Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1861-10-11
Mlisfellanp.
The GuanO Birds Thousands of Y ears
Older than Man.

-
The Guano Birds Thousands of Years
Older than Man.
M. Bvussingault has presented to the
Academy of Science an interesting paper
on this valuable manure, from which We
learn that deposits of guano extend from
the second to the twenty first degree Of
south latitude along the coast of Peru
Those which lie beyond those limits are
much poorer in ammoniacal compound
than the former, and are therefore less
valuable as manure. Guano is generally
found deposited on small promontories
or cliffs. 1t fills up crevices, and il to
be found wherever birds seek shelter.
The rocks of this part of the coast con-
sist of granite, gneiss, sienite, and pyric
sienite. The guano deposits are gene
rally covered with an agglomeration Of
sand and saline substances called caliehe
which the laborers remove before begin
ming their attack on the guano. In some
places, as at Pabbellonde Plea and Punta
Grande, the deposits lie under mass Of
sand descended from the neighboring
mountains; on which subject De Rivcro
makes an extremely curious observation
viz: that at the places above mentioned,
the lowest guano deposits are covered
with stratum of old alluvial soil; then
comes another layer Of guano, and then
a stratum of modern alluvial soil. Tc
understand the importance of this fact,
it must be borne in mind that the age oil
modern alluvions does not extend beyond
historic times, whereas old alluvions date
from the period Immediately preceding
that at which man first began to inhabit
the earth so that the guanos or cormo.
rants, and other allied birds which de.
post guaho, must have existed thousands
of years before man, seeing that tn,
lower layer Of guano is sometimes fifteei
or twenty yards in depth, while the oil,
alluvial crust above it has a thickness o
upwards of three yards,
To explain the immense accumulation
of guano in those regions, NJ. Boussin
gault observes that there has been com
bination of circumstances highly favor
able to its production and preservation
among which arc to be reckoned dr.,
climate, ground presenting q vast mum
Der of chinks, assures and caverns, wher,
the birds can rest, lay their eggs an,
hatch them, without being disturbed b,
the strong breezes from the South an,
lastly, un abundance of food suited t
them. No where else are fish so abun
dant as gu this coast, where whole shoal
are often cast upon the shore, even il
fine weather. Antonio dc Ulloa state
that anchovics especially are in sucl
abundance here as to defy description
and gives a graphic account of the man
ner in which their numbers are dimin
ished by the myriads of guanas whicl
are sometimes seen flying in counties
aocks intercepting the SUMS rays lik
clouds, and darting into the sea to catcl
their prey. According to. NJ. Boussin
gaulfs calculation, one hundred kilo
grammes (the kilog is equal to two an,
4 half pounds) of guano contain the nj
trogen of six hundred kilogrammes G
sea-fsh, and as the guano deposits, be
fore they began to be worked, containe
three hundred and seventy eight million
of metrical quintals (tho quintat mctrigu
is cwt.. 3qrs "a lbs, or of guano
the birds must have consumed 226S mil
lions of quintals of fish.
KEEPING APPLES If you want you
winter apples to keep well you mus
carefully observe the four following
things:
l. See that the surface or outside o
your apples are perfectly free from mois
ture before you store them away.
2. Avoid putting them in dam
place where moisture will have access t,
them.
3. Exclude them from the air by bu
rying them in dry earth, the drier tn,
better, or covering them in the cellal
with such earth.
4. Keep them in as cool tcmpera,
ture as possible, but so as to avoid frost
for heat, air and moisture are the three
active agents that must, when acting in
concert, soon heat and rot your apples
And the same is equally true of winter
pears and also OF all our root crops, such
as cabbage, carrots, parsnips, beets, tur.
nips, potatoes, DC.
- He is the happy man, not whom
other men think, but who thinks himself
70 be 80.
Why is it dangerous to Hirt in hay
neld Because there are more rakes
than beaux there.
- He who takes an eel by the tail and
swoman by the tongue, is sure to come
OF empty handed.
ieamster may do good business
eui whecl-barrow man carries all betor,
hin.
"A QuEs1IoS-Whether the oil
wine" 50 much priced, is older than eide,
winel
= When is charity like a top? whel
il begins to hun.