FAEMEES' INSTITUTES. 265 



F. M. Holloway, Hillsdale. — I have a little pet theory about the use of plas- 

 ter, and I ^vill briefly relate an experiment which I made. In the fall of 1869 

 or 1870, I am not positive which, I made an experiment on a field of wheat 

 which had been a clover sod. There were 13 acres in the field. I put 30 loads 

 of sheep manure on one acre, ten loads of the same manure to the acre on five 

 acres more ; four acres of it I sowed with plaster at the rate of 400 pounds to the 

 acre, one acre I put on 300 pounds of superphosphates which I obtained at 

 Detroit, one acre I put on ten loads of unleached ashes, mixed with four loads 

 of manure taken from my hen house, and the remaining acre I left in the state 

 it Avas when turned over. After the manures Avere spread I harrowed thoroughly 

 and then sowed my wheat at the rate of one bushel and ten pounds to the acre, 

 drilling the ground both Avays and soAving half each time. The soil was a dry 

 loam, and seemed to be the same all over the field. 



Now for the result. The acre on Avhich the 30 loads of sheep manure was 

 spread cut 50 dozen heaA'y sheaA'es and yielded 314- bushels of Avheat. The berry 

 was considerably shrunken and of exceeding dark color. That Avith the ten 

 loads of manure to the acre gave 22^ bushels. The four acres Avith the 300 

 pounds of plaster to the acre yielded at the rate of 26 bushels to the acre, of 

 extraordinarily nice berry. The acre Avhich had on the superphosphates yielded 

 244- bushels, of nice quality, fully equal to that Avhich grcAV on the plastered 

 portion of the field. The acre that had no manure yielded ten bushels. The 

 acre which had the ashes and hen manure yielded 28^ bushels of as nice wheat, 

 I think, as Avas CA^er put in a half bushel. The land on Avhich I made this experi- 

 ment was originally a Avhite-oak opening. 



I also tried an experiment on a crop of corn which grew alongside of this very 

 field of Avheat on whicli I experimented. One-half of the field I plastered tAvice, 

 and on the other half I put none. From the plastered portion I husked eighty 

 baskets, and on the uiiplastered portion I husked fifty baskets to the acre. 



Dr. Kedzie. — It is such experiments as these, whicli take place in your every- 

 day life, that we wish to call out. This increase of grain by the use of plaster 

 is different from the results of ex2:)eriment3 made in France, and the experience 

 of the farmers of Van Buren County. 



Mr. Pestle, Quincy. — Two years ago my hired man aided me in soAving plas- 

 ter on my wheat, and for the first two or three acres he only put on about forty 

 pounds to the acre Avhere I put on one hundred. I am confident that I got one- 

 third more Avheat, and of a nicer quality, Avhere one hundred pounds Avas used. 



I. M. Sellover. — I think if the seasons Avere all alike, just so Avarni or just so 

 much rain, Ave could arrive at some definite conclusion about the use of plaster ; 

 but under the present order of things I don't think we can tell. 



C. G. Luce. — I have used plaster for many years, and haAe tried it on my 

 corn by plastering ten roAvs and leaving ten roAvs ; and I don't think I CA'er 

 increased the yield of corn a single kernel. My land is a dark, graA'elly loam, 

 or burr-oak plains. While the use of plaster on Avlieat Avill sometimes increase 

 the growth of the straw, I think it more likely to rust. My experience is that 

 plaster neA^er helps a man's grain crops until it has helped his clover. It depends 

 something on the kind of soil, as to hoAV plaster Avill affect the growth of the 

 stalk. 



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