324 AMMONIA AND NITEIC ACID. 



Peruvian guauo is principally used in the cultivated 

 lands of Eiurope, as in England, France, the Scandinavian 

 countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, Prussia, and the 

 German States, comprising, exclusive of Austria, 120 mil- 

 lions of inhabitants. Now if we suppose that upon these 

 lands for centuries to come 6 million cwt. (==300,000 

 tons) of Peruvian guano, containing 360,000 cwt. of 

 ammonia, were annually applied, and that it was pos- 

 sible, with the means at present at om- disposal, by 5 lbs. 

 of ammonia to raise 65 lbs. additional of wheat, or its 

 equivalent value, then the increased crop of corn would 

 just reach so far as to give each individual in the commu- 

 nity 2 lbs. of corn a day for two days in the year. 



If we assume 2 lbs. of corn or its equivalent to be the 

 average amount of nutriment required by an individual, 

 this makes 730 lbs. annually. According to the supposi- 

 tion made above, 36 milhon pounds of ammonia would 

 produce thirteen times as much =46 8 milhon pounds of 

 corn or its equivalent, whereby 641,000 individuals 

 could be nourished for a year. 



Supposing the population of England and Wales to 

 increase only 1 per cent, annually, this makes 200,000 

 individuals in one year, and 600,000 in three years. 

 Now the cereals hypothetically raised by help of the 

 ammonia in 6 million cwt. of guano imported from 

 abroad, would suffice but very few years to support the 

 increased population of England and Wales. 



And what would be the state of things six or nine 

 years afterwards in England or Europe, if Ave were 

 actually dependent upon a foreign importation of am- 

 monia, for the support of the increasing population ? 

 Could we import 12 million cwt. of guano in six years, 

 or 18 million in nine years ? 



We know most positively, that in a few years the 



