104 



THE FARMERS^ REGISTER. 



ON GUANO. 



(Continued from page 5S.) 



Of the economical or money value of guano 

 to the English agriculturist. — We come now lo 

 consider perhaps; tlie most imporlani. (^uesiion ol 

 all, namely, ilie probable economical value ol 

 guano lo the English agriculturist. 



It may by most persons be considered impossible 

 to arrive ai any satisfiiciory conclusions in regard 

 to this point except by actual experiment — by the 

 trial, that is, ol' wsprecise etf'ecis on different crops 

 and in difl'erent soils. This is no doubt the most 

 certain and unexceptionable method of determin- 

 ing its value — but this method requires time, and 

 the concurrence of many individuals. Until these 

 trials are actually made, iherelbre, we are entitled 

 to inquire ol' theory how I'ar it can assist us in 

 Ibrming an ideaoi the absolute money value of 

 this new manure, and we shall be justified in al- 

 lowing ourselves lo be in some measure guided by 

 the answer which theory may give. 



I. — Let me first introduce the partial results 

 already arrived at by practical men. 



1. Mr. Skirving writes me thus: — " With re- 

 gard to the relative cost of guano and farm-yard 

 manure, allowing guano to cost 25s. per cvvf., 

 which 1 believe is the price at present, it would 

 cost no more lo supply 8 cwl. to the acre than 20 

 tons of manure would ; lor in this neighborhood 

 in spring-time good horse and cow dung is never 

 under lUs. or 12s. per (on, besides the heavy 

 carriage and extra expense of application, which 

 on some land would make a great difference." 



2. In connexion with his experiment on turnips, 

 above detailed, Mr. Pusey remarks that, although 

 it is impossible lo Ibrm an opinion from a single 

 experiment, he thinks a liarmer who could afford 

 to dress with 20 bushels of bones per acre, at 3s. 

 a bushel, might find the guano answer at 20s. 

 per cvvt. 



These two opinions, formed from imperfect or 

 incomplete experiments, are valuable so far as 

 they go ; but they can neither as yet be consider- 

 ed a safe guide to the farmer, as to what he may 

 venture to pay lor this manure, — nor to the mer- 

 chant, as to what he may venture to ask for his 

 commodity. 



II. Eut for what price can it be imported? Mr. 

 Darwin inlbrms us that at Arica, in Peru, the 

 nitrate of soda is sold at the ship's siile at 14s. the 

 100 lbs., or 1.5s. Qd a cvvt. ; and in this couniry it 

 used to be sold at 18s. or 19s. though during the 

 last year it has risen to 26s. and 2Ss. a cvvt. We 

 may suppose therefore, that 4s. or 5s. a cvvt. 

 would pay all expenses of freight, and leave a 

 handsome profit to the importer. Now, Mr. 

 Winterleldt * states that the red and dark-gray 

 varieties of the guano, those imporlcd into this 

 country, are worth 2s. SJ. a cwt. in Peru ; in 

 this country, therelbre, from 7s. lo 10s. a cwt. 

 ought to be a remunerating price to the merchant, 

 if Mr. Winterleldt be correct. 



It is true that an article is worth to ihc seller 

 exactly what it will bring in the market, but it is 

 of great intportance, not only to ihe agriculture of 



* " The red and dark-gray are vvorlh 2s. 'M. a cwt. 

 The white is sold in the port of Mollendo at 3.s. 6d. 

 a cwt. ; and at times, as for instance during the war, 

 it has brought as high a price as 12s."— Winterleldt. 



the country, but to the speculators themselves, 

 that ihe price of this commodity should be kept at 

 a reasonable rate. Notonly will many more be 

 willing to try it on their farms, if the p/ice be low, 

 but the general demand for it will increase in 

 proportion as the exact experimental larmer shall 

 become satisfied that the use of it is attended with 

 profit to himself. 



Every man has a right to a fair return for his 

 own labor, and to an adequate compensation for 

 pecuniary risk ; and those persons deserve especi- 

 al compensation who have hazarded their money 

 in importing a substance which, like guano, may 

 minister to the most vital wants of the country ; 

 but ihosc who, having themselves no pecuniary 

 interest in pract.cal fartning, are yet desirous, as 

 good citizens, to promote the growth of Ibod as 

 the Ibundation of national prosperiiy, may be 

 excused in considering the chance of great profits 

 to speculators, as subordinate lo ihe general inter- 

 ests of the agriculture of the couniry. 



in. Let us then advert to theory, and see the 

 highest price which, according to its indications, 

 the liirmer ought to be called upon to pay for the 

 guano. 



We have seen that this .substance is a mixture 

 of various chemical compounds. It is a na;ural 

 mixture ; but an artificial mixture may be made 

 which shall more or less completely imitate it. 

 What would such a mixture cost at the j)resent 

 price of the several ingredients of which it con- 

 sists 7 The phosphate of lime it contains exists 

 abundantly in bones : the ammonia may be ap- 

 plied either in the Ibrm of sulphate of ammonia 

 or of sal ammoniac, both of which are low in 

 price: the common salt and sulphate of soda can 

 be obtained at little cost ; and the urea, being so 

 small in quantity, may be either neglected alto- 

 gether, or may be replaced by a little dried urine 

 or night-soil (Poilevin's manure.) A mixture 

 of this kind, equal in virtue lo 4 cwt. of guano, 

 would cost as Ibllows: — 

 315 lbs. or 7 bushels of bone-dust, at 



2s. Od. - - - - £0 19 3 

 100 lbs. of sulphate of ammonia, con- 

 taining 34 lbs. of ammonia - 15 0* 



5 lbs. of pearl-ash - - - 10 



100 lbs. of common salt - - 2 



10 lbs. of dry sulphate of soda - . 10 



530 lbs., equal to 4 cwt. of guano. £ 1 17 11 



'J'o these it might be advisable to add 100 lbs. 

 of chalk 10 aid in gradually converting the sul- 

 phateof ammonia into carbonate, in which state 

 it may possibly be more immediately active upon 

 the plant. This, however, is a matter for trial, 

 as I am aware of very beneficial results having 

 been obtained during the past season from the 

 application of sal ammoniac in admixture with 

 other substances, without the presence of chalk. 



I consider the above mixture as likely not only 

 to be equally ellicient with 4 cwt. of guano, cost- 

 ing at present 5/., but ultimately it may be more 

 80 ; and this chiefly because in specifying the 

 ingredients no account has been taken ol the ani- 

 mal matter present in the bones, though the quan- 

 tity of gelatine they contain is itsell sufficient dur- 



* At Uio pleasure of the experimenter, a portion 

 of the sulphate of umiuouia may be replaced by 

 nitrate of jjotash, in the proportion of about three of 

 the iiitiate lo two of the sulphate. 



