South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1834-09-13
AprtrulturaI.
EXPERIMENT WITH GYPSUM.
By the late JOHN TAYLOR, of Virginia.

4 A few of the experiments l have made will
gypsum are mentioned, to take chance to-
adding fact to your information on tina
subject.
1903, March 18th. Oats and clover, boil
lust up, plastered them at one bushel to thu
acre; three weeks after, plastered them a
gain with the same quantity. Upon boil
occasions left the richest portion of the pa
upholstered. This only produced one third
both ofoats and clover, ofthe plastered land
! April Mixed or rolled bushel Of plas-
ter with as much seed corn, keeping it we,
whilst planting, With such rolled seed
planted field of4O acres, except eight rows
thro' the centre which were upholstered
The land poor. The inferiority of these 8
VS. wac visible, from the moment the corn
was up, to its being gathered.
1904, April Rolled the seed corn Of two
hundred acres in like manner, leaving eight
rows across the field, SO as to intersect the
fiat, billy, sandy, stiff, rich and poor land
Their inferority was go visible, that from an
eminence in the field, a stranger could point
out the eight rows from the time the corn
was three inches high, until it was all in tas-
sel. In this the eight rows were week la
ter than the plastered corn. The plastered
corn stood the best, was forwardest, and
produced the greatest crop. Its fodder dri-
led abont ten days sooner.
1905, April. Pastered as above, the seed
corn of 80 acres of rich MOIST land, leaving
eight rows. Corn injured by too much rain.
No difference between the eight rows and
the rest.
May 18th. Replanted my corn on high
land. which had been much destroyed BY
mice, moles and birds, mixing two quarts of
tar well with one bushel of seed corn, and
then plastering it as above. The best reme-
dy ever tried against those evils, and the
plaster an usual accelerated and benefited
the corn.
April ssth. Plastered bushels on 5 acres
of clover just up, sown alone on land half
MANFRED with coarse manure. "A good crop.
May 9th. Seven bushels on acres of for
ward wheat q clover. Wheat heading land
thin !; the clover exceeded what such land
had usually yielded. No benefit to the wheat. |
May 10th. Six bushels on s acres Of very |
bad clover sown last spring. Clover just
to bloom. The season became |
moist, and it improved into fine CROP
May 10th. Last spring left an unplas.
tered strip Of 20 feet wide across field off
clover. 1t was all cut except this strip,
which was -s~.--i - ..-.-, Al SusSlns
This spring on this day, (clover beginning
to bloom) the strip was still much inferior
to the adjoining clover, which was good.
plastered it at a bushel to an acre, leaving
the rest ofthe field upholstered. 1t equall-
ed the adjoining clover in one month.
May 10th. Sowed IS bushels ON % acres
of corn in large field. Ploughed in part
narrowed in part, and left part
on the surface ten days before it was work. |
ed in. Corn A inches high. Weather moist. |
No difference between the three divisions. |
The seed of the whole field had been rolled. |
These 90 acres exceeded the adjoining corn
2s per cent its blades 4 tops dried sooner.
June l4th. Plastered at three bushels to
the acre, a strip of goose grass or English
grass-no effect ON land or grass.
August 10th. Solved so acres ofthin san
dy land, in corn or at the time in clover, & |
40 bushels of plaster on the seed, narrowing |
both lightly in. A moderate shower in four
days, succeeded by severe drought. Clo-
yer sproughted and chiefly pefshed. A |
good cover of brd-foot clover followed !:
land so visbly improved, that stranger
could mark the line ofthe plasterng by the
growth. That and the adjoining land in
corn in 1908. The difference visible in ia
vor of the plastered land.
September nth, to the 5th ofOctober.
Slowed SO bushels of yellow latter bearded |
wheat: I'll of forward, mixing half a bush
ell of plaster with one of wheat, a little wet
ted. One bushel of forward, and 3 pecks |
of latter wheat were sown to an acre. All
among corn. Two slips of 80 feet each were
left across the field, in which upholstered
wheat was sown. Where the land was san
dy, the upholstered wheat was best, owing
to the great growth of bird-foot clover a.
mong the plastered. This discovered the
effect of gypsum on that annual grass
Where this grass did not appear. there was
no difference between the plastered and un-
plastered wheat. From the spring of 1906
to this time, the upholstered slips have been
distinctly marked, by vast infererity oil
the weeds and grass naturally produced.
November Esd. Sowed three bushels
of plaster on one and a half acres of
wheat, left upholstered for the purpose in
the field last mentioned, on the surface.
Weather moist. No effect on the wheat,
on the ground, or in the growth to this
day, though the plaster was of the same
kind with that used in the last experiment.
1906, March and April. Slowed 200
acres Of clover With plaster, at different
times when the weather was dry, moist,
windy, and still, part at 8 pecks-a bush
ell and five pecks TO the acre, leaving
Islip of 200 feet wide across the field, 10
ascertain the goodness Of the plaster,
which was of a hard white kind, that hi