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.
"In April 1845, I applied 350 lbs. of guano to an acre of growing wheat,
the land being entirely unimproved and very poor. Of course it was
applied as a top-dressing, _mixed, however, with plaster_. The wheat was
doubled in quantity at least; fine clover succeeded it; and in two
crops, one of corn, and the other of small grain, last year and the
present, the effects are still apparent."
If our correspondent would _mix_, in the proportion of 200 lbs. of
_guano_, one bushel of _charcoal_, and half a bushel of plaster per
acre, and sow the mixture on his wheat field next spring, after the
frost is entirely out of the ground, then seed each acre with clover
seed, and roll his land, we have no doubt that his wheat crop would be
increased five or six bushels to the acre, perhaps more, and that he
would have a good stand of clover plants, and a luxuriant crop of the
latter next year.
"Our opinion is, that _guanoed_ land should always be sowed to clover, or
clover and orchard grass."
In this, particularly the opinion of the last paragraph, we fully
concur--to obtain the full value of guano it must either be mixed with
plaster or charcoal, or what is better, plowed in and thoroughly
incorporated with the soil, and the land always sown with clover, peas
or some other plant of equal value for green manure. It is true Col.
Carter has been successful with wheat after wheat; while many continue
successful, by carefully retaining all the straw; the guano being
sufficient to keep up the everlasting ability of the soil to produce an
annual crop of grain.