The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1860-02-01
For the Lancaster Ledger.
Guano.


Mr. EDIroR-Dedr Sir :-Guano as n
fertilizer of land and Il stmulant TO crops.
has given rise TO IA great deal of discussion, Il,
and that of n conflicting nature to the ag-
rIcultural interests of our country. There
lore, when venture to give my expert
ments on the effects of Peruvian Guano
through the columns of public Journal,
l do so with con siderable diildence. Since
l have had but one years experience upon
the subject, aud more especially wh en-
consider my pen very inadequate to the per
formance Of such dnty. History has long
since proven that these conflicting opinions
do exist in the. political and religious world
ss wen the agricultural. Therefore |
hope you will pardon me for my seeming
forw"rdncss in giving through your paper
TO the people Of this District data of my
experiments on Guano More particularly
since have heretofore evinced a seeming
disposition and anxiety TO see the people of
this Distr CT elevated in tie scale Of agri.
cultural progression.
4 have long been anxious to see a Rail
Road in Lancaster District, and think Gu
ano will be mighty lever in the accom-
Plishmcnt Of such an enterprise. II it still
continues TO produce results similar to the
experiments | made last year have of
Ten made enquiry of gentlemen who had
made experiments on 'guano, but not one
OF them gave an answer satisfactory to me
They all told me that it would pay well.
but when invest money in any enterprise,
want TO know either directly or Indirectly
to a mathematical demonstration what |
can realize upon the capitnl invested In
giving my experiments ! will give the ma
ture of the soil, preparation of land mode
and time of application, and also cul;iva-
ton Of land:
Ii was late in the spring when got my
Guano up, consequently, had my land pre-
pared TO plant. ] opened the beds with -
long strait shovel. After having pulverizcd
and sltted the Guano very fine | made box.
es out OF white pine, very light about 3
feet long, orr inches wide at the top, II
or inches ut the lower end. At the wide
end attached string on each side to put
nround the servants neck, with a sack to
hold the Guano. The servant would put
mis- hand into the Sack and get it full OF
guano and then put the hand into the box
and guide it, letting the guano fall accord.
ing to the thickness you wanted il. Nh,
at the rates of one hundred pounds prr
acre. forthwith throwed two furrows or
the Guano and then commenced plon,inr
My object in using this box was to keen IN,
"ind from blowing the guano away aud tc
get II down in the centre of the fnrrow.-
lhe land dpon which this experiment was
made has been cleared abont one hundred
years--soil is clay of n cold nature. The
cotton was planted about the 23ih of Apri
and from the extreme dry spring it never
came up until some time in May The frs,
time hoed it without blowing then ir
about zen days plowed It with sweep
Plow-two furrows in the row then in a
bout two weeks plowed it with a forked
plow, with two small grabs the inside edges
strait that heaped some dirt up TO the cot
ton, and then put the hoes in about q
week behind the forked plow; and ,hinned
the cotton out where it was too thick, and
brushed little dirt from each of the small
ridges among the cotton after that time
plowed it with sweep. sometimes one fur
row and sometimes two and brushed il
over with the hce. | then topped it frcm
the 10th to the 18th of August.
left one row in the field 10 yards long
was particular enough to pick out row
in some place where it would be the same
quality Of land f,om one end to the othe,
and the same liability to the effects of dr,
weather The two rows upon which the
experiment was made were side Gy side
The summer WAS extremely dry until Sd OF
August md no blossom vas seen for a
week or two after the 4lh of July. The
following data show the result Of the two
rows: