Small black flies are so numerous, that it is usual to have some kind of poison to destroy them. For which purpose a substance, called fly-stone, mixed with sugar and water, is spread on a plate. In my house it was necessary to sweep the room repeatedly in the course of the day, during which time several handfuls were poisoned.

There is a tick or dog-louse in the woods,. in great numbers: and they will fix themselves in such a manner upon the human body, as, if not quickly removed, to make the place very disagreeable for a month after. There are hundreds of those sorts of reptiles, flies, and bugs, (all denominated bugs by the Americans,) too tedious to mention, or more than I can enumerate.

The Nature of Plaster of Paris, and proper Directions given for using it. Several Experiments tried, and a Proof of its valuable Qualities.

THE French plaster of Paris and that from Nova Scotia are both of the same nature: no difference is to be discerned in using them: and I am of opinion that the English plaster, ground in the same manner, would have a similar effect, as the principal use of it is, that it attracts moisture, hinders the heat of the sun from penetrating so deep into the soil, and prevents exhalation: so much so, that the earth where the turnips growed would look much blacker in the parts to which the plaster was applied: the sun causes so great exhalation in America, that, in the evening of a hot day, the vapours rise from the swamps like the steams of hot

water on the fire; which must stop the plants from growing in so vigorous a manner as they ought to do. And the principal cause why I have found such superior advantage in the application of plaster to turnips, is its attracting the moisture, and defending the plants while young from the burning rays of the sun. It covers the soil, and keeps the ground moist and cool all the summer. Indeed, although every other plant in America will look sickly;—so much so, in the heat of the day, that you would suppose many plants would not revive again, particularly the turnips that have not had plaster applied to them, in the same field, the outward leaves turn yellow, die, and drop off ;—yet those that have had the plaster, will look of a rank green and healthy and if you go in the evening, you will see dew on those plastered, much earlier than on the others; and in the morning they will have drops of dew, when the others are parched with the heat of the sun.

The smallness of the quantity necessary is very strange: two bushels will suffice for an acre, in drills; as I did not find any perceivable difference where I had applied more: nor has plaster been found of any use but where the land was by nature rich or dunged, as it is not possible that there can be any food for plants in that sort of stone. There is a very material difference in the appearance and feeling of French plaster and that of Nova Scotia : the former feels like sand in your fingers, and is of a yellow colour; the latter sort is softer and whiter. The American farmers like the soft and white, when in the stone. Many of them buy it by weight in the stone, supposing it richer-more oily they say: but I never found any of them able to give a reason for its efficacy; and the farmers will frequently tell, that, in the same field of clover, plaster did great service one year, and none the year following. The cause seems evident. It was always in the first year, I observed,―

never in the last,—that it did good. Fine moist seasons, on fertile rich soils, make fine luxuriant pastures, and abundant crops of hay and corn, in any country on poor barren soils not so much so; but such seasons make them greener. So may the case be with plaster. The soil may be exhausted, and want food for the plants. It is a general practice in America to let clover stand for three or four years; and the second year's crop is greater than the first, as I am told; but I never saw such an incident. The clover on my farm, when I took possession, was not worth reaping either the first or second year; nor did plaster make any difference, except in verdure: but the land was poor by nature, although called good, and thought capable of producing as fine Indian corn as need to be. Nor had the plaster any good effect on turnips, when manure had not been applied. I left a part of a row or drill undunged, to try. There were no turnips on it, although, where the plaster was applied, there was no great difference to the