I860.] 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



505 



RICHMOND, VIRGINIA. 



Manipulated Guano. 



We have for soine time past been very strongly 

 inclined to believe in the truth of the assertion, 

 that Peruvian Guano alove, was not of equal val- 

 ue, pound for pound, with a mixture of Penfymn 

 and Phosphate of Lime. We regret tliat we can- 

 not give the name of the father of this theory to 

 our readers, beyond the possibility of doubt or 

 contradiction — since we believe it has in its re- 

 sults already conferred a great benefit on farm- 

 ers, and will eventually prove of signal service 

 to those who wish to improve both lands and 

 crops by the use of Guano. 



We are no theorist on any subject, and had 

 much rather be engaged in gleaning wheat, than 

 in " sky scraping" for the purpose of gathering 

 plausible arguments in support of anything new 

 and improbable — consequently we reduce our 

 farming operations, and try to bring all our ex- 

 penditures for agricultural purposes, to the test 

 of that homely and useful adage, "Will it pay'?" 

 If we think we derive particular benefit from 

 any special agricultural practice, we do not hesi- 

 tate to say to our brethren, "Go and do likewise," 

 This is at once both our duty and pleasure. We 

 therefore owe no apology to the Peruvian Gov- 

 ernment for advising our farmers to .Americanize 

 the Guano they send out so liberally, and charge 

 so exorbitantly for, before using it as the special 

 manure for wheat and grass crops. We have 

 been a close observer of the effects of Guano for 

 ten years past, and have several times had to 

 pay rather dearly for our whistle by the use of 

 it, without any benefit accruing to us. We have 

 come to the conclusion that no farmer should 

 run the risk of incurring a dead loss of several 

 dollars to the acre for manures, if from any 

 cause they should prove inoperative and the 

 crop should fail. It is certainly wiser in apply- 

 ing fertilizers, to use such as will enable him to 

 Jay up a store for the future on which his land 



may draw if the growing crop should fail of 

 deriving present advantage from its application. 

 Therefore he should be accumulating PAos;^/?.a/!t's 

 in his soil, if possible, the benefits of which will 

 be apparent sooner or later. As regards the 

 wheat crop, this is especially liable to disasters 

 from insect enemies, unpropitious seasons, and 

 accidents from fire and flood. As a class, un- 

 fortunately we farniers are not so well endowed 

 with this world's goods, as to be able to pay five 

 or six dollars an acre for the pleasure of reap- 

 ing a big crop of straw — and yet there are many 

 who have had but little better success from using 

 Peruvian Guano on wheat. 



For ourselves we can assert truly that we ne- 

 ver succeeded but once in a good crop of grain 

 when we used it alone — nor did we ever fail to 

 make a big crop of straw. 



The exhaustion of the Phosphatic elements of 

 our soils has lor many years been progressing 

 steadily and surely — while we have done very 

 little towards replenishing this all important con- 

 stituent of grain and grass crops. We hope sin- 

 cerely that a better time has come, and that we 

 may now secure from the use of Guano, a bene- 

 fit which we have not heretofore received. 



Many of those manufacturers engaged in the 

 process of Manipulating," are now preparing 

 a Guano containing 8 per cent of Ammonia and 

 50 per cent, of Phosphate of Lime. The source 

 which supplies tke latter article is the ash of 

 bones. If the use of an article so manufactur- 

 ed, does not secure to the farmer who sows it, 

 much greater benefit to both land, and crop, 

 than he ever received from Peruvian alone, we 

 shall be grievously disappointed, and feel like 

 " a victim to mistaken confidence." 



Last fall we used a compound of Peruvian 

 Guano and Phosphate of Lime, to which we 

 added on our own hook, one third of Ground 

 Plaster. This harvest we have had more grain 

 in proportion to straw, than ever before in our 

 farming experience. So much for Manipulators. 

 Could we reap another benefit coining from the 

 direction of the Millers, in the shape of increas- 

 ed weight per bushel, and a big price, we would 

 throw our cap in the air, and hurrah for our 

 side. 



It is a great pity that the manufacture of con- 

 centrated fertilizers should ever have fallen into 

 the hands of dishonest persons, and that the 

 word Humbug, should have proved a tombstone 

 to mark the final resting place of so many dol- 

 lars, departed never to return, to the homes, the 



