As a manure for wheat, therefore, we greatly prefer good Peruvian guano, even to the improved superphosphate of lime.
Difference in favor of Guano over Bone dust.—Robert Monteith, England, dressed oat ground with 276 lbs. guano per acre, cost 31 shillings, produce 59 bushels, value £7 7s 6d. Same quality of land with 10 bushels bone dust, cost 23 shillings and fourpence, produced 43 bushels value £5 7s 6d, which gives a balance in favor of guano of £1 12s 4d, or about $7 50 per acre.
Difference in favor of Guano over Manure.—The Yorkshire Agricultural Society of England, instituted a series of experiments several years ago for the purpose of working out practical facts in relation to guano, through a series of crops, upon different soils, by different persons, upon whose report the utmost reliance might be placed, so as to determine the value, or advantage to British farmers, who might use this extraordinary fertilizer. This report has just been published, and the following is a synopsis of the results. The experiments were arranged under the following heads—
1. To show the natural produce of the land, one part was to have no manure whatever.
2. Was to have twelve tons per acre of farm-yard dung.
3. Was to have six tons of dung, and one cwt. each of guano and dissolved coprolites; and
4. Was to have two cwt. of guano and two cwt. of the coprolites.
Other substances might be tried as additions, but these were to be the standard experiments.
Mr. Cholmeley's turnips, grown on a loamy soil had the heaviest crop on No. 3, the dung, coprolite, and guano, beating the farm-yard manure by some 5¾ tons per acre.
Mr. Johnson's experiments were tried with various manures singly; and his Peruvian guano gave the greatest weight of the class of substances tried; but 10 cubic yards of farm-yard manure had previously been applied to the whole land.