1837] 



FARMER S' REGISTER. 



579 



been indebted for even one line — and scarcely for very- 

 little other than the pecuniary support furnished in the 

 few subscriptions. . We are very little indebted to 

 either the agricultural knowledge or zeal, the literary 

 attainments, or to the public spirit and patriotism of 

 either our public or our great men : yet probably, there 

 is not one among them, who. if asked his o])inion, 

 would not readily testify in favor of the value of this 

 journal, to agriculture and the commonwealth, and the 

 high importance of its being well sustained. 



In reply to another remark — it is readily admitted 

 that this journal has not, nor was it ever designed 4o 

 have, any pretension to 'be a specimen of belles letires. 

 Fine writing is highly to be prized, as an attractive 

 garb for solid and valuable matter. But the substance 

 is of so much more importance to an agricultural 

 journal, than the form, that the latter, however beau- 

 tiful, if the principal merit, would be deemed by us as' 

 very worthless. Yet th&re are very many who can 

 state valuable facts, and furnish excellent matter for 

 instruction, who would be altogether deterred from the 

 attempt, if their communications were to be estimated 

 by the standard of literary merit.] 



PLASTER OF PARIS OPT MARLED LAND — 

 GREEN SAND. 



To the Editor of tlie Farmers' Register. 



December 18, 18S6. 

 When I commencecHhrminfr, some j'ears a<^o, 

 I began to use plaster ot" Paris and clover; but 

 finding several beds of marl, which I soon worked 

 to a considerable extent, I discontinued the use of 

 plaster. This was done the more readily, because 

 my experiments had not satisfied me of its efficacy ; 

 and I considered the marl, which rende/ed certain 

 a moderate crop of clover on almost any land, a 

 substitute for the plaster. Last spring, Mr. C. of 

 S., riding with me over my fields, remarked that 

 the clover was unusually well set, but that the 

 crop was too light. This I ascribed to the coldness 

 of the season, and the want of strength in the 

 land ; but when told that it had not been pkustered, 

 he attributed it to that cause, and s'rongly urged 

 me to have it done immediately. Rather at his 

 instance, than from anj'' exneclatioii of benefit 

 from it, 1 ordered some ground plaster from Hax- 

 alTs mills, and had fifteen or eighteen acres of 

 clover, of one years growth, sown with it at the 

 rate of about three pecks to the acre — but I re- 

 garded the experiment with so little interest, that 

 I did not visit the place again till after harvest, 

 and then for the purpose of" marking the spots 

 whereniannre would be required beliire the land 

 was fallowed for wheat. I soon came to a place 

 where the clover was inferior to the rest of the 

 crop, but to my surprise, I found it continued so 

 througli the whole leng-th of the bed. Passing on 

 further, I o1)served the same was the case with 

 another bed, and tlien I recollected the plaster. 

 Some six or eight bed^ which bj' my directions 

 had been left out when tlie plaster was sown, were 

 most conspicuously inferior to the rest. On them 

 the clover was small and yellow, while that which 

 had been plastered, was fresh and green, and 

 vigorous, and seemed to have taken a second 

 growth. The crop there, was more than twice as 



heavy as on the beds which had not been sown 

 with plaster. I never saw an experiujont that 

 was more convincing. It is enliiled to the more 

 weight, because it was made by one who did not 

 anticipate such an ef]ect,and its result l()rce(l itself 

 on his attention at a time when it was not directed 

 to the experiment. The plaster was sown about 

 the-last of May. Its eflTect woidd probably have 

 been much greater, had it been sown in April, and 

 in a larger quantity to the acre. The difierence in 

 the crop of clover w^as such as to pay for the plas- 

 ter five times over. 



The land had been marled with 600 or 800 

 bushels to the acre, some j^ears before. 



It is late in the day to be attesting the virtue of 

 plaster of Paris, but I cotnmunicatc my experi- 

 ment, because it was made in conjunction with 

 marl ; and on land, level, grey, and inclining to 

 sandy, to which plaster has not been supposed to 

 be favorably adapted. Iticrcdulity is much more 

 easily removed by our own personal observation, 

 than by the reports of others ; but if this shall in- 

 duce any one similarly situated to nuike the same 

 experiment, he will find it much to his advantage. 



In the last number of the fJegister, j-ou express 

 some doubts concerning green sand. Professor 

 Rogers founrl it in all my beds of marl, but much 

 more abundant in some than in otliers. The 

 marl in which it most abounds, has enriched the 

 land to which I have applied it, far more than that 

 which contains less of it-^so that I have no doubt 

 its superior efficacy is'bvv^ing to its containing a 

 greater portion of green sand. 



In your "Essaj^ on Calcareous Glanures," you 

 mention the advantageous use ofplaster on marled 

 land and my fads are another evrdi^nce of the cor- 

 rectness of your work — to wliicli my experience 

 furnishes no exception. 



W. 



[Our correspondent was miitaken as to the nature 

 of our doubts regarding green sand. We entertain no 

 question that it is a useful manure, in most, if not in 

 all cases, in conjunction with marl or lime — but we 

 doubt its usefulness on an acid soil, -without calcareous 

 matter — its permanency — its supposed superior value 

 under any circumstances to calcareous manures — and 

 we more than doubt its virtue being owing, as supposed 

 by Professor Rogers, to the action of the potash con- 

 tained. in green sand. 



The testimon}'' from this source to the correctness of 

 the important doctrine first maintained in the Essay on 

 Ctilcareous Manures, of marling causing gypsum to be 

 active as manure, on soils where itiiad no effect before 

 marling, is a powerful support — and as gratifying to 

 the author, as our correspondent's further testimony in 

 favor of the correctness of all the other novel views 

 there presented and maintained.] 



RAIL ROAD ACROSS THE ir.THHirS OF PANA- 

 MA, 



Col. Charles Biddie, a citizen of the U. States, 

 in conjunction wi'h a iexv ca[ italists in this coun- 

 try, have obtained a contract for a rail road across 

 the Isthmus of Panama, which promises, if com- 

 pleted, to he of immense importance to our com- 

 merce, and to (lie whole u'orld. It must become, 



