The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1902-09-10
Gnano is Growing Scarce.

sno ehFlcoment OF the soil is nsarly
exhausted. Now and then some isiet
OF the Paci6o which has remained IN.
discovered or neglected till q late day
10 found to be rich in guauo though
most Of the guano islauds have been
daspoiled of all their natural wealth.
Nameiess leland Gt has native name
by the way) is one Of the guano islanis
whose deposits were not discovered
till within the last few years.
This uninhabited rock, upon which
no one thought it worth while to land |
until recently, now presents o busy |
scene. A wharf has been built out |
into the see Cor the accommodation of
the Australian guano schooners that
bring supplies to the force Of miners
who are digging up the deposits and
loading them on vessels bound for
Sydney. In the course Of few years
everything worth taking away from
Nameless Island will have been 20.
moved and then it will be deserted
again.
The same history is likely to be re-
peated at the little island, a few hun
dred miles from Japan, whose claims
to the rich guano deposits found there
have just been recognized by our gov.
ernment. Japan is great consumer
OF fertilizers. Thousands of tons Of
fish are buried every year around the
roots of the tea shrubs, Japan not yet
having learned the lesson we are teach
ing that it is worth while to build
factories to convert menhadeu and
fish refuse into fertilizers.
| AL the guano found on this island
vii! be taken to Japan and then the
source Of supply will be abandoned,
like scores Of other Pacific isl.nias
which once yielded large quap4itie of
the fertilizer.
] Until few years ago many Of these
islets were marked on the very best
mapa as belonging to the United
States. We mad not claimed sover.
eighty over chem, and there was no
reason why they should be mapped as
belonging to us except that our
schooners alone were engaged in car
rying away the only riches they SEEM
ed to possess. Nearly all OF them are
now in the domain Of England and
Germany, but it is doubtful IL they
ever will be utilized in any way. The
very reason why large stores Of vslua-
BILE fertilizer accumulated there unfit
ted them for human occupancy.
Scarcely drop Of rain every falls on
them. Their aridity conserved the
commercial value Of their deep de-.
posits Of gusno, but the same phe-
nomenon makes them undesirable for
other human enterprises.
The imports Of guano into our coun-
try and Europe have now nearly
ceased, owing to the exhaustion OF the
sources Of supply. About the middle
OF the last century, when no fertilizers
we're sold west Of Pennsylvania, we
were importing about $4,000 toms Of
guano q year, 6ve-eights OF the supply
coming from the guano ielsnds along
the coast Of Peru. At that time oil
the imports were received at Bsiai-
more and bore she inspection brand Of
the guano inspector there. Those
years eor abeus three decades were the
palmiest days Of guano digging along
|! che Psrnv:s== soa5t.
The islands OF this very arid region
were covered with the excrement and
remaina Of seabirds that during many
centuries had accumulated to o great
depth. The agricultural value Of this
fertiliser was well-known TO the an
cient Peruviane, whose laws forbade
the killing or molestation Of the
birds; thus modern farming has been
indebted to these civilized aborigines
Of centuries ego for great deal Of
the FERTILIZER that has enriched the
fields OF this country and Europe.
But the Peruvian islande have now
been practically swept clean Of their
guano deposits. Our imports Of over
30, $50 tons Of guano year have drop.
ped to less than 5000 tons; and most
OF this is not pure guano, but phos-
phate rock. which requires chemical
treatment before it can be utilized.
Most Of the guano now imported comes
from Navassa, Sombrero and other
places where there is considerable
rainfall. TIE rain teaches the soluble
salts from the guano and the underly.
ing rock becomes altered to consid.
erable depth. This limestone, thus
| altered hv the aa1ta from tha onapo 10