On Plaister of Paris. 31 



part of which had biickivheat in the preceding year;^ 

 I left a row of corn unplaistered, which run across the 

 fresh broke up land and the buckwheat ground : in the 

 latter I could perceive no effect whatever that the plais- 

 ter had on it, being a very light crop ; in the fresh broke 

 up land the crop was very good, and more than double 

 the quantity where it was plaistered than in the row 

 that was not. The other instance was in 2ijine mellow 

 rich piece of land, that had been well manured the year 

 before ; from which I had taken a good crop of potatoes 

 and pumpkins. I left three rows unplaistered, but could 

 perceive no difference whatever between them and the 

 others, where I had sowed at the rate of two bushels 

 per acre. The piece was sowed the spring following 

 with barley and clover seed, and the plaister that had 

 been put upon the corn without any advantage, had a 

 great effect upon the clover, which was much better than 

 where the three rows were omitted. This piece had 

 been well limed before the pumpkins and potatoes were 

 planted. The effects of the plaister here, as well as in 

 many other instances which I have known where it has 



* Many farmers are of opinion, that Indian corn never does 

 well immediately after buckwheat. I have never considered 

 buckwheat an exhauster, as it is a bastard legume and a good 

 covering crop. R, P. 



I have changed my opinion, by more attentively pursuing 



experiments on buckwheat, I think it is a great exhauster, 



when permitted to ripen its seed.^ 



R. P. 

 September y 1810.- 



