Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1854-01-27
u,lllO.

mere Is no manure which has so suddenly gained
for itself extended and high favor guano none
which costs more money; none which differs more in
It's composition and usefulness and none which
should be more strictly examined before being bought
The other manures in common 6se have been hun
dreds, some of them thousands of years in gaining
the confidence of the public. This, in our own coun-
try, has leaped suddenly into use, having never
known the tolls of youth the helplessness of in
fancy
shall endeavor in this article to give its history,
the composition of the different varieties, and such
directions for its use as its properties suggest,
proper and necessary.
Guano has within the last few years, instead of be-
ing mere matter of scientific curiosity, become a
great object OF commercial enterprise and of great
interest to the agricultural community. Guano, in
the original language of Peru, signifies dung word
spelt by the Spaniards, huano 1t has been employ
ed IN Peru from the remotest ages, and given fert-
ty to the barren sands along its coast. Hence the
PERUVIAN proVerb-'Huano, though nc Saint, works
many miracles" During the government of the ma
tive lncas severe penal laws protected the birds
which deposited this manure. Death was the penal,
ty for landing on the Guano islands when the birds
were breeding, and the same punishment was infic-
ted on those wro might kill one at any time. Over
seers were appointed to particular districts to see
fair play in the distribution of this precious man.
ure.
Baron Won Humboldt thus speaks of it in 1904
The guano is deposited in layers of SO or 60 feet
thick, upon the granite of many of the South Sea
Is Islands oh the coast of Peru. During 300 years,
the coast birds have deposited guano only few lines
IN thickness This shows how great must have been
the numbers of birds, and how long the time neces.
sary to form the present beds The strata have un-
dergone many changes according to the length of
time they have been deposited. Here and there they
are covered Wh sllicous sa1ad* and have thus been
protected from the influence of the weather. but in
other places they have lain open to the influence of
the alr, light and water, which have produced i'm
portant changes upon them"
The best Peruvian guano came from the Chncha
islands, which thrice in number, and lie in one
line from north to south, about half mile apart
They are in lat 80 deg and 40 dig S. about II miles
distant from the coast of Peru No rain falls there
Each island is from five to six miles in crcumfer-
ence consisting OF granite covered with guano in
some places to the height of two hundred feet, in
successive strata, each stratum being from three to
ten inches in thickness, varying in color from light
to dark brown. No earthly matter whaterer is mlr-
ed aC1b UaS east mass Of erCrenlent At some of tAe
points where the guano is worked the height of
the deposits is upwards of 80 feet and the removal
OF 100000 tons has scarcely affected it in single
degree. AS may be imagined from the immense
weight OF the mass, and the gradual way in which
1T has been formed its soidty is very considerable
and in it has been necessary to blast it as
we would a rock of sandstone or lines -stone 1t is
very obvious that in this the guano will be pre-
there to last for all the purposes of Agriculture for
many centuries yet 10 come There is another var-
ETY. of guano, of which only few cargoes have gone
to England, and none of which have come to this
country, called Angamos guano, better somewhat
than the Puruvian
Guano is also brought from Ichaboe from the
coast of Patagonia, from Sadanha bay, and lately
from Mexico. | have been informed that near Kew
West, and in several other places on the coast bor
derng on the Gulf of Mexico, and of the
shores of Northern Lakes, large deposits of this
manure abound Ii would be well worth the atten.
ton OF some of our enterprising merchants to ex-
anime into this, and naval officers, too on duty
there, would confer great favor on their country
were they to examine and bring light these depos-
It's The composition of such of these guanos as
are sold, | shall show, and their differences
Amongst what called concentrated manures, gu
dno, without competition, holds the first place
Practical experience for ages in uncvilized countries
bears testimony to It's value. Practice and science
alike confirm that testimony an the latest times and in
tile most civilized nations.
10 what, then, does guano owe its confessed supe-
riority? To what its high rank above other manures
What is that in it which makes it equally sought af
ter by the savage the wild coast of Peru the no.
bility of England, and the lord of the soil in the
United States
do not pretend to assume the position of a dis
coverer, in answering these questions. 1t is only
part of my official duty, in giving answer to the a
bOve questions to make public what is known of this
article that the Agricuturaliss may have facts
placed before them in relation to it, and may thus
form opinions fixed reliable basis. Very many
elaborate analyses of guano have been published by
scientific men. and much light shed on it's compost
ton. Unfortunately, however, for practical men,
these analyses are so elaborate complex, and cloth
ed in terms unknown to the of those who use
it, to be to them of but little value.
But as these analyses were made purely for the
eyes of scientific men, they cannot be complained Of
however,
made for merchants to aid them in the sale of par
ticular cargoes and made as to deceive those
who are not we'll acquainted with the terms used in
Chemistry.
Again: Some analyses which have been publish
ed combine together several different substances of
different values. and thus tell from them
the precise composition of the article, nor how much
it is worth. Thus we have for instance, 10 per Ct
" organic matter and salts of ammonia" without
specifying how much is organic matter how much
salts of ammonia, and what salts of ammonia they
are. he different acids unite with different proper
tions of ammonia to form salts and we cannot know
how much ammonia is present unless the particular
salts be separately specified, although ammonia is,
as shall hereafter show, the chief valuable constt
uent in Peruvian Guano. By making analyses in
this form, the ignorant often grievousIy imposed
upon,-the analyses published over respecta-
| bic name large per centage ofthe sals Of ammo
mia" is shown, which the purchaser sometimes is
made to believe is pure ammonia; he buys the qua
no, and is cheated Of course such analyses by
whomsoever for whatsoever purpose made, are
erroneous; have led and may lead to gross imposition.
AS the analyses of guano usually made, the guam
tity OF salts OF ammonia, divided by three, will give
very nearly the amount OF real ammonia in the qua
no, and purchasers should look we'll TO this before
buying it. To obviate these objections, and 10 place
i'll clear light the agricultural value OF guano,
have always made analyses TO show the value in
agricultural point OF view OF the different specimens
by showing the quantity of the several valuable
stituents-those things TO which guano its val
ue ; for all know that ii is due not 10 its name