Jump to content

Jack of all trades


RichardB

Recommended Posts

George Hodgson, Bone crusher, emery & pot & coke grinder & polishing paste, English guano. Walk Mill, Twelve o'Clock & Corn Exchange (White's 1849).

What kind of guano ? What did people use it for ? Early version of Potted meat ? lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guano was used as fertiliser, as was crushed bone.

No idea where it would be sourced in England, maybe from some offshore unpopulated sea bird island?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I still remember the rag & bone man and his horse and cart venturing around S2, even up to the late 1970s. Never did give him any bones, but he had large bones on his cart.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

George Hodgson, Bone crusher, emery & pot & coke grinder & polishing paste, English guano. Walk Mill, Twelve o'Clock & Corn Exchange (White's 1849).

What kind of guano ? What did people use it for ? Early version of Potted meat ? lol

Here we go.

Any excrement from birds, seals, or bats, with value to humans as fertilizer, may be referred to as guano. The term originated in Peru, to differentiate useless bird droppings from the nutrient-rich waste of cormorants, pelicans, and other sea birds. The word's useage has since been widened to include, especially, the mixture of remains and excrement of bats that collect on the floor of caves.

Hundreds of years ago, farmers in South America harvested the white piles of guano from shorelines and islands to use as crop fertilizer. After contact with Europe, the export of guano became economically beneficial for the Colonizers. Bat guano also has a long agricultural and economic history in Cuba. Even today, guano from bat caves in the United States, Asia, Cuba, and South America is marketed as the best organic fertilizer available.

The reason guano is an ideal fertilizer is its chemical make up. Because the guano exists deep inside caves, it's protected from sunlight and wind, and doesn't break down as quickly as other organic matter. Rich in nitrogen and phosphorous, it provides important chemicals for crops. It also has beneficial fungi and bacteria, which act as a natural fungicide to protect plants from disease.

That should just about cover it ??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...