The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1873-02-01

and plaster We do as that eminently prac-:
sical person did with his muck, who said,
al puts il on the land, and | lets the land
and muck settle il" Only the faith IN
these imlaovea is not 80 general al it
should be, and We fail 20 get the good Of
them because we do not understand them.
There is nothing, however, 70 hinder tho
making Of careful experiments, which
would determine the value Of both limo
and plaster for every locality, and Il Is the
part Of plain prudence to ascertain the IT.
ness for our own use Of agents that have
been so eminently useful to Others.
The opinion Of the fertilizers expressed
by so intelligent an observer as Mr.. Gree
ley, in his late address at Baltimore, viii
attract unusual notice. So far as our own
observation and experience go We agree
with him entirely in his comparative esii-
mate Of lime and plaster. The common
form Of lime has been assumed too gener-
ally, we think, to be the only sure founda-
tion for . lasting amendment Of the soil,
AM only the cost Of sufficient dressing
has restrained many from the use il who
have no assurance of its value for them
beyond the fact that it has proved valua-
bic to others. Mr. Greeley has no such
opinion Of lime, but on the other hand
seems to depreciate il unduly. We cannot
assent to his low estimate Of its value, while
we have in mind large sections of our own
State that owed their long continued pro-
ductiveness almost exclusively to the judi
cious use Of lime. Let us allow its full
share of merit for such lands, while we
reserve our Judgment of IT elsewhere till
duly tried.
That plaster or gypsum is more general
ly valuable VIC agree with Mr.. Greeley, and
with him urge freer use where it can be
had SO cheaply as in Maryland, wherever
it is not known by experiment to be use
less, Certainly where it acts at all We have
no fertilizer that compares with it in valu-
able results for the same cost 1t is the
more valuable, too, that it is not so much
in direct money profit that it serves, as in
the production ofwhat still further benefits
the land--clover and kindred growths.
Yet in most of our crops, we may find in
it this direct profit if we would see it.
Corn, tobacco, potatoes, cabbages, and in
deed almost all, except the small grain
crops, are benefited largely, An expert
enced potato grower says he would as soon
dispense with any ether manure or fertili;
yer as plaster, and that it is without ex-
ception, and as a matter Of course, applied
to every crop. We know that no tobacco
grower in Southern Maryland-how it may
be elsewhere we cannot SAYS willing to
dispense with the small application to the
bud after wedding, some sow broadcast
while preparing the land, and some again
make second application as the growth
advances. On corn it is used very COM
monty with the seed in preparation for
planting, and sometimes with great advan-
tage after it gets some two or more feet of
growth.
But while Mr.. Greeley has little opinion
of the use of lime generally, he acknowl-
edges it may be serviceable on lands hav-
ing an excess Of acid, as indicated by the
growth Of sorrel and other acrid plants.
We do not quote his words, having mislaid
the copy Of his address
1t surprises US, we confess, that so wide
awake an observer and reader, not to say
writer, on farming, should utter such a
thought at this day. Thirty Yeas ago it
was common enough, and it is well known
how tenaciously it was held on to by the
late eminent agricultural writer, Mr.. Ed
muDd Rutin, of Virginia. But even he,
we are eredibly informed, yielded finally
to the force of evidence, and abandoned
his belief in the necessity of lime for the
improvement Of lands growing sorrel and
other acid plants.
The palpable proof that lies against this
theory is the well known fact that thousands
of acres of just such land have been i'm
proved to the point Of yielding thirty
bushels Of wheat and fifty of corn to the
acre, without the use of lime, or of any
other improver than clover, and the very
| light sprinkling Of plaster necessary for its
growth. If these acid plants indicated a
deficiency of lime, it is not possible that
such crops could grow, and continue to
grow upon them through long series of
years, flor such Is the fact, under favora-
bic circumstances.
! 1t may be quite true that sorrel will dis
appear from some lands under lime treat
ment, should that happen to be what the
oilneeds, and general improvement results.
The same result takes place with whatever
improves the soil, and brings in more
wholesome, natural growth. But as sorrel
is no indication Of the deficiency of lime
in the soil, il can Of course be no guide in
its application
The truth about the acid is, that it is
not perhaps in the soil at all, but that the
several plants elaborate each its own
Cor Md. Farmer.
SMALL FARas.-Small farms make
4 - n.