The questions, then, which the farmer should now ask are, "which is best for me to buy, guano or coa.r.s.e manure?" The evidence just given answers that question. "I have manure, teams, and men to haul it; my fields are from one to three miles distant, is it economy for me to let my teams lay idle and buy guano?" By no means. But you can probably employ men and teams in other improvements to much better advantage. With your manure make all your home lots exceedingly rich. With your men and teams clear off stones, dig ditches to put them into, drain your land, or build fence--bring bog meadows and swamps into dry cultivation--send every little brook through artificial channels for irrigation--send water up from lowland springs and streams by hydraulic rams for the same purpose, and for stock on the hills; or bring it down from hillsides if you are so situated; and buy guano for those distant fields, instead of wasting time in the laborious operation of hauling manure. Those who use guano, are enabled by the saving of time, to say nothing of their increased profits, to make improvements which are utterly impossible to accomplish under the old system.
_How to choose Guano._--As we are satisfied no sensible reader can have perused the preceding pages, without having come to the determination to make a trial for himself, we will give him some general instructions about buying guano.
In the first place, we lay it down as an incontrovertible axiom, that the Peruvian guano, at the current price for years of that and all other, is the cheapest and best, because it contains the largest amount of ammonia, in a perfectly dry state; as a carbonate, true, but because dry, it is permanent and not likely to loose by volatilization by long keeping.
If other varieties contain a larger proportion of phosphates, and are sold at a less price, experience proves they are not cheaper. If an additional quant.i.ty of phosphates is desirable, it can be obtained in a cheaper form from dissolved bones, or bone dust and shavings of bone workers; or from mineral phosphates of lime. Recollect, guano under no other name, has ever equalled the Peruvian, in the results as compared with the quality or cost.
Therefore buy none but Peruvian. To guard against deception, be careful of whom you buy. If you cannot buy directly from the agents, be sure the character of your merchant is a sufficient guarantee against adulteration.
_To test the quality of Guano._--The best test is the price. Unlike other merchandise, this article is not subject to fluctuations. Being a government monopoly, the price at which the agents are to sell here is fixed in Peru, and that price may be easily known; therefore, if any dealer offers you Peruvian guano at "a reduced price," you may be sure the quality is reduced also. Remember, that the lowest price by the ship load, it can be procured for of the agents in Baltimore or New York is $46 per ton of 2240 lbs. To this, every fair, honest dealer, must add freight, insurance and profit. Every man who sells without such addition, you may be sure will make his profit by short weight or adulteration.
The next best test is its appearance. Good Peruvian guano is an impalpable powder, perfectly dry to the touch, of a uniform brownish yellow color, with a strong smell, like that of spirits of hartshorn, contained in ammoniacal smelling bottles. But the smell is no test; that which smells strongest may be worst, as the ammonia may be disengaged by moisture or by the addition of lime or salt.
_The adulteration of guano_ is carried to a great extent in England, and probably will be in this country. The princ.i.p.al adulterations are made by the addition of loam, marl, sand, plaster, old lime, ashes, chalk, salt, moisture, and by mixture with other guano of a cheaper quality.
The farmer need not depend upon the a.s.sertion, "this is a genuine article--here is the inspector"s certificate." We would not give a straw for a corn basket full of certificates of a.n.a.lysis. The buyer must a.n.a.lyse for himself. Mr. Nesbit, a.n.a.lytical chemist, London, has just published a pamphlet from which we have condensed some very plain, short, simple rules for testing the quality of guano. As the adulterating substances are generally heavier than the guano, they may be detected by a comparison of weight and measure. To do this, get a small gla.s.s tube closed at one end, and weigh accurately an ounce of pure guano, put it in the tube and carefully mark the hight it fills--try several samples--if there is any difference, mark it. Now weigh an ounce from a sample adulterated with one fourth its bulk of any or all the preceding list of articles used for that purpose, and you will find the difference of bulk between that and the genuine, very perceptible.
_Test by Burning._--Guano burnt to ashes at a red heat will leave an ash of a pearly white appearance, not varying in weight from 30 to 35 per cent. of the quant.i.ty burnt. If it is adulterated with marl, sand, clay, &c., the ash will be about 60 or 65 per cent, of the weight tested, and be colored with the iron always present in the adulterating substances, and which is never found in pure guano. This test, to be accurate, must be done with a nice pair of scales and a platinum cup, which may be heated over a spirit lamp. Ten grains of the guano are placed in the platinum cup, which is held by the tongs in the flame of the spirit lamp for several minutes, until the greater part of the organic matter is burnt away. It is allowed to cool for a short time, and a few drops of a strong solution of nitrate of ammonia added, to a.s.sist in consuming the carbon in the residue. The cup is again heated, (taking care to prevent its boiling over, or losing any of the ash,) until the moisture is quite evaporated. A full red heat must then be given it, when, if the guano be pure, the ash will be pearly white, and will not exceed 3-1/2 grains in weight. If adulterated with sand, marl, &c., the ash will always be colored, and will weigh more than 3-1/2 grains. Even the simple burning of a few grains of guano, on a red hot shovel, will often indicate by the color whether a fraud has been committed; but we cannot particularly recommend this method, as the iron of the shovel itself will sometimes give a tinge to the ash. This might be obviated by burning the sample on a common earthen plate.
If the adulteration of guano has been made by sand, it can be detected by dissolving the ashes in muriatic acid. The sand will remain--if it is more than one per cent., it has probably been added fraudulently. As iron exists in loam, it will show in the color of the ash if that is the substance used for adulteration. If lime has been added, it can be detected by dissolving the ash in muriatic acid and separating the sand, loam and iron, if present, by filtration, and then adding oxalate of ammonia to the liquid. If it shows more than a mere trace of lime, it has been falsified.
_Test by salt._--Saturate a quart of water and strain it; pour some in a saucer and sprinkle guano upon the surface. Good guano sinks immediately, leaving only a slight sc.u.m. If it has been adulterated by any light or flocculent matters, they will be seen upon the surface of the brine.
_Test by Acid._--Put a teaspoonful of guano in a wine gla.s.s and add a little vinegar or dilute muriatic acid. If ground limestone or chalk have been added, the effervessence will show it. A genuine article will only show a few bubbles.
_Test by Water._--The following simple plan will easily detect all the ordinary adulterations of guano. Procure a wide mouthed bottle, with solid gla.s.s stopper; fill with water and insert the stopper; let the exterior be well dried. In one pan of accurate scales, place the bottle; counterpoise by shot, sand or gravel. Pour out two thirds of the water, and put in four ounces avoirdupois of guano. Agitate the bottle, add more water; let it rest a couple of minutes, and fill with water, so the froth all escapes; insert the stopper, wipe dry, and replace the bottle in the scale. Add now to the counterpoised scale, one and a half ounces avoirdupois, and a fourpenny piece; if the bottle prove the heavier, the guano is, in all probability, adulterated. Add in addition a three-penny piece, and if the bottle is still heaviest the guano is undoubtedly adulterated. By this simple experiment, a very small amount of sand, marl, &c., is detected.
If farmers will not use some of these simple tests, or employ a chemist to detect suspected adulteration; or if they will buy guano of men who have no character to lose, and who offer to sell below a price to afford them a living profit, they cannot be pitied if they are cheated.
_Prepared Guano._--Never buy anything bearing that name, unless you wish to verify the adage of "the fool and his money are soon parted."
_a.n.a.lysis of Prepared Guano._--We give an a.n.a.lysis of one sample of domestic manufacture, and two British. No. 1. was offered in London and actually sold as Peruvian guano, to farmers in the south of England; just because they were so neglectful of their own interests as not to inform themselves that an article sold for $35 a ton, could not be genuine, while the regular government price remained fixed at $47. It may readily be seen by the a.n.a.lysis, how they were cheated into paying that price for an article of which 74 per cent. is plaster, and only half of one per cent. ammonia.
No. 1. Gypsum, 74.05
Phosphate of lime, 14.05
Sand, 2.64
Moisture and loss, 9.26 ------ 100.00 ------ Ammonia, 0.51
The other sample is still worse. This was sold as Saldana Bay guano, at $15 to $20 a ton. It was composed of
Sand, 48.81
Phosphate of lime, 10.21
Gypsum, 5.81
Chalk, 22.73
Moisture, 12.44 ------ 100.00 ------ Ammonia, a trace
It would have been dear at half the price. But why? perhaps you inquire, do you give these samples of rascality in England? Just to show you what men are capable of doing there, they will probably do here--nay, have done. Here is the a.n.a.lysis of an article which was sold in the city of New York, under the name of _prepared guano_. The a.n.a.lysis was made by the lately deceased, highly respected, and eminent a.n.a.lytic chemist, Professor Norton, of Yale College, showing the following result.
Water, 4.35
Alumina and phosphate of lime, 7.82
Organic matter, 32.58
Insoluble matter, 26.05
Carbonate of lime, 28.76
Magnesia, alkalies, and loss, 0.43 ------ 100.00
This a.n.a.lysis was made by the request of the editor of the Genesee Farmer, by whom it is not only endorsed, but proof given of its utter worthlessness upon the land where it was applied. Professor Norton made the following remarks upon the subject.
"This is indeed a _prepared_ article. You will observe that three tenths of the whole are water, or matter insoluble in acid, or nothing more than water and sand. More than another three tenths is organic matter; this contains scarcely a trace of ammonia or nitrogen in any form, being worth no more than common muck from a swamp. Thus we have six tenths of the guano made up of a mixture that as a gift, would not be worth carting. Nearly another three tenths is carbonate of lime, a valuable article it is true, but one which can be bought far more cheaply by the barrel, bushel or ton, than as guano. The remaining tenth contains a small quant.i.ty of phosphates, but not enough to make the mixture of much value. The parties engaged in this manufacture, should be widely exposed, for it is one of the most outrageous impositions I have ever known. Farmers should avoid everything of this nature unless it is certified to be equal to a copy of a.n.a.lysis shown. This stuff is not worth transporting any distance for your land. J. P. NORTON."
We will now give the a.n.a.lysis of Peruvian, Patagonian, and Chilian guano, as determined by Dr. Anderson, chemist of the Royal Agricultural Society of Scotland, to be a fair average deduced, from a careful examination of many samples. The same results have been obtained in this country by such eminent chemists as Professor Norton, Dr. Antisell, and Dr. Higgins. We only give a.n.a.lysis of these three kinds, for the reason, no other of any consequence is now offered for sale in this country.
a.n.a.lYSIS OF GUANO.
Peruvian. Chilian Chilian Patagonian Fine. Inferior.
Water, 13.73 6.06 15.09 24.86 Organic matter and} 53.16 54.51 12.88 18.86 ammonical salts, } Phosphates 23.48 11.96 16.44 41.37 Lime, ---- 1.37 8.93 2.94 Sulphuric acid, ---- ---- ---- 2.21 Alkaline salts, 7.97 10.25 6.04 2.70 Sand, 1.66 15.85 40.62 7.56 ------- ------- ------- ------- 100,000 100,000 100,000 100,000 Ammonia, 17.00 18.80 2.11 2.69
It will readily be seen there is a vast difference in the value of the Chilian, and though not stated, there is as great a difference in the Patagonian, while that from Peru, owing to the fact that it never rains upon the depository, is of a uniform quality. As the princ.i.p.al value of guano consists of the ammonia and phosphates, it is easily calculated.
17 per cent. of ammonia is equal to 340 lbs. in a ton of 2,000 at 12-1/2 cents, $42.50
23.48 per cent. of phosphates is equal to 470 lbs.
in a ton at 1-1/2 cents, 7.05
Alkaline salts, 5.00 ______ Value of a ton of Peruvian guano, $54.55
To this may be added the advantage of having these valuable substances in the best possible condition, so finely pulverized they are ready prepared for the use of plants.
It may be taken as an incontrovertible fact then, that guano is a cheap and good manure for any land and any crop which would be benefitted by the best quality of farm yard manure and ground bones. It is most beneficial on poor sandy loam, absolutely unproductive; and most profitable when applied to any land which cannot be otherwise manured on account of distance and transportation of grosser articles. The better the land is kept in tilth, the better will be the effect of an application of guano. The public may also be a.s.sured of another fact; if the guano is bought direct from the agents of the Peruvian government in this country, or of reliable merchants, who get their supplies direct from them, it will be of a uniform quality and value, as indicated by the a.n.a.lysis just given.
They may also rest a.s.sured, and the author of this pamphlet believes his reputation will warrant the a.s.sertion and belief, that he could not be hired to puff an unworthy article, or write a book to induce American farmers, to purchase an article which would not prove highly beneficial to their best interests.
The author does know that the introduction of guano into this country is a blessing to the nation. Its general use will not only increase the wealth of individuals, but that of the body politic. Let us ill.u.s.trate this point by a statement of an English writer of its advantages to that country. He says--"The importance of this question may be easily ill.u.s.trated. We grow in this country about 4,000,000 acres of wheat annually. An application of two hundred weight of guano to each acre would increase the produce by six bushels, or raise the average of England from 26 to 32 bushels an acre, giving a total increase to our home produce of 3,000,000 quarters of wheat, which is of itself equivalent to a larger sum than the whole diminution of rent stated by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to have been occasioned by free trade in corn. But this is only one use to which guano would be applied, for its effects are even more valuable to green crops than to corn."
The proportionate advantage to this country would be almost inconceivably greater as our average product is far less, and the increased number of bushels per acre, far more; the produce of land as stated by Mr. Newton and others, having been raised from 3 to 15 or 20 bushels per acre.
The estimation in which it is held by some of the best farmers in the world may be judged by the increased demand in England.
The quant.i.ty of Peruvian guano annually imported has risen from 22,000 tons in 1846 to 95,000 tons in 1850, but has increased during the last year to about 200,000 tons. If the price were reduced by 2 to 3 a ton, even the present large supply would be found greatly short of the increased demand. In a single season, in 1845, when the price of Ichaboe guano ranged from 6 to 7 a-ton, the importation with an open trade rose to 220,000 tons. A reduction of 2 to 3 a ton would be followed by an extraordinarily increased consumption. Twice the present importation might be taken advantageously for the wheat crops alone. It seems to be held by the Government that the right of Peru to the Lobos Islands is unquestionable. It is, in that case, only by friendly negotiation that anything can be done. Considerations should be pressed on the present Ministry, pledged as they are to promote the landed and shipping interests. If they can persuade the Peruvian Government, by friendly negotiation, that the interests of that country as well as ours will be benefited by opening the guano trade, they will confer an important service on this country; a full supply would contribute materially to restore the prosperity of the landed interest by increasing their produce at diminished cost; and it would give regular employment to about one-tenth of the whole mercantile navy of England.