Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-03-03

covered In more than 500 pages Of
data. He also brought with hinlIsixxl
teen cases And&crates, In many Of
which are specimens OF curious ma
rine and feathered creatures.
Mr.. Murphy called attention. to the
{guano 81. fertilizer deposits of Peru,
which. he said. may be doubled by
tho conservation methods devised by
Francisco Ballen, a Peruvian, who he
described a. zone Of the most: far
sighted and able economists in the
world."' In furthcrance Of Mr.. Bal
Ions plans. the explorer said, he ads
Fvocated increasing the breeding area
emit confned to fifteen islands, the
largest of which are the Chinchi and
Lobos. and where deposits of fertilizer
$50 feet In thickness have been found.
The value Of the guano deposits, he
said, was also due to the action OF the
Humboldt current, the cold winds
from which, blowing over the arid
land, preserved the fertilizing qualities
Of the bird lime. Mr.. Murphy, whose
work was aided by the peruvian gov
eminent, said the islands might be
enlarged by dynamiting the cliffs into
the sea. He also urged the stoppage
Of guano gathering during the court
ship. Of the birds. The guano. he
said, 10 dug by natives in the interior
Of the islands and carried In small
railway cars to the coast where 1t is
fertilizer, he, said, was being held up
on account OF high ocean freight rates.
100000 Birds.
The suano birds were enumerated
by Mr. Murphy as the white breasted
cormorant Commercially worth SIS
a pair in Lima); he pelican and two
crnN3Ao NJ UNnrAt nv Qcf11Q1 rom MI .
tation Of the nests Of ON OF these
birds per metre on n Of the islands
he estimated that more than 1.000,-
900 OF that one species inhabited It.
Mr.. Murphy said the ancient 1ncas Of
Peru highly priced tho guano birds
and penalized with death anyone who
killed one. Many of the motion pic
showed the life history Of the sea birds
as we'll as the native fisheries and the
guano industry.
In the period from 1870 to 1898, Mr..
Murphy said, many Of the birds were
killed off and 1t is only In recent years
that efforts have been made to con-
serve this important resource OF
Peru. President Leguia and other
prominent men, he said. have en-
visit Peru for the purpose of ascer-
tanning the best conservation methods.
A steam trawler and two launches
were placed at Mr.. Murphy's disposal
upon his arrival at Lima, and from
these he conducted his researches and
experiments. Guano, he said, is the
best fertilizer known for sugar cane
and before the war vast quantities OF
it were shipped to the United States
through Charleston, S. c. Peru her
| sclf, he said, is now utilizing the fer
tilizer not only for growing sugar cane
but for rice Int cotton.
Ocean freight rates, Mr.. Murphy
said. might be affected by the compe.
tition which has sprung up since the
close Of the war. Within the last si1
months, he said, eight or nine steam
ship lines-Dutch, French, Italian
British and AmericRn-are now stop
ping at Peruvian ports. AS an in
stance of recent freight costs, Mr.
Murphy cited the case Of a Curtis.
airplane occupying a crate not much
larger than would be required for ar
automobile and upon which tn
charges were $500.
Mr.. Murphy, who is "a years Ole
and q graduate of. Brown university
is q director Of the Explorers club
His expedition to Peru was aided
j financially by the American Museum
Of Natural History and the American
Geographical society.