THE GENESEE FARMER. 



335 



tion with the men in charge that the animal char- 

 coal was not ground previous to its mixture with 

 the acid. 



In December, 1853, in reply to an article of 

 Mapes' attacking Prof. JonNSON, we mentioned this 

 fact of his not grinding the animal charcoal as 

 proving that there would be undecomposed phos- 

 phate in his manure. There was no way of meet- 

 ing this argument, except to show that he did 

 grind his animal charcoal. 



In the March number of the Working Farmer 

 Mr. Mapes published an affidavit signed by twenty 

 men who worked in his factory to prove that he did 

 grind the animal charcoal before the sulphuric acid 

 was added. They also swore that they believed 

 " Mr. Harris never passed through the factory V 



The fact that our article appeared in December, 

 and that the affidavit was not taken until February 

 2, led us to believe that Mr. Mapes had changed 

 his process of manufacture after the appearance of 

 our article. We tried to ascertain this fact ; but 

 all access to the factory was denied. We then, in 

 the garb of an Irishman, visited the factory in 

 disguise, and there learned that Mapes had put in 

 a Bogarthus' Mill, and otherwise changed his pro- 

 cess of manufacture. After this was done he took 

 the affidavit of his men for the purpose of showing 

 that our statement in regard to his mode of man- 

 ufacture was not true! 



This is the chief charge he brings against us. 

 In the affidavit the men swore that they believed 

 " Harris never passed through the factory." Now 

 Mr. Mapes says of this same visit: "Mr. Harris 

 visited the factory and was known and politely 

 treated while there." The fact is, the men did 

 not know what they were swearing to. They were 

 ignorant German and Irish laborers, and did not 

 understand the document which their unscrupulous 

 employer had drawn up. 



Mr. Mapes says : " We placed this affidavit in 

 our desk, simply stating in the Working Farmer 

 that we had the affidavit of the Superintendent 

 and workmen, contradicting flatly every assertion 

 of Harris. At last, however, being goaded by 

 continuous false statements in the Albany Cultiva- 

 tor, Country Gentleman and Genesee Farmer, we 

 published this affidavit, which clearly stripped 

 Harris of any character he might have previously 

 claimed." 



Now this is all false, on the face of it. The affi- 

 davit is dated, " Improved Superphosphate of Lime 

 Factory, near Newark, N. J., February 2, 1854," 

 and was published in the very next number of the 



Working Farmer. The affidavit was taken as soon 

 as Mapes had changed his process, and it was pub- 

 lished in the very first number of his paper issued 

 after it was taken ! 



*' CHILIAN GUANO FRAUD." 



In 1855 there appeared in New York, Boston, 

 Baltimore and Petersburg an article purporting to 

 be " Chilian Guano." Knowing that this best of all 

 guanos had been exhausted for some years, and as- 

 certaining that Mapes was connected with it, we 

 visited Newark and there found that it was manu- 

 factured in Mapes 1 factory. We took a sample of 

 this so-called guano, made a careful analysis of it, 

 and found that it was almost worthless. 



Dr. Hayes had made an analysis of this stuff, 

 and in his report spoke of it as a guano " said to 

 come from the coast of Chili.' 1 '' Below this was the 

 following from Mr. Mapes : 



"Newark, N. J., February 23, 1855. 

 " I have examined the report of Dr. Hayes, as also the 

 guano referred to, and fully concur in his favorable 

 opinions of its merits. J. J. Mapes, 



" Professor of Agricultural Chemistry." 



Now let it be borne in mind that this so-called 

 " Chilian Guano," which, in the language of Dr.. 

 Hayes, was " said to come from the coast of Chili," 

 was manufactured in Mapes" 1 factory ! It was the- 

 greatest cheat ever attempted to be palmed off on 

 the agricultural community. It had been sent to- 

 New York, Boston, Baltimore and Petersburg, but 

 our expose in the Country Gentleman put farmers- 

 on their guard, and it was withdrawn from market- 

 Mr.- Mapes now admits that he manufactured 

 this article, but says he had no interest in its sale. 

 Of this we ( know nothing. He endorsed Dr. 

 Hayes' statement that it came " from the coast of 

 Chili," while he knew it was a compound of sugar- 

 house scum and Mexican guano, mixed and labelled. 

 " Chilian Guano" in his own factory ! 



Surface Application of Manure. — From the 

 the result of various trials, Professor Voelcker 

 seems to lean to the opinion that the spreading of 

 farm-yard compost on the surface of the soil, for 

 even a considerable period before it is plowed in,. 

 is by no means soj injurious a practice as we have 

 hitherto been led to suppose. He says, "that on. 

 all soils with a moderate proportion of clay, no 

 fear need be entertained of valuable fertilizing sub- 

 stances becoming wasted, if the manure cannot be 

 plowed in at once. Fresh, and even well-rotted 

 dung, contains very little free ammonia ; and since 

 active fermentation, and with it the further evo- 

 lution of free ammonia, is stopped by spreading 

 out the manure on the field, valuable manuring 

 matters cannot escape into the air by adopting this 

 plan." 



