206 THE IMPORTANCE OF BIRD LIFE 



ation. With the opening of the Mississippi Valley, 

 her agricultural possibilities had increased ten- 

 fold. Fertilizer became -an article of necessity 

 in the extension of husbandry. At that date the 

 chief resources of the United States were based 

 on her agriculture : she needed guano and needed 

 it badly, but it was difficult to secure it in large 

 enough quantity. Even as early as 1850 the price 

 had soared as high as fifty dollars a ton. Though 

 many farmers were too poor to buy it, the supply 

 still fell far short of the demand. 



In desperation the United States Government 

 entered into negotiations with Peru to obtain a 

 major portion of the Peruvian output. The pro- 

 posed plan would give America what amounted to 

 a monopoly on the guano trade, and Peru balked 

 at the idea. She was too wily to be caught in this 

 way ; the high price of guano was too vital to her 

 existence. Grave international complications 

 therefore arose, and the United States was 

 snubbed. Then, despairing of an agreement with 

 Peru, she concentrated her attention elsewhere 

 upon the islands of the Pacific. 



The American Guano Co. of New York was or- 

 ganized in 1855 with a capital of ten million dollars 

 to develop the deposits on Baker and Jarvis 

 islands in the South Pacific. In the following year 

 the Federal Government passed a Guano Act to 

 encourage exploration for guano. Everything 



