Vol. VII.— No. 51. 



AND HOllTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



405 



ffround .it the time the ears are well set (at which 

 time I suppose it has attained its highest growth) 

 would give ten tons of the green fodder, of which 

 75 lbs. would give a full daily i?iii>ply, for a com- 

 mon sized cow, if she ate nothing else : and at this 

 rate, one neat ton (now taken at 2000 lbs.) would 

 keep four cows two months : but if they gleaned 

 half their food at pasture, the ten tons would keep 

 eight cows in full milk, for two months — say Au- 

 gust and September. But to have this fodder 

 through that time, in its green and most juicy 

 state, it should be planted at different times ; so 

 that the latest planted should attain its proper 

 growth by the middle of September, and continue 

 till the frost, which is frequent at the close of that 

 month, or the early part of October. Where the 

 corn is intended to stand for a ripe croj) of grain, 

 the green tops may be cut for green fodder, as 

 soon as the fine dust (the farina) falls from the tas- 

 sels on the silk of the ears : for every thread of 

 that silk is attached to a grain of corn in the ear, 

 and is the medium of impregnation. Without 

 that dust so applied, there would be a cob and 

 husks for the several grains, but no meal. 



10. I have two or three observations to make 

 respecting milch cows. Every farmer knows that 

 they sometimes slink their calves ; and it is said 

 that a miscarriage once occurring, is likely to be 

 repeated. This has happened to a very promising 

 heifer of my own. When near tvi'o years and a 

 half old, well grown, (as big as cows in general, 

 though of our native breed) — in full health, and 

 fleshy even to fatness, she slunk her calf, which 

 was .so young as to be destitute of hajr. Howev- 

 er, she was regularly milked, twice a day, giving 

 at first only half a pint at a milking : but her bag 

 and teats gradually increased in size ; and her 

 milk, from half a pint to two quarts at a milking. 

 Having taken bull she continued to give four 

 quarts of milk daily ; at the same time laying on 

 so much additional flesh and fat that she would 

 have made fat beef. In this healthy and active 

 condition, at the end of six months and a half from 

 the time she took the bull, she droi)pcd another 

 dead calf — large for the time, and covered with 

 hair. Being milked as usual, she continued to 

 give about four quarts a day, for a few days, and 

 then rapidly increased the quantity to seven quarts 

 a day. Her pasture was good. The milk all the 

 time was perfectly sweet — not in the least chang- 

 ed by calving. She continued well and active, 

 and retained her fat and flesh. I was a little con- 

 cerned about her cleaning the discharge of the se- 

 cundine, or after-birth — but this came away by 

 degrees. 



Cases of this kind may be well known among 

 farmers : but I have mentioned the matter for the 

 information of some who may be as destitute of 

 experience as myself. 



I take this occasion further to notice the clean- 

 ing, or after-birth, about which I have understood 

 that different opinions have been entertained. — 

 Some have thought that it should he carefully re- 

 moved, and not sufliered to lie eaten by the cow 

 that has just dropped a calf. For myself, while 

 hvins on my farm, I chose that my cows should 

 be allowed to follow nalure, and cat their cleaning. 

 It is evidently an instinct afiecting them at that 

 particular time, as really as the instinct of the calf, 

 as soon as it is licked dry, and can rise and walk, 

 pronqjts it to seek for the teats of its dam. It ap- 

 pears to knoiv that they are under her belly, but 

 not whether they are butween the fore or the hind 



legs ; and accordingly it seeks for .hern some- 

 times between the fore legs — until the experience 

 of a day or two conducts it to the proper place. 



Whether the cleaning eaten by the newly calv- 

 ed cow operates as a salutary article of food, or as 

 a medicine, I am entirely satisfied that it slioidd 

 be considered as a specific, exactly adapted to her 

 condition. 



With these oliservations I must take leave of 

 the Society ; recommending a perseverance in its 

 object ; bcirig fiilly persuaded of its utility thus 

 far ; and that by the attention of practical farm- 

 ers, and their mutual, free communications, its 

 usefulness may be continued and increased. 



Sept. 25, 1828. 



From the American Sentinel. 



GYPSUM, OR PLASTER OF PARIS. 



History informs us that the utility of gypsum to 

 grass, was first discovered in Germany, by a la- 

 borer at the gypsum quarry, who, passing across a 

 meadow after his work, to shorten the distance 

 home, discovered in the course of the season the 

 luxuriance of the grass where he had travelled, 

 and imagining that the dust of gypsum from his 

 clothes must have been the cause, tried the ex- 

 periment, and the result answered his expecta- 

 titins. 



Some time after, a keg of it was sent to Amer- 

 ica, to Mr .Tacob Barge, of Philadelphia, and soon 

 come into use, in that part of Pennsylvania ; 

 where thcj' value it very highly, and even sup- 

 pose the hay produced by it, is better. 



It is said, however, that gypsum will not pro- 

 mote vegetation much, near the ocean, or in any 

 place where it can be decompounded with sea 

 salt — which I fully believe, having been informed 

 of the fact by a number of gentlemen from diftcr- 

 ent States. How fur from the sea the air will 

 prevent the fertilizing ctfects of it, I have never 

 haard stated, but can say that it is very servicea- 

 ble on my farm, which is about 17 miles from 

 Long Island Sound, on a straight line. 



I will mention some of my experience of its 

 utility. In May, 1796, I sowed some gypsum 

 which was imported from France, on grass land 

 of different kinds, viz. on loamy, sandy, gravel, 

 and wet clay soil. Its eAects were very visible in 

 every case, except the last mentioned, where it 

 did but little good. I also applied it on Indian 

 corn, wheat, rye, barley, oats, flax, jiotatocs, &c. 



Where the gypsum was put on the corn, five 

 rows were left without it, which collectively did 

 not produce more than one row on either side ; 

 owing very mi'.ch to the grub having left the corn 

 where the gypsum had been applied, and destroy- 

 ed the other. Where the gypsum was put on the 

 flax, the diflerence was manifest, for it was some 

 inches higher than the'other ; and there was a 

 plain dilTercncc in the potatoes. 



The wheat, rye, barley, and oats, did not ap- 

 pear to be much benefited, although the grass 

 was visibly better for some years after the crops 

 were taken off. 



The utility of gypsum appearing so manifest, 

 induced me to use it freely, and as soon as con- 

 venient, I i)rocured ten tons from Nova Scotia, and 

 sowed about eight of it in May and June follow- 

 ing, at the rate of about three bushels per acre ; 

 and have used some every j'ear since, but gener- 

 ally use now about two bushels on an acre, for 

 grassland, anl about one bushel on corn, where it 



is applied to the hills. I have not generally sowi\ 

 the same land with it more than once in six or 

 eight years, neither do 1 think it necessary to sow 

 it annually, as some do ; for its efft3Cts are fre- 

 quently visible five or six years. The plaster from 

 Nova Scotia is not all equally good, neither do I 

 think any of it equal to that which is imported ; 

 but it is obtained cheaper, and therefore I gener- 

 ally use it. The color is no certain criterion to 

 judge of its quality, but it often has streaks of 

 sand in it, which are worthless, anij frequently the 

 top of the rock is oflered for sale, but it is worth 

 but little. One method of trying its quality, is to 

 put a quantity (pulverised) into a dry pot over the 

 fire, and if it boils like hasty pudding, it is good ; 

 if the ebullition is small, it is but indifferent; and 

 if it remains an inert mass, it is worthless. I like 

 to have it ground fine, in fair weather, and used 

 soon after grinding, lest it become lumpj', and 

 need mashing with a hoe, or running through the 

 niill again. It is best to sow it in still weather, 

 that it may not blow away. I have sown it in all 

 seasons except winter, merely for experiment, and 

 have found it useful, but have sown it jirincipally 

 in May and June. On pasture land it may be 

 sown at any time when convenient : but on mow- 

 ing land it may bo ps well to sow it directly after 

 the hay is off', if the time can be spared to do it ; 

 for it serves to collect moisture, and keeps the 

 land from being parched by the intense heat of 

 the sun, which is frequently the case at that 

 season of the year. It does the most good in dry 

 seasons, and on land which has recently been laid 

 down, with clover, and herds gi;ass ; but if intend- 

 ed for mowing, it ought not to be sown the first 

 year, lest the clover lodge down ; the second year 

 the herds grass will grow more abundantly and 

 support it. 



It is well to sow it on mowing land even if it is 

 old sward, although its effects may not be very 

 visible till one or two years after sowing, neither 

 will it make poor land produce luxmiantly ; and 

 it is well to use a little dung even where jjlaster 

 has been used ; but I think manure is worth two 

 or three times as much when plouglied in shal- 

 low, as when sjiread on the surface, unless it be 

 fine, and spread just before a rain, in the season of 

 vegetation. Plaster is rather the best when used 

 as a top dressing. On Indian corn it is bestto 

 ajjply the plaster immediately after the first hoe- 

 ing, but it ought to be mixed also with the seed 

 before it is planted, after having wet it in tar wa- 

 ter, which may be made by warnfuig the water 

 and stirring in a little tar, at the rate of about half 

 a gill to six or eight quarts, then put in the corn, 

 and stir it that the tar may adhere to each kernel ; 

 then mix it with plaster in a dry vessel, as you 

 plant it. The tar is used to prevent the birds and 

 insects from destroying the corn, and to cause a 

 sufficient quantity of plaster to adhere to the ker- 

 nels without sticking them together. 



It is also useful to mix plaster with all kinds of 

 grain, before it is sown. My method has been to 

 take a cask of water, unless a spring or a brook is 

 near, with two tubs and tight basket into the field ; 

 put some grain into the basket, and set it into a 

 tub of water, and after it has soaked a little lime, 

 raise the basket, and pvit a stick or two across the 

 tub under the basket, and it will soon drain ; tlicn 

 mix it in the dry tub, with a sufficient quantity of 



I plaster to make it sow well — perhaps 6 or 8 qts 



j to a bushel of grain. 



Clover seed, if clean frotn the hull, should by all 



