Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1828-12-11

100 100
Besides the various uses TO which it is applied
in the arts, il is article highly recommended Ia
agriculture as great fertilizer of me soil and pro-
inoter OF vegetation.
Ii is in this latter view that the writer Of the
teiiowing remarks wishes it he considc red be-
ing !! atised that il deserves the. particular at
lection oi til' c'iiZen OF Virginia. and more espc-
c,'iy of these in the middle and lower SECTIONS of
the State, where their lands have been cultivated
generally with less care, in regard their preser.
va,ion, and coIside rably more .etcriora,e and
exhausted han those in the valley and mountain
country.
1t is employed by agriculturs's in variety of
ways and always with Iiie happe-t effects, when
pure and properly applied. IL is sometimes sown
bles, a. top dressing. Grain and seeds after
having been noistened, often rolled ia IT, pre-
viou> 70 iheir being sowed or planted And, oc.
ea.ionaily, ii Is dropt in The hills with corn Sc
In the application of Il, a top dressing, atter.
ton should be paid to the times, season of the
year, and growth OF ;hs plant; choosing close,
SIN, lamp day, or sill, foggy iuornug, as the
wind blows 1T about 100 much, and in dr. weather
II Is not apt TO stick well 10 the plants Some are OF
opinion that the best time TO dress young cLcscr,
sowed down on grain, with it, is when It gets tlfee
leaves Others advise TO cefer it til, the grain is cut
Off For old clover, The best time appears to be rs
soon as vegetation commences IN the Spring. To-
hacco should DO dressed with il when IN. plsn,s
begin to spread the hill and corn when about half
leg OF knee high.
When it was hrst introduced amongst us KS an
article OF agriculture, tie very high cncomiums
bestowed upon il, and the almost incredible ac.
CO IS rcl,tcd OF its wonderful effects on yeeeta.
ion, induced many OF iarrers and plsnters 20
eneage IN The uso oil II. fondly hoping, 10 doubt
that with the aid of clover ana plaster they would
be enabled, in few years 70 resuscita,e their
Worn OFT and exhausted Soils and impart 90 them
degree OF fertility, equal, if not superior, 10
wat hey originally possessed. But the re .ult OF
our exp tim -ntS has not been such as TO sustain
the exalted character it had acquired For al
though in some instances eff cts were truly as
ons''ing, its operation in Scneia appears 10 have
been very uncertain. And we have ofen had tho
MOI incaion 20 witness, after having encountered
iruch trouble and expence in procuring and apply
ing IL TO our crops, thai Ii was productive of no
Percevab'e benefit A consequence so discoursc.
ing se"ms to nave brought il somewa, into disre.
puic. So that, far from bein: in general use at
ms 1'ne as might nave been expected, even those
Few VINO thought well Of i, at FIRST, and were sux-
ious 10 bring il into notice, have themseIye, he
| come, III some M isure, disguised with it. and
'hcTe are wen some grounds TO apprehend, unless
something shall be done TO restore il to confidence
thai II viii ultimately be abandoned aI.ogeier--
misfortune the more 10 be dcpIorcd because
nothlng Is more Certain than that, when nure and
Judit lousy applied there is greater fertilizer
known. Aud, indeed, without the aid of some
such powerful subsistence, il is believed 10 be Ut
'eriy impracticabls, after th lapse of long
Sc les ot years, TO improve lands as 10 give
to hom that degree of fertility OF which tiey a,
susceptible.
T. trace his uncertainty in its operation to its
source, and to point out III means by which in
! future, II nay be avoided wouIi he TO r,-estat.
Us 1t In the public confidence As our planters
and farmers would, undoubtedly, freely employ II
co Id h'y ne well assured that, in laying cut their
! mones III tie purchase Of it, they woui.i 20 Inn
gr he 'Iijecied to the hazard of disappointment.
MS IS ~ COW De atiemped
has ALREADY been stated that gypsum was com
| no'e OF lime. suiphuric acid and water. And,
a., a',ehon to lhs relative proportions of eacir
1t will be seen that, when pure the suphuric acid
amounts 10 nearly half its weight
Inc quantity usually sowed or an acre is a bu.
shei, in which, as bushel of ground plaster IL
SAID to weigh about eighty pound, there would be:
OF Lime 25J60lbs
salphuric acid $3.50 Sso'0'
water 1850
5000
row, II must he Obvious ,hai 256Olbs. of lime.
Hnhch wou'd amount to little more nan peck,
could ''ot possibly produce any visible effect when
spread over an acre of and The quantity of va
yer (i10Oibs) would be next to nothing; and that
therefore, all the operative virtue Of the article
must reside in the sulphuric acid
hence. II may rdonaily Ne Inferred that ce,
orally spanking, whenever the plaster siIs to act.
IL is In cons quence OF deficiency in In, due prr-
po'tioh oil this latter ingredient: an idea that will
receive much eountensnce from en- exatrination
va P'OPeiu es, some OF winch VIII BE- found ne.
eu'iariy adapted TO the promotion Of vegets,ion'
ouch as lis capacity for attracting moisture from
IN ainiosPhere-and, when conbin, a with n
OF gen rating hca'. Thus aTjrding, itself. two
oil the Jour great essentials For whatever may
be the opinions of some philosophers ,e.yecting
the gaseous and ETHEREAL elements of veeet.i;,n
in practice il is found that nothing more seems 20
he necessary, in addition TO soil of a pronertev.
ture aud judiciou- cultivation than light. heat al,
and moisture, distributed in due PROPORTIONS
1t would certainly be highly proper that The To-.
gIslature should extend the benefit of tne insnsc
ton laws TO the article of plaster an. establjsb
inspections OF 1t at suitable places, not only as at.
Iord'ns reliet aud security to The purchaser. but
as measure OF precaution, it being understood,
on good authority, that much Of the refused ev,,-
sum at the North, where they have insoections es.
taoHshed,s ground up and seDt OH TO the South. by
fraudulent dealers IN the article, for sale
But, IN the mean time, to enable those purrhaq.
er5 who arc not cOnvcfsant with H. IN ,,,d,ro a,
once OF is purity, without the pogsbiitv of brjng
deceived, il Is deemed proper TO state that nitrous
acid. commonly called aqua loriis, forms an ,,ncrr
ing test They have only 10 drop small o,,,ntit.,
ct II on the plaster, (whethcr ground or in do
rock makes no dfference,) and IL il causes an Of,
feIvesccnee--a foarning and frothDa similar IN
what is observed when strong vinegar 10 no',,cd
upon chalk-it is a proof of lis im1uritv All
ne degree Of mpurity may he pretty well ,scer.
tai"ed by the nlildness velcmcnc OF ne eff. r.
vesceDcc.
Lime has grea, affinity for all, or most Of tho
ac!2s' "h.i1eT mlne!a! :! Ycsofsslo, AMI Vii &.