378 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



AfG. 



mixture about two or t'lrce inches deep, round it 

 in the centre, beat it h'ghtly with the back of the 

 ipade, and tlicn leave it for two days witliout 

 stepping on it, they would find a AA'alk firm and 

 .-olid to tlie foot and pleasant to walk upon. — Ohio 

 Farmer. 



For the New England Farmer. 



GUANO. 



Some months since, while absent from home, a 

 clergyman in ^lassacliusetts wrote me a very 

 jileasant letter of inquiry on the subject of guano, 

 its uses and effects, offering in a manner worthy of 

 an upriglit man, to compensate me for the time 

 and trouble of answering him at length. Upon 

 returning home after an absence of quite a num- 

 ber of weeks, I found so large a number of letters 

 •jn various subjects awaiting my attention, that I 

 could not an?wer them all without considerable 

 delay. The one particularly referred to, got mis- 

 laid, and I have never since been able to find it. 

 As the gentleman was a stranger to me, I have 

 forgotten his name, and the town in which he re- 

 sides, and cannot therefore answer him, as I should 

 have done before this time, had not his letter 

 been lost. 



Perhaps he is a reader of the N. E. Farmer. 

 If so, sliould the editor of the Farmer, who, with 

 the puljlishers, has ever bcen-very obliging, allow 

 Ml- to answer his inquiries as well as I can through 

 that paper, I shall be glad to learn that my un- 

 known friend receives it. 



In tl:e first place I will say that I have proved 

 guano insufficient as a manure, upon some soils, 

 to mature any fair crop of seed-bearing plants. I 

 have tried several experiments for the purpose of 

 determining this beyond question, as 1 have also 

 with preparations of superphosphate of lime. 

 ^\'here the soil contains little or no carbonaceous 

 matter, or little or none in such a state as 

 to be immediately taken up by growing plants, 

 theae plants may produce the blade, or even the 

 ear, but not the full corn in the ear. 



1 planted a piece of ground for experiment, 

 where all other circumstances would be fair for 

 the growth of Indian corn, except the manure 

 dupplied. There was but little old vegetal)le mat- 

 ter in the soil, i manured it generously with the 

 improved superphosjihate of lime. It came up 

 v.-ell, and in color antl appearance was very beau- 

 tiful. As soon as it came to earing, the evidence 

 of a failure became distinct. Not an ear of it 

 filled out ; and it did not produce equal to five 

 bushels per acre. I tried another piece with a 

 mixture of equal quantities of guano and super- 

 phospate, and the product of seed was but a little 

 better. Guano alone was still a little better, 

 when applied in equally sufficient quantity. 



Upon a piece of ground where I planted corn 

 for fodder, I applied a light dressing of stable 

 manure, spread and plowed in. I sowed the corn 

 in drills, in most of which was superphosphate 

 or guano. To prove the value of the superphos- 

 [iliatc for such a purpose I left some of it with 

 none in the drills. >Vith a growth of ten weeks 

 duration, I cut up the corn from an equal surf^iee 

 ofthc ground where the superpliosphatc was ap- 

 plied and whn-e there was none, and found the 

 weight of that where the superphosphate was ap- 

 plied to be equal to tliirteeu and a half times 



the weight of the other. The effect of guano, for 

 that purpose, and on that piece of ground, was 

 somewhat less. It proved, however, very satis- 

 factory and valuable. 



It is, in ni}' mind, settled beyond a question, 

 that for the pryduction of the mere blade, or stalk, 

 these manures are very valuable. But where seed 

 is to be produced, there is requisite a large amount 

 also of carbonaceous food for the plant in the 

 soil. 



In growing Indian corn, after supplying the 

 soil witli vegetable or carbonaceous matter, I have 

 found the best effect from guano applied in the 

 hill, at the rate of from one to two hundred 

 pounds to the acre. After scattering it in the hill. 

 it should be covered from one to two inches deep, 

 according to the quantity used, and the state of 

 the ground. A mixture of equal quantities of 

 guano and sujierpliosphate I have found better 

 than clear guano. 



For corn, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, celery and 

 onions, I have found guano very valuable. These 

 all require a large supply of ammonia, I think. 

 It is especially so with tomatoes, celery, carrots 

 and onions. 



Cabbages and turnips have an aversion to large 

 quantities of ammonia. It spoils the roots, and a . 

 moderate quantity only of guano can be used 

 upon them with safety. Superphosphate is very 

 valuable for eabl)ages, turnips and beets. 



Phosphate of lime and guano, I have no doubt 

 are, together, of great value for wheat. 



"Is guano a lasting manure !" For some pur- 

 poses guano wall prove a lasting manure. For 

 onion-fields, it must, I think, prove a lasting man- 

 ui'C. The onion, while it requires much ammonia 

 in the soil, in order to its growth, takes much al- 

 so from the atmosphere and the rains. When the 

 bulb becomes mature, it appears to shed its long 

 fibrous roots, and with them, a very heavy charge 

 of ammonia, into the soil. For this reason,doubt- 

 lesa, it has long been observed that they do better 

 after years of culture upon the same soil. It is 

 for this reason, I presume, that hog-manure, ani- 

 mal substances, &c., have so beneficial an effect 

 upon onions. Peruvian guano must, I thinoj 'jjj 

 such a purpose, prove a lasting manure. 



For corn, potatoes, wheat, &c., its action must 

 necessarily bo diffei'ent. The action of ammonia 

 is as powerful as to cut the surface of glass. I 

 am very sure that it decomposes the most solid 

 feldspar, and remains in combination with its 

 alumina. Active in the soil, it produces, directly 

 or indirectly, a more powerful growth of plants. 

 The alkalies of the guano hasten the decomposi- 

 tion of whatever old vegetable matter there is in 

 the soil, wliieh by the increased growth of the 

 crop hastens the exhaustion of the soil. Conse- 

 quently a liberal and continued application of 

 guano alone would in a short time reduce most 

 of our soils to an unproducing state. 



Guano is a very valuable manure ; but it may 

 be so used as to produce the worst of consequen- 

 ces ; even to render soils barren and worthless. 



If it is to be applied as a top-dressing to old 

 mowing fields, it will cause them to become bar- 

 ren in a few years, unless it is composted with 

 mucli old vegetable matter, in the form of mead- 

 ow muck, decomposed sawdust, or something of 

 the kind. If I used guano alone as a top dressing 

 for mowing, I should feci the necessity of follow- 



