540 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No.9 



ing manure (for this article is sometimes used 

 with us) with their hands, while another was cut- 

 ting up straw with an axe, on the end of a cider 

 trough, for the wane of a cutting-box, now so 

 cheap and common among us. Upon inquiring of 

 my good neighbor why he did not use manure 

 forks, he replied he had none, and did not even 

 seem to know such things had ever been invented. 

 Time saved is monev gained. I am sure more 

 work of that kind can he done by one hand with 

 this implement, than by four without it. 



One of our merchants brought on some of these 

 useful tools, and had actually to sell them to a 

 farmer who knew their use, at, or lor less than 

 cost — because, as he said, they were a dull article. 

 Our county abounds in the very best marl; but un- 

 fortunately for us, "it is so heavy we cannot cart 

 it upon our lands: it will kill our teams, and break 

 our carts." Sometimes your paper is borrowed, 

 but it is not generally believed that while our 

 farms (the farms of our neighboring big fish on 

 the river excepted,) do not yield us more than 

 from one and a half to two barrels of corn, and 

 three or four bushels of wheat per acre, there can 

 be land made to produce the enormous orop report- 

 ed by some of jour correspondents. Do, for the 

 sake of us small fish in the forest, insist on your 

 correspondents in future, when they feel disposed 

 to give any thing in the big way, to sign their pro 

 per names to their communications, or they will 

 not be credited, at least, by us foresters — for our 

 faith, like our land, is weak. 



P. G. DERIE0X. 



ON PREPARING GYPSUM FOR USE, BY HEAT 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



Prince Edward, Nov. 26lh, 1835. 



The comparative merits of burnt and of ground 

 gypsum for agricultural purposes, are thought by 

 some to be as yet unsettled in the Register. The 

 experiment of your contributor from South Caro- 

 lina was, however, to my mind, quite satisfactory. 

 Having lately read a translation of Chaptal's Ag- 

 ricultural Chemistry, which probably not many of 

 your readers may see, for some time to come, I 

 will transcribe a page or two, giving the practice 

 in France, and his views on that subject. 



"The use of plaster or gypsum, which has be- 

 come common in Europe as a manure, is one of 

 the most important improvements that has ever 

 been made in agriculture. It has even been in- 

 troduced into America;* where it was made known 

 by Franklin upon his return from Paris. As this 

 celebrated philosopher wished that the effects of 

 this manure should strike the gaze of all cultiva- 

 tors, he wrote in great letters, formed by (he use 

 of the ground plaster, in a field of cloverlying up- 

 on the great road leading to Washington, "This 

 has been plastered." The prodigious vegetation 

 which was developed in the plastered portion, led 

 him to adopt this method. Volumes upon the ex- 

 cellencies of plaster would not have produced so 

 speedy a revolution. From that period the Ame- 

 ricans have imported great quantities of plaster of 

 Paris. 



*This savors a little of the manner of English tra- 

 vellers in writing about us. 



"There are, however, some tracts of country 

 where the use of plaster has been attempted with- 

 out success. But this arose from its being one of 

 the original constituents of the soil, which derived 

 no advantage from the addition of a new quantity. 

 The existence of this salt, naturally, in those lands 

 upon which plaster produced little or ho effect, has 

 been proved by analysis. 



"Gypsum is a compound of sulphuric acid and 

 lime, containing more or less of the water of crys- 

 tallization. A moderate heat deprives it of its 

 water of crystallization, and renders it opaque. It 

 can then be reduced to powder, and employed in 

 that state. Though the prepared gypsum ab- 

 sorbs water with avidity, and its censistency is af- 

 fected by the mixture, it. may be preserved many 

 months without its properties being sensibly af- 

 fected. Nothing more is necessary for this pur- 

 pose, than to head it up in tight casks. 



"Gypsum carefully broken is likewise much used; 

 and there are some farmers who attribute to it the 

 same efficacy as is possessed by that prepared by 

 heat. I have myself made some comparative 

 experiments, and observed, that the baked plaster 

 evidently produced a little more effect the first 

 year, but during the three years which followed, 

 the difference was almost nothing. 



"The gypsum is scattered by the hand atthe time 

 when the leaves of the plants begin to cover the 

 ground, and it is best to take advantage of a light 

 rain for the operation, as it is thought to be bene- 

 ficial to have»the leaves moistened, in order that 

 they may retain a small portion of the powder. 



"The effect of the gvpsum is perceptible during 

 three or four years. The use of it can be resumed 

 at the end of that time.. The quantity in which 

 it is usually employed is from 2| cwt. to 3§- cwt. 

 per acre. 



"Much has been said upon the effects of plas- 

 ter. Some have pretended that its action ought to 

 be attributed to the force with which it absorbs 

 water. But it solidifies that liquid, and does not 

 part with it either to the atmosphere, or to any 

 other surrounding body; so that this doctrine does 

 not appear well founded. Besides, if its action 

 were from this cause, it would be momentary, and 

 cease after the rains; and this is contradicted by 

 experience. Moreover, it is believed, that the 

 broken gypsum has not the property of absorbing 

 water, and yet it produces nearly the same effects 

 as the baked and powdered plaster. 



"Others have thought that plaster acted only by 

 favoring the putrefaction of animal substances and 

 the decomposition of manures. But Davy has 

 refuted this opinion by direct experiment, placing 

 it beyond a doubt, that the mixture of plaster with 

 manures, whether animal or vegetable, does not 

 facilitate decomposition. 



"There are others again, who attribute the ef- 

 fects of plaster to its stimulating property; and 

 these adopt, in its utmost extent, the opinion which 

 I have formed on the subject. It still remains, 

 however, to be explained, why this salt, which is 

 not more stimulating than many others, acts with 

 so much better effect, and why its action its con- 

 tinued during several years, whilst that of others is 

 exhausted in so much less time, why this salt ne- 

 ver dries plants, whilst the others, if employed in 

 excess, burn them up and destroy them. These 

 are problems which remain to be solved, and of 



