22 THE FARMER'S MANUAL. 



of my field, and that on which no plaster had been 

 sown. 



" In September 1791 ^ I dressed with plaster a field 

 of clover which was sown in 1 790 ; but no rain fell 

 in a long time. I received no benefit from it. In 

 September 1791, I strewed plaster upon part of my 

 wheat fallow, and ploughed it in, but cannot say that 

 my wheat received any benefit. In 1793, I planted 

 the field with indian corn, and put a quantity of stable 

 dung on that part of the field which had not been 

 dressed with plaster, and left a small adjoining cor- 

 ner on which I put nothing. That part dressed with 

 plaster in 1791, was much better than that on which 

 no manure had been put, and as good as that recently 

 manured with stable dung. In 1794, I sowed the 

 field with barley and clover. I could discover no 

 benefit derived from it to the barley, but soon after 

 the barley was taken off, the clover on that part of 

 the field dressed with gypsum, appeared much better 

 than any part of the field which had been dressed 

 with stable dung. The soil was a brown loam, mix- 

 ed with a ragged slate-stone. 



11 In April 1792, I dressed part of a dry spire-grass 

 meadow with plaster, just before a rain ; it produced 

 a fine growth of white clover, and much increased the 

 natural grass. I judged my crop was double to that 

 produced upon the adjoining field, which had been 

 manured. In 1793, the product was equally great. 

 In 1794 the effects were apparently gone. 



" In April 1792, I dressed two adjoining pieces of 

 spire-grass meadows : one with unleached ashes, the 

 other with piaster ; they both produced a fine growth 

 of clover ; that dressed with ashes I thought had 

 some little the preference; but in 1793, that dressed 

 with plaster had manifestly the preference. 



a In April 1795, I dressed a part of a poor field, 

 which lay for pasture ; but bore little, except five- 

 finger. It was thin poor land. I discovered no 

 effects until September, when white clover began to 



