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mister-jesse t1_jd8b9wb wrote

There's an interesting YouTube video on this by Johnny Harris. Apparently it was done to encourage guano/bird poop collection to help with fertilizer for farms.

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Mammoth-Mud-9609 t1_jd8flyg wrote

Before industrial fertilizer was mass produced in the 20th Century guano was used. Guano is concentrated bird or bat droppings containing high levels of nitrates, phosphates and potassium all of which can promote plant growth. https://youtu.be/mVY08GnyR4A

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zachzsg t1_jd9xlft wrote

My neighbor does this lol. Harvests the bat shit in his shed and uses it on his little garden

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sfchimera t1_jd8gjyv wrote

Is it atill a law? Cause if it is, Im going to go find me an island.

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ZhouDa t1_jdcdab1 wrote

I actually know of an island that would qualify, I found it on Lake Champlain not far from Burlington a couple decades ago when I was sailing. I don't remember the name, but it might as well have been called Bird Shit Island.

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AudibleNod t1_jd8jiji wrote

I was only little bit disappointed that the Guano Act wasn't even referenced in the Kong: Skull Island movie.

There's no way government wonks would travel there to "explore" it and not bring up the fact they can just take it for America under the Guano Act.

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redditjunky2025 t1_jd9askx wrote

This is bat shit crazy.

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217flavius t1_jd9d09m wrote

This is where the expression came from. As in you'd have to be batshit crazy to do something like that.

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MPCNPC t1_jdcjp28 wrote

Guano was the best fertilizer available for a long time, before potassium nitrate was discovered in the deserts of South America. Fertile land was a big problem, even up to Habers invention of making ammonia.

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tanfj t1_jd95gcn wrote

Yes, the guano was used to make gunpowder. No shit, no boom.

Not really any different than saying that you're allowed to claim any oil well not already claimed. Strategic resources are strategic resources.

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[deleted] t1_jdt8kcr wrote

Is this what happened to hawaii ?

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