Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-01-26

4
entertain the questions Of American grievances in
connection with the guano trade, which the
American Minister was instructed, from this city,
to press upon its attention. Independent of the
magnitude OF the aggregate amount Immediately
| involved in the cases in question-very consider
| able indeed-the fact that the attitude thus as
| sumed by Peru threatens greatly to embarrass
| hereafter our important commerce in guano now
an article Of al prime necessity to the United States
| as anything whatever obtained abroad makes it
| necessary that the United States Government
| should adopt measures with her as prompt as
those not long since resorted to by France, with
| success, in a somewhat similar case We have
not the statistics at hand with which to illustrate
In figures the necessity Of assuring to the Ameri.
can agricultural interest regular and economical
| supplies Of that fertilize--Peruvian guano. But
all who know aught Of the commerce Of the times
know that many thousand tons of it, costing mil
lions Of dollars, are annually consumed here and
that the demand for it is increasing at least 20 per
| centum per annum.
| There is no other subject Of more importance to
the country at large, by the by, than fiat of in
creasing the available supply Of manures so as to
| keep them within the farmers: means of easy
attainment. Liebg, the great agricultural philos-
opher and chemist Of the age, has demonstrated
that the earth, In the aggregate, is being rapidly
robbed Of its fertility by the increased and in
creasing consumption of Its fertilizing products
in cities and villages, the sewerage of which passes
off with its rich and valuable agricultural trea
sures, into the rivers from the beds of which it u.s.
in turn, washed into the ssa; and the political
omlsts and men Of science of both hemispheres
have adopted his theory in this connection As
consequence, throughout Europe, companies with
heavy capital are everywhere engaged in efforts
Y hat
city sewers that Is valuable for fertilization Yet
not hundredth part Of it ever be so reclaimed
and restored to the soil
SO, the world must find something to make up
for the loss, Liebigs theory will sooner or later
work itself out to the disastrous solution he pre-
diets for it. That is to an eventual incapacity of
the cultivated portions of the globe to produce
sufficient to supply the wants Of man.
Besides Lebig, every agricultural writer or
investigator of eminence in either hemisphere is
now more or less engaged in efforts to remedy the
evils to grow out of the absolute of fructify
ing matter consumed in cities, towns, and villages
The discovery of the fertizng qualities of Peru
Wan guano has done much to obviate this di FL
Guilty both sides Of the Atlantic, the rise and
rapid progress of the trade in it and the results
of its application to the SOIL well known to the
agriculturist everywhere. demonstrate. Aught
U
trade, or to make the article cost more here should
and will, doubtless be met by most energetic
measures on the rart Of this Government or it
will leave at the mercy of Peru by far the most
important American interest in existence.
The legislation Gong resi- onal Of 1856 to pro-
tect American discovers Of deposits of guano on
islands unclaimed unoccupied by other nations
though derided at the time and subsequentlv-has
already been of immense importance to the coun-
try; and il the policy be properly followed up by
Congress, there is really calculating the extent
Of the benefit to the whole Union that must grow,
out of it.
The legislation Of 1856 was intended to protect
the American discoveries of guano on Bakers and
Jarvis island only; for it not then generally
known that there were hundreds of other un-
claimed small islands in the Pacific Ocean and
the Caribbean and other containing, each,
from thousands to hundreds Of thousands if not
| millions of tons Of guano, really more valuable
for the improvement Of worn out lands than that
of Perus Chincha islands; because far richer in
phOsphates and the mineral elements generally,
of fertility, the destruction rather patton Of
which, in the increasing consumption of the
cities affords so just cause of apprehension. But
the law Of 1S56 at once operated to induce Amcri-
| can enterprise to scour every neighboring ocean
and sea in search of the treasure; and already be-
tween sixty and seventy rich island deposita-
rieS have been ''denouncedn 10 the State Depart
inert. from some of which an aggregate CT per-
haps hundred thousand tons of guano in all are
| now being annually brought hither But for this
supply. resulting from the passage of the derded
law of 1856, Peruvian guano would probably now
be selling at SOME $50 per ton. Ii steadily in
| creased in price 10 the farmer from S45 when We
began to use it, to So in the year before last
The American discoveries and importations above
described have greatly reduced its price already
say, to S55. Experience is teaching that while the
Peruvian economically suano certainly produces
the more remunerativc crops in immed ate return
| for Its application, the phosphate guanos that
reach the United States for the most part through
the operation Of the law of 1885, are doing far
in proportion to their less cost for the permanent
improvement of the soil, while also yielding sat
| sfactory returns for investments in them in the
| crops to which they may be Immediately applied
1t is therefore clear that the great American in
terest, in connection with this subject is to be in
the perfection Of the policy under which our fell
| low citizens have become possessed Of these de-
Posltes OF future fertility to American soil and
destined, Improperly sustained by the overnment,
| to discover and work hundreds hereafter for tens
now. Up to this time these important enterprises
have been carried out princi pally under the aus
pices of two companies, - the American and the
United States" BY way of illustrating the extent
| OF their operations, we may mention that Mr. WIN
| X. Webb, the noted New York ship builder is
now engaged in carrying out contracts with them
to gather and bring home 60O, 600 tons, and that
Mr. Lamar-not him Of the WANDERERS carry
| ing out contracts to the extent Of 100000 tons
These companies have also similar contracts wi tn
otheis-making them upon equal terms with all
American applicants. These guanos are sold here
| for so per ton; and competition among such
contractors increase, even that price must grad
| ually decrease, as it affords margin of far too
great profit to stand the test of unobstructed Amer
| lean (home) competition
1t is the duty of Congress to look into tue sab
ect, it strikes us, as soon possible and to enact
| any additional legislation that may be necessary
Tor the better security Of the rights of American
citizens in and to such discoveries, and thus to
stimulate American efforts to achieve them as well
| as American competition in the good work of
| availing American agricultural interests of them
The original law, it will be remembered, was