238 WALL'S MANUAL 



>vith ten times ite weight of well rotted woods-mold) 

 muck, or swamp mud, Guano should never bo 

 mixed with unleached ashes, potash, soda, or limo, 

 for these salts will "set free" the ammonia, which 

 will be lost in the air, and greatly diminish the effects 

 of the manure. 



The action of guanOj Borne farmers contend, 

 while it produces largely increased crops for a few 

 years, finally exhausts the soil, This action results 

 from a kind of stimulating influence which it exerts 

 upon plants, causing in them an artificial growth, by 

 which they take away from the soil more fertilizing 

 matter than the guano has brought into it. This is 

 true, to a certain extent. Guano contains nothing 

 which is not real food for plants. It is a well 

 ascertained fact, that an ordinary application of 

 guano, gives more mineral matter to the soil than 

 the resulting crop takes away. But when we remember 4 

 that guano continues its effects for several successive crops, 

 the quantity of some of the mineral ingredients of 

 the soil may be diminished. This is especially true 

 of potash, lime, and sulphuric acid. We can guard 

 against this bad effect by using bone-dust and plaster 

 in combination with guano, 



The long continued application of guano, will 

 exhaust the mineral matter in the soiL "While the 

 guano has an excess of ammonia, it has no humus 

 or mold in it, and as the caustic character of the 

 ammonia hastens the decomposition of the mold, the 

 loss is not made up by the guano, but by mixing 

 well-leached ashes, plaster and mold with it, there 

 will be no danger in its application, and a great 

 improvement in the soil will be the reward; 



