Re: did you know

Interesting indeed - thanks!

On 8/2/08, DP <pulis@mindspring.com> wrote:
>
> Kitty,
>
> Do you have a citation? I was just mentioning guano and its effect on early
> gardens in this country to my garden design class. I'd love to give them a
> link or something.
>
> d
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kitty" <kmrsy@comcast.net>
> To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
> Sent: Saturday, August 02, 2008 3:02 PM
> Subject: [CHAT] did you know
>
>
> The history of Bat Guano and American Expansion
>>
>> Stemming from the Incan language (Quichua) for "bird droppings", guano is
>> thought to have been used for centuries in both South American and Pacific
>> Islander civilizations. The Incas discovered that bat rookeries established
>> on nearby island chains contained vast amounts of this excellent soil
>> fertilizer, which were easily accessible and provided amazing results when
>> used on corn and bean crops. Spanish explorers took both the word and the
>> practice back with them to Europe. Guano soon became a valuable commodity,
>> rivaling only gold in its value as an import of the new world.
>>
>> Later, American farmers eagerly took to using Bat Guano as well, with
>> Congress going so far as establishing the Guano Island Act in 1856. This act
>> secured future guano supplies by allowing ocean islands to be claimed as
>> territories in the name of harvesting guano. Incidentally, many currently
>> owned American Territories were established in this manner such as Johnson
>> Atoll and the famous Midway Island, which served as an important forward
>> base of operations during World War II.
>>
>> It wasn't until after the invention of gunpowder that early chemists
>> discovered that components of bat guano also lent itself to the production
>> of powerful explosives. Guano harvesting was increased as the military found
>> a new use for the unorthodox fertilizer. Bat guano operations began to
>> spring up all across the world, from the remote corners of New Zealand to
>> the depths of the Grand Canyon, and they have continued in production ever
>> since.
>>
>> Today, Bat guano is still in use as both a fertilizer and a component of
>> some ammunitions. Bat guano has even been taken into space aboard the
>> Mercury and Gemini space capsules, and was used as the propellant to deploy
>> the radio transmission antennas after splashdown. Bat guano may have
>> originally been a discovery of the ancients, but its usefulness for modern
>> society can still be seen today.
>>
>> I bet Cathy knew all this.
>>
>> Kitty
>> neIN, Zone 5
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-- 
Pam Evans
Kemp TX
zone 8A

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