Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-05-27
Gypsum in Agriculture Composition, APP
plication and Effects.
BY Tho Hon. Geo. Gcdtle., In Tribune.

Wy pSuil, COiHtnOHl1 CdllCu DlabJeF,
is composed of 22 equivalents Of wa
ter, 30 Of lime and 4G of sulphuric
acid. 1t is soluble in 500 times its
weight Of water, or about 900 times
its bulk, its specific gravity varying
from Isl to 2.3l. IL is used for
making cement, when there is some
carbonate of lime combined with
the substances named. Calcination,
(Which is simply driving Off the water
by heat) being thoroughly perform
ed, the powdered plaster is wet and
quickly made into the desired form,
when it rapidly becomes hard. About
IS per cent. Of carbonate of lime is
found in the plaster quarried near the
city which gives it its name paris }
in Fancc. For agricultural pur-
poses gypsum should consist Of only
the lime, water and sulphuric acid
in which case it will be white. But
it is not often found perfectly pure.
Oxide Of iron gives it various shades
of color. Carbonate of lime will
be shown by applying acids, when
a slight eilervescnce follows. Clay or
other earthly matter, is often mixed
with gypsum rock as quarried plain
ly to he seen before grinding. We
have in New York State extensive
beds of gypsum rock that is of excel
lent quality for agricultural purposes.
/ 1t is quarried from the beds, and usu-
ally placed under sheds to dry before
| grinding. Under these sheds the
rock can be examined, and when
found not to ehervesce on the appli-
cation of a strong acid, and TO be
crystalline all through, light and east
| ly scratched with the thumb nail, and
no earthly matter combined, the color
Of soft gray, it will make n first-rate
fertilizer if ground fine.
When should gypsum be applied to
land, how, and in what quantity :?
HheH.-On meadows, pastures and
Winter wheat, early in the Spring. as
soon as the ground is settled. On
barley and oats and potatoes when
fairly up. On young clover early in
Spring or Immediately after the crop
Of grain grown with the clover is
harvested. On corn, soon as it
is fairly above ground. Hou.-A
broadcast sowing machine. drawn by
two horses, on which the driver rides,
sowing n strip eight feet wide, can be
purchased for $35. Such n machine
will do the work much better than it
can be done by casting from the
hand, unless the crop be in hills.
| Quantity. On land that is TO he
/ ploughed soon, one bushcl 10 the acre
is sufficient, and as the gypsum is so
slow in dissolving, it is proper to
1 take into account the time that will
he given before the plough will mix
it with the earth and measurably end
its usefulness. On permanent mead
ows and pastures, from two TO three
bushels are often sown on an acre at
one application The cost Of gypsum
will he taken into consideration when
deciding on the quantity to he used.
Where it is costly, 1 have heard of
good results from the use Of one peck
on an acre of corn, very little being
given to each hill.
What is its value to the ssrm.r?-
That eminent farmer, John Johnston,
now nearly ninety years of age, crown
ed with the respect and love of all that
know him, and surrounded by great
circle of friends at his home in Gen
eva, y. y, has said more than once,
that he would use gypsum on his farm
If 1t should cost him $40 per ton.
Some very carefully conducted ex-
periments made at the Michigan Ag-
ricultural College showed that one
bushel of gypsum sown on one acre
Of newly seeded clover and timothy
produced an increased yield of n ton
of hay, in the two and halt wears
following; ii thaving been moved five
times during that period. Calling a
ton equal sto twenty-five measured
bushels, and the gain TO give S. for
this one bushel, we have $l25 as the
net gain from the use of Ten. Let
prudent men cut down these figures
till they think they are within proper
limits, and then make some trial of
this wonderful fertilizer. How does
this mineral produce such wonderful
resultsl No man can tell. The SCI
entific man has taken it apart and
determined exactly what it is; but
why itprodnces such wonderful effects
he has no more knowledge than any
of us--and all he or we know on this
point is what we have learned by try
ing experiments, marking results and
comparing notes with each other.
AM of the opinion, from my own
experience, that Ii pays well to feed
a good COW at each milking n uuan-