which produced a green and vigorous growth 

 to be seen at a considerable distance ; this too 

 appeared to lose its effect in a mcasui'e as the 

 dry weather set in and as the wheat ripened. 

 I think, however, there is some difference in its 

 favor — I have cut it to-day and shall try and as- 

 certain its comparative gain and will then 

 write you the result. 



I am veiy soiry to find that nearly all my 

 young clover has died out under llie hot dry 

 Bun of the last l^vo ^veoks, but I think it is much 

 worse where the Guano was applied. As far 

 as my experiments have gone I consider Guano 

 a mo.st powerful stimulant and fertilizer, under 

 certain circumstances. If there should be show- 

 ers of rain or the land ke])t moist in any way it 

 is valuable, otherwise it may even do injuiy. I 

 have not yet used any to my com, hat shall do 

 so and let yovi know the result. Mr. Stabler' s 

 experiment has been a very favorable one. 

 Was the drouth as severe with him as it was 

 generally through the country 1 



Yours, tmly. (Signed.) W. I. DUPUY. 



Petersbueg, Va. 13th June, 1845. 

 Esteemed Friend: Since I had the pleasure 

 of receiving thy favor of tlie 7th, which reached 

 me two days ago, I have visited some of my 

 neighbors to ascertain as far as possible what 

 had been the effect of Guano on their crops. 

 The character of the sea.son has been more un- 

 usual than any we have had, perhaps since 1816. 

 What with the frost hi the first instance, and then 

 the drouth, (which yet continues,) vegetation 

 is exeedingly feeble ; and neither Guano nor 

 any other manure could have its full effect. 

 Such seasons, however, are perhaps less disas- 

 trous on wheat than any other ci'op. I can re- 

 collect that 1816 was a great wheat year ; and I 

 have heard the old people often say that in 1806, 

 when there was no rain from early in April till 

 the middle of September, and when the ears of 

 wheat hardly emerged trom the boot, there v\-as 

 a bountiful crop. The harvest in this neigh- 

 borhood is now about being completed, and the 

 crop appears to be a fair one. As far as we can 

 judge at present, the Guano has pi-oduced a 

 marked effect in every case, where it has been 

 applied, but one. This being one of Dr. Du- 

 puy's experiments, he will communicate it to 

 thee, as he is also writing by the .same mail with 

 this. His other experiment, considermg the 

 lateness of the season when the Guano was laid 

 on, may be regarded as very favorable. The 

 experiments of Robert Strachan, which I have 

 mentioned in former letters, are altogether satis- 

 factory to him. Some time .since he expressed 

 the opinion that the increa.sed crop would pay 

 for the Guano three times; and ho informed 

 me yesterday he had yet no reason to change 

 his views in regard to it. His crop liad been 

 just harvested, and put up in hand-stacks on the 

 land ; and as far as could be judged from ap- 

 pearances he will not be disappointed in the 

 estimate he formed. On oats, there is a very 

 beautiful experiment on the fann adjoining me. 

 Indeed, I have seen no kind of crop on which 

 the Guano acts more energetically than on that 

 of oats. I confess, liowever, I have seen noth- 

 ing that can be at all compared with the won- 

 deiful cflect upon Ed. Stablcr's wheat, as 

 described in his letter to thee ; for the copy of 

 which I feel much obliged. 1 had heard of it 

 indirectly some time since ; and a few weeks 

 ago there was a letter from E. S. to J. S. Skin- 

 (81).. ..3 



ner, publi.shed in the Agricultural department 

 of the Albion. I cannot account for the extra- 

 ordinary growth, but by supposing that there 

 had been plenty of moisture. It will be highly 

 interesting to ascertain the product, though I 

 cannot agree that it would have been propor- 

 tionably increased, if he had used 3| instead of 

 2^ bu.shels of seed. If it had been thicker the 

 ears must have been smaller. My experiments 

 have been very diversified, and on almost every 

 kind of vegetable usually cultivated in market 

 gardens, and'though in some few cas(;s of rather 

 recent application, the effect has been incon- 

 siderable, owing to the peculiarity of the season, 

 yet altogether I have reason to be highly grati- 

 fied. On Irish potatoes nothing couhi act bet- 

 ter. Applied side by side witli the best manure, 

 at the rate of 300lb.s. of Guano and more than 

 100 cai-tloads of manure to the acre, the gu- 

 anoed potatoes came up soonei' and much better, 

 and grew oft' more rapidly. The difference was 

 very great for a long time, though it is less obvious 

 now, the manure retaining moisture during the 

 drouth. I shall ascertain shortly what will be 

 the comparative product : as yet we have oidy 

 dug the guanoed, which are veiy fine, and tiie 

 yield very abundant. In addition to the Irish 

 ])otatoes, I have tried the Gu^no extensively on 

 the sweet potatoes. It is too early yet for it to 

 manifest itself decidedly, but the vines are of 

 good color, though small. For raising all kinds 

 of plants for transplanting, such as cabbage, 

 celery, tomatoes, tobacco. &c. it is superior to 

 any otljfer manure. The beds require less pick- 

 ing, which is a tedious operation. I prefer to 

 apply it frequently in the form of a weak solution ; 

 but with seed of strong growing plants, such as 

 cabbages, radishes, and the like. I pi-epare 

 the beds by sowing the Guano broadcast, at the 

 rate of 300 pounds to the acre, then chop it in, 

 and afterwards rake in the seed. In that quan- 

 tity I have not found it to impair the genniuating 

 powers of the seeds. I have succeeded worse 

 with melons than any thing else ; though with 

 cymlius on a somewliat moist piece of ground, 

 it has acted finely. The melon vines, however, 

 are improving ; and when the rain comes I 

 hope they will make good progress. In a nur- 

 sery of young peach and apple trees, the effect 

 has been as decided as on any other growth 

 wliatever. The ground on which they grew, is 

 very thin, and from the pale, sickly color which 

 most of tliem exhibited last summer, I appre- 

 hended they would not come to much. But, 

 since the ai)plication of Guano, the color has 

 changed to a dark, rich green ; and the young 

 shoots have put out with great vigor. On cab- 

 bages I have not yet tried it, 2ny early crop 

 having been manured in the Fall and Winter; 

 but I have a good deal of land ])repared ready 

 tor being set out with plants for Fall and Win- 

 ter cabbages, as soon as there comes a sea.son. 

 On early planted com, on moist laud, the Gu- 

 ano shows itself very well, but not witli late 

 planted on high land. In fine, considering the 

 character of the season, the results are in almost 

 every waj' satisfactory, and my confidence in 

 its virtues is undiminished. Nevertheless, I 

 liear some people cry out against it, and repre- 

 sent it as valueless. 



In the last Southern Planter, there is a com- 

 munication from a gentleman who .states that he 

 has made various trials, and in every instance 

 there was no perceptible effect. He does not 

 state from whom the Guano was obtained. [On 

 reference to his article, I find I am mistaken 



