26 On Plaister of Paris, 



Ansxver. By the experiments and observations which 

 I have made, I find a high, warm, dry, gravelly or loamy 

 soil, to be much the best ; clay, cold or low lying land, 

 is seldom favourable for it. I have known some low 

 lying land which was dry and loamy agree with it, but 

 not near equal to the high. 



Query 5. Have you repeated the application of it 

 with or without ploughing — at what intervals, and with 

 what effect ?* 



Answer. I have frequently repeated the use of it both 

 with and without ploughing. I sowed a field with it five 

 years ago, which had some little appearance of both 

 red and white clover, but had never been sown with 

 any seed, upon which I put one and a half bushel of 

 plaister per acre. I pastured the field, and although the 

 season was very dry, it produced a great quantity of 

 good pasture sufficient to keep about one and an half 

 head per acre. The second year I sowxd one bushel 

 more per acre. The season being more wet, it was bet- 



^ The effects of the plaister detailed in this answer are in- 

 variably proved by all experience, before and since this pub- 

 lication. When I mentioned the operative principle of the 

 plaister— i. e. the sulphuric acid (first set free itself, and then) 

 decomposing substances in the earth, and thereby furnishing 

 their food to plants and attracting moisture, the idea was 

 either new, or little known. But it accounts for all the phas- 

 nomena of plaister. Old fields are uniformly found to evi- 

 dence the strongest effects. In them, decayed roots, and ve- 

 getable putrefying or putrefied matter, is in the greatest 



abundance. 



R. P. 



September y ISIO. 



