New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1844-07-16
Science fer Farrners.

Sc.c:,ce FOR Farmers.
No " LINE For The Tribune
While the application Of Snlpastc Of Lime
Plaster or GYPSUM has been attended in many
parts OF the world with the most beneficial CT.
:tc,s-in Germany particularly increasing the
produce OF clover, and so the amount of Lave
Stock about one third--in other places 1t has
been found TO b. Of no service at all. The nature
OF It's acton is altogether uncertain, almost every
new writer ascrbing it to different causes; on
no subject therefore is the want of multitude
of facts more felt in crdcr 10 predict the effect Of
its application on aoy kind of soil aid for any
crop, than Oh the use OF Plaster. and here !; i
wei! TO urge upon Farmers the Importance OF
pursuing systematic course of experimenting
with many kinds of manure on different KINGS
Of soil, OF keeping a. exact an account rs posi-
bic OF these experiments and lhe!f results, ahc
making them public through The farming jour
mails. II is only by such means tina; the daia can
be acquired that Will hereafter give certainty To
their operations, and this Is not 10 nc The result
of oaa or two or hiatt ii dozen years t!ai, but
thousands of experiments will be required before
the truth can he attained
Ia determining the laws which cause the Va
riatuns OF the tides, the celebrated French as
tronomtr, Lapiace, suggested the Importance OF
making exact daily observations Tor several years
at the port OF Brest. This was done iOr sixteen
years, and at the end of that period itnrnepse
computations based on SIX thousand observations,
gave u precision 10 the phenomena oi the tides,
which could have been attained III ~ ether way.
So /. is with oil the modern applications oil sci
Gncc 10 practical purpascs-evcry position cStah-
iished is tie result not of lanciui specu!ations.
nut Of :, rigorous, incuCtve system VI iuvestge
ton and the data winch arc 10 establish these
positions in agriculture must come from the Prac-
teal farmer He should know the nature OF his
soil and the chemical composition Of tho crop
that is 10 be formed from it. Does the sod con-
tain little O. no Sui lurlc Acid Then lei him
mark the increase which an application OF tic
Sulphatc al L.me may give 10 d ceita!n portion
of his fields 50 ertiilzed Does it give !nd!cd
;iuns OF already containing Sui?!iatcs tnen
let han carefully observe II the Plaster produce
any beneficial result, and il 80, notice all the other
circumstances attending lhls. |! 1t lie found
that Plaster Is generally serv!ceablc only TO those
crops whch contain notable quantities of SUI
Ii!litc acid ana Lime lii Their composition,
.2hca is particularly the Cast with Potatoes
md Clover and Tia, on soils already continuing
SuIphufic hcd and Lime At answers no good
purpose, ,hen most Important point Is attained,
ana there is end To any farther random cX.
ierimcn,ing with Plaster or Sulpatc or Lane.
Phosphate If Lime. or Line combined with
rhosl!,oric Acid, is another lnrm lii wmch tbs
useful material exists, rs III bones and ia some
rocks, and 50 may be applied to agricultu-
raj purposes. i'hc TACT OF lis forming about one
hall ol the earthly part of bones proves thai 1t
aust be an important constituent vi plants upon
which tho animals have led, and farther Of the
soil from winch the plants were produced. Aud
as this substance is constantly removed from
soils by the consumption OF the c!o;.s, some pro
vision must be made lUr restoring 1t III order that
tic crops iruy he always supplied with the guam
.!y they require. No method is more SIMPLE
than 10 return the bGacS that the same Phosphate
of Lime may be used 10 form new plants. aud
pass into the composition of new animals. Ano-
ther source which nature has provided is IN The
mineral called Apallc which contains about
The sane proportion of Phosphate of Lime as
bones, and by It's decomposition is ever supply
ing more OF this salt 10 the soils in its ncighbor-
hood O;e of the most important localities OF
this mineral is in ST. Lawrence County, in this
State. There it is found IN such quantities as
to render il probable that when its nature is gen
orally understood, it will become almost as !mpor.
tant an article in agriculture as Plaster is now.
Lime exists also largely in the common Trap
rock, which furins the Palisades OF the Hudson
and large rocky districts in various parts Of New
England and New Jersey. BY lis decomposition
it gives out sufficiency Of Lime to the SOIL and
SO enrlches 1t as to be every where regarded as a
valuable fertilizer. On such Il soil grow some OF
the finest Potatoes Of Pas agiaqucddy Bay and Of
Nova Scotia, ana doubt net the farmers along
the Hudson have long since learned that the soil
derived from these barren locking rocks possesses
| the most fertile properties, and that even The
crumbiing stones will repay the labor of collect
ing them and spreading upon other soils. Sucl
is found 10 be liz character in Europe. and IL
Cornwall and parts OF Scotland too the decom
posed Trap rock is esteemed almost as valuable
as Mari itself.
| Mad, properly SO called, is the calcarcou
sediment which collects at the bottom o
some ponds. Ii abounds in small shells ant
fragments OF shells, and to these liz beneficial
acton is par licusly 10 be attributed. Thi
IS the character ot the great beds of hlarl whicl
are found in the Eastern sections OF the SouthcrI
Atlantic Siates--with this difference, however
that these are not recent deposits al the bottoms
Of Lakes, but very ancient formations producct
on what was at the time the bottom of the sea
The great layers OF marine shells and coral cx
tend beneath tic surface Tar inland and furnish
the principal material which is how so extensive
" used in teuova,ing the worn.cul lands OF thos
districts. The name " Mari" is not properly ap
piled 10 the Green Sands of New Jersey
). Z. HODGE, IS Chamben>fee..
The Lakes and the Lake Country.
Correspondence Il; the New lork Tribune
LAIN MICHIGAN. EEsR CHICAGO. III. June s. 1874
arrived IL Buffalo IN good time 10 embark OF
board the magnificent steamer Wisconsin, Capt