THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



Now the average increase of the other cattle, 

 [throwing out No. 11, which has always been 

 an unthrifty animal] has been " 496 pounds " 

 to the steer. The whole lot of cattle (40) lost 

 15 pounds each during the winter, and if these 

 13 lost in proportion to the whole number, 

 then they have increased 511 pounds each on 

 grass alone, which, to many, may seem mar- 

 vellous. 



The aforesaM lot of 40 cattle were grazed 

 exclusively on 100 acres of sod; 27 acres of 

 which is 21 years old ; 50 acres 9 years old, and 

 23 acres 13 years old. Had Mr. Loughbor- 

 ough, on the 1st of November ultimo, taken 

 the price offered him, viz : $80 per head, he 

 would have realized a profit of $34 21 per 

 caput. Deducting $4 each for the corn fed in 

 winter, and estimating the long-food at $3 21 

 per steer, offsetting the labour of feeding by the 

 manure of the cattle, we have a nett profit of 

 $27 per head, which being divided by 2|- acres 

 (the quantity of land grazed by each steer) 

 would give $10 80 per acre, or 16f per cent at 

 $65 per acre. 



It is fair to observe, that, though the lot of 

 13 aforesaid gained an average of 511 pounds 

 upon grass alone from April 22d to November 

 1st, yet the corn fed to them in the winter, 

 doubtless left them (though minus 15 pounds 

 below October weights) in a fine condition as 

 to general health, &c, to take on flesh from 

 grass. 



We would be glad to know if any grazing 

 county in Virginia can beat this. - 



THOS. MARSHALL, Sec'ry P. F. C. 



For the Planter. 



Franklin and Gypsum. 



There are some falsehoods of such extraor- 

 dinary vitality, that nothing can put an end to 

 them. The more unfounded and absurd they 

 are, the more obstinately they live and thrive, 

 despite of every obvious ground of contra- 

 diction and disproof. The usual subjects of 

 such unconquerable fictions are some flatter- 

 ing incidents, or striking expressions, ascrib- 

 ed to military or political dignitaries, or other 



was at leasts/be years old, his condition was below 

 the average of the lot, and although at least one 

 hundred pounds heavier than the three last 

 enumerated cattle when bought, is now the light- 

 est bullock in the lot, and the difference will be 

 greater the longer they are kept. The cattle 

 numbered 7, 10, 12,' 13, and 14 were not weighed 

 separately at the time they were purchased, and 

 therefore their respective increase of weight up 

 to this time can not be ascertained precisely, but 

 as the increase of these from the 1st. of September 

 to the 1st of November is more than equal to the 

 increase of the others, it is fair to presume that 

 they have gained at least equally with them 

 (luring the whole time. 



popular idols. In such cases, no one questions 

 the new claim to merit or notoriety thus falsely 

 asserted ; and it passes down to posterity with 

 more certainty than the well-attested but less 

 marvellous or incredible merits of the same 

 persons. 



One of the cases of this kind, and the most 

 remarkable for its absurdity, is the assertion 

 that Franklin advocated the application of 

 gypsum as manure in this country, and exerted 

 important influence in bringing it into early 

 notice and extensive use. This story, with 

 slight variations, I have seen in two different 

 French works on agriculture, and in several 

 American publications — the latest of which is 

 Dr. D. J. Browne's " American Muck Book." 

 In this, and also in one of the foreign books, 

 the asserted statement is made more conspicu- 

 ous by a pictorial illustration. I will trans- 

 late the passage from the " Maison Rustiqne: n 



" When Franklin wished to make known 

 and to spread the use of gypsum in America, 

 he wrote upon a field of clover, at the gates of 

 Washington, with the powder of gypsum, this 

 sentence : ' This lias been plastered.' The ef- 

 fect of the plaster made these words spring up 

 in relief, in vigorous and deep green plants. 

 Everybody was convinced, and gypsum was 

 popularized in America." 



It would be difficult to compress more of 

 false statement in one short passage than is 

 presented here. Yet this has been copied by 

 American writers, — all of whom ought to 

 know the absurdity of the statement ; and, 

 probably, it will descend to the latest posterity, 

 sustained by the deserved renown of the man, 

 and the great importance of the action and 

 subject. Wonderfully great as were Frank- 

 lin's attainments — highly useful and greatly 

 diversified as were his investigations, and his 

 labours for the instruction and benefit of man- 

 kind — we have no evidence of his having any 

 knowledge of, or concern in agriculture ; and 

 in the absence of all such evidence, it is ex- 

 tremely improbable that he, — always a town 

 resident, — should have undertaken to make an 

 agricultural experiment for the view and in- 

 struction of the agricultural public. It may 

 well be doubted whether the then recently ob- 

 served effects and value of gypsum had attract- 

 ed Franklin's notice, or much of general, at- 

 tention during Franklin's residence in Amer- 

 ica. And it is certain that the city of Wash- 

 ington, " at the gates" of which the asserted 

 incident is always " located," did not then ex- 

 ist — and Franklin probably never trod on its 

 then naked and undistinguished site. No 

 " field of clover" had then ever grown, or could 

 have grown there; and if it had, the action 

 and benefits of gypsum, on that soil, in its then 

 poor condition, could not have been strikingly 

 perceptible on the growth. 



E. R. 



