assert1 without fear of  
successful contradiction1 that there is 
not a farm--not a field--covered with   
five-finger vines and mullens1 in the   
,state of ,massachusetts1 which may not 
be made to produce as profitable crops1 
by the use of guano1 as any ,connecticut
 river farm4 ,farmers are about the     

hardest class of men in the world to    
learn new doctrines2 or that science has
 anything to do with the business of    
this life1 and what all other life in a 
civilized country is dependent upon4    
,yet science teaches1 by unerring       
truths1 that the plants the farmer      
cultivates1 are composed of carbon1     
obtained by plants chiefly from the soil
 and atmosphere2 oxygen and hydrogen1   
obtained by plants chiefly from water1  
carbonic acid1 c42 nitrogen obtained by 
plants chiefly from manure1 and also    
from rain and snow2 silicium1 in        
combination with oxygen1 called silicia 
or sand2 lime in combination with       
phosphoric and other acids2 potash and  
soda in combination with acids2         
magnesia1 in combination with acids1 and
 various oxides of metals1 the presence 
of which1 however1 is not very          
important1 as they exist in an          
exceedingly small quantity4 ,and that   
guano is composed of ammonia 7formed of 
nitrogen and hydrogen17 combined with   

carbonic1 oxalic1 phosphoric1 and other 
acids2 lime1 combined with phosphoric   
oxalic1 and other acids2 potash and     
soda1 combined with muriatic and        
sulphuric acids2 magnesia1 combined with
 phosphoric and other acids2 animal     
organic matter1 containing carbon1 and  
also nitrogen4  ,now1 is it not enough  
to prove that all the ingredients1 with 
the exception of the metallic oxides1   
exist in guano1 which are required by   
the plants grown for the sustenance of  
man4  ,putting guano into the soil1     
therefore1 as a manure1 is clearly      
restoring to the earth those substances 
which plants abstract from it1 and which
 are absolutely necessary for their     
growth4  ,the questions1 then1 which the
 farmer should now ask are1 which is    
best for me to buy1 guano or coarse     
manure8 ,the evidence just given answers
 that question4 ,i have manure1 teams1  
and men to haul it2 my fields are from  
one to three miles distant1 is it       
economy for me to let my teams lay idle 

and buy guano8 ,by no means4 ,but you   
can probably employ men and teams in    
other improvements to much better       
advantage4 ,with your manure make all   
your home lots exceedingly rich4 ,with  
your men and teams clear off stones1 dig
 ditches to put them into1 drain your   
land1 or build fence--bring bog meadows 
and swamps into dry cultivation--send   
every little brook through artificial   
channels for irrigation--send water up  
from lowland springs and streams by     
hydraulic rams for the same purpose1 and
 for stock on the hills2 or bring it    
down from hillsides if you are so       
situated2 and buy guano for those       
distant fields1 instead of wasting time 
in the laborious operation of hauling   
manure4 ,those who use guano1 are       
enabled by the saving of time1 to say   
nothing of their increased profits1 to  
make improvements which are utterly     
impossible to accomplish under the old  
system4  ,how to choose ,guano4--,as we 
are satisfied no sensible reader can    

have perused the preceding pages1       
without having come to the determination
 to make a trial for himself1 we will   
give him some general instructions about
 buying guano4  ,in the first place1 we 
lay it down as an incontrovertible      
axiom1 that the ,peruvian guano1 at the 
current price for years of that and all 
other1 is the cheapest and best1 because
 it contains the largest amount of      
ammonia1 in a perfectly dry state2 as a 
carbonate1 true1 but because dry1 it is 
permanent and not likely to loose by    
volatilization by long keeping4  ,if    
other varieties contain a larger        
proportion of phosphates1 and are sold  
at a less price1 experience proves they 
are not cheaper4 ,if an additional      
quantity of phosphates is desirable1 it 
can be obtained in a cheaper form from  
dissolved bones1 or bone dust and       
shavings of bone workers2 or from       
mineral phosphates of lime4 ,recollect1 
guano under no other name1 has ever     
equalled the ,peruvian1 in the results  

as compared with the quality or cost4   
,therefore buy none but ,peruvian4 ,to  
guard against deception1 be careful of  
whom you buy4 ,if you cannot buy        
directly from the agents1 be sure the   
character of your merchant is a         
sufficient guarantee against            
adulteration4  ,to test the quality of  
,guano4--,the best test is the price4   
,unlike other merchandise1 this article 
is not subject to fluctuations4 ,being a
 government monopoly1 the price at which
 the agents are to sell here is fixed in
 ,peru1 and that price may be easily    
known2 therefore1 if any dealer offers  
you ,peruvian guano at a reduced price1 
you may be sure the quality is reduced  
also4 ,remember1 that the lowest price  
by the ship load1 it can be procured for
 of the agents in ,baltimore or ,new    
,york is #df per ton of #bbdj lbs4 ,to  
this1 every fair1 honest dealer1 must   
add freight1 insurance and profit4      
,every man who sells without such       
addition1 you may be sure will make his 

profit by short weight or adulteration4 
,the next best test is its appearance4  
,good ,peruvian guano is an impalpable  
powder1 perfectly dry to the touch1 of a
 uniform brownish yellow color1 with a  
strong smell1 like that of spirits of   
hartshorn1 contained in ammoniacal      
smelling bottles4 ,but the smell is no  
test2 that which smells strongest may be
 worst1 as the ammonia may be disengaged
 by moisture or by the addition of lime 
or salt4  ,the adulteration of guano is 
carried to a great extent in ,england1  
and probably will be in this country4   
,the principal adulterations are made by
 the addition of loam1 marl1 sand1      
plaster1 old lime1 ashes1 chalk1 salt1  
moisture1 and by mixture with other     
guano of a cheaper quality4 ,the farmer 
need not depend upon the assertion1 this
 is a genuine article--here is the      
inspector's certificate4 ,we would not  
give a straw for a corn basket full of  
certificates of analysis4 ,the buyer    
must analyse for himself4 ,mr4 ,nesbit1 

analytical chemist1 ,london1 has just   
published a pamphlet from which we have 
condensed some very plain1 short1 simple
 rules for testing the quality of guano4
 ,as the adulterating substances are    
generally heavier than the guano1 they  
may be detected by a comparison of      
weight and measure4 ,to do this1 get a  
small glass tube closed at one end1 and 
weigh accurately an ounce of pure guano1
 put it in the tube and carefully mark  
the hight it fills--try several         
samples--if there is any difference1    
mark it4 ,now weigh an ounce from a     
sample adulterated with one fourth its  
bulk of any or all the preceding list of
 articles used for that purpose1 and you
 will find the difference of bulk       
between that and the genuine1 very      
perceptible4  ,test by ,burning4--,guano
 burnt to ashes at a red heat will leave
 an ash of a pearly white appearance1   
not varying in weight from #cj to #ce   
per cent4 of the quantity burnt4 ,if it 
is adulterated with marl1 sand1 clay1   

c41 the ash will be about #fj or #fe per
 cent1 of the weight tested1 and be     
colored with the iron always present in 
the adulterating substances1 and which  
is never found in pure guano4 ,this     
test1 to be accurate1 must be done with 
a nice pair of scales and a platinum    
cup1 which may be heated over a spirit  
lamp4 ,ten grains of the guano are      
placed in the platinum cup1 which is    
held by the tongs in the flame of the   
spirit lamp for several minutes1 until  
the greater part of the organic matter  
is burnt away4 ,it is allowed to cool   
for a short time1 and a few drops of a  
strong solution of nitrate of ammonia   
added1 to assist in consuming the carbon
 in the residue4 ,the cup is again      
heated1 7taking care to prevent its     
boiling over1 or losing any of the ash17
 until the moisture is quite evaporated4
 ,a full red heat must then be given it1
 when1 if the guano be pure1 the ash    
will be pearly white1 and will not      
exceed #c-a_/b grains in weight4 ,if    

adulterated with sand1 marl1 c41 the ash
 will always be colored1 and will weigh 
more than #c-a_/b grains4 ,even the     
simple burning of a few grains of guano1
 on a red hot shovel1 will often        
indicate by the color whether a fraud   
has been committed2 but we cannot       
particularly recommend this method1 as  
the iron of the shovel itself will      
sometimes give a tinge to the ash4 ,this
 might be obviated by burning the sample
 on a common earthen plate4  ,if the    
adulteration of guano has been made by  
sand1 it can be detected by dissolving  
the ashes in muriatic acid4 ,the sand   
will remain--if it is more than one per 
cent41 it has probably been added       
fraudulently4 ,as iron exists in loam1  
it will show in the color of the ash if 
that is the substance used for          
adulteration4 ,if lime has been added1  
it can be detected by dissolving the ash
 in muriatic acid and separating the    
sand1 loam and iron1 if present1 by     
filtration1 and then adding oxalate of  

ammonia to the liquid4 ,if it shows more
 than a mere trace of lime1 it has been 
falsified4  ,test by salt4--,saturate a 
quart of water and strain it2 pour some 
in a saucer and sprinkle guano upon the 
surface4 ,good guano sinks immediately1 
leaving only a slight scum4 ,if it has  
been adulterated by any light or        
flocculent matters1 they will be seen   
upon the surface of the brine4  ,test by
 ,acid4--,put a teaspoonful of guano in 
a wine glass and add a little vinegar or
 dilute muriatic acid4 ,if ground       
limestone or chalk have been added1 the 
effervessence will show it4 ,a genuine  
article will only show a few bubbles4   
,test by ,water4--,the following simple 
plan will easily detect all the ordinary
 adulterations of guano4 ,procure a wide
 mouthed bottle1 with solid glass       
stopper2 fill with water and insert the 
stopper2 let the exterior be well dried4
 ,in one pan of accurate scales1 place  
the bottle2 counterpoise by shot1 sand  
or gravel4 ,pour out two thirds of the  

water1 and put in four ounces           
avoirdupois of guano4 ,agitate the      
bottle1 add more water2 let it rest a   
couple of minutes1 and fill with water1 
so the froth all escapes2 insert the    
stopper1 wipe dry1 and replace the      
bottle in the scale4 ,add now to the    
counterpoised scale1 one and a half     
ounces avoirdupois1 and a fourpenny     
piece2 if the bottle prove the heavier1 
the guano is1 in all probability1       
adulterated4 ,add in addition a         
three-penny piece1 and if the bottle is 
still heaviest the guano is undoubtedly 
adulterated4 ,by this simple experiment1
 a very small amount of sand1 marl1 c41 
is detected4  ,if farmers will not use  
some of these simple tests1 or employ a 
chemist to detect suspected             
adulteration2 or if they will buy guano 
of men who have no character to lose1   
and who offer to sell below a price to  
afford them a living profit1 they cannot
 be pitied if they are cheated4         
,prepared ,guano4--,never buy anything  

bearing that name1 unless you wish to   
verify the adage of the fool and his    
money are soon parted4  ,analysis of    
,prepared ,guano4--,we give an analysis 
of one sample of domestic manufacture1  
and two ,british4 ,no4 #a4 was offered  
in ,london and actually sold as         
,peruvian guano1 to farmers in the south
 of ,england2 just because they were so 
neglectful of their own interests as not
 to inform themselves that an article   
sold for #ce a ton1 could not be        
genuine1 while the regular government   
price remained fixed at #dg4 ,it may    
readily be seen by the analysis1 how    
they were cheated into paying that price
 for an article of which #gd per cent4  
is plaster1 and only half of one per    
cent4 ammonia4    ,no4 #a4 ,gypsum1     
#gd4je    ,phosphate of lime1  #ad4je   
,sand1                #b4fd    ,moisture
 and loss1   #i4bf                      
------                      #ajj4jj     
------   ,ammonia1             #j4ea    
,the other sample is still worse4 ,this 

was sold as ,saldana ,bay guano1 at #ae 
to #bj a ton4 ,it was composed of       
,sand1               #dh4ha             
,phosphate of lime1  #aj4ba    ,gypsum1 
#e4ha    ,chalk1              #bb4gc    
,moisture1           #ab4dd             
------                      #ajj4jj     
------   ,ammonia1          a trace  ,it
 would have been dear at half the price4
 ,but why8 perhaps you inquire1 do you  
give these samples of rascality in      
,england8 ,just to show you what men are
 capable of doing there1 they will      
probably do here--nay1 have done4 ,here 
is the analysis of an article which was 
sold in the city of ,new ,york1 under   
the name of prepared guano4 ,the        
analysis was made by the lately         
deceased1 highly respected1 and eminent 
analytic chemist1 ,professor ,norton1 of
 ,yale ,college1 showing the following  
result4    ,water1                      
#d4ce    ,alumina and phosphate of lime1
  #g4hb    ,organic matter1             
#cb4eh    ,insoluble matter1            

#bf4je    ,carbonate of lime1           
#bh4gf    ,magnesia1 alkalies1 and loss1
   #j4dc                                
------                                  
#ajj4jj  ,this analysis was made by the 
request of the editor of the ,genesee   
,farmer1 by whom it is not only         
endorsed1 but proof given of its utter  
worthlessness upon the land where it was
 applied4 ,professor ,norton made the   
following remarks upon the subject4     
,this is indeed a prepared article4 ,you
 will observe that three tenths of the  
whole are water1 or matter insoluble in 
acid1 or nothing more than water and    
sand4 ,more than another three tenths is
 organic matter2 this contains scarcely 
a trace of ammonia or nitrogen in any   
form1 being worth no more than common   
muck from a swamp4 ,thus we have six    
tenths of the guano made up of a mixture
 that as a gift1 would not be worth     
carting4 ,nearly another three tenths is
 carbonate of lime1 a valuable article  
it is true1 but one which can be bought 

far more cheaply by the barrel1 bushel  
or ton1 than as guano4 ,the remaining   
tenth contains a small quantity of      
phosphates1 but not enough to make the  
mixture of much value4 ,the parties     
engaged in this manufacture1 should be  
widely exposed1 for it is one of the    
most outrageous impositions ,i have ever
 known4 ,farmers should avoid everything
 of this nature unless it is certified  
to be equal to a copy of analysis shown4
 ,this stuff is not worth transporting  
any distance for your land4 ,j4 ,p4     
,,norton4  ,we will now give the        
analysis of ,peruvian1 ,patagonian1 and 
,chilian guano1 as determined by ,dr4   
,anderson1 chemist of the ,royal        
,agricultural ,society of ,scotland1 to 
be a fair average deduced1 from a       
careful examination of many samples4    
,the same results have been obtained in 
this country by such eminent chemists as
 ,professor ,norton1 ,dr4 ,antisell1 and
 ,dr4 ,higgins4 ,we only give analysis  
of these three kinds1 for the reason1 no

 other of any consequence is now offered
 for sale in this country4  ,,analysis  
,,of ,,guano4                           
,peruvian4   ,chilian    ,chilian       
,patagonian                             
,fine4    ,inferior4   ,water1          
#ac4gc      #f4jf       #ae4ji          
#bd4hf   ,organic matter and  #ec4af    
#ed4ea       #ab4hh       #ah4hf        
ammonical salts1     ,phosphates        
#bc4dh     #aa4if       #af4dd          
#da4cg   ,lime1                 ----    
#a4cg        #h4ic        #b4id         
,sulphuric acid1       ----      ----   
----        #b4ba   ,alkaline salts1    
#g4ig     #aj4be        #f4jd           
#b4gj   ,sand1                 #a4ff    
#ae4he       #dj4fb        #g4ef        
-------   -------     -------           
-------                       #ajj1jjj  
#ajj1jjj     #ajj1jjj     #ajj1jjj      
,ammonia1             #ag4jj     #ah4hj 
#b4aa        #b4fi  ,it will readily be 
seen there is a vast difference in the  
value of the ,chilian1 and though not   

stated1 there is as great a difference  
in the ,patagonian1 while that from     
,peru1 owing to the fact that it never  
rains upon the depository1 is of a      
uniform quality4 ,as the principal value
 of guano consists of the ammonia and   
phosphates1 it is easily calculated4    
#ag per cent4 of ammonia is equal to    
#cdj lbs4 in   a ton of #b1jjj at       
#ab-a_/b cents1                         
#db4ej    #bc4dh per cent4 of phosphates
 is equal to #dgj lbs4   in a ton at    
#a-a_/b cents1                          
#g4je    ,alkaline salts1               
#e4jj                                   
,value of a ton of ,peruvian guano1     
#ed4ee  ,to this may be added the       
advantage of having these valuable      
substances in the best possible         
condition1 so finely pulverized they are
 ready prepared for the use of plants4  
,it may be taken as an incontrovertible 
fact then1 that guano is a cheap and    
good manure for any land and any crop   
which would be benefitted by the best   

quality of farm yard manure and ground  
bones4 ,it is most beneficial on poor   
sandy loam1 absolutely unproductive2 and
 most profitable when applied to any    
land which cannot be otherwise manured  
on account of distance and              
transportation of grosser articles4 ,the
 better the land is kept in tilth1 the  
better will be the effect of an         
application of guano4 ,the public may   
also be assured of another fact2 if the 
guano is bought direct from the agents  
of the ,peruvian government in this     
country1 or of reliable merchants1 who  
get their supplies direct from them1 it 
will be of a uniform quality and value1 
as indicated by the analysis just given4
  ,they may also rest assured1 and the  
author of this pamphlet believes his    
reputation will warrant the assertion   
and belief1 that he could not be hired  
to puff an unworthy article1 or write a 
book to induce ,american farmers1 to    
purchase an article which would not     
prove highly beneficial to their best   

interests4  ,the author does know that  
the introduction of guano into this     
country is a blessing to the nation4    
,its general use will not only increase 
the wealth of individuals1 but that of  
the body politic4 ,let us illustrate    
this point by a statement of an ,english
 writer of its advantages to that       
country4 ,he says--,the importance of   
this question may be easily illustrated4
 ,we grow in this country about         
#d1jjj1jjj acres of wheat annually4 ,an 
application of two hundred weight of    
guano to each acre would increase the   
produce by six bushels1 or raise the    
average of ,england from #bf to #cb     
bushels an acre1 giving a total increase
 to our home produce of #c1jjj1jjj      
quarters of wheat1 which is of itself   
equivalent to a larger sum than the     
whole diminution of rent stated by the  
,chancellor of the ,exchequer to have   
been occasioned by free trade in corn4  
,but this is only one use to which guano
 would be applied1 for its effects are  

even more valuable to green crops than  
to corn4  ,the proportionate advantage  
to this country would be almost         
inconceivably greater as our average    
product is far less1 and the increased  
number of bushels per acre1 far more2   
the produce of land as stated by ,mr4   
,newton and others1 having been raised  
from #c to #ae or #bj bushels per acre4 
,the estimation in which it is held by  
some of the best farmers in the world   
may be judged by the increased demand in
 ,england4  ,the quantity of ,peruvian  
guano annually imported has risen from  
#bb1jjj tons in #ahdf to #ie1jjj tons in
 #ahej1 but has increased during the    
last year to about #bjj1jjj tons4 ,if   
the price were reduced by #b to #c a    
ton1 even the present large supply would
 be found greatly short of the increased
 demand4 ,in a single season1 in #ahde1 
when the price of ,ichaboe guano ranged 
from #f to #g a-ton1 the importation    
with an open trade rose to #bbj1jjj     
tons4 ,a reduction of #b to #c a ton    

would be followed by an extraordinarily 
increased consumption4 ,twice the       
present importation might be taken      
advantageously for the wheat crops      
alone4 ,it seems to be held by the      
,government that the right of ,peru to  
the ,lobos ,islands is unquestionable4  
,it is1 in that case1 only by friendly  
negotiation that anything can be done4  
,considerations should be pressed on the
 present ,ministry1 pledged as they are 
to promote the landed and shipping      
interests4 ,if they can persuade the    
,peruvian ,government1 by friendly      
negotiation1 that the interests of that 
country as well as ours will be         
benefited by opening the guano trade1   
they will confer an important service on
 this country2 a full supply would      
contribute materially to restore the    
prosperity of the landed interest by    
increasing their produce at diminished  
cost2 and it would give regular         
employment to about one-tenth of the    
whole mercantile navy of ,england4      

,undoubtedly6 an increased supply1 or   
rather an increased consumption1 would  
tend materially to restore1 in ,england 
and in ,america1 to build up the landed 
interest1 by increasing the product of  
the land at diminished cost4 ,if farmers
 could buy guano at lower prices1 it is 
argued all would use it4 ,undoubtedly   
again6 ,because their profits would be  
greater4 ,so great in fact1 the         
temptation to make money out of the     
purchase and use of guano few could     
withstand such a chance for a           
speculation4  ,but as they cannot induce
 the ,peruvians to let them have it at a
 lower price1 and as they can make money
 out of it at the present price1 is it  
not a suicidical measure upon the part  
of the owners of unprofitable land1 to  
refuse to use guano1 because they cannot
 get it at their own price1 while they  
can certainly profit by its use at      
present prices4  ,the ,guano            
,monopoly4--,much prejudice has been    
excited against the agents and principal

 dealers in this country by the cry of  
monopoly4 ,are those who cry wolf the   
loudest1 entirely clear themselves1 of a
 fondness for fat mutton8 ,the following
 extract from a letter of ,edward       
,stabler of ,maryland1 gives a more     
fair1 impartial view of the subject4 ,he
 says2 ,odious and grinding as          
monopolies usually become1 and hard as  
this one seems to bear upon the         
agriculturist's interests1 it still     
appears to be about as fair as ordinary 
mercantile transactions4 ,the ,peruvians
 may be considered the producers1 and   
like our farmers and planters1 may at   
times require advances from the         
commission merchant2 and in proportion  
to the prices obtained1 are his profits 
increased2 nor does any one censure the 
merchant for selling at the highest     
price he can4 ,dealers1 or speculators1 
if you please1 are always censured for  
raising the price of guano4 ,is not the 
same thing done every day1 and every    
hour in the day1 by the purchase and    

sale of flour1 wheat1 corn1 and         
tobacco--and is not the price of almost 
every article of commerce regulated in a
 great degree by the supply and demand8 
,most certainly2 and so long as there is
 a probability of profit by the purchase
 and sale of this article1 and just so  
long1 and no longer1 will the 'trade in 
second hands' continue4 ,if the present 
supply is inadequate to the demand1 by  
an almost undeviating rule in commerce1 
the price is enhanced1 until at a point 
to drive the consumer from the market4  
,this however1 is not quite so soon     
attained with guano1 under the present  
excitement1 as with many other things4  
,i have viewed this matter in a         
different light from some others1 though
 erroneous as some may suppose1 and do  
not think that censuring the dealers    
will cover the true ground of complaint1
 or at all tend to remove the existing  
difficulty4 ,their agency is1 if ,i may 
use the term--but in no offensive       
sense--a kind of necessary evil2 for the

 importer will not retail1 and it suits 
but few of the consumers comparatively1 
to club together1 and purchase in large 
quantities4 ,the price of guano is owing
 mainly1 if not entirely1 to this       
monopoly in the import trade2 and it    
would be the same thing1 and a monopoly 
still1 whether in the hands of ,english 
or ,american merchants2 with also1 about
 the same amount of liberality to be    
looked for1 from one as from the other4 
,is there anything so unfair in this1   
that we should cry out wicked monopoly4 
,the ,peruvian government1 after the    
revolution1 finds itself deeply in debt1
 and greatly in want of money1 and in   
possession of one of the most valuable  
fertilizing substances in the world1    
which the people of other governments   
are in want of1 or rather1 may profit by
 the use of1 which she offers to sell at
 what she deems a fair price2 and for   
the purpose of enabling her to borrow   
money for immediate necessities1 as well
 as to pay the war debt1 she has given  

some of her citizens--rich merchants1   
who can advance money1 certain          
privileges and advantages in the guano  
trade1 upon condition that they will    
send a supply to all the countries where
 it can be sold1 and in as great        
quantities as they will buy at fixed    
prices4 ,this is the monopoly4 ,a       
parallel case can be found nearer home4 
,the government of the ,united ,states1 
also incurred a revolutionary war debt1 
and also came in possession of an       
article which the people of all other   
countries want1 and unlike that         
possessed by ,peru1 an article which    
they must have4 ,upon this necessity of 
life1 our government has fixed a price1 
which any one may pay or let it         
alone--buy or not1 just as he pleases4  
,the government will neither sell to    
citizens or strangers at half price1 nor
 let them have the use of it without    
pay2 in fact1 will not let us carry away
 anything of value from this property1  
although it might not materially injure 

the sale of the principal and most      
valuable portion1 which is immovable4   
,such is the guano monopoly of one      
government1 and such is the land        
monopoly of the other4 ,which is most   
wicked8  ,of the right of each          
government1 no honest man will dispute4 
,that ,peru has as much right to the    
guano upon her desert islands1 as the   
,united ,states has to the live oak     
timber in the deserts of ,florida2 or as
 ,england has to the codfish in the     
waters of ,newfoundland1 seems to be as 
clear as any right ever exercised by any
 power on earth4 ,each protect their own
 by hired agents1 so far as they are    
able1 to prevent dishonest men from     
carrying away that which each considers 
valuable4  ,if ,english and ,united     
,states citizens have a right to go and 
seize upon the guano and bring it off in
 defiance of ,peru1 because the guano   
islands are not inhabited1 then have we 
a right to seize all the codfish in the 
waters of the sea1 because nobody lives 

there--they cannot live there--they only
 live on the lands adjacent1 and        
therefore have no right to anything     
except what they stand upon4 ,then by   
the same rule may the lands of the      
,united ,states be seized upon1 because 
they are unoccupied4  ,by virtue of     
decrees now in force1 no vessel1 either 
under the national or any foreign flag1 
has a right to go to the ,peruvian guano
 deposits1 without first obtaining      
permission from the ,peruvian           
,government under penalty of            
confiscation4  ,foreign vessels1        
furnished with government licences1 are 
allowed to load at the ,chinche ,islands
 only4  ,finally1 any attempt to load   
vessels without the proper licences1    
would subject them to be seized by the  
,government vessels appointed to cruise 
off1 and visit the different guano      
deposits1 in order to prevent not only  
the illegal extraction of guano by      
foreign trading vessels1 but also to    
prevent the natives of ,peru from       

violating the ,government orders against
 visiting those localities1 and         
destroying or disturbing the birds4     
,notwithstanding this cuts off the free 
trade in the article1 it goes to show   
what we have always endeavored to       
impress upon the minds of ,american     
farmers1 that the supply is             
inexhaustible--at least in this age and 
generation--and as every one grows wiser
 and wiser1 it is probable the next will
 have no occasion to use such an old    
fashioned article as bird dung for      
manure4 ,during the present1 however1   
our advice is to every person occupying 
land which needs something to improve   
its fertility1 to use guano--genuine    
,peruvian guano--purchased of reliable  
merchants--and the fewer the better     
between the importer and consumer4  ,the
 ,quantity inexhaustible4--,by those    
surveys1 the quantity was ascertained to
 be upwards of ,,twenty ,,millions ,,of 
,,tons4 ,as this must appear so enormous
 as to be almost incredible1 we present 

the annexed cut1 supposed to represent a
 vertical section of one of the ,chincha
 islands and the depth of the deposit   
according to the government surveys4    
,the paralel lines at the bottom        
represent the level of the water--the   
crooked line above1 the surface of the  
rock2 its position having been          
ascertained by boring and observations  
of the surveyors4 ,the rounded line is  
the surface of the island as it now     
appears2 all between that and the rock  
being guano4 ,the almost perpendicular  
line at the left hand1 #ajj feet high1  
is the rock at which ships lay to take  
in cargo4 ,the space under the dotted   
line show a comparison of the quantity  
taken away1 as it relates to the whole  
upon the island4 ,the well hole         
represented in that section was dug some
 fifty feet deep to prove the guano was 
of equal quality at the bottom4  ,the   
,chincha ,islands are three in number2  
not remote from each other or differing 
very materially in size or general      

feature4 ,the ,geological formation     
presents the appearance of masses of    
rock jutting out above the surface of   
the ocean--and occasionally rising      
nearly perpendicularly to a height of   
from #ej to #ajj feet4 ,at a distance1  
the islands present to the eye a        
somewhat conical form2 owing probably to
 the greater deposits of guano in the   
centre2 and all appear equally rich in  
quantity and quality4  ,the ,north      
,island is estimated to be about #cjj   
feet at its greatest elevation2 it is   
about #a-a_/b miles in length1 and from 
#a_/b to #c_/d of a mile average width4 
,in sailing round them1 the guano       
appears to many places to extend to the 
water's edge4  ,illustration3           
,,sectional ,,view ,,of ,,the ,,north   
,,chincha ,,island4  ,all the guano     
islands are uninhabited1 except by the  
laborers1 mostly ,indians or poor       
,chinamen1 who are employed in the work 
of digging1 carrying and loading the    
guano into the ships4 ,when a vessel is 

ready to take in cargo1 she is moored   
alongside of the rocks almost mast head 
high1 from the top of which the guano is
 sent down through a canvass shute      
directly into the hold of the ship4     
,thus several hundred tons can be put on
 board in a day4 ,the trimming of the   
cargo is a very unpleasant part of the  
labor4 ,the dust and odor is almost     
overpowering2 so the men are obliged to 
come often on deck for fresh air4 ,the  
rule is to remain below as long as a    
candle will burn2 when that goes out1   
the air is considered unfit for         
respiration4 ,if the labor had to be    
performed by a ,yankee1 he would think  
it unfit at first2 and thereupon set his
 ready wit at work to construct a       
machine to spread the guano as it fell1 
from one end of the hold to the other4  
,the guano in position upon the island1 
is so compact it has to be dug up with  
picks4 ,it is then carried to a         
contrivance made of cane1 at the edge of
 the rock1 which conveys it into the    

canvass conductors4 ,the mass is cut    
down in steps1 receding and rising from 
the point of commencement1 and has not  
yet attained a depth of #ajj feet1 and  
with all the labor of hundreds of men   
digging1 and numerous ships carrying    
away to the several countries using it1 
there is but a bare beginning of removal
 made upon the mass upon one island     
only1 as may be seen by reference to the
 diagram4  ,supposing like many others1 
the supply of ,peruvian guano was like  
the ,ichaboe1 destined to run out--that 
is all be dug up and carried away2 we   
inquired of an intelligent captain of a 
ship just returned with a load1 how long
 it would be before the supply would be 
exhausted4 ,exhausted6 said he1 with a  
look over the gangway1 as much as to say
 how long would it take to exhaust the  
ocean with a pint cup2 why not in one   
hundred years1 if every ship afloat     
should go into the trade1 and load and  
unload as fast as it would be possible  
to perform the labor2 no1 not from the  

,chincha islands alone4 ,exhausted6 they
 never will be exhausted4 ,with due     
allowance for the captain's enthusiasm1 
we may be very certain from the         
government surveys1 the quantity is so  
great1 that no probability exists of the
 supply being exhausted until all the   
present inhabitants of this earth have  
ceased to move upon its surface4 ,we may
 be certain of another fact2 that unless
 we commit a great national wrong upon  
,peru1 by seizing upon some of her guano
 territory2 a thing which the sober     
second thought of this nation will never
 sanction2 we shall not be able to      
obtain the article only through her     
government agents1 at such prices as her
 rulers think proper to affix to it4    
,while the demand and the result of the 
use of guano continues as at present1   
there is not much probability of any    
material change4  ,the ,peruvian        
,government are1 of course1 anxious to  
sell all that the world want1 and are   
willing to pay for at remunerating      

prices4 ,the ,peruvian minister1 in     
reply to the ,secretary of ,state at    
,washington says3--,the ,peruvian       
,government1 in leasing out its rights  
and interests1 as a proprietor of the   
article1 adopted the only system that   
was supposed likely to create a demand  
for guano2 while1 on the other side1 it 
was bound to leave the consignment as   
security1 in the hands of those persons 
who had hazarded their capital in       
meeting the heavy expenses attending the
 process of freighting1 and in making   
the advances which were required to     
facilitate the exportation and construct
 the depots4 ,far from establishing a   
selfish monopoly1 which would have      
proved injurious to its own interests1  
or fix a high1 deliberate1 and          
conventional price upon the article1 it 
has only aimed to secure a net profit1  
reduced to the lowest possible standard1
 exceeding very little the actual amount
 of expenses2 and there have been       
accounts of sales rendered exhibiting   

both loss and damage4  ,the guano1      
therefore1 is not monopolized2 the      
government as the proprietor1 has       
forwarded it1 on its own responsibility1
 to those markets where it was in       
demand2 selecting as consignees1 as it  
was natural and proper it should do1    
those persons or houses who have        
advanced the capital necessary to defray
 the expenses2 and1 as these are much   
greater in all cases of remittances to  
,england1 and it follows that the sale  
of the article in this country is at the
 rate of ten pounds sterling per ton1   
the net profit has been less than what  
is realized in the ,united ,states1     
where the farmers obtain it at lesser   
prices4 ,nor has my government imposed  
any restrictions1 duties1 or determinate
 value on the exportation of guano1     
although it might and could do so with  
perfect propriety2 because such action  
would have militated to the detriment of
 its own interests as the proprietor of 
the article4 ,its object has been to    

send it to those markets where it was in
 demand2 because1 as it had not yet     
become an object of decided and positive
 interest to the consuming world1 and   
there being no certainty of its         
attaining saleable prices1 to create a  
market as it was impossible for         
individuals to send to ,peru for        
supplies1 with any prospect of even     
moderate profit4  ,this is a fair       
statement of the case2 and ought to be  
perfectly satisfactory to the consumers4
 ,the disposition of some men to create 
prejudice against the government of     
,peru1 or the agents who sell guano in  
this country1 because the price is too  
high1 is a wicked one4 ,men can make    
money by purchasing at the present      
prices2 and the owners of the article   
think they cannot make it by selling at 
a lower price4 ,we have heard it urged  
as a reason why it should be sold at    
lower prices1 that the agents and       
merchants engaged in its sale are making
 fortunes4 ,so are flour merchants--so  

are farmers who grow the wheat--but that
 is no reason why it should be sold     
lower4  ,with all our heart1 we wish the
 ,peruvians would give us guano at half 
price2 but because they will not1 there 
is no reason why the people of this     
country should refuse to use an article 
which will most assuredly make them grow
 rich faster than those who are engaged 
in selling it4   ,,what ,,is            
,,guano8--,,its ,,history ,,and         
,,locality4--,,amount ,,and ,,value4    
,guano is the concentrated essence of   
fish-eating birds excrements4 ,it1 is   
found in the condition of a dry powder1 
of a brownish yellow color1 not unlike  
in appearance to ,scotch snuff2 with a  
pungent strong smell of ammonia1        
distinguishing it from any other        
substance4 ,it is found in various parts
 of the world1 upon desert headlands and
 islands of the ,atlantic and ,pacific  
,oceans1 where the birds have had       
undisputed possession for countless ages
 of time4 ,the island of ,ichaboe1 on   

the ,coast of ,africa1 furnished a good 
many cargoes1 a few years since1 most of
 which were taken to ,england2 a small  
supply was imported into the ,united    
,states1 and sold and known as ,african 
guano4 ,the quality was fair ,the       
deposit upon that island is quite       
exhausted--in fact it was all carried   
away within a few months after it became
 generally known--some of the last      
cargoes being of little more value than 
rich earth4 ,it is said that a new      
deposit1 which is nothing more than dry 
bird dung1 has already been gathered and
 taken to ,england4 ,no doubt cargoes of
 similar manure might gathered from the 
,florida keys2 and although it would be 
a valuable manure1 it is not guano--that
 is formed by the chemical action of a  
dry atmosphere1 during time's long ages4
  ,anagamos ,guano4--,this is also of a 
character similar to new ,ichaboe4 ,it  
is rich in ammonia1 but contains no lime
 or sulphuric acid1 and less phosphates 
and alkaline substances than ,peruvian1 

and more sand4 ,the supply of this must 
be very limited1 as it is a recent      
deposit and has to be gathered by hand  
from the rocks4  ,bolivian              
,guano4--,this as its name indicates1 is
 from the coast of ,bolivia1 on the west
 side of ,south ,america4 ,it was       
thought at one time to be fully equal in
 value to ,peruvian1 but some subsequent
 importations of almost worthless       
cargoes1 have proved the deposit to be  
very variable in quality1 or else       
purposely adulterated1 which has had the
 effect to destroy confidence in all    
bearing that name4 ,the belief of the   
writer is1 that it was not adulterated1 
but owing to the fact that it is found  
in a latitude where it does sometimes   
rain1 or where it is liable to be       
drenched by sea spray1 that portions of 
it are injured in that way2 so that a   
ship may have one portion of her cargo  
of the best kind1 while the remainder is
 hardly worth the freight4 ,the deposit 
is not large4  ,chilian ,guano4--,the   

most of that imported into this country 
under this name1 has been of a very     
inferior quality1 and having been       
recommended by those interested in its  
sale1 as having come from the same coast
 as that of ,peru1 and of equal value1  
and proving almost worthless1 has       
deterred many from making another trial4
 ,although there is a small supply of   
,chilian ,guano1 which is gathered from 
the rocks in pale yellow masses1 some of
 which has been sent to ,england and    
this country1 which is equal to any ever
 discovered in any part of the world1   
yet the great bulk of the deposit is so 
inferior that ,chilian guano will never 
meet with universal favor4 ,in fact1    
some of the stuff which has been sold   
under that name1 is unworthy to be      
called guano4  ,patagonian ,guano4--,of 
this kind1 larger quantities have been  
imported than any other beside          
,peruvian2 and it has generally been    
sold at higher prices than its value as 
a fertilizer would warrant4 ,owing to   

the fact of its being deposited in a    
latitude of sunshine and showers1 both  
of the utmost intensity2 it never       
comprises the valuable qualities always 
found in that where rain never was known
 to fall4 ,besides the deterioration of 
the elements1 samples of some cargoes of
 this guano have been found to contain  
upwards of #cj per cent of sand--in one 
case #ch per cent4 ,it is said1 however1
 that some of the deposits contain      
considerable quantities of crystalized  
salts of ammonia1 magnesian phosphates1 
rich in ammonia1 but which have been    
rejected by masters of vessels taking in
 cargoes1 under the supposition of its  
being sea salt and calculated to injure 
the sale and value of the guano4 ,it is 
believed that there is a a larger supply
 of this than any other guano1 except   
,peruvian1 but as no certain reliance   
can be placed upon its quality or value1
 it never will be extensively imported  
into the ,united ,states4  ,saldana ,bay
 ,guano4--,considerable quantities of   

guano under this name have been taken to
 ,england1 and upon land and crops      
requiring phosphates more than ammonia1 
has been pronounced a superior article4 
,but the fact is1 it is found in a      
climate similar to the ,patagonian1 and1
 consequently1 like that1 must have a   
great portion of its ammonia washed out1
 leaving almost its only value as       
fertilizer1 in its phosphates2 which    
undoubtedly exist in large proportions1 
but not as cheap as may be procured from
 other sources4 ,the foregoing comprises
 all the kinds of guano known in        
commerce1 except the ,peruvian1 to which
 we shall devote an entire chapter4     
,,peruvian ,,guano--,,its               
,,location--,,ownership--,,quantity--,,v
alue--,,how ,,procured4  ,this is not   
only the most valuable1 but is found in 
the largest quantities of any other     
guano known4 ,that which has been sent  
to this country and ,england1 in such   
quantities within the last ten years1   
was taken from the ,chincha ,islands1   

which are situated between latitude #ac 
and #ad1 and at about twelve miles from 
the coast of ,peru1 in the bay of       
,pisco4 ,the great value of the         
,peruvian guano1 arises from the fact1  
that rain never falls upon the islands  
where guano is found4 ,the air is always
 dry1 and the sun shines with intense   
power1 sufficient to evaporate all the  
juices from flesh1 so that meat can be  
preserved sweet without salt4 ,the      
waters surrounding these islands may be 
said to be literally alive1 so full are 
they of fish4 ,almost as numerous as the
 fish1 are the birds which satisfy their
 voracious appetites upon this finny    
multitude1 until they can gorge no more1
 when they retire to the islands to     
deposit their excrement1 composed of the
 oily flesh and bones of their only     
food1 until the mass which has been     
accumulating for thousands of years1 is 
so great as almost to exceed human      
belief4  ,humbolt1 in his history of    
,south ,america1 states1 some of these  

deposits are #ej or #fj feet thick4     
,many have thought this the romance of  
history1 but the actual surveys made by 
the ,peruvian government five or six    
years ago1 have proved that the guano in
 many places is more than twice that    
depth2 and as there is good reason to   
believe1 and as may be seen by the      
diagram on page #gi1 it is probably #cjj
 feet thick in some of the depressions  
of the natural surface4 ,and this has   
been accumulated by an annual           
aggregation1 so slow as to be scarcely  
visible from year to year1 until the    
quantity now exceeds #bj1jjj1jjj of     
tons4  ,as before stated1 the ,chincha  
islands are three in number2 the ,lobos 
islands two2 these are situated off the 
north part of the coast of ,peru4  ,if  
the right of ,peru to the guano is to be
 disputed1 let it be done by national   
vessels and not by armed privateers4 ,if
 farmers are convinced that we have made
 true statements of the value of guano  
in renovating the poor and worn out     

fields of ,america1 let them purchase at
 once4 ,the only question to ask is not 
whether we can go to the ,lobos ,islands
 to get guano--nor whether it would be  
better to buy it of government agents1  
or speculators on private account1 but  
,,does ,,guano ,,pay8  ,because1 if it  
does pay1 that is1 if the farmer can buy
 guano at present prices1 and realise an
 increase of crops more than enough to  
pay the expense1 it does pay4 ,we think 
we have shown this fact by              
incontrovertible evidence4 ,if the first
 crop pays for the guano and no more1   
the farmer has a certain profit in the  
improved condition of the land4 ,if the 
first crop does not pay1 the land will  
be enough better to pay cost4 ,upon this
 point1 ,mr4 ,mechi1 of ,england1 whose 
name has become world wide known as an  
improver of the soil1 says2 ,whether    
guano will pay1 depends upon the        
condition of the soil4 ,on poor         
exhausted soil it is a ready and cheap  
mode of restoring fertility4 ,i used it 

extensively when ,i first began farming1
 and when applied to the grain crops at 
the rate of two to three cwt4 per acre1 
it paid well2 but now it has lost favor 
with my bailiff1 which is easily        
accounted for2 my land being at present 
so well filled with manure1 nitrogen or 
ammonia1 that we can grow ample crops   
without it4 ,when the land only yielded 
two to two and a half quarters of wheat 
per acre1 it was grateful for guano2 but
 now1 with a produce of five quarters1  
there is no necessity for its use4 ,or  
rather1 the increased supply of farm    
manure supplies that necessity4  ,this  
is exactly what we have aimed to impress
 upon our readers2 that it will pay in  
the crop to which it is applied--it will
 more than pay in the soil1 because it  
will bring it into a condition of       
permanent fertility4 ,it will pay best  
upon the poorest soil2 because that     
which was absolutely barren1 becomes    
fruitful as soon as dressed with guano4 
,it will always pay whenever and        

wherever applied to any soil in a fit   
condition to be benefitted by manure4   
,it will make not only the soil rich1   
but whoever uses it to any considerable 
extent4 ,it will pay best when used in  
the condition in which you buy it1 with 
no additional labor or expense except   
breaking the lumps4 ,if it is sown      
broadcast1 not to exceed #djj lbs4 per  
acre1 and plowed in so deep it will not 
be disturbed by any subsequent          
cultivation of the crop to which it is  
applied1 it will most certainly pay in  
that crop or the succeeding one4 ,it    
will pay upon all plants to which it has
 ever been applied4 ,notwithstanding it 
will pay best in the soil1 it will pay  
well on it as a top dressing1 if        
combined with absorbents of ammonia as  
directed in these pages4#b ,that it has 
paid in ninety nine cases out of every  
hundred where it has been used1 the     
author is well convinced1 and equally   
well convinced that many may profit by  
reading what he has here said upon the  

subject1 and with that feeling1 these   
pages are commended to all the          
cultivators of ,american soil4          
,footnote #b3 ,upon this point1 see ,mr4
 ,burgwyn's letter in the appendix4     
99       99       99       99       99  
,,appendix4     ,,successful            
,,experiments ,,with ,,guano ,,on ,,long
 ,,island4  ,since the body of this work
 was in type1 the following letters have
 been placed in our hands4 ,they contain
 so much valuable information we are    
induced to append them4 ,it will be seen
 by the dates1 that they give the       
results of the most recent experiments4 
,the names of the writers will be       
recognized as those of reliable1        
practical men4  ,,letter ,,from ,,seth  
,,chapman ,,esq41 ,,of ,,jamaica4--#gjj 
lbs4 of guano to the acre1              
profitable--,lasting benefits of one    
application--,advantage of top dressing 
grass lands with guano--,benefit of     
guano to all ,long ,island soil--,great 
benefit on turnips4        ,jamaica1 ,l4

 ,i41 ,sept4 #ac1 #aheb4       ,,mr4    
,,theo4 ,,riley1 ,,esq41 ,dear          
,sir3--,in reply to your inquiry        
relative to the use of ,peruvian guano  
on ,long ,island1 ,i would say1         
forming my opinion from experience and  
observation that the mode of            
tillage--the rotation of crops1 and the 
way of applying guano--are      about as
 follows3 ,commence with corn1 which is 
usually on green      sward1 after being
 mowed and pastured from four to six    
years4      ,first1 plow in the spring  
as soon as the frost is out of the      
ground1 which is generally about the    
#bjth of ,march4 ,prepare the           
ground for planting the #ast of ,may1 by
 harrowing well two or three      times4
 ,before the last time harrowing1 apply 
about #bej or #cjj lbs4      of guano to
 the acre1 sown broadcast1 and then mark
 out with plow1      or lace1 about four
 and a half feet apart1 each way2 apply 
a small      quantity to the hill1 one  
third of a gill is as much as will be   

safe1 and that should be in the form of 
a ring about a foot in      diameter1   
and the corn dropped in the center1     
otherwise it will be      likely to kill
 the corn by the sprouts coming in      
contact with the      guano when they   
first start4 ,it will not do to put the 
guano in the      hill and plant the    
corn upon it4 ,it was not uncommon for  
farmers to      have to plant their corn
 all over before they become acquainted 
with its effects2 but as using it in the
 hill1 in a pure state1 is              
generally attended with some risk1 it is
 the practice in this      vicinity to  
use yard manure1 at the rate of one     
third or half a      shovelful to the   
hill2 but as that manure is generally   
weak1 they      have adopted the very   
excellent plan of sprinkling say #ej    
lbs4 of      guano to a wagon load 7#cj 
bushels7 of manure4 ,as we cart the     
manure      in the fall to the field    
where it is intended to be used the     
following spring1 7#a7 the guano can be 

mixed through it with but      little   
trouble1 when it is turned and broken up
 just before use4 ,it      adds very    
much to the value of the manure1 as the 
difference of      harvesting plainly   
shows4 ,muck or pond dirt could be used 
in the      same way1 in place of       
manure4 ,some apply it about the hill at
 the      time of hoeing4 ,it should not
 be thrown on top1 but sprinkled        
around the corn at the rate of half a   
gill per hill4 ,after corn1 we      sow 
oats1 or barley1 or plants potatoes2 if 
oats1 plow once1 sow      #aej or #bjj  
lbs4 of guano1 and two bushels of oats  
to the acre1 and      harrow in         
together4 ,it pays well to use guano for
 oats1 as the crop      of oats will be 
doubled on ordinary lands2 #ej and #fj  
bushels is      frequently obtained1 and
 the difference in the straw1 is worth  
the      expense of the guano4#b ,barley
 is not much sown2 it would require     
a little more guano1 say #ej lbs4       
additional4 ,potatoes1 7,mercers7 we    

plant from middle of ,march to first of 
,may1 after sowing broadcast      from  
#djj to #fjj lbs4 of guano per acre1    
plowed in and harrowed      over2 then  
mark out with plow three feet apart1    
drop in drills      about a foot apart4 
,some prefer it in the drills1 at the   
rate of      what they can grasp in one 
hand to a pace of two and a half feet2  
it should be sprinkled so too much will 
not come in contact with      the seed4 
,after oats or potatoes1 sow wheat1     
about first of      ,october2 if on     
oats1 plow as soon as the oats are off2 
when ready      to sow1 apply from #ejj 
to #gjj lbs4 of guano per acre1 cross   
plow1      and your ground is ready for 
the seed4 ,as to the varieties of       
wheat1 there are several kinds used2 the
 ,mediterranean is the most      popular
 at present--one and a half bushels is  
generally sown to the      acre1 and the
 land laid down to grass1 with timothy  
and clover4      ,some apply less at    
time of sowing1 and add #ajj or #aej    

lbs4 per acre      in the spring1 just  
as the grass is starting1 say first of  
,april4      ,if wheat is sown after    
potatoes1 about the same treatment is   
given1      except #ajj lbs4 less guano 
will answer4 ,some harrow in guano1     
instead of plowing it under2 but        
experience shows that it is much        
the best to plow it in1 as the virtue   
remains in the ground much      longer1 
by being covered deep4 ,peruvian guano  
will produce the best      wheat of     
anything we can use1 even if we should  
go to double the      expense with other
 manures4 ,crops of #cj and sometimes   
#dj bushels      have been obtained to  
the acre with guano4 ,the average crop  
of      wheat on the ,island1 is not    
over #ah bushels per acre1 and with #gjj
      lbs4 of guano plowed in pretty    
deep1 the land can be mowed about as    
long as from an application of stable   
manure4 ,but as hay is a most           
important crop1 after it has been mowed 
for two or three years1 it      is      

considered profitable to top dress with 
about #aej lbs4 per acre2      this will
 increase the crop from one ton to two  
per acre1 if a fair      season1 and can
 be mowed two or three years longer4    
,rye is sown in      many instances1 in 
place of wheat2 it gets the same        
treatment1      except half the quantity
 of guano is only used4 ,buckwheat      
requires      about #ajj lbs4 of guano  
to the acre1 more or less1 according to 
the      state of the land4       ,for  
ruta baga turnips1 there should be #fjj 
lbs4 sown to the acre2      plow twice  
and harrow well after sown4 ,after you  
have hoed them      out1 give them a    
light top dressing of more guano4 ,i    
have raised at      the rate of #gjj    
bushels1 managed in that way1 to the    
acre4 ,we have      had one of the most 
extreme drouths the present season ,i   
ever      remember4 ,crops on which     
guano was used1 have suffered less1 and 
are now yielding better than where      
stable manure has been used4      ,this 

is quite different from the opinion that
 some have formed1 as      to guano     
requiring a wet season4 ,to prepare     
guano for use1 it      should first be  
sifted1 to separate the lumps1 so that  
they may be      pulverized1 then dampen
 by sprinkling with water1 and mixed    
through      with a shovel4 ,this should
 be done a few days before you wish to  
use it1 so as to allow the dampness to  
strike through uniform4 7#c7      ,i    
have not had any experience with        
compost1 or using it on garden          
vegetables1 or plants1 except ,i know it
 should be used in      homeopathic     
doses1 or it will destroy more than it  
will produce4 ,as      to the soil1     
guano answers well anywhere on ,long    
,island1 although      some parts of the
 ,island has a very different soil from 
others1      with one exception2 that   
is1 it is all hungry for manure4 ,i     
therefore do not know the kind of soil  
it is most applicable to1      since it 
seems to suit all kinds4       ,,seth   

,,chapman4  ,,note #a4 ,this practice of
 hauling manure to the field in the     
fall1 is the worst of all the foolish   
old fashions of farmers4 ,to preserve   
the virtue1 of manure1 it requires      
housing about as much as hay4 ,in fact1 
it is doubtful which would lose virtue  
fastest1 a pile of hay or a pile of     
manure1 exposed to the storms of winter4
 ,it is no wonder that it becomes       
necessary to mix guano with it1 to      
replace that which has evaporated during
 its long exposure to sun and storm4    
,,note #b4 ,this increase of straw1 is  
seldom taken into account in speaking of
 the advantage of an application of     
guano2 yet1 as ,mr4 ,chapman says1 it is
 worth enough in the vicinity of a      
market1 to pay the whole expense4 ,it is
 also valuable in the interior for      
forage and manure4  ,,note #c4 ,this is 
an error4 ,guano should not be damped   
unless with water saturated with salt1  
copperas1 or a liberal sprinkle of      
plaster over the pile4   ,,letter ,,from

 ,,seth ,,ravnor1 ,,of ,,manorville ,,to
 ,,mr4 ,,chapman4--,successful          
experiments on grass1 oats1 corn1 wheat 
and rye4        ,manorville1 ,sept4 #h1 
#aheb4       ,s4 ,,chapman1             
,,esq4--,dear ,sir2--,i have received   
your circular      proposing to gather  
information from practical farmers of   
the      results from the use of guano1 
and to have the same published for      
general circulation4 ,conceiving the    
object to be a very laudable      one1  
,i will give the result of a few        
experiments tried with      ,peruvian   
guano by myself1 and others which have  
come under my      observation2 but in  
doing so ,i think it would be of great  
utility      to state what kind of soil 
the guano was applied to4 ,not being a  
professor of geology1 ,i can only use   
such terms as are familiar      with    
farmers generally4 ,the soils in this   
vicinity are heavy loam1      sandy     
loam1 sandy1 and occasionally some heavy
 clayey soils4       ,first1 as to the  

nature of guano4 ,it is generally       
considered to be      more of a         
stimulant than an enricher of the soil1 
if applied in its      natural state1   
and much more durable to be plowed in   
than to be      harrowed in2 and as far 
as ,i have tried it1 ,i have not found  
it to      be injurious to soils--or as 
some call it1 'kill the soil4' ,in the  
year '#di ,i applied on the first of    
,april1 #agf lbs4 per acre on      sandy
 loam grass ground--yield1 about half a 
ton more than the acre      adjoining4  
,same year applied about #aej lbs4 to   
the acre1 on four      acres of oats1   
same kind of soil1 and the estimated    
increase was #bj      bushels to the    
acre4 ,in #ahej plowed under #djj pounds
 per acre1 for      corn1 estimated     
increase1 #ae bushels of ears4 ,the     
season was rather      unfavorable for  
corn4 ,in '#ea composted six bushels    
charcoal dust to      #ajj lbs4 guano1  
and plowed under for wheat1 at the rate 
of #ejj lbs4      of guano so composted1

 to the acre1 and top dressed with #ajj 
bushels of leached ashes--yield1 #bj    
bushels4 ,one of my neighbors           
applied for three years in succession1  
#ajj lbs4 harrowed in with      rye1 on 
two acres light sand--yield1 #ad bushels
 to the acre2 #aj      bushels more than
 the acre adjoining4 ,on the fourth year
 he sowed      the same ground without  
guano--- yield1 #d bushels to the acre4 
,we      see by this1 that the crop used
 the whole strength of the guano4       
,another neighbor applied one ton to two
 acres1 heavy loam2 plowed      under   
and sowed with turnips 7common          
,russian7--yield1 #a1cjj                
bushels--estimated increase from the    
guano1 #fjj bushels4 ,people in         
this section of the ,island are agreed  
in this--plow under guano for           
durability1 and harrow in for present   
benefit1 or present crop4 ,for          
wheat1 #ejj lbs4 plowed in is considered
 a full dressing per acre4      ,the    
same for corn4 ,for oats1 #bjj lbs4     

harrowed in4 ,for buckwheat1      #ajj  
lbs41 and #bjj for barley4 ,one         
tablespoonful applied in a hill1        
for corn1 is quite enough1 and that     
requires to be put some six      inches 
from the seed2 otherwise it will kill   
it4 ,some have lost      acres by       
putting their corn on that little       
quantity2 the only safe      way to     
apply in the hill for potatoes1 is the  
same as for corn4 ,i      have come to  
the conclusion from what experience ,i  
have had with      the article1 that it 
answers the best purpose to use it for  
spring      crops1 in the manner above  
stated1 or compost it with charcoal     
dust1 or well decomposed pond mud1 to   
absorb and retain the      ammonia1 it  
being very volatile in its nature4 ,i   
have not written      this for          
publication2 ,i have only thrown out a  
few hints for you to      embody4       
,,seth ,,raynor4  ,although the above   
was not written for publication1 we     
prefer to give it just as it was        

written1 in the plain style of one      
farmer to another4  ,,interesting       
,,letter ,,from ,,edward ,h4 ,,seaman1  
,,esq41 ,,sec4 ,,of ,,queens ,,co4 ,,ag4
 ,,soc4--,successful experiments since  
#ahdg--;,great increase of straw and    
wheat--,harrowing in guano1 #cjj lbs4 to
 the acre1 produced #da bushels of      
wheat4 ,increase1 seven bushels for each
 #ajj lbs--,thirty bushels of wheat per 
acre on an old worn out buckwheat       
field--,advantage of guano in           
drouth--astonishing effects from top    
dressing grass4        ,cherrywood1     
,sept4 #aath1 #aheb4       ,,mr4 ,,seth 
,,chapman--,dear ,sir1--,i forward      
according to      request1 the results  
of several years use of ,peruvian       
,guano1 upon      my farm at ,jerusalem1
 ,long ,island4       ,the first        
decisive benefit from guano that ,i     
shall notice1 was      obtained from    
using it for wheat1 as a top-dressing4  
,in #ahdg1      ,october #ast1 ,i took a
 field containing #f acres of oat       

stubble1 on      which ,i used some     
manure1 all over the field2 top-dressed 
with      ,peruvian guano1 at the rate  
of #cjj lbs4 per acre1 sown 7fortunately
      just before a storm17 upon the    
furrow and harrowed in with the         
wheat4 ,four acres of the field were    
sown with the old-fashioned red         
flint wheat1 which requires more manure 
than any other kind among      us4 ,the 
rest of the field was sown with a soft  
white hulled wheat1      the name of    
which ,i do not remember4 ,july #e1     
#ahdh4--;,harvested said                
field--,red wheat yielded well from     
straw1 #ad sheaves to the               
bushel--white wheat #bj sheaves to the  
bushel--straw very large and      thick4
 ,had #afd bushels of wheat1 or #da     
bushels per acre2 and #eh      bushels  
of white wheat or #bi bushels per acre2 
without the guano ,i      think ,i could
 not have obtained much over #bj bushels
 per      acre4--#ahdh1 ,oct4 #b4 ,again
 sowed wheat upon a six acre lot of oat 

stubble2 seed red flint wheat--manured  
about the same as previous              
year--used #cjj lbs4 guano per acre1 as 
top-dressing for #d acres and      moss 
bunker fish dirt at the rate of #aj1jjj 
per acre upon the two      acres1 sowed 
upon the furrow1 and harrowed in just   
previous to a      storm--,harvested the
 #ajth of ,july #ahdi4 ,the straw very  
large1 and      wheat heads long1 but   
grain very much injured by fly or       
weevil--very little difference between  
fish and guano top-dressing2      yield 
#ahh shocks--#age bushels2 not quite #cj
 bushels per acre4 ,same      ground    
would not have produced more than #ah to
 #bj bushels wheat per      acre without
 the guano--or some other more expensive
 manure4 #ahdi4      ,oct4 #c4 ,sowed   
wheat upon oat stubble field2 soil thin 
and gravelly      upon part of the      
field--used some barnyard manure1 but   
not as much      as previous year4      
,top-dressed with #cjj lbs4 guano and   
#ab bushels      ground bones per       

acre--,harvested #abth ,july            
#ahej--,yield of #e-a_/b      acres #afj
 shocks2 injured some by weevil1 and    
shrunken1 but had #ade      bushels or  
twenty-six bushels per acre4 ,this      
ground would not have      yielded      
fifteen bushels per acre without the    
guano4 ,but the most      decisive      
result was obtained the next year1 upon 
an oat stubble      field of six acres1 
a part of which had been cropped1 for   
perhaps      #ae years1 nearly          
alternately with rye and buckwheat2     
7sometimes a      crop of each in one   
year47 ,the whole field seemed so far   
exhausted      that we had failed to get
 a crop of corn or oats from it after   
two      different trials2 and ,i       
underwent no small share of ridicule    
from      my neighbors1 while preparing 
it for wheat4 ,remarks like the         
following were of daily occurrence--,ah6
 ,seaman you will fail this      time4  
,you have not got your old highly       
manured fields to exhaust      this time

 by your stimulating stuff6 ,we shall   
now see whether      guano is good for  
anything--this will be a fair test1     
because the      land will not produce  
anything without it1 c4 ,you may get    
about      #ab bushels of wheat per     
acre2 we shall see4 ,all agreed however1
      that if wheat did grow1 guano     
should have the credit for it4          
,well1 we prepared the ground in about  
the usual manner1 except      perhaps   
plowing a little deeper than in former  
years4 ,a small      quantity of manure 
was plowed under1 and a top dressing of 
ground      bones given and sowed about 
the last of ,september--#b acres with   
,mediterranean and #d acres with the red
 flint wheat--but owing to a            
scarcity of the article1 could only get 
about #dbj lbs4 of guano1      which was
 sown across the field upon not quite #c
 acres1 covering      some of each kind 
of wheat2 it was sown upon the furrow1  
and      harrowed in with the wheat as  
usual4 ,in #ahea1 ,april #aath1 top     

dressed the whole field with guano1 at  
about #bjj lbs4 per acre2      harvested
 about the #hth ,july4 ,the #b acres of 
,mediterranean yielded      #fa bushels2
 flint wheat straw very large1 and thick
 upon the      ground1 but grain much   
injured by the weevil2 yielding an      
average      of #bc bushels per acre4 ,i
 may remark1 that where the guano was   
applied in the autumn1 the crop was     
quite one third greater than      where 
it only received the spring dressing4   
,the last year ,i managed      much in  
the same way1 except that ,i fell short 
of manure1 and      depended entirely   
upon guano and bone upon a part of the  
field1      from which part1 though ,i  
have not yet threshed it1 ,i think ,i   
shall      get #ah to #bj bushels4 ,the 
rest of the field was very large and    
considered the best between this place  
and ,brooklyn1 on a road of      #be    
miles in length4       ,my good luck7#a7
 at wheat growing is now a conceded     
point4 ,now for      other crops--for   

corn ,i have not been very successful2  
generally      mixing some guano with   
earth in the hill at the time of        
planting      and getting but few plants
 to stand2 these1 however1 generally    
have      been heavily eared4 ,by mixing
 previously with charcoal dust ,i think 
this burning of the seed might be       
avoided47#b7       ,for buckwheat1 ,i   
used #abj to #aej lbs4 per acre1 sown   
upon the      furrow and harrowed in    
with the grain4 ,for barley1 #aej to    
#bjj lbs4      per acre2 oats #ajj to   
#abj lbs2 turnips1 #fjj to #gjj lbs4    
plowed      under a short depth1        
previously to forming the drill2 and ,i 
find a      decided profit in using     
guano for all the above crops4 ,i have  
seen      a field of corn the present   
season very greatly improved in earing  
by the application of about #aej lbs4 of
 guano1 mixed with #e parts             
charcoal dust1 and thrown around the    
hills a few weeks since during      a   
rain storm4       ,i have also used     

guano and charcoal dust1 five parts coal
 to one of      guano1 in my garden1 the
 past season1 and found the beds thus   
dressed stood the extreme drought better
 than other parts of the      garden4   
,one more case of my own and ,i am done4
 ,in #ahea1 ,i sowed      about #ij lbs4
 of guano1 on a piece of meadow or      
mowing ground1      covering a little   
more than half an acre1 from which the  
timothy      and clover was nearly gone2
 ,i took #c lands across the lot1       
leaving      about #bj feet between each
 land4 ,where the guano was sown1 the   
timothy grew large and thick and bore   
the drought1 and yielded      about one 
and a half tons per acre2 while the rest
 of the field did      not produce more 
than half that amount1 and that of an   
inferior      quality of grass4 ,the    
corn upon the same field the present    
season1      shows plainly a better     
yield from the above top-dressing4 ,from
      observation and experience1 ,i    
would recommend the mixing of guano     

with charcoal dust1 equal parts1 or five
 parts coal to one guano1      ,it is   
much more pleasant to handle when thus  
mixed1 being      completely deodorized 
and rendered much more enduring as a    
manure1      by retaining the ammonia   
for several years1 instead of allowing  
the      greater part to pass off the   
first season1 as is the case when       
applied in a crude state1 especially as 
a top dressing4       ,prepared or      
decomposed muck if used with guano as a 
retainer of the      volatile gases1 in 
all cases where it can be conveniently  
obtained      especially in soils where 
evaporation is so rapid as it is in most
      parts of ,long ,island1 will pay4 
,that like produces like1 is a favorite 
maxim with me--that it is      necessary
 to replace the matter1 both organic and
 inorganic1 which      we take from the 
soil in the form of crops1 of various   
kinds--that      by supplying the       
necessary chemical ingredients1 we shall
 be able      to draw a great proportion

 of our crops from atmospheric          
agents--that the necessity for using    
such an immense amount of      organic  
matter as we now use in the shape of    
barn yard and stable      manure will be
 partially overcome--that a great saving
 of expense      will thereby           
ensue--that guano is one of the most    
active agents to      effect such a     
result ,i am fully satisfied1 not       
sufficient perhaps      of itself1 but  
highly useful even in a crude state--and
 capable      when skillfully combined  
with others1 to effect an entire        
revolution in our system of agriculture4
       ,if you think the above worth an 
insertion in the pamphlet you spoke     
of1 you are at liberty to insert it--if 
not1 you will please return      the    
letter to me1 as soon as convenient1 and
 if you think it will      pass off any 
better1 you may affix the following     
signature to the      communication4    
,,edward ,h4 ,,seaman1 ,recording       
,secretary1   ,queen's ,co4             

,agricultural ,society4       ,,note    
#a4--,yes1 that is the word--good       
luck--it is all      good luck4 ,it is  
astonishing how many farmers there are  
in this      country who will stand with
 their hands in their breeches pockets1 
fumbling idle dollars1 while a neighbor 
expends his for guano1 and      produces
 a fine crop of wheat upon an old worn  
out buckwheat field2      at which they 
stare in stupid wonder at the good luck 
of the thing4       ,what a pity it had 
not been the good luck of such men to   
have been      born with common sense   
enough to profit themselves by their    
neighbors good luck4       ,,note       
#b4--;,it would be far better to sow the
 guano broadcast      and plow it in1 or
 scatter it in drills and turn a light  
furrow on      it before planting4      
,hempstead1 ,aug4#bg1 #aheb4            
,,seth ,,chapman1 ,,esq4--,dear         
,sir3--,i believe ,i was the first      
person in ,queens ,county using guano2  
having imported some from      ,england 

in the ship ,yorkshire1 in #ahdb4 ,this 
was from the ,ichaboe      ,islands4 ,i 
have since used nearly all the          
varieties1 and consider      the        
,peruvian the cheapest and best4        
,in applying guano1 ,i think by making a
 compost1 the greatest      benefit is  
derived2 say one peck of plaster1 one   
bushel of loam1      two of saw dust1   
mixed up a month or six weeks before    
using4 ,from      #ajj to #bjj lbs4 of  
guano is enough for a crop of oats or   
buckwheat4      ,i have not found it to 
succeed with corn or potatoes2 probably 
from      being accompanied by a dry    
season4 ,the best wheat ,i ever raised  
was      from using #cej lbs4 to the    
acre1 composted4 ,this was on a light   
soil1 and returned #ca bushels to the   
acre1 on seven acres1 weighing      #fb 
lbs4 ,the grass was poor after it4 ,as a
 top dresser1 ,i have used      #bjj    
lbs4 per acre1 very early in the spring1
 on half a lot1 which      mowed more   
than half as much again as the part not 

dressed4 ,one of      my neighbors has  
used #cjj lbs4 per acre1 plowed in for  
potatoes2      the yield1 good1 so far1 
having just commenced digging4          
,,john ,,harold4  ,we might give much   
more evidence of the same kind1 to prove
 that every barren acre upon ,long      
,island1 might be made productive by a  
judicious and profitable application of 
guano2 but if there are any persons1    
who1 after reading these pages1 are     
still doubting1 we must say they are    
most incorrigably determined not to     
profit by the experience of others4 ,to 
such it would be useless to say more4   
,successful ,experiment with ,guano as a
 ,top ,dressing on ,wheat1 in ,north    
,carolina4--,on page #ag1 we gave some  
account of the application of guano by  
,henry ,k4 ,burgwyn1 ,esq41 since which1
 we have been favored with the following
 letter from his brother1 ,t4 ,pollock  
,burgwyn1 written1 as will be seen1 not 
for publication1 but simply to give the 
party from whom he purchased the guano1 

a detail of his success4        ,new    
,york1 ,sept4 #bj1 #aheb4               
,,messrs4 ,a4 ,b4 ,,allen 4 ,co4--,dear 
,sir3--,having promised      that ,i    
would furnish you with the result of my 
application of the      #ba tons of     
guano which ,i purchased of you last    
winter1 ,i proceed      now to do so1   
and give you full liberty to quote my   
experience in      favor of the use of  
that most invaluable manure1 to all who 
are      anxious to profit by the       
experience of others without incurring  
any      risk of their own4 ,my object1 
and it should be that of every one      
who has used guano1 is to extend the    
knowledge of its great value      to any
 owner of poor soil1 like the worn out  
plantations of ,north      ,carolina4 ,i
 applied #bj tons of this guano as a top
 dressing to a      field of #bjj acres1
 which had been seeded in wheat under   
most      unfavorable circumstances4 ,at
 the time of application1 so            
unpromising was the appearance of the   

growing wheat1 that my      manager and 
myself thought it almost a waste of     
money and labor to      try this        
experiment17#a7 but as the rest of my   
crop did not require      any manure1 ,i
 resolved to see what would be the      
effect4 ,i am      confident the field  
would not have averaged1 without the top
      dressing1 seven bushels per       
acre--it yielded rather over #ac        
bushels1 besides securing to me a full  
setting of clover47#b7       ,my mode of
 application was as follows2 to each    
#bjj lbs of guano ,i      added two     
bushels of ashes and a bushel of plaster
 mixed      intimately1 and then sown   
broadcast1 at the rate of six and a half
      bushels per acre1 harrowed in with
 a light harrow4 ,this application      
was made in ,march1 and the early part  
of ,april1 and in less than      three  
weeks after the application1 the wheat  
had undergone an      entire change1    
from a yellow1 sickly color1 to a dark  
luxuriant      green4 ,the application  

had evidently infused new life and vigor
      into the plants1 and as the result
 proved1 very nearly or quite           
doubled its product4 ,so much for the   
crop of wheat2 but what was      still  
more valuable to me1 in my system of    
farming1 it likewise      secured for me
 a full crop of clover1 which would     
certainly have      failed but for this 
application4 ,i also applied one ton of 
this      guano mixed in the same way1  
to a small field of oats4 ,i plowed     
this under with a small plow1 together  
with the oats2 the result      was      
equally gratifying4 ,my chief object in 
this last experiment1      was to secure
 me a small field of clover1 near my    
stables1 and in      this ,i fully      
succeeded2 which ,i feel assured ,i     
should not have done      but for the   
guano4 ,my brother and myself have made 
various      experiments of late years1 
with guano1 and concur in the testimony 
of all those who have tested its value1 
carefully and judiciously1      in      

pronouncing it to be the most           
expeditious renovater of the soil       
within the farmer's reach2 and exclusive
 of the farm yard1 the most             
economical of all manures4 ,in proof of 
my conviction of its value      to me1  
,i shall this fall give you an order for
 #bj or #cj tons more4      ,i will only
 add that ,i consider every wheat grower
 who would study      his own interest1 
will find it by trying similar          
experiments4    ,t4 ,,pollock ,,burgwyn4
  ,,note #a4 ,in a subsequent           
conversation with ,mr4 ,burgwyn1 he     
stated a fact which makes this point    
much stronger4 ,after ordering the      
guano1 he left home1 giving his farm    
manager orders to apply if to that      
particular piece of wheat as soon as it 
arrived4 ,owing to the fact that the    
seed was injured--that the land was in a
 very unfit condition from poverty and  
drouth to produce a crop of wheat1 it   
had assumed such a miserable appearance 
before the arrival of the guano1 that   

the manager wrote to ,mr4 ,b4 his       
opinion of the utter folly of applying  
anything so expensive to a crop already 
struck with death4 ,not imagining how   
very unpromising was the prospect of    
success1 ,mr4 ,b4 immediately wrote to  
him to go ahead as directed4 ,before the
 application was completed he returned  
home1 and his first impression was to   
stop the work at once and give up the   
field as lost2 but on examining the     
effect upon that part where the guano   
was first applied1 he found it had      
already infused new vigor into the      
plants1 for they had put off their      
sickly yellow color1 and taken on a     
vigorous green2 and therefore he decided
 at once to go on1 which as will be seen
 by the result1 was a most valuable     
decision4  ,,note #b4 ,from personal    
knowledge of this very field1 we are    
confident it would not have yielded     
without the guano1 one half of seven    
bushels4 ,it is a flat surface1 clayey  
loam1 and badly affected by winter      

rains1 and such freezing and thawing as 
it had during the last severe winter4   
,besides it was a few years since1 when 
it came into the possession of ,mr4     
,burgwyn1 one of those old worn out1    
skinned-to-death places1 so common in   
that ,state1 which all the deep plowing 
and good farming of that gentleman had  
not been able to restore1 until he      
luckily hit upon guano2 which           
notwithstanding the most unfavorable    
circumstances1 has given him conclusive 
proof of its inestimable value4 ,to say 
nothing of the ten bushels of wheat per 
acre1 which we are confident he gained1 
the clover is worth more than the guano 
cost2 and without it1 one might almost  
as soon expect to grow clover upon      
,coney ,island beach1 as upon that      
field4  ,this letter contains testimony 
of inestimable value4 ,it comes from a  
gentleman of intelligence and careful   
observation1 who is devoted to his      
profession of a farmer1 and who has been
 one of the most successful renovators  

of worn out plantations in the south1   
and it comes very opportunely to give   
our work an appropriate ,,finale4