Nothing could be more sensible than the advice of this gentleman, not to rely upon guano alone. To waste or neglect stable and home made manures, or throw away bones or other valuable fertilizers, because we could buy guano, would be as insensible as it would for a man to throw away a handful of bank bills, because he happened to have just then a pocket full of gold and silver coin.
We never have, nor shall we recommend guano to the exclusion of everything else; but we do recommend every farmer in America, to whom an additional quantity of manure would be an object, to buy guano; because he will be almost sure to derive a certain and immediate profit from the investment. It will make poor lands rich, and rich lands richer.
EVIDENCE OF THE DURABLE EFFECTS OF GUANO.
Upon this point, we have the following testimony of Thomas P. Stabler, of Montgomery County, Md., a gentleman of the highest degree of intelligence and integrity; one of the society of Friends, who are rather noted for not being extravagant in their expressions or encomiums of an article, without good grounds therefor. We make these remarks, because, as every good lawyer will tell you, the character and standing of your witnesses is of more importance than their language, to make a strong impression in your favor.
In speaking of the means within reach of farmers, by which they can renovate their worn out lands, of which Maryland has an ample share, friend Stabler says, "In some districts the distance from lime is so great, that the man with small means can scarcely be expected to use it upon a large scale—but in regions of country where bone, guano and poudrette act favorably, none need be without important aid from their use. Under a judicious system of cultivation and correct management, either of these will make bountiful returns the first year, and the strongest and most conclusive evidence exists of their durability as manures. Proofs of this abound in my neighborhood. Reference to the 'facts' in a single case in point may suffice for an example. In the summer of 1845, I prepared seventeen acres and a few perches of land for wheat About five sixths of this was extremely poor—upon a portion of the field, was put 112 ox-cart loads of manure from the barn yard and stable, on what I considered about an average quality of the land. On the 12th of the 9th month, (September,) I sowed seven bushels of wheat on this part of the ground and plowed the manure and wheat in together with the double shovel plow—very soon after the balance was sowed with 270 pounds of good African guano per acre, for which I paid $40 per ton, and plowed this in with the wheat, immediately after sowing, in the same manner as the other. During the succeeding winter and spring, the appearance of my wheat field became the subject of much notice and remark on the part of my neighbors, as well as others from several adjoining counties who saw it, many of whom supposed that this application of guano could not possibly produce such a crop as its then present appearance indicated—in this, however, they were disappointed—there were two small pieces left without manure of any kind. One of these upon the best part of the field, and the other upon a part of medium quality.
"It may be recollected that the crop of wheat that season was generally most inferior, both in quality and quantity. Upon the parts left without manure, it was scarcely worth cutting, and men of integrity and good judgment, were of the opinion that without the aid of the guano, I could not have saved more than 60 or 70 bushels of wheat from the field. The product was 320 bushels, that weighed 64 lbs. to the bushel. The guanoed portion continued at harvest to be decidedly better than that manured from the barn yard and stable. This field was sown with clover in the spring of 1846, and to this time its appearance affords as strong evidence of great improvement in the land, as it did during the growth of wheat. It has now been pastured freely during two summers, and been exposed to the action of the frosts of two winters, and upon the guanoed portion I have not yet seen a single clover root thrown out of the ground, while from the part manured from the barn yard, it has almost entirely disappeared. Good farmers have frequently remarked during the present summer that the appearance of this field warrants the conclusion that it is now capable of producing largely of any crop common to our country.
"Thus 'worn out land' is renovated, and ample means produced for increasing its fertility. Similar instances of improvement exist in very many examples that can be seen in this portion of our country, resulting from the application of lime, bone and poudrette, as well as from guano."
Guano prevents clover from being thrown out by frost.—We wish to call back the attention of the reader to this reliable statement of Mr. Stabler, not only for its importance to farmers, but because the same thing has been remarked by other gentlemen who have used guano. It can only be accounted for from the fact, that guano seems to be peculiarly adapted, more than any other manure, to give the young clover a vigorous start, so that in its early stages it acquires a growth too strong to be affected by the usual course of freezing and thawing, by which less vigorous plants are thrown out. For this reason alone, if guano had no other value, farmers in some sections of the country where the soil is peculiarly affected by this difficulty, would find their account in the use of an article which would enable them to grow clover, for clover is manure, and it should be a sine qua non with every farmer to avail himself of all the means within his reach to increase the supply of manure from the products of his farm. Let him not depend alone upon the purchase of guano, but rather upon the means which that brings within his reach of increasing his home supply by the growth of clover, and largely increased production of straw. Those who are interested pecuniarily, which the writer is not, in the increased sale of guano in the United States, have no fears that our recommendations to make manure at home—to use lime, plaster, bones, clover, and every other source of fertility within their reach, will decrease the sale of guano. On the contrary, those who are most disposed to use all these sources of fertility, are the very men most disposed to use a substance which all experience has proved superior to all others. Besides, there is, and probably always will be, enough "worn out lands" which can be profitably renovated, to use up all the guano which will ever find its way into this country. So our earnest recommendation is, where lime is available, let no man claiming the honorable title of farmer, fail to make the application. Let him also gather up all the fragments—let nothing be lost—make all the manure at home he possibly can, and then he will not only have the means, but a disposition also to buy that which a beneficent Providence sends him from the coast of Peru; of the good effect of which we will prove by further testimony—that of the Hon. James A. Pearce, Senator from Maryland, and a farmer of no small note in that State. He says—"In April 1845, I applied 350 lbs., probably of African or Patagonian guano to an acre of growing wheat, the land being entirely unimproved and very poor. It was applied as a top dressing, of course, but mixed with plaster." (In what proportion he does not say, but we will by and bye; but he does say)—"The wheat was doubled in quantity at least—fine clover succeeded it—and in two crops, one of corn and one of small grain, three and four years afterwards, the effects are still apparent." Now this effect was produced by the use of the guano as a top dressing; a method universally acknowledged to be the most unfavorable to the development of the full value of the application.
The editor of the Farmer in answer to an inquiry whether a combination of charcoal, plaster, and guano would make a profitable top dressing in spring for wheat, says, "yes"—but thinks if it had been plowed in with the seed in the fall, the result would have been much better. However, says he, "we entertain not the slightest doubt, that, if his wheat field be top dressed with the mixture next spring, it will greatly increase the yield of his wheat crop, unless the season should prove a very dry one, as the charcoal, and plaster, will each tend to prevent the escape of the ammoniacal gases of the guano, and as it were, offer them up as food to the wheat plants.