On Gypsum* 55 



able. Like the rust and other disorders of that kind, I 

 suppose it to proceed from repletion. Most of my lands 

 being flat, I ha\'e observed that those disorders might 

 be infallibly produced artificially, by graduating mois- 

 ture alone for their attainment, and trusting to the sea- 

 son for heat ; and the remedies I use are, to plough very 

 deep when I sow my wheat ; nevertheless covering it 

 shallow, and to lay the land in ridges the width of the 

 corn rows, with a deep and narrow furrow between 

 them. Wheat seems to me to resist these maladies, in 

 proportion to its forwardness, because it is less exposed 

 to the combination of heat with moisture. Early kinds 

 are the resource against the one ; draining off rain wa- 

 ter by furrows and deep ploughing, seem to me to be 

 the best resource against the other. 



A few of the experiments I have made with gypsum 

 are mentioned, to take a chance for adding a fact to your 

 information on that subject. 



1803. March 15th. Oats and clover, both just up, 

 plaistered them at one bushel to the acre ; three weeks 

 after, plaistered them again with the same quantity. 

 Upon both occasions left the richest portion of the plat 

 unplaistered. This only produced one third, both of 

 oats and clover, of the plaistered land. 



April. Mixed or rotted a bushel of plaister with as 

 much seed corn, keeping it wet whilst planting. With 

 such rotted seed planted a field of 40 acres, except eight 

 rows through the centre which were unplaistered. The 

 land poor. The inferiority of these eight rows was visi- 

 ble, from the moment the corn was up, to its being ga- 

 thered. 



