The Ordway new era., 1922-05-19

| prepared by the National Geographic
Society. Washington, D. C)
Peru, already of considerable arri
cultural importance and destined to
become much more so, is fortunate in
having one of the most valuable
sources of natural fertilizer in the
world-its famous bird islands" on
which thousands Of tons of guano are
deposited In sort of annual crop.
These deposits, rich in precious nitro
gen, have been laid down on the is
lands for thousands of years, and un-
til recently there seemed wel-nigh
inexhaustible mine of the material. But
the tremendous world demand which
arose near the middle of the past
century brought in its train waste:ul
methods, and all the accumulated de
posits have been stripped away The
annual accumulations are still avail
able, however, and are worth many
hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Perus peculiar geographical condi-
tions make possible the preservation
of her valuable guano Crop" A few
showers might wash away the valua-
BILE fertilizer, but thanks to it's noun
tain masses, Its very cold off-shore
waters and Its prevailing winds, the
region Of the Bird islands IL ralnless.
Guano, 1t will be understood, is prl-
marily the deposit Of fish-eatlng birds,
into which may be mixed and incor-
pOrated-in greater or less proportion
"a variety of other substances, such
rs the eggs and bodies of birds and
the deposits and the bodies of sea-
lions. 1t may be found mixed with
gravel and sand in very small pro-
portion or sometimes to an extent
rendering 1t improbable to extract.
Peruvian Guano Is Best.
peruvian guano' is practically
synonymous with nitrOgenous guano
and has long been recognized as the
best heterogeneous fertilizer-that Is, as
fertilizer Of generally high nitrogen
value in which the nitrogen com
pounds are found in condition most
readily assimilable by our plants.
Nitrogen Is primary necessity to
the farmer. Whatever be the impor-
tance of adding to the soil potash and
other mineral components of our food
and our clothing. there never exists
doubt as to the fundamental impor-
tance Of nitrogen~ Consequently Pc
culiar interest attaches to birds OF the
Peruvian islands, which have long
served to aid the worlds agriculture
and which, given due protection, may
continue Indefinitely to contribute ma
terially to the support of humanity.
The peculiar climatic conditions pre-
yiously mentioned offer merely the
proper envirOnmental conditions for the
preservation Of the product. The pri-
mary requisite for abundant bird life
is the existence of plentiful food
supply. and this is found in the schools
of small fish, called anchobetas, that
swarm In the Peruvian current. Ihere
shoals Of fish, acres In extent are
often pursued in the water by bonito
and other large fish, while beset from
the air by thousands of birds.
Billions of pounds of fish must be
consumed each year by the birds, be
sides the incalculable quantity de-
youred by other fishes; but the
fecundity of the anchobetas Is such
that their numbers are still MAINTAIN
ed. At times great acres OIL the sea
are made red by myriads OF small
brightly colored shrimp-like crustacea'
and these, too. play part OF ihi-
nortance as food for the fishes ana
birds.
Islands Crowded With Guanays.
Not all of the birds are OF equai
,mnortance from the commercial point
Of view. Indeed, three species virtuai-
ly support the guano industry at 'he
nresent time-the white-breast cor
morant (guanay), the big gray pei'cah
and the whitehead gannet.
Cuonays occur on the Peruvian coast
from near the northern to the extreme
southern boundary, but their pre-.
eminent home is the double group OF
islands opposite Pisco, in the sou'h'
the Chiuchas and the Ballestas.
The largest guanay fiocks are lo.nu
on the ChIncha islands. upon .ne
south island Of the Chinchas. smai,
and generally triangular body OF ,anu
between 20 and 80 acres In area. there
Il 4 rookery which for size ana com,
nactness can scarcely be rivaied III
any part of the world. .,.n4
The nesting ground occupies ABOUT
tvo.thiris of the surface OF the ~
land. embracing the crown ano u
% ssntie sIopes Of the hill that surmoun.
sts s~,- hsr~ wsiis. The nests as'