Under the stimulus of pure guano a plant will spring to mammoth dimensions, lavishing blossoms and fruit. Ancient races, even the foreign Incas, realized its magical endowments and made laws governing its use. But land enriched by guano into immense fertility lapses after a while, barer than before. A few sailing ships, hoping to glean poor remnants of this accumulation of the centuries, still huddle as close as possible to the black rocks, which, because of the quantity of that very fertilizer which has distinguished them,{20} are made repellent to life of any kind. In this laboratory of the strongest fertilizer, there is not the slightest trace of vegetation—Peru in paradox.

Labẹ iyanju ti guano mimọ, ohun ọgbin kan yoo dagba si awọn iwọn mammoth, awọn ododo didan ati eso. Awọn eya atijọ, paapaa awọn Inca ajeji, mọ awọn ẹbun idan rẹ ti wọn si ṣe awọn ofin ti o ṣakoso lilo rẹ. Ṣugbọn ilẹ ti o ni idarato nipasẹ guano sinu awọn ipadanu iloyun nla lẹhin igba diẹ, ti ko ni itara ju ti iṣaaju lọ. Awọn ọkọ oju-omi kekere diẹ, ni ireti lati ṣajọ awọn iyokù talaka ti ikojọpọ awọn ọgọrun-un ọdun, tun wa ni isunmọ bi o ti ṣee ṣe si awọn apata dudu, eyiti, nitori iye ajile ti o ti ṣe iyatọ wọn,{20} ti di atako lati aye ti eyikeyi iru. Ninu ile-iyẹwu ti ajile ti o lagbara julọ, ko si itọpa eweko diẹ diẹ-Peru ni paradox.