April i, 1891.] 
THE TR0P10M. 
729 
“i\ATlVE GUANO” 
is one o£ the manures competing for public favour 
in our market. Messrs. W. II. Davies & Co. 
advertise it as 
A safe and Reliable Fi rtilizer for Tea, Coffee, Coco- 
nut Trees, Potatoes and Kitchen Garden Produce, Grape 
Vines, Fruit Trees, Tomatoes, Roses, Lawns, Cbrysau- 
themuins, Pot Plants, &o. 
and from a panaphlet of testimonials by British 
farmers, orohardists and gardeners which has reached 
us from the tirm named, it saoins fully to deserve 
this character. It is prepared from sewage by the 
Native Guano Company, Limited, London, Kingston- 
on-Thames and Aylesbury. In the English pam- 
phlet sent to us by Messrs. W. H. Davies & Co. 
for notice, we observe that the 
Price at the works at Kingston, (Surrey), or Ayles- 
bury, (Bucks), is £3 10s per ton, in 2 cwt. bags. Orders 
not exceeding 10 cwt. are charged at the rate of £4 per 
ton. Carriage paid within 100 miles of Works on Cash 
orders ot 2 tons and upwards. A siugle cwt. Sample 
bag seat, carriage paid, to auy Railway Station in Kug- 
land on receipt of Postal Order for 5s. 
Even allo'wiug for the depreoiation of the rujiea, 
the local price of RllO per ton, delivered at the 
raiway station, Colombo, sosnii high, especially 
in view of the fact that ground bones and white 
castor oake can be obtained for as nearly as 
possible half the money. The justification of the 
high price must be sought for in the greater 
richness of the Native Guano in active fertilizing 
qualities. We find Dr. 0. Meyuott Tidy and Pro- 
fessor Dewar reporting on the substance thus : — 
“ The percentage of combined niirogen in the manure 
is consequently remarkably constant, and emoun.'S 
to an average of 3 8 per cent reckoned as ammonia iu 
the perfectly dry niiiiuie, or if with 20 per cent of water 
to 3 per emt of available ammonia.” 
The analysts add ; — 
“As the phosphoric acid is also an important ingre. 
dient from a mauurial point of view, it was estimated in 
four samples of the manure taken from diffitreiit parts 
of the heap, au average of 5 0 per cent reckoned as 
tricalcic phosphate of lime being found. As to tlie 
mauurial value of the Native Guan i, we are strongly of 
opiiriou that this must be judged rather by the pr.icli- 
ca! resiilt.s of the agriculturist than by presumed theo- 
retioal values based ou aualytical data, and on the price 
of ingredient not uec-essariry iu the same physical or 
chemical coudition. Po.coat research tends to show that 
very small changes brought about in soils may haye 
very important indirect effects.” 
q;he Company themselves state ; — • 
“The Guano is dry, inodorous, and its fertilizing 
properties are great. It contains nitrogenous matter 
as well as phosphates, alkaline salts, saponaceous 
compounds, &c., and has a combination ot manurial 
elements in sncii proportions as suits the crops, and 
produces satisfactorv rtsult.s, fully bearing otto the 
o lowing opinions of B.-iron Liebig 
“In the solid au 1 liquid excrements of men and 
auiintls, wo restore to our fields the ashes of the plants 
which served to iiouri.sh those animals.” — Liehuj's 
Chemiitnj of Agriculture and rkyaiology, Page 1st), ith 
PJdition.” 
“Ic IS of great importance tor agriculture to know 
witli certainty that tho supply of ammonia is unneces- 
sary for most of our cultivated plants, and tliat it may 
be evou supoilluous, if only tho soil cou'aius a suffici- 
ent supply of miii'jral food of the plants when the 
ammonia required for their deVvlopnirnt will be 
furnished by the atmosiihero. It it also iniporouut to 
know that tho rule usually adopted in France and 
ill Gcrinany ot ostimatiug the value of a manure 
acoording to the amount of its nitrogen is quite 
fallaiioua, and that its valnu does not stau i inpr qiir- 
tion to its nitrogen.” — Licbig'i Cheini-'.trg of AgricHltare 
and Pliysioluyij, Page 212, 4f/j Edition.'’ 
We are, therefore, led to infer that the value of 
the manure is not to be judged by the proportions 
of nitrogen an 1 phosphoric acid shown by analysis 
(potash is not separately speoiflel) but by the 
general combination of manurial elements and 
their potent action, on soils and on plant growth. 
Appeal is made to the long list of testimonials 
received as to tho results obtained by those who 
tried the manure on widely varying products, such 
as cereals, roots, fruits and flowers ; and certainly 
a large proportion of the testimony is unqualified 
as to the valuable effects of the preparation. It 
not only promotes the growth of vegetation and 
the formation of fruit, grain and roots, but it is 
described as “ an effectual remedy for fly, slug, 
wireworm and garden pests.” It may ne applied 
advantageously to wet soii, as liquid manure, or 
with its own bulk of flue earth. So applied, its 
effects were as follows ; — “ Only a cottager,” having 
by its aid obtained very good potatoes, good onions 
and splendid turnips, describes it as a very cheap 
and durable manure. A gardener testified : — 
Used for cucumbers, melons, tomatoes, vegetables 
and pot plants iu general. Results ; very good. To- 
matoes, cucumbers, celery grown entirely without any 
other manure have turned out excellent. I added 
about I lb. of Guano to 1 bushel of pure loam for 
tomatoes, and top dre.ssed them afterwards at intervals 
of a fortnight with a fair sprinkling of Guano mixed 
with fine soil. The resu't was au enormous crop ; 
quite surprised many gardeners iu this neighbourhood. 
Another 
UiOJ for cauliflowers, spring cabbage, carrots, radi- 
shes, onions, Bru.-ses sprouts, aud vegetables generally, 
aLo for flowers. Results : very good and satisfactory. 
I have had this garJeii 10 years, but never had such 
crops before. My neighbours speak well of it. 
Another reports splendid crops and that the guano 
produce! much finer crops than those grown with 
stable manure. To quote again : — 
I have only used your manure for pot plants at 
present, and, so far, I am in every way satisfied with 
it. I use it mixed with the lotting soii, and in 
liquid form for watering. In this it has a great ad- 
vantage in settling quickly, enabling one to use it 
as soon as mixed. I have used other manures, but 
never had such results as from this. 
Finally a Scotch testimonial : — 
The Native Guano was used here for turnips, the 
field being dressed with farm yard clung in the autumn 
and ploughed in the spring. Part ot tho field was 
sown iu the drill with Native Guauo at the rate of 
10 cwt per acre, costing £1 per ton, and part of 
it sown iu the same manner with other Guano at 
the rate of five cwt. per acre, costing £10 10s a ton. 
The turnips ou the ground dressed with Native Guano 
being a belter crop than that done with the other 
Guano, considers the Native Guauo a very useful 
manure for all kinds of farm crops. The soil here 
heavy coarse clay. 
Messrs. W. H. Davies & Coi, tell us they are sup- 
plying the Native Guano for tea and cacao as well as 
for garden produce ; and we presume tho results have 
been satisfactory. For estate purposes as well as 
for fruit orchards, vegetable gardens and grass 
lawns and pasturage, the substauuo certainly deserves 
a trial. To facilitate this, Messrs. W. H. Davies 
& Co. indicate that they Eupply sample casks con- 
taining about 19i) ib. at RU) each. Meantime it 
would be interesting and useful to have the testi- 
mony of those who may already have tried the 
Native Guano (native to Britain), beoause in such 
reports there may be encouragement not only 
for tho use of the manure imported and sold by 
Messis W. H. Davies A Co , but for the ultimate 
formatiou of a local company to prepare really 
ai'-live guano from iho sewage of Colombo and 
our other larger towns. The Uhiueso are far before 
more civilized races in their careful conservation 
