ABSTRACT Key figures in the founding years of the United States of America were part of the first American learned agricultural society, known as the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture (PSPA). Its members were georgic farmers who set out to describe, explore and explain agricultural processes by practical experiences, observations, and theories written in British books. Those theories, however, did not provide any reason for the widespread agricultural practice in Pennsylvania of using plaster as fertilizer, which was German in origin. Although imports were heavily tariffed and later even banned, plaster became, and remained, a top commodity in America. In order to keep agricultural businesses and investments afloat, several members of the PSPA began to scientifically justify the application of plaster fertilization. In so doing, they incorporated chemical theories and methods to both their agricultural practices and investigations. Thus, I argue, they acquired and developed an agrochemical knowledge that was mainly determined by a material history of plaster. Their knowledge was new, unique and more practicable in comparison to the British knowledge in this sector. Eventually, it was through the newly developed knowledge by PSPA members that contributed to the formation of agricultural chemistry as a science in its own respect.

中文翻译：

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“巴黎 Plaister 的调查”：美国早期农业化学知识的物质史，1785-1812

摘要 美利坚合众国建国年代的关键人物是美国第一个农业学会的一部分，即费城农业促进协会 (PSPA)。其成员是乔治亚州的农民，他们开始通过英国书籍中的实践经验、观察和理论来描述、探索和解释农业过程。然而，这些理论并没有为宾夕法尼亚州广泛使用石膏作为肥料的农业实践提供任何理由，石膏起源于德国。尽管进口被征收高额关税，后来甚至被禁止，但石膏成为并仍然是美国的顶级商品。为了保持农业企业和投资的持续发展，PSPA 的一些成员开始科学地证明石膏施肥的应用。这样做时，他们将化学理论和方法融入到他们的农业实践和调查中。因此，我认为，他们获得并发展了主要由石膏材料历史决定的农业化学知识。与英国人在该领域的知识相比，他们的知识是新的、独特的且更实用。最终，正是通过 PSPA 成员新开发的知识，促进了农业化学作为一门科学的形成。