Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1848-07-13
A G r lou LTUR AL.
EXPERIMENTS WITH GUANO.

EXPERIMENTS WITH GUANO.
IMPROVEMENT OF WORKOUT LAND-"A
LEARNER''-coL. cAPRoN.
To the Editor Of the american Farmer:
DEAR SIR: had intended to wait until
could give you the full results of some
trials of Guano, but for your request to hear
from me on the subject at this time, and that
the indications of these trials are so decided
as TO justify my giving them to you.
! have used more or less Guano for seve-
raj years, and notwithstanding had great
faith in its virtues, have been by no means
satisfied with the results Of my experiments.
Being led TO believe, last year, that my fail
ure was probably owing to my applying it
on the surface, applied it in the fall by
ploughing it under for wheat, and with mark
ed SUGGESTIVE wheat showing very dis
t'nctly the presence Of the Guano wher-
ever used. My principal application has
been made this spring upon lot of oats of
about ten acres. The quality of the land
varied from very good bottom lands to very
barren knobs. My object was to give it a
uniform appearance and equalize the quality
OF the land; ] put none on the bottom and
none on the better portion of the upland,
but put j. on the thinner land and barren
knolls, regulating the quantity according to
the quality of the soil and applying an ave-
rage Of about three hundred weight per acre
the Guano sown unmixed, Immediately
after and ploughed under with the oats at
the same operation. The result is that the
oats growing upon these barren knobs are
superior to those on the bottom land, and
will, am confident, yield four bushels to
one from the upland Immediately around.
In several hours ride through some of the
most fertile lands in the county, have seen
no crop superior, and scarcely any equal to
that growing upon these spots, which, bu,
Tor this mere busting of Guano, seemed Ut
'erly barren. An experiment. at hand more
matured than this, goes to show that on such
soils the product in grain is quite equal to
the promise in the straw. In wheat field
upon farm adj dining mine, upon hillside
from which the original soil seemed entirely
washed away, an application Of Guano was
made upon some twenty or thirty yards ;
the remainder of the hillside was left un-
improved. During the winter and early
spring the wheat had the appearance of hav-
ing been heavily dressed with fresh stable
manure, and the impression of those who
saw it was that it would make no grain
The fine heads are now, however, we'll fill
ed with beautiful grain, which will yield,
think, at the rate of fifteen bushels per acre,
whereas no reasonable man would cut that
which is unmanured for the sake of the
wheat that it would yield. In conclusion,
am so we'll satisfied of the value Of Guano
for the first crop, that had the same assn
rance OF its value for the succeeding crop Of
clover, should not hesitate for system for
the improvement of my WORKOUT lands. !
should not follow the course favored by "a
Learner" nor that so earnestly advocated
by Col. Capron, but taking that ''middle
way" which, in most concerns Of life, is the
path of wisdom as we'll as safety, should
lay my foundation with Guano as auxiliary
10 my stable and barn.yard manures, and
build upon these with the green crops
While | agree entirely with Col. Capron
that it is hopeless task to improve worm
out land with that which grows upon it,
without the aid of manure, his calculations
by no means convince me that the use Of
green ctops as manure sis the most ex-
Penslve method Of improving any soil in
any situation" 1t would ''astonish the ma
tives" of South River and West River and
other favored regions whose lands are made
famous by the facility with which they are
improved by the green crop clover, to be
told by Col. Capron that they are of all i'm
Provers the most extravagant. They would
show him the cost-ifly cents for a gallon
of clover-seed and twenty-five cents for a
bushel of plaster-and when he had explain
ed to them that if they would cut this clo-
yer and pack 1t and send it to market, they
could buy SO much Guano, or ashes, or lime,
they would tell him still that their land has
not cost more than sevenly-6ve cents per
acre once in three years. or twenty-five cents
per acre per annum, and that they know it
has improved very much to their sa,sGac-
ton. Further experiments they will doubt
less be willing to leave to those who are not
so we'll satisfied. In fact, the syetem of
self-renovaiion and permanent improvement
by its own growth is the system which has
approved itself to the practical wisdom of
thousands of improvers for years past, and
which must be mainly relied upon, where
(as in this State) the quantity of land is
large in proportion to the amount of labor
employed. The question is to- bring it TO
that point at which it may be left with ju-
dcious management to improve itself; and
to this point | agree with Col. Capron, it
should be brought as early as possible
whether by stable or barn-yard manure, or
Guano, or lime, or ashes, or bone dust, one
or all, is matter to be determined by each
individual according to his convenience. his
means, or the nature of his SOIL The Gu
ano suits my soil and shall use it.
Very respectfully yours,
N. B. WoRTHlNGToN.