124 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



filiation of seed. The guano I used, I pur- 

 chased oi' Fowle & Co., of Alexandria, arrd 

 proved to be a very superior article, being per- 

 fectly dry and giving out a strong ammoniacal 

 smell. The guano we buy, varies as. much in 

 quality as does the whiskey we drink, (that is 

 not we exactly, but some of our friends,) and 

 the article I got last fall was as far superior to 

 the lot sent to this county from Baltimore, as 

 "old Bourbon" is to S. & B.'s "Blue head." 

 Good guano is dry and strong-scented, not wet 

 and inodorous, as is much that is offered in our 

 market. The farmers of Virginia need no in 

 ispection of guano. They should either judge 

 for themselves, or deal only with merchants in 

 wham they can place confidence- 

 It is the business of the commission merchant, 

 to acquaint himself with the means of judging 

 of the quality of guano, just as he learns to 

 distinguish between good sugar and bad. The 

 loss to the Siate, from the use of inferior guano, 

 is incalculable. The first cost of the article, 

 is as nothing compared with the failure of 

 crop from the application of worthless guano, 

 for it seems now that wheat will not ripen well, 

 even upon our very best lands, without the use 

 of (his fertilizer Our farmers should be more 

 particular in testing the quality of guano, and 

 think less of economising a dollar or two in the 

 price, for (hey may rest assured that a good ar- 

 ticle is cheaper at. $00 a ton, than some we use 

 as o free gift. It may be true that " eggs is 

 eggs," but it it does not, follow chat everything 

 sold under the name of guano will make a 

 wheat crop. The best tests I know are order 

 and odour. If guano he perfectly dry ma] give 

 out a good strong smell, it may be depended 

 upon. Clean bags usually contain the best 

 guano, as any addition of water, either from 

 Sprinkling or atmospheric absorption, shows it- 

 self in the staining of the bags. 



I take occasion, while upon this subject, to 

 mention that I have experimented in a small 

 way with Mexican guano, on tobacco, corn, and j 

 wheat, alone, and mixed with Peruvian, and 

 have yet to see the slightest effect from it. My 

 experiments have not been made with sufficient 

 accuracy to demonstrate to others its worthiess- 

 ness, but has satisfied me that that, it is not 

 quite equal as a fertilizer to common ley creek 

 sand. 



JpVefls tjie Papers of Hue Nolloway Farmers Club. 



COMPARATIVE. EXPERIMENTS WITH 

 GUANO. 



Fallowing it in and putting it nt along with 

 thk Wheat — Drilled and Broadcast on 

 Corn. 



In compliance with the constitutional re- 

 quisition of our club, making it obligatory 

 upon each member to report in 'writing the 

 result of some operation or experiment -onade 

 during the year, I report that, in the month 

 of August, 1853, I applied S00 pounds cf 



guano to two acres of laad then being fallow^ 

 ed with a two-horse plough for wheat ; the re- 

 mainder of the field was fallowed in the same 

 way, but no guano was applied until October, 

 the time of seeding, when about 150 lbs.' per 

 acre was sown, the guano and wheat both 

 turned under with a one-hor?e turning plough, 

 a portion immediately adjoining the first- 

 mentioned two acres, and so nearly alike that 

 I could not perceive any difference. The 

 wheat was, sown on both fields about the same 

 time — perhaps the same day. The wheat on 

 the first two acres was covered with a twenty- 

 four tooth harrow. Throughout the season 

 and at present tbe difference in favor of sow- 

 ing guano and wheat at the same time was as 

 four to one. 



I would, as one of the committee appointed 

 to test the value of guano applied to corn 

 broadcast at the time of planting, and one- 

 half the same quantity applied in the drill, 

 the other half broadcast at the last ploughing, 

 report that, in April, 1854, I measured two 

 contiguous spaces of land, about 70 yards 

 square each, of as nearly equal fertility and 

 texture as could be obtained. To one acre I 

 applied 3^ bushels (estimated to be 200 lbs.) 

 guano broadcast, and turned it in with a one- 

 horse plough; to the other acre I applied If 

 bushels guano in* the drill at the time of plant- 

 ing. The drills were opened by throwing out 

 one furrow each way with the single plough, 

 the guano sown m the drill and closed by 

 throwing' back two furrows with the same 

 plough. The drills for planting were opened 

 with a trowel hoc — both pieces planted the 

 same day and in the same way, except as 

 above — the land inclining to sandy. At the 

 last ploughing of the corn, I applied If bush- 

 els guano broadcast to the drilled acre : — work 

 done with the cultivator. The broadcast acre 

 produced 4 barrels, 4 bushels and 3-16 of a 

 bushel. The drilled acre, 4 barrels and 4 

 bushels corn. Both acres in all respects 

 alike, planted at the same time, worked on the 

 some days and with the same implements. 

 Both suffered from drought, as did the rest 

 of my crop. Wm. H. Bland. 



Best Mode of applying Guano to Corn. 



Mr. President : In accordance with a re- 

 q^st of the club, the following experiments 

 were made with guano on corn, in order to as- 

 certain the best nude of its application. 



I selected four acres of thin land, about the 

 same quality. On the first I applied 200 lbs. 

 of guano broadcast, and turned it under the 

 1st of March with a double plough. 



