224 Account of the Meeting 



gypsum acts best on marled or unmarled land, which bear on the 

 general question of the use of that mineral : — 



" Mr. Pogge-Zierstorff admitted that gypsum had some effect on 

 unmarled land, particularly on one farm of his, consisting of strong 

 loam ; hut said that it had no decided advantage until after marling, 

 and that the effect was better the oftener it was applied. This was a 

 common observation in Mecklenburg. Some of his fields had received 

 ten dressings of gypsum, and always with good effect. He only used 

 half a pound to the square rood, and applied it to clover, pasture, legu- 

 minous plants (peas, beans, or tares), wheat, &c. He now used 30 tons 

 of gypsum every year. Gypsum would not act if the usual dunging 

 were given up. 



" Mr. Thaer confirmed from his own experience the better effect of 

 gypsum on marled land. 



" Mr. Harbe had found that gypsum acted far more on strong land 

 than on weak and light land. It was well known, he said, that gypsum 

 did most on clover and peas. After peas dressed with gypsum, he got 

 good oats, but gypsum put on the oat- field did no good. 



'^ Messrs. Schweizer and Satow-Hagerfelde observed, that gypsum only 

 worked well on land where there was vegetable mould ; hence its better 

 effect where the land had been improved by marl and dung. 



" Dr. Schulze remarked, that where gypsum had been found to act 

 either remarkably well or otherwise, the soil ought to be chemically 

 examined in order to trace the mode of its action. 



" Professor Lumbe observed, that moisture must be important in the 

 action of gypsum, for its effect was not good unless its application was 

 followed by rain. This might be accounted for by the circumstance 

 lliat it requires 500 times its own weight of water to dissolve it. 



*' Mr. Harbe and others spoke of the advantage of sowing the gypsum 

 on clover-fields in winter while covered with snow. 



" With regard to the application of gypsum either to meadows or to 

 peaty pastures, the experiments reported were contradictory. 



" On another occasion several members stated that the effect of 

 gypsum frequently did not appear until it had been repeated several 

 times." 



In the discussion on the 15th question some strong facts are 

 brought forward in favour of applying peat as a dressing to 

 heavy lands : — 



" Messrs. Mantzel, Hold, and Pabst recommended its being mixed 

 with dung in compost hea])s. Professor Schweizer, to lay it under straw 

 in stalls. Mr. Klitzing had derived advantage from applying a mixture 

 of peat rubbish and ashes to stiff land. Director Pabst called attention 

 to the report of the Baltic Agricultural Association in its favour. Mr. 

 Nathorst, from Sweden, said, ' I come from a country where peat has 

 l}een used for seven years as dung. It is used there on all kinds of 

 land which lie high, but not on low ground. We think the higher and 

 warmer the land lies, the better for this manure. To lessen the cost of 

 carriage we lay it in small heaps where it is cut, that it may be drier 

 and lighter. A farmer who has used it for the last six years has 



