1859. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



265 



bushels per acre, according to the richness of the 

 ground, they can judge for themselves. In the 

 spring of 1856 I planted Ih acres of corn ; in the 

 fall harrowed the ground and sowed i acre to 

 winter rye, and sowed Timothy seed in the fall, 

 and clover in the spring, as soon as the snow 

 was gone. In the spring of 1857, sowed the rest 

 of the piece, 1^ acres, as before described, and 

 last season mowed for the first time, and could 

 see no difference between that "stocked" with rye 

 or that with oats. My manner of sowing is to 

 go over the ground with a light harrow to smooth 

 it down, then sow the oats, then use a cultivator 

 harrow, sow the hay seed, and cross harrow with 

 a light harrow of 30 teeth ; then roll the ground, 

 •which leaves it in a fit condition for the scythe. 

 The richer I make my ground, the more hay seed 

 I want to sow, thereby avoiding a coarse quality 

 of hay, which is generally the result of the first 

 year's crop. I do not consider a great crop of 

 oats of so much consequence as a good crop of 

 grass from five to eight years following. Now, 

 Mr. Editor, I do not wish to be understood that 

 my method of procedure is better than other far- 

 mers', but my motto is, let every one read, (and 

 write too, for others to read,) judge, practice, 

 and decide for himself. W. C. White. 



Barre, Vt, April 5, 1859, 



AMERICAN GUANO. 



We recently alluded to this subject, and said 

 that we should recur to it again. After the Peru- 

 vian guano was introduced, it could be purchased 

 for several years for $40 a ton ; the price was 

 gradually increased, until now the exorbitant 

 charge of $65 a ton is demanded — and this in- 

 crease of price has been continued when shipping 

 freights have been very low. It is a complete 

 monopoly, and we hope the American people 

 will not encourage it. In 1856, the sales of the 

 Peruvian guano amounted to $17,000,000, and 

 the average, for some years previously, was about 

 $15,000 000. 



Some two or three years ago, certain islands, 

 named Baker's and Jarvis's islands, in the Paci- 

 fic Ocean, some five thousand miles from any 

 land, were discovered by two American citizens, 

 named Michael Baker and Thomas D. Lucas. A 

 company was formed under the title of the Amer- 

 ican Guano Company, and the interest of the 

 discoverers purchased. The importance of a 

 cheap supply of guano to our agricultural pur- 

 suits attracted the attention of our government, 

 and the Department of State entered into nego- 

 tiation with the Peruvian Government, proposing 

 the payment of $10 per ton for all guano import- 

 ed thence into the United States. This negotia- 

 tion failed, and the Republic of Peru, through 

 their agents, has obtained the monopoly of gu- 

 ano in our markets, which has increased in price 

 from $40 per ton to its present price of $65 per 

 ton ! 



The following analysis of Baker's Island Gu- 



ano, by L. D. Gale, M. D., Chemical Examiner 

 of Patents in the United States Patent Office, in- 

 asmuch as it agrees with analyses made by other 

 men eminent in the scientific world, will give a 

 correct idea of its constituent parts : 



Organic eompounds yielding ammonia, &c 9.940 



Combined Water 2.500 



Carbonic acid from organic compounds of lime 600 



Bone pliosphate of lime, and bonp pho-phate magnesia 



(containing phosphoric acid, 33.67) 83 266 



Sulphate of soda 1.293 



Common salt 1 615 



Loss 816 



100.000 



In connection with this analysis. Dr. Gale re- 

 marks : 



"Guanos are of two kinds ; those in which the 

 ammonia-yielding products predominate, as in 

 the best Peruvian guanos ; and those in which 

 the phosphates of lime and magnesia predomi- 

 nate. 



"The first kind is produced in regions where 

 there are little or no rains, and the second in re- 

 gions where the rains wash away a large part of 

 the organic or soluble portions, and leave the in- 

 soluble parts. Su'hare the Mexican guanos of 

 the W. I., and those on the Islands of the Paci- 

 fic Ocean, above named. 



"If we heat to redness an ammonia-yielding 

 guano, we volatilize 05 to 70 per cent, of organ- 

 ic matter, capable of yielding ammonia and oth- 

 er volatile products which constitute the body of 

 this class of guanos. What remains after extract- 

 ing the ammoniacal and phosphatic compounds, 

 is of comparatively little value, as it is chiefly al- 

 kaline salts. 



"What effect has such an article on the soil on 

 which it is spread ? It stimulates to an unwont- 

 ed degree ; and causes it to put forth all its 

 strength to force the growth of plants, as alcohol 

 stimulates the animal to unusual exertions for 

 the time, but which finally exhaust the system. 

 So the stimulating guanos force the present crop 

 at the expense of the future strength of the soil. 



"Every farmer who has experience, knows that 

 when he has once used guano for his crops, its 

 strength is exhausted the first year ; and if he 

 would continue to grow crops, he must continue 

 to repeat his guano. 



"But what is the result with the phosphatic 

 guano ? The analysis shows that more than 80 

 {)er cent, of these guanos consists of the phos- 

 phate of lime and of magnesia, in an insoluble 

 state, or in just such a condition that the roots 

 of plants will take up, and appropriate so much 

 of the salt as is requisite to perfect the same." 



An analysis of this guano made by Drs. Scaf- 

 for and Craig, under the superintendence of Prof. 

 Henry, of the Smithsonian Institute at Wash- 

 ington, and which was made under directions 

 from the Government, exhibits similar results to 

 those given above by Dr. Gale. Accompanying 

 their analysis is a detailed statement of the pe- 

 culiar qualities of the article, from which we 

 make the following extract : 



"As to the worth of these substances, we can 

 best represent it by comparison with bones, which 



