120 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



productive, of itself, of many virtues. , He is 

 also exempt from those temptations to vice and 

 crime, to which men are subject in most of the 

 other occupations of life. Why should he be 

 dishonest or false? He has rarely ever a 

 motive. His fields furnish him his subsistence, 

 and he needs no patronage, and, consequently, 

 resorts to no arts to obtain it. The flatteries 

 and trickeries of those who live in a state of 

 dependence and subsist by the support of 

 others, are without inducements to him. He 

 is dependent not on man, but God above for 

 his prosperity. Contemplate his existence in 

 all its relations, and it will be seen, that he 

 lives under more salutary influences, and is less 

 subject to temptations to swerve from the path 

 of moral rectitude than any other class of men. 



Let no man accuse a farmer of making an 

 assault on the merchants and lawyers. He is 

 merely defending his own brethren, and has 

 not the least idea of denouncing the gentlemen 

 engaged in these occupations in this age of the 

 world. If he had, he would have quoted the 

 magnificent denunciation of Burke, who pro- 

 nounces the Ledger, the Bible of the merchant; 

 and the counting-house his chapel. A farmer 

 intends rather to speak of the unfavorable 

 influences of the occupation, than of those en- 

 gaged in it. A FARMER. 



King & Queen, Dec. 20th, 1857. 



How Does Plaster of Paris Act? 



December, 7th, 1857. 



Mr. Editor: 



Having been engaged in another pursuit all 

 my life, until within the last five or six years, 

 I am very naturally inquiring of those who I 

 imagine ought to be able to instruct me in 

 matters pertaining to the farm ; but to my sur- 

 prise I am more puzzled and perplexed than 

 ever. I find no two farmers agreeing in opin- 

 ion upon the same thing. It occurred to me 

 that you, or some of your numerous corres- 

 pondents might be able to assist me. What 

 induced me particularly to address you at 

 present, was this, in conversing a few days ago 

 with an intelligent farmer upon the modus 

 operandi of Plaster of Paris, and as to the 

 proper time of applying it to crops, (i. e. clover.) 

 He said that it benefited plants only by its 

 power of attracting moisture, and that the best 

 time of applying it was after it had begun to 

 bunch, say some two or three inches high. 

 He supported his opinion by experiments made 

 by sowing it on clover at different ages, as also 

 before it put up at all. 



Another has told me that plaster only bene- 

 fits those plants into which it enters as a com- 

 ponent part. 



Another that neither of these modes is the 

 true explanation, but that_plaster was a great 

 absorber of grasses, and that a great deal of 

 ammonia was contained in the atmosphere, 

 which was brought down to the earth dissolved 

 in the rains and dews, this was absorbed by 



the plaster to be gradually given out as the 

 plants required it. Now it seems to me to be 

 an important matter to a farmer which of 

 these explanations he adopts as the true one, as 

 having a practical bearing upon the time when 

 he should sow his plaster. If the first and 

 second explanations are the true modes of 

 action, the time of sowing it can be of no con- 

 sequence ; but if the second is the correct 

 mode of action, it ought to be sown early 

 enough to give time for water and other agen- 

 cies to dissolve it, for it cannot enter into the 

 plant except in a state of solution. 



It seems to me that the first explanation at- 

 tributes too much efficacy to an inconsiderable 

 cause, besides, in wet seasons, when there is 

 no lack of moisture, the plastered clover is 

 much more luxuriant than that which is not ; 

 again, in dry seasons what becomes of its at- 

 tractive power for moisture, when we have 

 dews and rains sufficient to satisfy its absorbent 

 powers, its action ought, at least, to be per- 

 ceptible ; on the contrary, I have seen it sown 

 in a dry season when it had no appreciable 

 effect. 



The third explanation seems to be a very in- 

 genious one, but it does not satisfy my mind, 

 for if it is correct, plaster ought to benefit 

 almost all plants alike, and to be beneficial on 

 almost all soils equally ; but it is generally ad- 

 mitted, I believe, that it does not. These ob- 

 jections will apply equally well to the moisture 

 theory. 



The second explanation, as far as I can see, 

 satisfies all these objections, and if correct, 

 must determine the time for sowing plaster to 

 be early enough to give time for rain and other 

 agencies to dissolve it. 



I have written this to elicit from you, or 

 some of your numerous correspondents, what 

 is known upon the subject: if you approve of 

 this letter publish it. 



I remain yours, truly, 



AMHERST. 



If any of our readers can satisfy our friend, 

 " Amherst," as to the true theory of the action 

 of plaster, we hope they will do it. We do 

 not profess to be able to decide the question. 

 We have plaster sowed in May to pro- 

 duce a decided effect ; and we know some 

 farmers of excellent judgment, who think the 

 fall the best time to make the application. 

 But on land that is improved by it, it never 

 seems to come amiss, and we think the time is 

 not *very material. Our own practice has 

 always been to sow in February, because we 

 think it can then be dissolved in time to ope- 

 rate on the plants. 



We do not believe it acts by attracting mois- 

 ture. No material of as difficult solution in 

 water can. — Ed. Southern Planter. 



