FARMERS' REGISTER— GYPSEOUS EARTH. 



209 



phuret of iron has also been found intermixed with 

 the gypseous earth : and this mineral in contact 

 with carbonate of lime, would also by cliemical 

 decomposition and new combination, form gyp- 

 sum. It was at Berkley, in Charles City, that 

 sulphuret of iron was found by Mr. Benjamin 

 Harrison, near the bottom of a pit of thirty six 

 feet depth, which he caused to be sunk in the 

 beach and through gypseous earth. Many isolat- 

 ed masses of marl were reached, (such as I descri- 

 bed above,) and Mr. H. thinks that the gypseous 

 earth also was still calcareous. In either case, the 

 chemical change from the carbonate to the sulphate 

 of lime must be still going on, as the agent, sulphu- 

 ret of iron, still remained in considerable quantity. 



The discovery of the existence of gypsum caus- 

 ed the hoj)e to be entertained at first that it would 

 be found in large bodies, and pure enougli to form 

 a valuable commodity for sale, and distant trans- 

 portation. But the examination wliich led to the 

 foregoing conclusions, also served to dissipate 

 these expectations. As the shelly bed whicli was 

 the origin of the gypseous eartli, was composed 

 principally of wortliless sand and clay, the new 

 gypseous formation must have the same degree of 

 adulteration, which would forbid its sale for trans- 

 portation. 



Tlic only rcmaiiiiiig use for the application of 

 the new discovery, was as manure in the neigh- 

 borhood where it was found : and circumstances 

 then existing, and opinions almost universally en- 

 tertained, prevented much profit being expected 

 from this source, and discouraged even the expe- 

 riments necessary to test fully the value of the 

 earth as manure. These circumstances and opi- 

 nions will be stated. 



When the wonderful effects of gypsum as ma- 

 nure in Pennsylvania, and in parts of the moun- 

 tainous region of Virginia, were first made known, 

 the reports excited as much of incredulity, as as- 

 tonishment, or of hope to reap the same rewards. 

 But as a few pounds of pulverized gypsum were 

 sufficient for tiie purpose, almost every farmer in 

 lower- Virginia, who was either enterprising or in- 

 quisitive, made some small applications for expe- 

 riment. This was thirty five or forty years ago, 

 and jxirhaps there was not one of these experiments 

 recorded, or the precise result kept in remem- 

 brance. But as to the general result, there could 

 be no mistake. The failure was so general, that 

 every one of the experimenters agreed that gypsum 

 was worthless in lower Virginia, and in that opinion 

 all others concurred. Some marked instances of 

 success presented on Berkley in Charles City, 

 Curie's, Brandon, and some other fine soils on 

 James River, when the use of gypsum was resum- 

 ed fifteen or twenty years after, did not shake the 

 opinion of the general unfitness of our land for that 

 manure. In this opinion I fully concurred — and 

 of course could not expect to find our own impure 

 gypseous earth more efficacious, than the purer 

 substance from France or Nova Scotia. 



But without expecting profit from the manure, 

 the desire to prove its identity with gypsum caus- 

 ed me to make many small experiments with the 

 pounded crystals, and with the earth in which they 

 were found, in 1817, and afterwards. The results 

 were not such as to promise profit from the ex- 

 tended use, but served to remove all remaining 

 doubt as to the nature of the substance. On the 

 several kinds of clover it sometimes produced re- 



VoL. 1.— 27 



markable benefit — but more generally, very little. 

 On corn, it was totally inert, except in a very few 

 cases, and in one of these exceptions, the benefit was 

 remarkable. On other grain crops, no effect was 

 ever found. Tliese very different effects, instead 

 of being imputed to the nature of the soil, and the 

 crop, (as I have since ascertained to be the true 

 causes,) were supposed to be evidences of the ca^ 

 pricious manner in which this manure acted, and 

 of its general worthlessness for this region. I saw 

 indeed that its best effect was on calcareous soil — 

 and even then began to entertain the opinion which 

 since has been established by facts, that the want 

 of calcareous ingredients in our soils, caused their 

 unfitness to be improved by gypsum. I felt the 

 less inducement iiowever to continue my applica- 

 tions, because my own gypseous earth was poor, 

 and limited in quantity : and I wished to reserve 

 w hat there was of it for future use, when my land 

 should be made calcareous, and more fit for clover. 

 For these reasons, my use of the gypseous earth 

 was almost abandoned for six or seven years, and 

 no other person had then made any experiments 

 to test its value as manure. 



In the winter of 1825-6, I found, on my land, a 

 small body of gypseous earth containing at least one 

 tenth of pure gypsum on the average — and por- 

 tions of it had as n^.uch as one fourth. This caus- 

 ed me to resume its use. In 1826, 565 heaped 

 bushels were applied, about 20 to the acre, (sup- 

 posed to give from 2 to 3 of pure gypsum,) to va- 

 rious soils, and to different crops. In 1827, be- 

 tween 7 and 800 bushels were applied. The effect 

 on clover, on land calcareous by nature, or made 

 so by art, was as great generally as gypsum has 

 ever pioduced elsewhere. On cotton, and on corn, 

 tlie effects were irregular, and taken altogether, 

 were not equal to the cost of the application. But 

 though the use of this earth was now confined to 

 land made calcareous, (as it was evidently worth- 

 less elsewhere,) I again lost the greater part of its 

 value by another improper mode of application, 

 which it may be usefiil to others to state more 

 fully. 



Judge Peters, to whom we are indebted for 

 making known and establishing the value of gyp- 

 sum, was of opinion that one of its operations is 

 to hasten tlie rotting of vegetable matter with 

 Avhich it is in contact : and thence he deduced the 

 opinion of the propriety of mixing gypsum in heaps 

 of compost, or of other coarse putrescent manure. 

 Besides gaining this particular benefit from mix- 

 ing the gypseous earth with my stable and farm 

 yard manures, (which I was ready to believe on 

 the high authority of Judge Peters,) I expected to 

 derive from that practice a still greater benefit in 

 distributing easily and equally the earth over the 

 land, which was very troublesome to spread alone. 

 For these reasons, the greater part of my gypse- 

 ous earth was spread over the litter in the farm 

 yard and stable, in such quantitiesas was supposed 

 would give about 20 bushels of the earth to every 

 acre covered by the manure. The heaping of the 

 manure to ferment, then cutting it down to load, 

 and spreading it over the field, no doubt divided 

 and distiilmted the gypseous earth very equally. 

 It showed no effect on the succeeding crop, corn, 

 (at least none that could be distinguished from that 

 of the putrescent manure,) and none on the wheat, 

 which followed. I had not expected much better 

 results on these crops, but relied confidently that my 



