66 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



creased by the miserable mismanagement of the Peruvian govern- 

 ment. Another trouble with guano has been the unevenness of 

 value in the different cargoes. One would be rich in nitrogen, 

 phosphoric acid, and potash, the very next perhaps poor. To 

 meet this trouble it has long been the practice in England to buy 

 and sell it by analysis, paying a fixed rate per cent, for ammonia 

 and phosphoric acid. 



Another plan has been followed by Messrs. Hobson, Hurtado & 

 Co., the agents for Peru in this country, which I think is even 

 better. All the guano received is analyzed, sorted, manipulated, 

 or rectified by them, and sold under certain brands with a guar- 

 anteed composition, so that the purchaser had comparatively little 

 uncertainty as to the value of the goods, as analyses made showed 

 the goods to be in every respect fully up to the guarantee. 



I have as yet given no figures to show the composition of Peru- 

 vian guano. This is difficult because the genuine article has varied 

 so widely from year to year and even from cargo to cargo, and 

 has been so variously doctored. It has truly "suffered many 

 things of many physicians," and was nothing bettered but rather 

 grew worse, so that sometimes it is impossible to say from the 

 inspection of an analysis whether it was made on a genuine Peru- 

 vian guano of very poor quality, or on one which had been mixed 

 with sand or shells with fraudulent intent. In some of Prof. John- 

 son's reports as chemist of the State Agricultural Society, I find 

 as high as 15^ fc of nitrogen and 15 fo of phosphoric acid. But of 

 late no such material has found its way to consumers. 



In his Station Report for 1876, Prof. Atwater gives as the aver- 

 age of seven analyses of " No. 1 Standard " — the highest grade — 

 Nitrogen, 8.5; Potash, 3.7; Phosphoric Acid, 15.8; of which 12.1 

 was available so called. 



In 1877, these figures were maintained. 



In 1878, as far as I can find the figures did not vary essentially, 

 though slightly lower all through. 



In 1879, Potash and Nitrogen both fell a little. 



I have no analyses of stock sold in this State in 1880, but dur- 

 ing the last year there has been a very marked change. 



The average of three analyses made at the Station gives Nitrogen, 

 6.2; Potash, 2.7; P^ 0^, 16.5; of which 8.2^^ are "available." 



These figures which I have given have reference only to the 

 Periivian guano which has been used in this State. 



The impression among dealers has been such as to shake confi 



