Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1851-02-28

and hope they Will perSeVefe untii ny leeoehhS o
bulk and increasing the power OF their compounds,
thew may be able to prepare an article that for
cheapness. convenience of application and efhcacy,
shall equal or surpass the best Peruvian Guano.
In the effect of guano, especially the Peruvian,
have never been disappointed have used 1t now
for four years. with entire satisfaction, having each
year been induced to enlarge my expenditure until
last year it reached eight hundred dollars, and for
the crop of wheat this fall it exceeds one thousand.
have observed with establishment its effects in nu
merous instances, the poor forest lands" allud
ed to in former part of this address. What the
turnip and sheep husbandry have done for the light
lands of Great Britain, the general use of guano
PROMISES to do for ours. Lands few years ago
deemed entirely incapable of producing wheat, now
produce the most luxuriant crops From Is to 20
bushels for sowed is the ordinary product on our
poorest lands from the application of 200 lbs. of
Peruvian Guano. | may remark it is not usual, in
Eastern Virginia, to SOW more than a bushel of
wheat to the and that | deem amply sufficient.
Upon this subject hope few details may not be
considered tedious uninteresting. I applied last
fall $3.50 worth of Guano partly Peruvian and part
ly Patagonan, on poor farm in the forest" which
costs few years ago four dollars acre. and
reaped 1889 bushels of beautiful wheat from 70
sowed. Forty-six bushels were sowed on fallow,
Tooth guano and wheat put in with the cultvator.
followed by heavy harrow,) and yielded 100 bush
els or Ia for considerable part of this
was dressed with Patagonian Guano, and was much
inferior to the other portion. lot on which Is
bushels was sowed. and dressed with Peruvian Qua
no, was threshed separately and yielded 30l bush
els or 90 for one The whole costs of the farm
was $500, and have good reason to expect. with
favorable season, from the crop sowed and
dressed with Guano, bushel of wheat for every dol
lar of the prime cost of the farm. Many other in
stances of profit from the of Guano equally str
ing, have occurred among my neighbors and friends,
but confne myself to those stated because having
come under my immediate observation, | can vouch
for their entire accuracy. 1t has been frequently
objected to the of Guano that it is not perma-
nent. 1t would be unreasonable to expect great per-
manent improvement from a active. and
which yielded so large profit the first crop
Yet have some striking evidences of it's per-
manency in heavy crops of clover. succeeding wheat
and in the increase of the crop of wheat second
application. AS an instance, may mention that
two years ago sowed upon a single detached acre
of forest land' bushel Of wheat, and dressed
it with barrel of African Guano. costing 81, and
the yield was seventeen bushels. Last fall the same
land. after remaining year in clover. again
sOwed with one bushel OF wheat and dressed with
40 lbs of Peruvian Guano, costing So and the pro-
duct was % bushels. Yet would advise to
rely upon Guano exclusively It's analv shows
that contains salts OF ammonia alkaline phOsphates
and the other mineral elements necessary produce
the grain of wheat bnt is deficient in most of the
elements of the straw and roots of the plants
Hence (says Liebig) "a rational agricuturist in
using Guano cannot dispense with stable dung
We should therefore. be careful not to exhaust the
of the wheat and occasionally crop of clover which
plant contains large per centage of the alkaline
carbonates, which entirely wanting in Guano
furnish all the elements necessary to the entire
wheat plant. In this view of the subject. and for
many other reasons that | cannot stop to enumer-
ate, there cannot be- when Guanois extensively used
a more judicious rotation than the Pamunky five
field system, in which clover occupies prominent
place. have enumerated some of the most
prominent means by which you may keep your
land riohf 7 oof &c
others. Science is daily making discoveries in the
art of enriching the earth, and should discard
nothing, without trial which promises to be use
ful; always bearing in mind that the wisest
my is entirely consistent with the most liberal
penditure, in the purchase of manures provided we
take by udicious experiments and observation,
to ascertain their efficacy. and that get back
capital with actual net profit. in cash. on all
investments. This latter caution is indispensable,
in country, where lands abundant
and cheap, that highly improved farms never
be rated in the market at their true value.
But gentlemen must not content ourselves
with these mere physical improvements, to which
have, in very imperfect manner, endeavored to
direct your attention In this age of general intel
ligence, the American farmer has niger destiny to
fulfil. The time has gone by when to plough, to
and to reap, constituted the whole art and mys
terry of his calling He is member of liber-
al and enlightened profession, with literature,
science and philosophy of its own, requiring fine
taste for their enjoyment and the highest efforts of
cultivated intellect to comprehend them and render
them subservient to the improvement of his noble
act Many of the first minds of our own country
and of Europe. are engaged in developing, for our
benefit, by the aid of analytic chemistry, the mys-
terious operations of nature The agricultural press
everywhere is teeming with information; and the
quarterly journals heretofore exclusively devoted to
criticism politics and general literature find in
agriculture ample field for many of their most
agreeble and useful speculations. Each steamer
that crosses the Atlantic, freighted with the
France and Germany. to this now comprehensive
science In fact the world is waking up to the i'm
portance, the delights, and the commanding inter-
est of the farmers calling. And shall American
farmers continue to sleep on? No, gentlemen. let
us arouse ourselves, and by difusng the light of
general education among the people. dissipate the
clouds of ignorance and prejudice and prepare them
for their high destiny
| Nor should we be content with elementary
education. The increased profits of improved agri-
culture will enable us to be liberal in our expendi-
lures for noble purpose. and we should not be
satisfied until our are thoroughly educated in
every department of science and philosophy taught
in best institutions of learning, Why should
the farmer be confined to the contemplation of the
mere physical objects that surround him Why
may he not aspire to the highest cultivation and
blest exercise of his intellectual faculties He has
much time for study and ample opportunities for
quiet contemplation These advantages should not
be lost and the boundless of enjoyment which
thew open to the cultivated mind, be forever closed
i for want of that taste for general reading which
early training and liberal education only canimpart
Let us, then, endeavor to educate our sons that
the rising generation of farmers may not only be
furnished with all the knowledge. both practical and