CHAPTER XI 



OTHER ORGANIC MANURES 



(A) Animal Origin 

 Gtiano 



Guano consists of the droppings of pelicans and other 

 sea birds mixed with feathers, corpses of dead birds, 

 remains of food, etc. It first came into this coimtry 

 from Peru in 1840 and rapidly achieved a high reputa- 

 tion. Other supplies have since been drawn from the 

 numerous islands of the South Pacific. Deposits also 

 occur on some of the islands off the coast of South 

 Africa, especially Ichaboe, but these are retained for 

 local consumption by the Union Government and are 

 not generally shipped to Europe. 



The composition and character of the guano depend 

 on the conditions under which it has accumulated: in 

 rainless areas it rapidly dries and remains undecom- 

 posed : in wet areas it suffers considerable decomposition 

 and loses much of its nitrogen and organic matter, be- 

 coming more phosphatic. Thus two grades of guano are 

 available: the nitrogenous, obtained in rainless districts, 

 and the phosphatic, from moister regions. 



The chief European supply of nitrogenous guano is 

 from the rainless islands off the coast of Chili and Peru 

 (lat. 7 to 20 S.). These are uninhabited and practically 

 unvisited except at long intervals for the purpose of 

 clearing the accumulations. The birds are carefully pre- 

 served and care is taken by the Government and the 



