The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1915-06-03
USE OF LAND PLASTER.
It Is StimuIant and Should Be Used
Carefully.

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Carefully.
Prepared by Oregon Agricultural college
Gypsum, or land plaster as it is com
monty called. is used on the farm be-
cause of the calcium sulphate it con-
tains. Although the sulphur contained
in calcium sulphate may be of value as
direct addition of plant food in GER
tain soils and with certain crops, such
, as our heavy sulphur consumers, yet
this value of land plaster has not been
established and must be considered
still in the experimental stage. Aside
from this possibility. land plaster can
in no way be regarded as fertilizer
that is. it does not add any needed
plant food to the soil Land plaster is
a soil stimulant Its effect is to break
down the potash and phosphoric acid
compounds in the soil. making them
soluble SO that they can be utilized by
the crop. Such crops as legumes-clover,
vetch. alfalfa, etc.-which require large
amounts of potash particularly, are
thus affected by applications Of land
plaster to marked extent On soils
phoric acid. such as is the case with
the heavier silt loans of western Ore
gon, the use of this stimulant is legiti-
mate, provided it is used only on the
leguminous crops, for the reason that
the legumes, of course, enrich the soil
through their nitrogen gathering abil-
ity. The larger the growth of the legu-
minOus CROP then, the greater Is the
enrichment in nitrogen, and since nitro
gen is a much more valuable plant food
than potash or phosphoric acid and
much more needed in most soils it may
be called a legitimate practice to in
crease the nitrogen supply in this way
at the expense Of the potash and phos-
phoric acid where soils are already rich
in these two latter plant foods. On
crops other than legumes it can hardly
be considered a desirable practice to
use land plaster as a stimulant, as such
use merely causes a more rapid con-
sumption Of the soils fertility without |
making any return to balance the fer
tility condition. Further, land plaster !
does not have, as a rule, a sufficiently |
marked effect on the cereals and |
grasses to make its use profitable
Again, on soils which are naturally |
weak in potash and phoSphoric acid, |
the use Of the stimulant, land plaster,
even on leguminous crops, is not a de-
sirable practice, for while the growth
Of the leguminous crop may be in
creased and therefore the nitrogen sup
ply of the soil increased. yet this is
lone at the expense of the potash and
acid, which are already de-
icient, and hence must lead eventually
% lower production, for, no matter
low rich the soil may be in nitrogen,
hat plant food alone, without suffi-
lent supply of potash and phosphoric
lcid, will not permit maximum pro-
luction. Therefore, on the sander
ypes of soils, particularly such as
hose in the irrigated districts of east
IN Oregon. where potash Is likely to
,e deficient, it is decidedly an unwise {
ractice to use land plaster even on {
aguminous crops. 1t would be de-
idedly preferable and. in the long
I'm, more profitable to use fertilizer
uch as potassium suphate, which adds J
lIeClly " lue pidul lOOu supply VI
otash in the SOIL thus getting as large
+ larger increase in the growth of the
eguminus crop as could be obtained c
rom land plaster, but at the same time 9
saving a residue of potash which {
yould steadily build up the soil in this |
Efficient element q
Finally, it should be understood that [
md plaster does not correct soil acid a
y. 1t requires ground limestone, Il
hell or some form Of lime, such as d
uicklime, slaked lime, etc. to do this. l:
side from the possible value Of the '
llphur contained, 1t should be remem- a
cred always that land plaster is only Il
stimulant and therefore, like all slim d
ants, must be used very carefully y
nd only in legitimate way or its con- f
nued use may easily prove very harm b
IL f