202 
Annual Report of the 
Somebody lias said it must be thrown on the leaves of the plant, 
while the dew is on to make it adhere, and because somebody said 
so, they, the people, accept it and act accordingly, without stopping 
to think, if it is founded in reason. I should as soon think of feed¬ 
ing my body by putting food into my boots, as of feeding the plant 
by putting food for the plant on the leaves. It must be mixed with 
the soil, and the plant food must be brought into a condition to be 
readily assimilated and taken up by the plant, before it can derive 
nourishment from it. The action of the plaster is to fix the am¬ 
monia in the soil, enabling the plant to take it up in growth, also, 
to aid in the decomposition of the vegetable substances turned un¬ 
der. I would always sow plaster before seeding to clover, it will 
keep it from dying and stimulate its growth. It is not the quanti¬ 
ty of seed we sow that makes a good seeding, but the quantity we 
make live. The plaster will do it on any land of my acquaintance, 
if properly applied. Don’t wait until you have your grain all sown, 
and your corn planted, until the dry spell has commenced, until 
your clover begins to kill out, or is half killed, then sow it expecting 
to bring it to life. Plaster will not bring the dead to life, neither 
will it act until it is wet, dissolved and in the soil. 
Plaster should be sown on all newly turned sod, timothy or clo¬ 
ver, unless it is yet strong in the soil from previous sowing. Why? 
It aids in the decomposition of the vegetable substances turned un¬ 
der, and also, it aids the soil to retain the ammonia instead of its 
being evaporated by the sun and drying winds, it being an exceed¬ 
ingly volatile substance. It should be sown on new sod if it is ex¬ 
pected to sow wheat or any of the cereal grains, or be planted to 
corn. It will double a crop on such land in my experience. It 
should not be sown on old land that has been cropped to wheat for 
twenty years, until all the wheat producing elements are exhausted, 
simply to make wheat grow, it will not do it; you must not expect 
something fiom nothing. Plaster will do no good on wet land, 
neither will it do good on clear sand, unless there is some vegetable 
substance in the soil upon which it can act, still upon very poor 
sandy land it will make clover grow, and this should be the means 
to use to improve the sandy lands of the northern and western part 
of our state. Plaster will do very little good on land that is made 
very rich with thorough^ rotted manure, that is readily assimilated 
to the growth of plants, but if coarse manure be spread or plowed 
