THE ENGLISH OAK IN AMERICA.—PLASTER NEAR SALT WATER.—ETC. 
119 
willing to sacrifice their lands for quick returns. 
The late low price of cotton had somewhat arrest¬ 
ed this destructive system, but I fear it will return 
with the increased value of the great staple. 
The middle, and particularly the mountain por¬ 
tion of Georgia, has water-power sufficient, I pre¬ 
sume, to turn every manufactory in the United 
States. It may be had for almost nothing. There 
are some 20 or 30 cotton factories in the state, 
which are said to be doing well. An English 
company, I learn, has purchased a shoal on the 
Savannah river, and several thousand acres of land 
adjoining for the purpose of appropriating the 
whole of this copious stream to manufacturing- 
purposes. 
Garnett Andrews. 
Washington , Wilkes Co ., Ga., Jan. 24 ih, 1844. 
THE ENGLISH OAK IN AMERICA. 
I notice a communication in your February 
number, relative to the English Oak, ( quercus ro- 
bur.) That species was long since introduced by 
my grandfather, and a few years since we had 
10,000 of them from 6 to 10 feet high, and adver¬ 
tised them, specifying their character of holding 
their foliage late, and being a kind of sub-ever- 
1 green. The name of oak, however, is so familiar 
to every one, that there were few or no purchasers, 
and after presenting a score or two to our then 
townsman, Richard L. Franklin, Esq., and a few 
to other neighbors, the balance were consigned en 
masse to the brush heap. There are two spe¬ 
cies of European oak that are much preferable to 
the English oak, and for the same properties for 
which that is recommendable, as well as for others 
which that does not possess. One of these is the 
Turkey oak, ( quercus cerris ,) the foliage of which 
is much handsomer, and remains green longer 
than the English oak. It is one of the most beau¬ 
tiful trees of the middle and south of Europe—in 
majesty equaling the most lofty ; leaves long and 
pinnatified, and its long oval acorns borne on long 
peduncles, presenting the appearance of small 
pipes. The other is the Tawzin oak, ( quercus 
tawza ,) a tree of humbler growth than the prece¬ 
ding, but perhaps surpassing it in the beauty of 
its foliage; the leaves very deeply lobed, and as 
persistant as that species. This has also the 
property of flourishing on the most sterile soils, 
and I am inclined to think the Turkey oak will 
also do so. 
William R. Prince. 
Prince's Nursery , Flushing , Feb. 13 ih, 1844. 
N. B. Will your correspondent, S. S., page 43 
of your February number, please to state what 
species of cherry his peach-trees are worked on ? 
PLASTER NEAR SALT WATER. 
i am no farmer, and make no pretensions to 
familiarity with agricultural chemistry; but hav¬ 
ing tried plaster of Paris as a manure, and with 
much success, and seeing you are disposed to call 
the attention of your readers to the use of it on 
the seaboard, I place the following facts and rea¬ 
sonings at your disposa 1 
My residence, with a few acres of land around 
it, is about half a mile in a direct line from the 
Sound, and fully open to the influence of winds 
from the east and southeast, charged with the 
moisture of the ocean. I came to New Rochelle 
in the summer of 1839, and found a piece of land 
which was at my service as a pasture, and a little 
farther from the salt water than my house, (say a 
quarter of a mile,) almost completely worn out. 
The grass and daisies it produced were so worth¬ 
less, that I gave them away to any one who would 
be at the trouble of carrying them off. Next 
spring I sowed plaster on it; and nothing else was 
used lor manure. The crop of grass and red clover 
it produced struck the farmers who saw it with 
amazement. It was near a church, and a natural 
object of attention to a rural congregation, who 
knew it well. When the question was asked, 
“What manure has been used to resuscitate the 
land so wonderfully ?” and the answer was “ Plas¬ 
ter, and nothing else,” some were sorely puzzled. 
The lot has been constantly used since, both for 
mowing and pasturage, and large crops obtained 
by the use of plaster, and nothing else. 
I have tried the same experiment on ground 
nearer the Sound, though there it has not been as 
clear a test of plaster alone ; for stable manure 
was employed also. However, there where plas¬ 
ter was used most freely the red clover was thick¬ 
est. 
T. W. Coit. 
New Rochelle , Feb. 1th, 1844. 
ERRORS CORRECTED IN THE REPORT OF 
MR. PELL’S EXPERIMENTAL FARMING. 
See an account of Mr, Pell’s experimental farm¬ 
ing in the report of the proceedings of the New 
York Farmers’ Club, page 359, Yol. II., of the 
American Agriculturist, in which the Secretary of 
the Club wishes to make the following corrections 
of errors. 
1. “That Mr. Pell sprinkled about a bushel of 
salt over every load of hay.” It should have been 
“over every alternate layer composing a ton.” 
2. “ That he had twenty thousand apple-trees 
in full bearing.” It should have been “ in bearing,” 
being eighteen years old. The communication 
signed “ Dutchess County,” page 53 of the March 
No. of the current volume of the Albany Cultiva¬ 
tor, says “ they plant apple-trees from 36 to 40 
feet apart, allowing 25 or 30 trees to the acre.” 
Mr. Pell’s trees are planted 19, 20, and 25 feet 
apart. Nineteen feet apart would allow each acre 
121 trees, 20 feet apart, 109 trees, &c., &c. 
The object in thus planting, was to obtain fruit 
ten or twelve years after they came into bearing, 
as fruit from young trees is usually found to be ot 
superior quality. When they interfere with each 
other, the centre tree will be cut out, and they 
will then be 38, 40, and 50 feet apart. 
3. “ That he employed a man from Vermont to 
engraft 10,000 apple-trees.” It should have been 
“ 400 apple-trees, (being 18 years old,) in which 
trees, 10,000 grafts were set.” 
I 4. “ That out of the 20,000 grafts, few fail 
