Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1852-09-21

ASsNN~ -
FURS, will prove OF interest to oar farEnOEa;
MouNr VgRxoN, August Both, 1859.
My DEAR SIR: NV business engagements must
be my apology Tor not having sooner furnished you
with the information you requested respecting the
use and application GuanO IN this neighbOrhOOd.
More or less of il has been used here, every year
since 1915, when we commenced vain II, and have
never seen worn out or poor sOfi on which It
wheat corn and grass. The expediency of using
it the best and richest fields IN Jefferson may 10
doubtful, but on your exhausted Iahus-aho mere
some OF this character in your county-on The
slate lands along the OPequon, ON the stlP ot ara
bic land between the Shenandoah bottoms and the
Blue Ridge on the Pine Hills around HaTPeIs-
Ferry aud generally your COrn-l1nd wheathelds,
Guano can i'll my opinion, be used with unques-
IiOnabe profit.
In applying it TO wheat in the fall the following
course has been pursued with success After
plOughins the land Guano in finely pulveIized
stale has been at the rate OI Two hunuTeu los
(three buShes) per acre on the PlonShed ground
and Immediately narrowed or hShty Ploughed IN
Another plan which has been found To succeed Just
as we'll, is to harrow the land, and SOW the guanor
and wheat immediately on il aud plough both IN
togeIheI The Guano should be Sitted and the
Jumps pounded The sitting can be done with
wheat ian, by lOOsening the crank rod from tho
wheel wings 50 that they shall not turn put IN
the finest riddle and pour in the guano al the hopper
and shake the riddle by means ofIhe rod which is
still fastened TO the riddle crank. The fine Guano
will run down, and the Jumps will be thrown or
roll over the tail end of the fan. hey can then
be taken up and pounded.
IL the weather IS WINDY, the CIudnO ShOuid re
slightly moistened otherwise great loss will occur
iron its blowing oil, and moreover u will not be
[ regularly distributed ON the land. The damping
oil the gUano can be done with common watering
pot with sprinkle or if this is not al hand take
good brush broom and dip in barrel of water and
sprinkle the guanO, having il turned over during tho
operation until il 6ecOmeS damp, not tcCt. When
plaster is mixed with the guanO, bushel Of Plas-
ter to three bushels OF guanO will be found enough
many persons only putting half This quanny oil
plaster. There is great difference OF opinion as
10 the utility Of combining plaster with guanO. For
the arguments pro and con, must refer you to tho
American Farmer for 1851. Without entering into
the discussion, will simply give my own expert
enCe after having used il for nearly seven years.
NV experiments have been made with some care,
TO test the matter for my satisfaction. have
perceived neither injurious nor beneficial effect
Guano in this neighborhood has generally been
applied TO land that would yield less than fifteen
bushels of wheat per acre, and sometimes 10 land
that would WELD none. The increase OF crop from
the use of guanO has varied from ten 10 fifteen or
sixteen bushels per acre. | have rarely, u ever
known an application of 200 lbs. OF Peruvian guAnO
10 produce smaller increase than ten bushels, and
il almost ensures good crop of clover after the
wheat If clover seed is sown. Guanois sometimes
sown before the land is ploughed and then turned
under. II acts admirably when applied TO Indian
Corn in this way, and il may do for wheat on corn
land or a very light or sandy soil. But think
You will find itnot advisable TO apply Ii 10 wheat,
in this way, on tallows or on stih soils
Guano like other putTeSant manures is temporary
in its action, but it must be applied in very small
quantities and in a most unskliul and Slovenly
manner when its effects are exhausted in single
season. Two hundred pounds well PulyerZed and
sown the PlOUghCd ground and neither narrowed
lightly plOughed in as soon a: 1t IS SoIrn lriH do
tordrdS cHSuTiHg good crop Of 1rteat and a
succession of cIorcr than other manure in reach o'
the Farmer. From three 10 four hundred pounds
plOughed under will in any, but very bad, seasons
produce good crop of corn, wheat and clover
believe il is n maxim in your county that If man
does improve his land with good crop OF clover,
he can blame neither soil nor season.
Out of many that could be adduced, will men
lion single instance 10 show that Guano is not
when properly applied, exhausted from the soil in
a single season. In the summer and fall of 1898,
! gentleman, whose name, as have not consulted
him, do not feel al liberty TO mention, poughed
! field of thirty acres for wheat. After narrowing
the land about three hundred and fifty lbs OF Pala-
goEian Guano, which cost him $40 per ton, (Peru-
vian ;hcn 500 was sown, the wheat sown on
il, and both ploughed in together. have known
this field for long time and had frequently seen
it in cultivation before and had never seen more
than two or three bushels of wheat or five OF corn
grown on It.
Upon The richest lands Of Loudoun and Jefferson,
and am pretty well acquainted with both counties,
Ihave never seen more luXuriant growth OfwheaI,
than upon this hitherto barren field, IN May,
1919. II was however Frustrated by storm before
the heads filled and the yield was only eigh-
teen bushels per acre. In IS50-5l two tons OF hay
per acre each year taken from the land.
have not learned the result Of this years crop OF
Hay, but from its appearance IN the spring, mere
can have been material falling off in the yield
No other manure than the first dressing OF GuanO
has been applied to the land.
There will be between five hundred and ono
thousand tons of GuanO used in this county (FaiT-
fax during the present year; and old fields, that
no one would have dreamed of disturbing a few
years since, are being cleared enclosed aHd
brought into profitable cultivation. Facts like
these speak for themselves, and go TO show that
Guano is the cheapest the most available and The
efficaciOus manure at present known to the
Farmer when properly applied that its effects are
by no means cYanescent as has been sometimes
supposed and that the judicious Agriculturaist
upon medium exhausted land. must seek is aid,
il he expects 10 keep pace with the great movement
going on for the improvement and ameliOra-
ton of the soil
Let me advise you, in conclusion, If you use
Guano TO The best Peruvian. From what
have seen Of Patagonian, it cannot always be re-
lied on. am very truly yours, &c.
JOHN A. WASHINGTON.
Dr.. r. S. BLAcKBuRS.
P S.-Let me caution you against using lime or
ashes in combination with guanU. Either will ef-
Gectuay destroy the properties OF Guano that rem
der il valuable,