Wisconsin State Agricultural Society. 
71 
food, and perhaps all in time, are brought into the soil again from 
the agencies of rain, dew and snow, and there never was a truer 
saying than that the snow is the poor man’s manure. Snow and 
rain gather the ammonia, and it all goes into the soil when the 
rain descends and the snow melts, and the plaster gathers a much 
larger proportion of it than would otherwise he taken into that 
particular piece of land. 
Mr. Benton. We do not want to attribute too much magical 
influence to plaster. Many farmers can arrive at the same result 
by rotation—the resting of the soil two or three years, and the 
change of crops. We do not want gentlemen in considering this 
question of plaster, to make that the great cure-all, like certain 
patent nostrums of the day. It won’t cure all. We find many 
times a great increase of fertility without the use of plaster. Rota¬ 
tion and resting the land, etc., will do very much for the increase 
of crops. 
I wish again to state that the beneficial use of plaster depends 
somewhat on the soil. In some cases it renders the condition of 
the soil much better for crops than in others. 
As I wrote in an article a few years ago, I think the cheapest 
way in the world to sub-soil is to sow plaster and clover. 
Mr. Morrow, Editor Western Rural, Chicago. I want to call 
the attention of all the gentlemen to the fact, that when we try to 
settle this question, we should bear in mind the fact that when we 
apply 100 pounds of plaster to an acre of land, we are applying it 
at the rate of l-27th part of an ounce to a foot, or a pound to 433 
/• 
square feet of land; and if any of you fully satisfy yourselves ot 
just how that plaster absorbs enough ammonia, or just how it does 
any other thing and accomplishes the result, I wish you would tell 
me. We know the fact, but I am afraid that none of us have 
r 1 
found out just how the effect is produced. 
W. J. Rich, of Dodge county. Why is not thoroughly dried 
earth as good as plaster? There is no better absorbent than dry 
earth. My theory and practice is that the best way to use 
plaster is to plaster your clover and then feed that clover to some 
good stock, and draw the manure back on to the land. 
Secretary Field. I desire to say a word in answer to Mr. Mor¬ 
row. As to the particular how, I think it don’t matter. I believe 
he states that the ammonia is gathered from the atmosphere 
