Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1852-05-12
AGRICULT l. Z A l..
REPORT OF THE STATE AGRICULTURAL
CHEMIST, OF AND.-ExrRAcTs.
MAN URES.
GCANO.

| HIANURES.
GUANO
The spirit of pr ogress, lately manifest in
political science and in most Of the useful
arts, has extended TO agriculture, and il has
sought not only for correct theories, but I'M
proved instruments Of culture, and new ma
nures TO aid it in It's operations and perfect
| its results. There is every year beralded
! forth 10 the tlIer of the soil some panacea
TO enrich him, but experiment and science
sweep away The bauhies when worthless,
and in many instances however 10 make wav
for Others, with as litlle or less merit, and
as litrle deserving public attention or public
patronage as those which preceded them.
Guano. however, has had more cndur-
ing foundation, being oi real value, a value
sustained by scientific investigation, and
proved By The sure test Of experience. Gu
ano has, does. and Will continue to be worth
lis transportation through a long and dan
gefous voyage, securing for itseii extensive
use IN oar country. and giving IN return a
bundant profit. This manure is one very
familiar TO our citizens, and one whose his
tory. camposition, and best modes of Use
design 10 point on, as fully as can, and al
The same time by facts and common sense
arguments based on them, 10 induce your
honorable body 10 take steps for the proper
n> pection Of an article varied in lis compo-
si,ion. and valuable or otherwise according
to the quantity Of the several constituents
upon " which that value depends. The guam
tlly of these constituents, moreover, the
seller, as a general rule does not know, and
llhe purchaser cannot find out.
/. In the present article shall avail myself
Bf all the information which ! can derive
from reliable sources, being desirous of
interesting subject. with great pleasure
Mere make my acknow Judgments to the cee
krated Dr.. Ure, +. r S, Of London, to whose
pamphlet have had access through the
Il ndness Of friend, and to Prof Way,
Chemist, of the Royal Agricultural Society,
[who has published very able and elaborate
fpaper OH the composition and money value
Eof different specimens Of guano. in the 10Th
klme cf-:he Journal of.,hc Royal Aggi-
Society. refer 10 ms paper with
pleasure as il confirms all the ma
urged by me in my last report,
Es, also, the necessity for the ac-
4 | then urged on your honorable
b has within the last few years, in
II being mere ohjec, Of scientific Gu
}. become great object Of commercial
prise, and of great interest 10 the agri
leHlural community. GUano in the original
Language Of Perm signifies dung, word spelt
By the SpanlardS, huano. 1t has been EN-
ployed in Peru from the remolest ages and
given fertility to the barren sands along It's
coast. Hence the Peruvian provetb-"Ilu-
ano, though no saint, oTks many Miracles"
Severe peua laws protected the birds which
deposited this manure during the govern
ment Of the native lncas. Death was the
penalty for landing on the Guano islands
when the birds were breeding, and the same
punishment was inflicted on those who
might kill one al any time. Overseers were
appointed TO particular districts to see fair
play in the distribution of this precious
manure.
Baron Won Humboldt thus speaks Of it
in 1904: "The gnano is deposited in layers
of so or 60 feet thick upon the granite Of
Of Peru. During 800 years the coast birds
have deposited guauo only few lines in
thickness. This shows how great must have
been the number of birds and how long the
time necessary to form the present BEDS
The strata have undergone many changes
according 10 the length of time they have
been deposited. Here and there they are
covered 1cuh sjlicious sand* and have thus
been protected from the influence Of the
weather, bu. in other places they have lain
open to the influence of tile ait, light and
water, which have produced important
changes upon thPm.'
The best Peruvian Guano comes from
the Chincha islands, which are three in
number. and lie in one ltne from north to
south about half mile apart Each island
| Is from five to six miles in circumference.
consisting Of granite covered with guano,
/ IN some places To the height Of 200 feet in
successive strata, each stratum being from
| three to ten inches in thickness, vary ing IN
color from lighi TO a dark brown. No
edrfhy matter rhatPuer is mireL qcuh this
east mass Of ercremem. Atlhe poin, where
the guano is now worked the height of the
deposit is upwards of SO feet, and the re-
moval OF 100000 tons has scarcely affected
II in a sensible degree. As may be imagin-
ed from the immense weight of the mass
and the gradual way in which it has been
formed, It's solldity is very considerable.
and in some cases il has been necessary to
blast it as we would rock of sandstone
or limestone. /, is very obvious that in
slow does this agree with the oft rennatcd