The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-09-19
"Bat-GuanO" at the South.

In looking over the reports of the
Commissioners of Agriculture for 1876
and 1877, my attention was turned to
several notices of bat-guano found i'll
caves in the Southern States. The Com
missioners having issued n circular let
ter to the correspondents of the depart
ment i'll the south, asking fol- informa-
ton concerning the existence of such
deposits, with descriptions Of their To-
cation and extent, has received replies
ola very favorable character, accompa-
MED in some instances by samples of
the deposits, developing the fact that
they were not confined TO any particu-
lar section of The south, but exists in
many states from Virginia to Texas,
several of them being of considerable
oxtnni II is stated that many persons
before tue war, and others during ito
continuance, believed that they would
prove TO be valuable source of nitro,
and that they were worked for the OK
traction of that compound. Some of
the attempts in this direction, it is said,
proved successful, but many of them
failed from the low percentage of nitric
acid in the samples, so that at the close
of the war all enterprise in this direc-
ton was abandoned. They will, how
ever (says the Commissioner, be a
profitable source of fertilizing material,
Since their mechanical condition is ia
vorable to their ready removal and APP
plication to the soil. Most of them con-
tain fair percentages of organic nitro
ren, while some of them contain both
actual ammonia and nitrates. Infor-
nation is then given concerning the
deposits as furnished by correspond
enis, from which it appears that in
Highland county, Va, there are num-
Der of caves on lands of gentlemen
whose names are given, and that from
all these caves large amounts of saltpe-
tire were made during the war, and vast
quantities of fcrtilizing material could
be obtained at any time. From Tus-
cumbia, Va, it is reported there is a
" deposit in q cave three miles wide,
worked by gentleman who considers
the deposit worth $4,000. The cave
is so or 80 feet deep; material from it
has been tried on corn with very favor
able results" The Commissioner has
analyses of eight of the specimens re-
ceived (p. 81, for 1850 in which it is
stated they are all, with some cxcep-
tons, very similar in appearance, and
that their physical condition, when air.
dried, is excellent, both for handling
and for application to the soil. The
material may be valued at S15 to $50
per ton, reckoning upon the basis for
determination of the value for fertili-
zers adopted by DR.. Goessman, of Mas
sachusetts, in his report for 1876.
"Thesc values compare favorably with
those of the fish products largely man.
ufacturcd in New England, and even
with Peruvian guano."
In the report for 1877 the Commits
sioner says: "Thc continued examina-
ton of bat-guano has afforded results
confirming those obtained by the for
mer analyses, and proving the wealth
of native fcrtilizing material existing il
he south. Indeed, calculations'baseC
upon the reported extent of the depos.
its, and the proportion of valuable con
stitutents they are found by analysis tC
contain, show the aggregate value o
this material, that may be considered il
sight, TO amount to about $4,000, 900
Surely southern cultivators need IL
urging TO induce them to take advan
lage of these stores of fertility for thei
poor or exhausted soils"
We can scarcely suppose that on
southern friends are SO blind to the
interest as not to avail themselves O
those rich deposits, which it would seen
are of such easy access, and in condi
lion requiring so little preparation TO
use. The writer's object in this com
munication ia to draw from them wha
they have done, and to ascertain the re
suits, believing that such information
would be interesting TO the genera
hand for seeding, and many arc making
preparations for the work by cartin
out stable manure. This very frequent
ly falls short, and the question is pu
one TO another, what fertilizers shal
we use? There is quite a variety in tn
market, but it is not always that farm
ers get the worth of their money in tn
purchases they make, though most G
them have their preferences. Wha
suits one very well, another on tria
will perhaps think almost useless
Many are careless and let manures ru
to waste. and then purchase others tina
are perhaps of less worth. The cor
crop in this section of country, it
thought, will be heavier than usual, tn
weather for the past few weeks havin
been very congenial.-[C. in Countr
Gentleman.