AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
165 
large heap, of about 250 tuns of Mexican 
guano, and some 200 tuns of the manufac¬ 
tured. article in bags, marked “Chilian 
guano,” as we had been informed. We also 
learned that a considerable quantity had al¬ 
ready been shipped to New-York and Bos¬ 
ton, and one gentleman said he believed a 
good portion of it had been sent to England. 
In New-York we were offered the Chilian 
guano, if we would take it in quantity, at 
$35 per tun. 
We took samples of both the Mexican and 
Chilian guano, and made careful duplicate 
analyses of them in the laboratory of Prof. 
Carr, of this city, chemist to the New-York 
State Agricultural Society. The following 
are the mean percentage results of the an¬ 
alyses : 
MEXICAN GUANO. 
Sand,.0.5 
Organic matter,.5.0 
Phosphate of lime,...,.26.0 
Carbonate of lime,.68.0 
99.5 
CHILIAN GUANO. 
Water,. 4.0 
Sand,.2.4 
Organic matter,.15.3 
Phosphate of lime,.24.5 
Sulphate of lime, (plaster)_9.5 
Chloride of sodium, (salt).6.2 
Carbonate of lime, (chalk)_37.6 
99.5 
Ammonia,.1.06 
Having obtained these results, we proceed¬ 
ed once more to Newark, and there received 
the following account of the modus operandi, 
adopted in the factory. 
The bags are first marked “ Chilian 
Guano;” they are then moistened with water, 
and laid in a heap, in layers, with a quantity 
of Peruvian guano between each layer. 
The sugar-house scum is pounded fine. 
Three barrowfuls, of “ five half-bushels ” 
each, then are mixed with six barrowfuls of 
Mexican guano. To this are added H bush¬ 
els common salt, 1 bushel of plaster, 3 bush¬ 
els Peruvian guano, and i bushel of quick 
lime. When the Peruvian guano and lime 
are added, “they make it tremendous strong.” 
In other words, the lime sets free the ammo¬ 
nia of the Peruvian guano, and gives the 
manufactured Chilian guano a strong smell 
of hartshorn, which, to the unreflecting, is a 
sure indication of a valuable guano. 
The floor , where the bags were filled, was 
covered with Peruvian guano, in order to 
make the article look as like genuine guano 
as possible. 
What is Chilian guano, and why is this 
name given to it instead of the better known 
Peruvian guano ? The only genuine Peru¬ 
vian guano in this country comes through 
the hands of Berreda Brothers, and has their 
mark upon it; so that it would not be easy 
to sell a spurious Peruvian guano. Chilian 
guano is subject to no such regulations, and 
the books describe it, when “ fine,”—and the 
manufactured article is made fine by grinding 
—as a “ very valuable variety, equal to that 
of the very best Peruvian.” The name, 
therefore, has been chosen with consummate 
cunning. 
The Oxford (Me.) Democrat states that it 
has received a circular containing an analy¬ 
sis of “ Chilian guano,” made by Prof. Hayes, 
“ Assayer to the State of Massachusetts,” 
and which is “ Endorsed by Prof. Mapes.” 
This analysis represents the Chillian guano 
as containing 27.9 per cent, of “ azotized 
organic matter and fixed salts of ammonia.” 
This is a much larger quantity than the sam¬ 
ple we analyzed contained. The actual 
quantity of ammonia or nitrogen is not stated, 
and it is impossible to judge correctly of 
the value of the manure without it. Fer¬ 
mented saw-dust, or peat, may be termed 
“ azotized organic matter, with fixed salts of 
ammonia ;” and we can see no use of such 
phraseology except to deceive. 
Seeing it stated in the Sonthern Farmer, 
that Chilian guano was about to be tried on 
the Model Farm of the Union Agricul¬ 
tural Society, at Petersburg, Va., we wrote 
to the Superintendent, Mr. Nicol, for infor¬ 
mation in regard to it. He replied that it 
was obtained from Messrs. Powlett & Hardy, 
of Petersburg, who received it from Mr. S. 
of Boston. The price was $40 per tun. Mr. 
T. S. Pleasants, the guano inspector at Pe¬ 
tersburg, informs us, that having made a 
chemical examination of the Chilian guano, 
he told Messrs. P. & H. that “it was a fraud.” 
On this, Messrs. P. & H. wrote to Mr. S., 
who replied that the opinion of Mr. Pleas¬ 
ants “ was very different from other gentle¬ 
men, mentioning the names of Dr. Hayes, 
and the Inspector at Richmond, Dr. Powell.” 
We have now presented the facts in re¬ 
gard to this Chilian guano manufacture, so 
far as we have been able to obtain them. 
Our readers can draw their own inferences. 
Even was the article itself valuable, it would 
be a gross deception to palm it off as genuine 
guano; but the article is comparatively 
worthless, as our analysis fully proves. 
Thus a tun of it contains 490 lbs. insoluble 
phosphate of lime, which at two cents per 
pound—a high estimate—is $9,80 ; 124 lbs. 
of salt, worth say $1 ; 190 lbs. plaster, 50 
cents, and 21 lbs. ammonia at 12 cents per 
pound, $2,52. This is $13,82 per tun. Al¬ 
lowing that non-azotized organic matter, and 
carbonate of lime is worth $1,18, we have 
fifteen dollars as the outside value of a tun 
of the so-called “ Chilian guano.” And for 
this the farmers are asked $40, and are told 
that it is better than Peruvian guano ! 
Since writing the above, we have received 
the May number of the American Farmer, 
containing the report of the Inspector of 
guano at Baltimore, Md. He says, “two 
lots, consisting of 100 bags each, were con¬ 
signed from New-York and Boston, purport¬ 
ing to be “ Chilian guano," and so marked. 
An average sample of that from New-York 
contained ammonia 1.78 per cent, and bone 
phosphate of lime 21.10 per cent. That 
from Boston contained 2.56 per cent ammo¬ 
nia, and 21.10 phosphate of lime.” This is 
a little more ammonia than we found, and a 
little less phosphate of lime. The analyses 
show, however that the article is compara¬ 
tively worthless, even taking the highest 
figures. 
Annual State Agricultural Censuses.— 
We have received a very neatly printed copy 
of the excellent annual address of F. S. 
Heiskell, President of the Knox County 
(Tenn.) Agricultural Society, delivered at 
the State Fair for the Eastern Division of 
Tennessee, which was held at Knoxville, 
October 25,1854. From among a number of 
good suggestions we select the following: 
Connected with this subject, I would take 
occasion to remark, the Legislature should 
provide some general and reliable means of 
knowing the products of this State—the va¬ 
rious methods of cultivation—system of 
management—and everythingconnected with 
it which would afford instruction—a species 
of information which every State for itself, 
should furnish the means of ascertaining 
every year. We would then know, fully, all 
about our agricultural resources. It would, 
at once, open to our view the particular con¬ 
dition of each branch of husbandry. Is one 
branch languishing—we would thus be en¬ 
abled to see it at once and the proper remedy 
could be applied. If any branch is prosper¬ 
ous, is found to succeed satisfactorily, we 
would have the information before us, and 
all know the means by which that branch 
has succeeded. 
0rtkulfral gepriment 
FOREST SCENERY IN MAY. 
BY WILSON FLAG. 
April’syoung buds have ripened into bloom, 
Diffusing wide their luster and perfume; 
And a still greater crowd of radiant things, 
Fanned into life by vernal zephyrs’ wings, 
Are waking into beauty, and will soon 
Lead up the spangled multitude of June. 
The little nests of various birds are hid 
In every wood and knoll, beneath the lid 
Of some green leaf, or placed upon the ground, 
Embosomed in a little tufted mound: 
And lo ! beneath the trees, as we pass by, 
The broken fragments of their egg shells lie, 
That show the rambler where the callow'young, 
High up amid the scented foliage hung, 
Seek in the open air, through sun and show'ers, 
The tender mercies of the month of flowers. 
The early birds are wedded to their mates: 
And every hill and wood reverberates 
With their melodious chirping, and the swell 
Of their full song resounds from vale and dell. 
For Echo, joyful at the sound, has lent 
Her myriad choir to spread their merriment, 
And given to every rook and hill a voice, 
To join the tuneful millions, and rejoice. 
The piping frogs are vocal in the pool; 
And when the evening hour is still and cool, 
Glad hosts of merry croakers wake their glee, 
And fill the air with wild garrulity. 
Silence has fled with winter, and among 
Groves, hills and plains, no harp remains unstrung. 
During the space of one year, the woods 
present to the eye of the spectator five dif¬ 
ferent aspects, corresponding with the infan¬ 
cy, the youth, the maturity, the tinting and 
the dropping of the foliage. The first is the 
appearance assumed by the woods, when 
putting out their tender plaited leaves and 
blossoms in May, up to the time when they 
are fully expanded; the second when nearly 
all the trees have attained their brightest 
verdure, as in June, but exhibit a nearly uni¬ 
form shade; the third in midsummer and 
later, when their verdure is less brilliant, 
and when each species and individual have 
acquired that particular shade of green that 
respectively characterizes them ; the fourth 
is the appearance they assume when the 
leaves have acquired those variegated tints 
precede their fall, and which are erroneously 
attributed to the action of frost; the fifth and 
last is the naked appearance of the winter 
forest, when the evergreens alone retain 
their verdure. These ever-changing aspects 
of the woods are sources of continual pleas¬ 
ure to the observer of nature, and have in all 
ages afforded themes for the poet, and sub¬ 
jects for the painter. 
Of all these phases, the one that is pre¬ 
sented to the eye in the month of May is by 
far the most delightful, on account of, the in¬ 
finite variety of tints and shade in the bud¬ 
ding and expanding leaves and blossoms, and 
the poetic relations of their appearance at 
this time to one of the most agreeable senti¬ 
ments of the human soul. I allude to the 
idea of progression combined with.fche image 
of hope and activity. Nothing adds so great¬ 
ly to the charms of a scene in nature, as any¬ 
thing which is palpably suggestive of some 
pleasing moral sentiment. It is this quality 
that gives half their beauty to certain flowers; 
and the unfolding leaves and ripening hues 
of vegetation require no forced effort of in¬ 
genuity, to make apparent their analogy to 
the period of youth, and the season of hope ; 
neither are the fading tints of autumn any 
less suggestive of life’s decline. There are 
not many, however, who would not prefer 
the lightness of heart that is produced by 
