Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-06-11
Plaster.


Editor Of the Farmer You say that
you have changed light crop Of white top
to heavy crop of red clover by the use of one
half bushel plaster to the acre. Now there
are one hundred farmers in Caledonia County
that would use one.half barrel if they could
thereby do the same thing. What was the
kind Of SOIL wet or dry, rich or moderately
fertile, upland or meadow 2 am much in
terested in the way the thing is done.
J.L.
In the instance referred to, the plaster
was sown on light, warm, dry, gravelly
loan, upland that was run out by continuous
moving for eight or ten years after crop Of
corn aud one Of wheat or oats. The soil is
naturally favorable to the growth Of clover.
1t was sown after haying, Just before rain.
The next season the crop was heavy. In
walking along by the margin Of the lot, the
direction of each handful Of plaster there
sown, could be traced as plainly as it it had
been oats or wheOt sowu on a mellow soil.
This was an exceptional case, and farmers
must not depend upon accomplishing so much
with every application of plaster. 1t may
be regarded as an evidence Of the great
value of plaster when all the conditions arc
favorable for its action. When its effect
upon the grass of an old moving will be
favorable it is impossible to tell except by
sowing it, The cost Of an application is so
small that it may be applied every year with
little loss if it has no good effect upon the
grass. One good crop, such as we mention
ed, will pay for great many applications.
Another thing about plaster is, that because
little is good it must not be imagined that
great deal is better. A half bushel, some
say peck, if evenly applied to an acre, is
as good as more.
1t is popularity Of this fertilizer that
an application on an old moving one season
may produce no change whatever, aud an
other, with conditions exactly similar so far
as human observation can discern, it brings
in clover and increases the crop, and neither
a practical farmer nor man of scientific
knowledge is able to tell why,
1t is in the nature of plaster to benefit
certain plants such as corn and potatoes and
leguminous plants Tor those having pods, of
which are clover, beans, peas, etc). 1t is
taken from the soil and carried "bodily "
into the structure of the latter. 1t attracts
moisture, being a powerful absorbent of
water. 1t fixes the ammonia escaping from
decomposing animal matter or manure, and
arrests the same substance in the falling
rain and in the atmosphere, and holds it as
plant food.
We regard it as more useful and certain
in its operation on dry soils than on those
that are wet and swampy.
Sown in the fall or very carly in spring
more can be expected from il than at this
season.
SOwn with clover seed, or on a clover sod
it is very valuable, cheap and certain fer
tiizer. Clover holds out better for an an
nual application. Applied to an old run Oui
white top moving, we would not advise any
to buy stock to winter ON the increase Of hay
until he saw it growing. The truth is, ther'
is no magical way to make an old run-Ou
field, with no sod, or one Of white top anC
weeds, bear heavy crops of grass. Ther'
are thousands of farms in Vermont having
just such fields, that must wait several year
before they can be reached and manured il
the ordinary rotation. If they could b.
made to yield good crops of hay at present
the annual supply Of manure would be SC
increased as to enable the owners to break
up and manure larger area each year than
now But there's the rub. How to d
that2
! If farmers would remember that a yer,
light application Of fine, we'll rotted manure
such as would be ridiCuOusly inadequate fO
} crop of corn or potatoes, will make gras
! grow, they would see way out of th,
difficulty. 1t is too late to get much of