CHAPTEE X 



GUANO 



Where Found. 2. Guano Birds. 3. Historical Significance 

 of Guano. 4. The Search for Guano by the United States. 

 5. Peruvian Guano. 



Where Found 



The name "guano" is applied by farmers to 

 any commercial fertilizer which contains a bal- 

 anced ration of nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and 

 potash for growing crops. In the stricter no- 

 menclature of fertilizers guano is a highly nitro- 

 genous material containing animal matter, which 

 when broken down by contact with the soil makes 

 available the necessary chemicals for plant growth. 

 For example, thousands of tons of dried and 

 ground fish are annually produced for fertilizer 

 under the title of guano by the menhaden fisheries 

 on the Atlantic coast of the United States. 



But "guano," in its true meaning, can only be 

 applied to excrement, and mainly to that of birds^ 

 Small amounts are from time to time discovered 

 in caves where the droppings of bats have accu- 

 mulated to form a thin layer on the floor, but 



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