GUANO 209 



greater part of the guano had to be exported. 

 And exported it was. The hundred-foot beds 

 disappeared as if they were melting snow. The 

 end soon hove in sight. By 1907 only 124,000 tons 

 were extracted as against nearly ten times 

 that amount forty years earlier. The old guano 

 which remained was of inferior quality; the pro- 

 duction of the new annually decreased as the birds 

 died off. 



In signing away her guano rights to corpora- 

 tions, Peru had been short-sighted in more than 

 one way. What was deemed sufficient fertilizer 

 for her own agriculture had been reserved, but the 

 inevitable expansion bound to follow in a new 

 country had not been considered. Soon it was dis- 

 covered that not half enough guano had been 

 placed in reservation ; but it was too late. Peru 's 

 hands were bound by contracts. Four times the 

 amount she needed for herself were annually being 

 exported to foreign countries. 



Peruvian agriculture suffered. In addition, ow- 

 ing to the continual and ruthless destruction of 

 the rookeries, the sea-birds were rapidly becom- 

 ing extinct. Instead of a yearly deposition of a 

 hundred thousand tons of fresh guano, the birds 

 now produced scarcely one fifth of that amount. 

 The country faced a wiping out of its income, both 

 from agriculture and from guano. 



Peru was desperate; she was panic-stricken. 

 Her enormous wealth had been expended, leaving 



