470 



MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



Dr. Fownes. 

 No. 1. No. 2. 



29-2 



662 



4-6 

 100-0 



41-2 



44-6 



14-2 

 10i>0 



in tlie table below. Dr. Fownes has analyzed 

 two samples — cue " of a light brown color and 

 extremely offensive smell/' the other "deeper 

 iu color and without smeU." 



ILennell. 



Substances. 



Phosphate of lime 30i5 



Phosphate of lime ami mag- ) 



nesia 3 



Oxiilate of ammonia, uric 1 



acid, carbonate of ammo- ( gg- 



nia, organic matter, and f 



water J 



Alkaline phospliates. chlo- ) o.q 



lides, and sulphates ) 



Total 100 



Prof. Johnston took two specimens of Guano 

 from the same box, and found in one 8 per cent, 

 of sand, and in the other 1 1-5 per cent. The 

 other constituents are given in the following 

 table: 



Substances. Johnston — No. 1. 

 Water, salts of ammonia, and organic matter, ) gs-s 



expelled by a red heat 5 



Sulphate of soda 1'8 



Common salt, with a little phosphate of soda. 303 

 Phosphate of lime, with a little phosphate of? ^^.^ 



magnesia and carbonate of hme J 



Total .100-0 



Su-bstaiices. No. 2. 



Water, and carbonic and oxalic acids, &c. } g^^.g 



expelled by a red heat 5 



Ammonia 7-0 



Uric acid 0-8 



Common salt, with a little phosphate and sul- > ^-^^.^ 



phate of soda ) 



Phosphate of lime, with a little phosphate of ? gg.g 



magnesia and cai-bonate of lime i 



Total -100 



The preceding tables give the composition of 

 South American Guano ; the African has been 

 analyzed by the joint labors of Dr. Ure and the 

 Messrs. Francis and Philips. Their analyses of 

 three specimens are fotind in the next table : 



Substances. No. 1. No. 2. No. 3, 



Water 27-13 



Ammonia 9 7 



Ammouiacal salts, organic Joo-ge 



matter, and uric acid J 



Alkaline salts, chieU y potassa, 1 



with sulphuric acid, phos- [ j.Qg 



phoric acid, and hydro- j 



chloiic acid J 



Phosphates of lime, magne- ? 22-.3" 



sia, &c J 



Sand 0-81 



28-5 



46-5 



60 



18-5 

 0'5 



26-0 

 7-2 



38-8 



4-2 



19-8 

 4-0 



Total 100-00 100-0 100-0 



Dr. Ure has also published the average of 

 several analyses performed by himself. 

 Dr. Ure's Average.* 



Oi'ganic matter, containing nitrogen, and capable 

 of afi'ording from 8 to 17 per cent, of ammonia 



by slow decomposuion in the soil 50-0 



Water ll'O 



Phosphate of lime 25-0 



Ammonia, phosphate of magnesia, phosphate of 

 ammonia, and oxalate of ammonia, containing 



from 4 to 9 per cent, of ammonia 130 



Silicious matter from the crops of the birds 10 



Total .1000 



* For these tables I am indebted to the various 

 works of Liebig, Boussingault, Petzholdt, Johnston, 

 Thaer, and to the Fanners' Library. 



(994) 



During the summer of 1845, I received a spe- 

 cimen of Guano from Dr. Tignal Jones, of this 

 county: it was obtained by the Agricultural 

 Club, of which he is a member, from Messrs. 

 Mcllvaine and Brownley, Petersburg, Va., and 

 warranted to be the genuine South American. 

 The following results have been obtained from 

 its examination : 



Water at the temperature of 1153 F. dissolves 

 66-5 per cent. 



Hydrochloric acid dissolves 90 per cent. 

 From 100 grains, by the use of lime and hy- 

 drochloric acid, I get 25 grains of sal ammoniac. 

 According to Petzholdt, 68 per cent, of the 

 genuine Guano is soluble in lukewarm water, 

 94 per cent, in hydrochloric acid, and 100 grains 

 give 27 of sal ammoniac. By comparing these 

 numbers with those I have obtained, any one 

 can form an opinion as to the genuineness of the 

 article. Considering the variable composition 

 of Guano, I should conclude that the specimen I 

 have received is genuine, though the preceding 

 results would seem to justify some doubt. 



As I have attempted to examine this speci- 

 men with some accuracy, it may, perhaps, be 

 interesting to some of my readers to know my 

 results. In the succeeding table I give tliem 

 for three different analyses : 

 Substances. No. 1. No. 2. No. 3. 



Ammonia 8-33 7-90 812 



Water, and carbonic, oxalic 

 and uric acids, &c. expel- 

 led by a red heat 56-50 55-30 5800 



Common salt, phosphoric 

 and sulphuric acids, -with 



soda, &c 9-27 10-12 900 



Phosphate of lime and mag- 

 nesia 24-60 25-50 2350 



Sand (nearly uniform) 100 1-00 1-00 



Loss 0-30 0-18 038 



Total 10000 100-00 100-00 



The specimen I examined was of a light 

 brown color, earthy appearaixce and oiFensive 

 smell, with small white portions intermingling 

 with the mass. 



By a comparison of any of the preceding ta- 

 bles, we .shall perceive that the composition of 

 Guano is by no means uniform. Of the fifteen 

 aualj-ses given, no two are identical ; and, in- 

 deed, the methods of research adopted by chem- 

 ists, as well as the terms in which their results 

 are stated, are so various that the composition of 

 the manure appears to be less uniform than it is 

 in fact. The results of Volkel, Klaproth and 

 Bartels, -who, more than anj- other chemists, 

 have given the ultimate constituents, are similar, 

 though far from being identical ; and the same 

 remark might also be made of Dr. Ure's ave- 

 rage, Prof. Johnston's analyses, and my o\^ti (if 

 I may compare mine with tlieirs). A similar 

 approximation is found in the table containing 

 the results of Mr. Hennell and Dr. Fownes.— 

 Bu:, notwithstanding these real approximations, 



