758 



FARMERS' REGISTER— ON THE USE OF PLASTER. 



containing the roots oi' the plants, (w)iich appear 

 to be as prolilic as the roots of Mr. Richardson's 

 celebrated fiorin grass,) and ttien had the spot co- 

 vered over with salt marsh nuul at least twenty 

 inches deep, supjjosing the smothering of the turt 

 and mud, aided by the salt it contained, would do 

 the business; but, to my utter astonishment, early 

 in the winter I tound the plants springing up here 

 and there vigorously, through this bed of mud ! ! 

 I shall add this summer, a i'ew bushels of salt to 

 the bed of mud, and if this, during the hotmojiths, 

 does not do the business, aided by the hoe, I pro- 

 pose then to cover the whole over, first with brush 

 wood, then with a toot thick of oyster shells, and 

 set fire to the whole. Il" this does not succeed, I 

 must acknowledge myself beaten, miless you can 

 come to my aid. I recollect some years ago to 

 have seen a reconmiendation by the celebrated 

 General Armstrong, of New Yorlc, of malic acid, 

 for the destruction of this plant on fields ! which he 

 asserts to be effectual, and the only thing he knows 

 of as sufficient. But this remedy, you will say, 

 on a large scale, is about as impracticable as lay- 

 ing ploughshares with gold. I may, however, if 

 this should turn out a good apple year, be able to 

 use it, in conjunction with the remedies I have in 

 progress. 



Chemically, what will be the result of a com- 

 bination of malic acid Avith the viuriate of soda? 



T. E3rORY. 



[We believe (thongh claiming to have but a very 

 imperfect knowledge of chemical affinities and com- 

 binations,) that there could be no chemical change pro- 

 duced, by the malic acid (the acid found in apples) 

 meeting with the muriate of soda, (common salt,) as 

 the soda is held in combination witli the muriatic acid, 

 by a stronger power of attraction, than the malic acid 

 has for soda. If, however, any soda, not so combined; 

 was present on the soil, or lime, the malic acid in pomace 

 would so quickly combine with cither of them, as to 

 have no effect on vegetation. What might be the 

 properties and eficcts of the new combination so formed, 

 on plants, is unknown. 



■We trust that the report of the Canada Thistle being 

 near Norfolk is founded on mistake — as it is certain 

 that the Spanish Thistle (another pest which has been 

 described by R. N. in No. 5) has reached the Eastern 

 Shore of Marjdand. The width of the Chesapeake will 

 not be a sufficient barrier to its progress, and it will 

 extend across Virginia, befoi'e our legislature will resort 

 to any means to arrest its progress. When no legisla- 

 tive relief has been granted to agricultvire, from griev- 

 ances under which it is actually suffering, it would be 

 still more hopeless to expect any defence from prospec- 

 tive injuries. But, if otherwise, it would be good policy 

 in Virginia, to aid the eflbrts of New York and INIary- 

 land to destroy this villainous plant witliin their limits, 

 ratlier than to wait for its appearance in Virginia.] 



ON THE rSE OF PLASTER. 



From tlie Genesee Famier. 



iJ/r. L. Tucker — Yours of the 7th of June last, 

 respectin;^ the use of Plaster, is now before me ; 

 and this being the season in which farmers are 

 bringing home their plaster, an answer ought not 

 to be longer delayed. 



You ask of me that I should state, " First — on 

 what kind of soil it is found most beneficial. Se- 



condly — tlie quantity used per acre, and the time 

 and manner of applying it each year. Third — 

 the course of cidture, or series of crops raised on 

 lands to which it is applied ibr a number of years. 

 And all such facts as it would be necessaiy for a 

 new beginner to know, to use plaster to advan- 

 tage. " 



Plaster has been applied, advantageously, in 

 this part of the country, on a variety of soil. The 

 larm I cidti vate h as, tor many years, at lea,st twenty, 

 received liberal applications of plaster, and embrac- 

 ing as it docs a variety of soils, I am enabled to 

 judge of its ellectslbra series of years. The vari- 

 eties of soil as indicated by the timber which grew 

 upon them, arc oak and hickoiy — maple, bass, 

 and some beech — another, heavy pine timber, 

 with hemlock — a part was timbered with a young 

 growth of maple, while oak lay decaying on the 

 surface. On all these varieties, we consider plas- 

 ter very beneficial, and ns yet, have not discovered 

 its effects less beneficial. I have never but in one 

 instance used plaster on deep alku-ial soil; and 

 then, by experiments made on some rows of corn, 

 while others were omitted, no eflect was perceived. 

 On grass lands, where plaster has been sowed on 

 strips by ^vay of experiment, a person in passing 

 over such grounds in a morning, will find (he plas- 

 tered grass more filled with dew than where no 

 plaster has been put, one of the effects of plaster 

 being to draw moisture from the atmosphere. 

 Low moist grounds, consequently, do not require 

 plaster as much as high chry lands; and at ])resent 

 I consider it very doubtful, whether it will at any 

 time be foiuid of much use on wet land. 



The second inquiry is — "The quantity used per 

 acre, and the time and manner of applying it. " 

 Much has been said about the quantity proper to 

 be sown at one time. In certain parts of Pennsyl- 

 vania, where the Nova Scotia plaster is used, only 

 one half of a bushel is put upon an acre at one 

 time. The cost of plaster will, upon examination, 

 be f(:)und to regulate to a great extent, the quantity 

 used in every section of the country. In this 

 county, where the best ground plaster can be had 

 at the mills for two dollars and fifty cents per ton, 

 a large quantity is used. The quantity used here 

 by our best farmers, at one application, varies from 

 one to three bushels per acre. Experiments have 

 been made of larger quantities — and it is supposed 

 by intelligent farmers with whom I have convers- 

 ed, that the greater the quantity the longer will 

 the eflects remain. The general practice here is 

 to sow two bushels per acre, and I think in ordi- 

 nary cases this is enough. 



"The proper time to apply i:)laster" ibr wheat 

 is in the spring of the year, as soon as the ground 

 has become settled; on oats, as soon as it comes 

 up; corn, at the first hoeing, (a small handfull on 

 each hill;) on pasture, as soon as the grass starts. 

 The manner of appljdng it, commonly adopted 

 here is, sling a bag over the shoulder, and sow 

 in lands. The best way to carry the plaster is to 

 have a box of the following dimensions, made to 

 curve a little to the body: two feet six inches long, 

 one foot wide, and six inches deep; attach a strap 

 to the inside corners, pass it over the right shoulder. 

 A place should be cut through the outside of the 

 box, or a handle put on like the handle of a corn 

 basket, that the man can take hold and assist with 

 his left hand in carrying. It has been recommend- 

 ed, in the Farmer, I believe, to sow plaster with 



