Daily Richmond times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1849-1850, 1850-09-17
From the Charlottesville Je6ersoaian.
LETTER OF ALEX. RIVES, ESQ. ON THE
USE OF GUANO.
CARLTON, 10th Sept. 1850

e:. tua aaarstaad IA ,,ar, psraa ~.
chases 81 (Jano Have bee ,ase in thi em,r o.
onnlicatnn This fail think il in some measnre m,
dnv to report through your columns the results have
derived from its use MY experiments &ith it were
conduc,ed with great care and for the most mart undet
nv personal supervision | NAV therefore venture O
assure nv brethren of the plouuh that thew NAV CON
Fde IN NV reuort and need make no allowance 70,
snch ooseness or inaccuracy fstaement as might well
be imputed TO one so little known to them in the char
ac,er of a farmer.
chiefly EMPLOYED this manure upon NV Mill Farm
near arren whose soil is ouite jfereut from that in
this v,cnilv White1t Is not mike in color il has
much LARGER admxture of sand and NAV be DESIGNATED
"a a sort of eompound of our red and orev soils Its
red CLAW however is peculiar for its indications of
strong jpnens action, not so distinct in the soil of this
neirhborhood
NV first trial was upon an acre or land, ing the
| crest of a small RIDGE from which the soil had been
competey carried by the rains and faulty cultivation
In the spring had partially top dressed with leaves
and nut il in oats for wheat allow in the fall It pro
duced little or no oats and alter being re-faowed for
wheat in August it presented sad spectac of naked
cIav hroken nm in hard and intracabIe nmns II VIC
bronoht INTO as good th as it could he bv the bar
row 800 lbs of guano was sown upon it and turned
in with A two horse nloupb 1t was aqan narrowed
the last ofSentember II was seeded 10 Turkeo Wheat
which was gotten in with the harrow By the first OF
Novarbar the Growth of wheat was ;uxurian and the
Trad Of ha so from heinp harsh had hacomp Soft
mellow Il delighted the eve throughout the winter
and snrno and thouuh late variety il rinened within
few DAYS of Mediterranean wheat and wholly free
of rust which affected the same kind around il pon
more ter,e land It's produce was senaratev hresbad
and measured Its Weld was Ia bushels Without
This manure the land was, in nv opinion. neapabe Of
hring;no itsseed
In re same field. measured last fall six acres in
bodv being two acres deep and three LONG The soil
was thorouohly exhausted and covered for the most
mari with suned sassafras which had been we'll thrown
ont by the August falow Each acre was distinctly
marked to itself so as to admit OF different measures
Of ouano The upper tier otthe acres was for Mediter
ranean. and the lower for Turkey Wheat Otthe for.
mer the two outer acres received 200 bs each Of on
ano: the middle acre only 100 lbs Ater these tb+ee
acres had been narrowed these several Quantities Of
euano were then applied the wheat mined lately sovo
and both turned in with The one horse Tivnos,on'
plough, and the land then Ievelled with the harrow
A different culture was adopted far The lower ,hree
acreshe guano in weight corresnondinp with tbe ans
plications to the upper acres was sown on the har
rrowad surface trrppad ID ,h @ o ''rI at
and then Ieveed for seedna Thev We're then mt ;1
Turkey wheat with The cnl1jvator and the harrow IN
like manner the ,vbaat nno, this ,hnamt so,n ba
came uxurant and aaddened me on everu visit naid
to the farm, pau
Dnring The Iattar mart ot the v,;,to, d tho fire. ,o
of the sDrno While the field was urazed bv NV s shpen