THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



Ill 



to their soil, climate and product, as that this 

 information is imparted in plain, practical and 

 easily comprehended language, or in other words, 

 in their mother tongue. It is not to me a matter 

 of surprise that a journal originally published a 

 little south of you, fell through. It was first a 

 farmer, next a philosopher, and lastly a politi- 

 cian. To the student in his closet its specula- 

 tions were not only entertaining, but instructive. 

 But to the plain, common sense farmer they 

 were useless, because couched in language as 

 incomprehensible to him as Hebrew. This error, 

 the Planter has avoided, and I hope our farmers 

 will continue to bestow a liberal patronage upon 

 it, for nothing can or will so clearly mark a de- 

 cline in the agricultural spirit of the age as the 

 fall of agricultural papers. A little reflection 

 will convince those who are inclined to depre- 

 ciate such publications, that they visit their own 

 transgressions upon innocent heads. By the 

 frequent and attentive reading of papers they 

 acquire new thoughts, which by repeated recur- 

 rence become so familiar to their minds that they 

 learn to consider them as original, and thus, in 

 practice, enjoy all the benefit of the editor's toil 

 without allowing him even that pittance of praise 

 which he so richly merits. 



Wishing all success to the Planter, 

 I remain yours, respectfully, 



Mayo B. Carrington. 



March 21, 1845. 



Not to be outdone, we square the account 

 with Mr. Carrington, stated on the opposite side, 

 by the following entry : 

 M. B. Carrington in account with 



Southern Planter, Cr. 

 By opinion of our merits expressed in the 



foregoing, valued at $46 00 



FENCE POSTS, 



A practical farmer informs the Hartford Times, 

 that in taking up a fence that had been set four- 

 teen years, he noticed that some of the posts 

 remained nearly sound, while others near rotted 

 ofT at the bottom. On looking for cause, he 

 found that those posts which were set limb part 

 down, or that were set as they grew were rotted 

 off. This fact is worthy the attention of farmers. 



GUANO. 



We have received a copy of the Constitution 

 and By-Laws of the American Agricultural 

 Association of New York; an institution which 

 seems to have gone into operation under very 

 favorable auspices. 



From this Association we have received the 

 following Report upon the subject of Guano. 



Five or six cargoes of this fertilizer have already 

 been sold in the Richmond market, and the de- 

 mand continues unabated. Every thing, th re- 

 fore, touching an article which fills so large a 

 space in the public mind, must be interesting to 

 our readers, especially a report coming from 

 such authority as this. We, therefore, give it 

 entire. 



AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 

 NEW YORK REPORT ON GUANO. 



"Resolved, That the Association cause an ana- 

 lysis to be made of the cargoes of guano from 

 Ichaboe and Peru, now in the market for the 

 use of members and all persons in the neighbor- 

 hood ; and that a report be drawn up with the 

 analysis containing suggestions for the applica- 

 tion of the manure ; the whole to be published 

 as early as practicable in the agricultural papers 

 of this city and vicinity." 



PERUVIAN GUANO. 





Uric acid, - 



105 



Ammonia, - 



190 



Phosphoric acid, 



140 



Lime and magnesia, 

 Salts of soda and potash, 

 Oxalic acid, with carbonic and 



160 



e-o 





muriatic acids, 



13-0 



Water, - 



130 



Sand, - 



20 



Volatile and organic matters, 



65 





100-00 



ICHABOE GUANO. 





Ammonia, - 



135 



Humic acid, - - 



40 



Phosphates, - 



250 



Oxalic, &c, acids, 



20-0 



Salts of soda, &c. 



7-0 



Water and volatile matter, 



275 



Sand, . - - - . 



3-0 





10000 



Prices and Relative Value of the Peruvian and 

 •African Guano — These specimens are both very 

 fair, and represent the peculiarities of the two 

 kinds of guano. The absence of uric acid in 

 the African variety, is the cause of its inferiority ; 

 for that body decaying gradually in the soil, 

 continues to yield carbonate of ammonia for a 

 long time, so that the stimulating effects of the 

 guano are seen the next year, whilst the African 

 is more fleeting. The prices of the two are, for 

 Peruvian $45, and for African $35 per ton, for 

 quantities amounting to five tons ; and this may 

 be considered, all things being taken into the 

 account, a fair representation of their value in 

 agriculture. 



The African being soluble to the extent of 40 

 per cent., is better adapted for watering plants, 



