Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1804-10-31


ii may after any lapse of time, be rcpu,-
verified and used again with as much sue.
cess as at first, except under water. Like
almost every o;her substance, in The now
improved stale OF ChymisIy, it has been
repeatedly aOAiy zed, and il found 90 CON-
tam, according to the most accurate expe-
riments =6-io0 OF vrriolic acids, 32-ioo Of
water-From this knowledge OF its conn
poncnt parts, and by reasoning from ana
logy, we should conjecture it TO be a ma.
nure, ii accident had not long since proved
it such.
Calcarious, is of all kinds of earth, in
comparably the richest and most co.ope-
ratIve IN the production Of plants. lief
tervesces powerfully with acids, which il
attracts wlth great force, and collects more
or less from most substances in It's neigh
boarhood, particularly from other kinds of
earth, the air and wa,er.-Vitriolic acids
also known 10 be a powerful operator, cor
recting and neutralzing several species of
salts, which are destructive of vegetation
and with which divers soils abound. II is
also great dissolvent Of hard substances,
which, by drcomposing also at The same
time from the subslarcest dissolycs GUAM
titles Of fixed air, which the plants, inlmc-
diaiely take and proht by.
: bat The plaster Increases The quantity
OF water, any farmer may be satisfied by
| observing in dry warm weather, that ,h.
ground which has been sprinkled with, re-
lanS The appearance Of dew from one to
| two hourS longer, than ground adjoining
which has not been sprnk!ed. This an.
Pearance ofdew, is doubles in part the re-
al dew retained by an attraction which re-
, sisis the exhaling inilucnce Of The sun
PROMPTLY II IS IN part also wafer which did
not t&ii as dew but which the calcarious
earth aud the vitrioic acid of the plaster.
both powerful at0ciors Of water, have
drawn from the air; that element always
sustaining large portion ofwaler. Scmuch
more IN bot dry weather Than at Other
times tho too much rarified TO be visible.
WIN an observance of th.s Ghenomenon.
should becoupied the reflection, thatwhen
ground IS VAIN, siogle drop commune
Gated 10 The root will produce more growth
than ten or hundred drops when il IS
cold, heal and moisture coujunclly BEING.
the Psrehts Of vegeta'ion. Should far
ner also be deslrous 10 test The ,issoIyinor
power OF The plaster, let him when he
has pIoughed Up suorg matted turf in div
land give one part plais CT and The o,her
none, and see which will rot or dissolve
the soonest.
For some reason or other unassigned,
The plaster is not used as 4 manure in
. France, where it is so easy 10 obtain it,
7 This may be owing to an ancient German
prejudice, about as we'll founded as the one.
which, N! lately kept potatoes cut Of France
or i. may possibly be owing to the soil
OF that country being Sufficiently imprec-
mated with the plaster without sowing il:
or that soil, like some others is TOO highly
charged with iron, for The plaster TO pro-
duce much effect. But in countries bor-
derirg on France, as the North of Italv,
Switzerland and Germany the plaster has
been used as manure, and sill is. Its
wonderful Effects in the latter country, az
= less enlightened period than the present,
were deemed oagical,-and the use of it
on that account prescribed but the pea
SAINTS continued TO SOW it under cover OF
night, being less afraid of the devil than
OF their maglstra,es.-Co Con. CoRr.