32 



MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



Virginia, and all pronounced it the finest and 

 largest thoy have seen. 



" One swallow docs not make a summer," 

 neither should a single experiment in Agricul- 

 ture, whether adverse or otherwise, decide the 

 matter definitely ; but in no instance yet, has 

 the Guano failed with me, to produce the most 

 marked and decided advantage. 



A strip through my oat field, of about forty 

 feet wide, was sown with Guano at the rate of 

 two hundred pounds per acre, and the adjoin- 

 ing land, (side by .side,) with sixteen bushels of 

 ground bones. All sowed alike, as near as 

 could be, and at the same time ; the part with 

 Guano is now about twice as luxuriant as the 

 other, and the color a much darker green. 



I have used the Guano extensively on my 

 com, but the crop, (as is nearly all in this vicin- 

 ity ; some, I understand, have determined to 

 mark off and replant the crop,) has been so in- 

 jured, I may almo.st say destroyed, by the bud 

 worm, that little eftect is seen from the Guano. 

 The appearance of the corn crop is not now 

 near so good, as it was three Meeks since. In 

 addition to the bud wonu, most of the com 

 planted in low situations was killed by a hard 

 frost, which occurred the night before last ; not 

 " bit by the frost," merely, but killed outright. 



Please ascertain of friend S. K. George, and 

 infonn me whether he, or friend Bartlett, can 

 promise with certainty another supply of the 

 pure Peruvian Guano, from the Chincha Islands, 

 in time for our wheat crop ; say by 1st Septem- 

 ber. I am sure the present crop ■will twice 

 overpay me for its use, and I moan " to try it 

 again," without the fonnality of " picking the 

 flint." 



In haste, I reinain respectfully thy fi-iend, 



(Signed) EDWARD STABLER. 



(From Hon. James A. Pearce, Senator, U. S.) 



CirESTERTOwN, June 12, 1845. 

 Geobge Law, Esq. — 



Dear Sir: — The Guano which I purchased 

 through you, in March last, has been applied to 

 grass, wheat, oats and com, in proportions va- 

 ry big from 120 to 300 lbs. per acre. I have sup- 

 posed that you might be desirous to know with 

 what effect, and therefore send you a brief 

 statement. My first experiment with wheat 

 was made in March, just after the heavj^ rains, 

 and was followed by a long and severe drouth. 

 120 lbs. Guano, mixed with 80 lbs. plaster and 2 

 bushels coal a.shes, w^as sown broadcast on one 

 acre of wheat, the soil being the poorest and 

 most silicious on my farm. The wheat has 

 been somewhat improved, but the result is not 

 striking. 



The second trial was with oats. The ground 

 having been previously plowed, 360 lbs. Guano, 

 mixed as before, was sown on 1| acres, and 

 immediately ban-owed. Four days after the 

 oats were sown, and harrowed in. The soil 

 •was generally an exhau.sted loam, one corner 

 of the piece being a clayey hill side, with some 

 gravel, and no otherwi.se improved than by a 

 liming of 60 to 70 bu.shels to the acre last year. 

 The oats are now better on the adjacent land, 

 which ■v\'as heavily manured last year for com. 



On the 20th of April I sowed 120 lbs. Guano, 

 mixed as before, on 2-.jths of an acre of growing 

 wheat — the .'^il naturally a good loam, but ex- 

 hausted by long tillage. The wheat here is 

 greatly improved — its color soon became much 

 darker — the straw longer — it branched more, and 



the heads are nearly twice as large as those of 

 the same kind of wheat on adjoining land, which 

 was heavily ashed two years ago. 



The young clover, too, is much finer on the 

 guanoed piece than elsewhere. 



My corn vtas guanoed on the 26th May, and 

 as yet no efiect is perceived, nor is any expect- 

 ed until we shall have a rain, for which we are 

 suffering greatly. 



So far, I am much pleased with the Guano, 

 and am disposed to make larger use of it this 

 Fall. Can you tell me whether any further im- 

 portations into Baltimore may be expected this 

 summer. 



Verj' respectfully, your ob't. serv't, 



(Signed) J. A. PEARCE. 



I have said nothing of my orchard grass, or 

 clover, tovi'hich the Guano was apphed, because 

 all the land was guanoed, and no comparison 

 could therefore be made ; but I am satisfied 

 that the Guano was of great service, as the crop 

 was decidedly better than last year's. 



Petersburg, June 13, 184.5. 

 Mr. George Law — 



Ml/ dear Sir: Our friend Mr. Pleasants has 

 shown me your letter making enquiries as to 

 the re.«ults of 07ir application of Guano. This 

 has been the most remarkable j'ear and the 

 most unfavorable for the success of that manure 

 which.could have occurred. During a part of 

 the months of March and April, we had a 

 di'outh of six weeks, in which time the earth 

 was never wet, and accompanied with cold 

 north winds and frequent frosts. At this time 

 we are suffering with a drouth of five weeks, a 

 part of the time very cold, but now oppressively 

 warm. On the 2.5th ultimo we had a frost which 

 cut down all my field peas, (which had been 

 resowed several times,) potato tops, and a good 

 deal of com. Under these circumstances you 

 can see that GuAno in the general way could 

 not do much. The effect on tobacco plants, 

 which were kept watered, has been astoni.sh- 

 ing, and a\fo on cabbage plants and other gar- 

 den vegetables which were not permitted to get 

 too dry. I applied it on a piece of meadow 

 last August at the rate of 200 lbs. to the acre 

 and the effect during the whole Fall was very 

 striking, and is still a fine growth, but the use 

 of it this Spring on grass has not been so satis- 

 factorj', owing, no doubt, to the season. I used 

 it in the same quantity early in May to the red- 

 top or herds grass combined, with two bushels 

 of plaster ; in the course of two or three days 

 it rained and for several w^eeks the guanoed por- 

 tion far outstripped that on the adjoining lands. 

 As tlie present drouth continued, however, it 

 has fallen back and I can novs' see no difference 

 between them. 



With regard to the use of Guano on wheat I 

 will state that the 23d October last I applied it 

 just as the wheat was faii'ly out of the ground 

 to three respective portions of sand, all joining, 

 so that I could compare them — one with Guano 

 alone, at the rate of 200 lbs. per acre — one con- 

 taining 2J bu.shels of plaster with the same 

 quantity of Guano, and one with a like quantity 

 of Guano and 2| bushels of dripped ashes. — 

 The whole of these lots gave a decided im- 

 provement over the contiguous wheat without 

 there being any decided difference between the 

 respective portions themselves ; as the Sjiring 

 drouth came on, however, the benefit of appli- 

 cation gradually subsided as far as the eye could 

 detect it. I made another application in April 



