iX— r<n. 30. 



AM) HOIITICULTURAL JOUIINAL. 



309 



CJVPSl'M OR PLASTER OF PARIS. 



Ili-inry informs lis tliiit tlio utility of Gypsuin 

 1 iss, \v,is first iliscovi'rcd in IJeiinaiiy by a 



I at till" (|ii!iiiy, piissiiiir acioss a inoadow t" 



II the ili.Niaiiee lioiiio, disiovci-i'd (he liixuii- 

 • fgriiss, wlicro lie liad tiavclloil, and iinii!,'!!!- 

 it the dnst of Gy|isiim fi-oni his clothes 



! live heeii the eause, tried tin: exporlinent, 

 c- event nnsvveied his ex|iretatioiis. 

 iH' time alter, a ket: of it was sent to Ameri- 

 ; I Mr Jaeol) |{ar<;e of Philadelphia, and it soon 

 Mi into use in that part of Pennsylvania, where 

 •\ \aliie it very hiirl.ly, and even suppose that 

 ? hay is better which is protliic.-d by it. 

 It is lidwever said that Gypsum will not pro- 

 ote veijetation so much near the ocean, or in 

 ly place where it can he decompounded by par- 

 es of sea salt. That may be so, yet it has some- 

 nes done well near the sea in dry seasons, and 

 ts are not so visible any where in wet sea- 

 .My own practice has been 17 miles distant 

 jm Long IsUuul sound, where my first use of it, 

 ■ e.vceeded my most sanguine expectations. 



which is made by putting half a gill of tar into 

 2 gallons of water, or in that pr(iporti4in, stirring 

 it'Well, just to make the water a little sticky, and the 

 plaster will adhere to the kernels much better, 

 and the birds and insects will not medille with 

 it ; (too niiicli tar may prevent vegetation.) We 

 then put on from half a buslnd to a bushel of plas- 

 ter on an acre, after first hoeing, and the crop will 

 generally be doubled by using the [ilaster, inilcss 

 it he ill H wet season, vvlien the difference will not 

 be great; yet you may see where the corn hills were, 

 some years after the land is laid down to grass. 

 Some say it is best to sow a bushel on an acre of 

 grass land every year, but its etTects being visi- 

 ble several years, I have not practised in that way. 



The Nova Scotia Plaster is not all of it eipially 

 good or even that which is brought from France, 

 but t;he imported is the best ; yet the difference is 

 not great, and as the Nova Scotia is the cheapest, 

 I generally use it, unless when .^we send to New 

 York for it, we buy that which was imported. 



It ought to he ground in fair weather, and sow- 

 ed soon after grinding ; or else it may become 



KKUW 52Sr03.2»ii£r© a>iii3saaj3» 



noSTON, WEDNESDAY EVnNING, AIMttl, 13,1831. 



In the spring of 1796, I sent to New York, ' •^'•'""".V =i'iJ "6^' ^vashing or running through the 



d obtained a barrel of Gypsum wliich had been 

 ported from France, and in May and June sow- 

 it on different soils, and s.veral kinds of crops, 

 iit i)roduceil wonderful effects generally. I 

 tsonie of it on Indian corn after the first hoeing, 

 i left 5 rows throngh the middle of the field 

 lich was not plastered, which did not produce 

 ire than one, on either side, owing in some 

 astire to the grubs having left the corn, where 



plaster had been used, and gone on to those 

 rows, which some miles distant, looked like a 

 id which had been cut througl-j a wooil, for the 

 m was exceedingly poor, and from 20 to 50 

 lbs under each b.ill, and not a grub to be found 

 ler the hills which hail been plastered. 

 The flax and potatoes were much benefited by 

 ster, but the wheat, rye, barley and oats did not 

 w the benefit much ; yet the grass was visihlj' 

 :ersoiiie years after the crops were taken o'.). 

 The utility of Gypsum appearing so manifest 

 uced me to use it freely, and the next spring 

 t corn, cider, &c, to Passaniaquoddy and bought 

 itons. 1 used the greatest part of it the same 

 I generally put about 3 bushels on an acre 

 Ihat time, because they used as much as that 

 an acre in Pennsylvania, but 2 bushels are 

 ught now to be sufficient. 

 L whim has gone abroad that it injures land, 



the encyclopedists say that it does not, more 

 n stable manure. 



'!'hey have used it in Pennsylvania more than 

 years, and still value it highly as a manure. It 



been used near 40 here, and yet we have 

 ly farmers among us who choose to be half a 

 tury behind others in improvements, who have 



yet ventured to try it; but as it is now plenty 



cheap, I would advise farmers at least to 



the risk of trying it. 

 'hose who have used it plentifully and repeat- 

 on the same lands will not find so much 

 efit by using it again, as they did at first, yet 

 I a good manure, even in those cases. 1 have 



generally used the Gypsum oftener than once 

 i, 8 or 10 years on the same land, unless it 



bt be a little when the land was tilled, to roll 



grain in, or a little to put on it, not exceeding 



bushel to the acre, 



Ve have generally rolled Indian corii in it hc- 



plantiug, after soaking it awhile in tar water, 



mill again. Still dam[) weather is the best forsow- 

 ing it, that it may not blow away ; and it will sow 

 better, and last longer; if it is not ground exces- 

 sively fine. It may be sown in Spring or Autumn, 

 hut vegetation ought to have time to come forward 

 before it is sown. Its effects will be most visi- 

 ble on land which has been recently laid down to 

 lierds grass and clover ; but if it is mowing ground, 

 it is best to mow it once before the Gypsum js put 

 on, for fear it may make the clover lodge down, 

 but the 2d year the herds grass will support it. 

 It is well to sow it as soon as the hay is taken off, 

 fur it will collect moisture, and keej) the land from 

 being parched from the intense he.it of the sun, 

 which is often the case at that season of the year. 



It is sometimes sown on old sward where it can- 

 not well be ploughed, though it v/ill not do much 

 the first year or two, yet the second or tliird year 

 it will show itself, and make the grass thick and 

 heavy, and continue to help the land several yeais. 

 It will do the most good on land whicdi is in pretty 

 good order. It will not make poor land produce 

 luxuriantlj', especially after grain is taken off. 



When clover seed is sown clear from the hull 



GARDENER'S WORK FOR APRIL. 



In the Eastern States, generally, this is the month 

 for sowing the principal garden crops. There is 

 an advantage in sowing the hardier kinds of gar- 

 den seed as early as the state of the soil will per- 

 mit, as by that means the plants become firmly 

 established before they are overtaken by tlie heat 

 and drought of the summer. But a stiff and 

 moist soil should never, on any account, be dug, 

 ploughed or harrowed when it is so wet as to be 

 clammy or adhesive. A light sandy soil however, 

 will be benefited by being hoed or otherwise 

 wrought on while mcist. 



Mr M'Mahon well observes that ' earth of a 

 consistence that will hold water longest wilhoul 

 becoming hard when dry, is that. of all others the 

 best adapted for raising the generality of plants 

 in the greatest perfection. The great art of im- 

 proving sandy and clay soils is to give to the for- 

 mer such dressings of clay, cowdung and other 

 kinds of manure, as will have a tendency to bind 

 and make it more compact, and, consequently more 

 retentive of moisture ; and, to the latter coats of 

 sandy earth, pond mud, horse dung, &c.' 



Asparagus may now be sown or transplanted. 

 It has formerly been thought necessary to make a 

 very laborious and expensive process of cultivating 

 asparagus, but it has been found that the old modes 

 of growing that valuable esculent may be dis- 

 pensed with, and asparagus raised with about ag 

 much facility as potatoes. The Hon. J. Welles 

 thtis describes his method, which we should believe 

 altogether worthy of general adoption. 



' A piece of ground was taken, of a deep rich 

 soil. After a common corn crop was taken off, 

 the land was ploughed and manured in the usual 

 course. Holes were then dug, twelve to fourteen 

 inches in depth, and about the same distance apart, 

 and two or three shovels full of compost manure 

 were mixed with a part of the earth. The roots 

 of a year's growth were then inserted at about six 

 inches in deptli. This bed has flourished and been 

 thought as productive as any whatever. * * * 

 However rare it may be that there is any over 



without covering, it ought to be rolled in plaster, j cultivation or preparation of soil for any vegetable 

 and It will keep it moist, and help vegetation.— production, in would seem here to be the case. 



Middlelown Sent. 



Business. — It appears from the city papers that 

 there is a great demand for vessels, and that the 

 rates of freight have advanced more than 33 per 

 cent. — Vessels have not been in so good request 

 for several years. The manufactures of cotton 

 and woollen goods are realizing a fair profit. The 

 prices of grain, wool, fat cattle, cfec, have improved. 

 The farmers of Hadley, Hatfield, and other 

 towns in this vicinity are calculating to engage ex- 

 tensively in the cultivation of broom-corn, and it 

 is believed that more acres will be devoted to this 

 crop the ensuing season than in any former year. 

 Many acres in Northampton meadow hav^ been 

 leased to the growers of broom-corn. The price 

 iven for the use of good land, for one croji, if the 

 land be manured, ploughed, and made ready for 

 planting by the lessor, is about 20 dollars per acre ; 

 and about 12 dollars per acre are given for the use 



of first rate land in its present state, that is, land _ _, .^^ , ._. 



wtich was well manured and bore a good crop l ly asserted, and with sufficient confidence, that 



The old forms appear to have been kept up and to 

 have discouraged a more general diffusion of this 

 valuable plant. 



' Dr Dean, in his husbandry, has somewhat sim- 

 plified tlie matter, but not sufficiently. The pro- 

 posed method of placing the roots at 6, 8 and 9 

 inches is rpiite too near. The duration of 10 or 

 12 years is quite a mistaken one ; it lasts with us 

 double that period. 



' The management of the bed may be given in 

 a very few words. In the fall of the year it is 

 important to cover it. with horse manure ; in the 

 spring it should be raked off, and the bed lightly 

 forked over, so as not to touch the roots. 



' If the bed from frequent weeding becomes low 

 it rnay be raised with dock mud to advantage. 

 This produces no weeds, while the saline particles 

 are favorable to its growth. Where this cannot 

 be had, rich loam may be taken.' 



Mr Armstrong, in vol. 2 of the .Memoirs of the JV. 

 York Board of Agriculture says, ' It has been late- 



the last season. — Hatrip. Gaz. 



I pickle of salt and water, of the ordinary strength 



