The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-04-25

of the business becau!e the nearby |
farmers were too wise to buy such a
mixed and valueless powder, The |
leading dealers in our plaster, judging |
from my somewhat extended observa- |
ton, take great care in throwing out |
all earth or rock that is not gypsum,
sending nothing into the market but
that which Is pure, in the ordinary ac-
ceptance of that word. Aside from the
interests of our dealers in building UP
good regulations for the article they
put in the market the knowledge of
our farmers would force them 10 throw
out Impure suLsts noes, and to grind
the plaster fine. Plaster rock should
be dry to grind well, and il is generally
placed in piles under sheds after being
Quarred, where 1t becomes dry and
free from the water that came with it
from the quarry, then it is in good con-
dition to grind, and make into a soft,
smooth powder, thst will readily dis
solve under the action of the lews and
| rains that the farmer hopes will come
upon it sOol after II is sown. These
piles of plaster rock The farmers see as
they go TO the mills with their wagons
to procure supplies, and they note the
condition of things, and know plaster
.at is pure and unmiXed with other
| t.ings, without the help of any chem
81 or mineralogist. Thus our farmers,
demanding good article, soon drive
out any man who attempts TO do any
considerable business in grinding slate
| rock mixed with plaster, with intent TO
sell the same,
Consumers living away from the
mills, who buy their plaster in barrels,
or in any way that prevents their see
| ing the rock from which it is made,
cannot know whether it is pure or not
by merely seeing it, though soft feel
when rubbed in the hand is n very good
indication Of purity. They must de-
pend upon the honesty of the men with
whom they deal, or they must call in
the aid of the chemist.
Pure plaster is SO cheap, that there
is very little lnducement to try to sell
any but the genuine. AT the mills in
this county, it is sold for less than
twelve cents a bushel, well ground,
| and of the best quality, and | have
never heard any complaint made of
that furnished by the principal dealers.
Letters received by me make inqui-
rics, that have already answered to
the best 6f my ability in the paper you
published in January last, and now 1t
appears to me that if the writers will
but make some experiments, they will
do for themselves more good than any
body can do for them. One barrel,
sown in strips Oh grass land-applied
at the rate of spoonful TO hill of
corn, giving it to three or four adjoining
Irows, and emitting az many more
sown in strips on young barley when
1t Is three or four inches high, and Oh
may be, at the rate of bushel TO the
acre, and the results carefully marked,
Judging by the eye, will test the utility
of the article. So far as | can learn,
farmers are quite well agreed that plas.
ter Is of little or no value when used
on ground that is saturated with wa
ter; but even this point has not been
determined so certainly as to enable US
to say that it is really beyond all doubt,
The most pulling thing about the
use of plaster for agricultural purposes
that has come under my observation is
one that neither learned nor unlearned
experimcnters have adequately OK
planned. 1t is this: Some years the
same plaster will give most wonderful
results in increased crops on the same
land that in other years will show no
effect whatever. Now suppose my adj
Wee is taken as to making experiments
and no good effect can be seen, ii will
not follow that another year will tell
the same sorry. On our own lands, |
only know that generally plaster does
9reat good, but sometimes ii falls to
-4Jm as any beneficial results.
thought that perhaps i'll Wet seasons
our crops have not required tho aid Of
: this mysterious substance, while i'll
, dry seasons we consider it indispensa-
, BILE on barley, oats, potatoes and grass.
e Every locality, every man, must try
, experiments until the point is settled
whether. on the whole, plaster can be
8 bought and used with profit there and
by him. A very small sum of money
, will be required. but some time, care
and observation will certainlyhe found
q important.
@ Perhaps some day, when agricultural
). science has been advanced far enough
the world may know just how ant
T. why plaster does good at some times
= aud in some places, and just why i
o sometimes fails to be of any valu,
:. whatever. In the meantime wo fee
r. our way as best we can Country
,fI Gent.
10 Roofs FOR SHEEP IN WINTER.-D
!. Boynton gives in the Waterman tn
~ following sensible advice on feedinI
&c turnips "The fact which should de
y eide what use should be made Of tur
all nips in winter feeding, is rot how ma
h ny pounds of turnips are equal to on
,s hundred pounds Of hay, and what |
pc the relative cost of their production
10 but it is this stock docs better will
~ than without them therefore fee
"a them. TurniIs furnish much that tn