THE USE OF MANURES. 63 



vessel loaded with guano arrived at Liverpool, nu- 

 merous experiments were made with the new manure 

 which proved failures, and agriculturists were not 

 agreed about its utility until they had practically 

 tested its use. Since that time, many hundreds of 

 ships have passed to and fro, and have brought to 

 the European Continent guano to the value of about 

 300,000,000 florins (about $125,000,000) ; and, within 

 the same period, there has been produced a surplus 

 of more than 400,000,000 cwt. of corn, or of its equiv- 

 alent in flesh. It is true, guano would have found 

 its way to Europe even without the recommenda- 

 tion of science, but it would not have made its 

 way so speedily. In the late period of sterility 

 through which we have passed, it has been the 

 means of alleviating the wants of many millions 

 of men." 



140. The first shipment of guano to the United 

 States was made in 1845, and up to June 30, 1855, 

 about half a million tons had been imported, while 

 the amount sent to Europe during the same period 

 was vastly greater. The Government of Peru has 

 derived a large revenue from the sale of this valuable 

 fertilizer, and the ships of all nations have engaged 

 so actively in the trade that the supply on the isl- 

 ands has greatly diminished. The ocean has been 

 searched for other islands containing similar de- 

 posits, and, while some have been found, none are 

 esteemed so highly as those on the coast of South 

 America. 



