The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1879-08-22
For the Hickman Courier.
Ouf Agricultural Rnream


our Agricultural Bureau.
EDITOR COURIER:-An editorial OF
yours upon Our Bureau of Agricul.
.ure, which appeared in your issue OF
.sue 9th inst, if not directly it indirect
~ does great injustice to this depart
uient OF our State government. Book
iarming, to large number of our
agrlculturists, is a sealed book, or, in
olher words, they look upon the efforts
Saue through agricultural periodicals,
state Bureaus, and every other means
20 mt them out of the old ruts and
pieeedents, which they inherited from
,IIeir @ fathers, as a senseless innovation
~ lth Book larhin" they want nothing
=, 70 DO. They think they know it all.
Aneir daddy's knew how to plant and
euitlvate, and they did make fine crops;
Dot they had the virgin soil to produce
tnese hne crops-and when forty and
A'ty bushels OF corn was an annual
average yield per acre. years ago, now,
without the aid of manures, not one
nan OF the above quantities are gather
eq. from the same lands. The purpose
- ar; I'D ,he s.reater purpose, OF
scssd.gis hing ~BurcuHs A-e,-s--.i.--...-
in Kentucky is to induce farmers TO
analyA (heir cultivating lands and to
ascertain What particular elements Of
plant Dod Is deficient that they may
be supplied by the manures formulated
iu the reports Of the Bureau. Tx
perime3ts made by skillful analysts, and
the result Of actual experiments made
by the application Of specific manures
suck as the soil on which these ex.
perimsnts were made, and were neces
sary 10 the production of full crops,
have demonstrated beyond cavil the
importance of a fair knowledge of our
soils, their deficiencies and the manner
of Supplying those deficiencies. In
this particular the reports are full OF
actual experimental information.
Tie report for 1879, in the first
place contains a geographical account
OF the Rock and Mineral Formation;
embraced within the territory of thi:
Commonwealth; secondly, Formation
Of Soiis, which are classed-
/. Granite or gragelly soils of gran
ite origin.
,. sehistore soils, Of sebis,ore OIL
slaty origin.
3. Calcareous soils, of limestone
origin.
/. Loamy soils, of clay aud sane
origin.
>. Mould, of vegetable origin.
4 IL Il
of soils are demonstrated, aud theii
value shown as food for plants, anC
what is wanting 10 them to secur,
large and profitable crops is made prac
teal and easy The Purchase land
are mould soil formed By drift or sedi
ment, and contains every element nee
essary for food. But the continual,
cropping without returning in an
shape the annual drain upon the soil
however rich it may have been in 1t
virgin state, will in the course Of tim
become impoverished. Here comes il
tho secret and most important matte
Z IN suvvVsstuT -agTIcuHure, TnaL OF Keep
ing the soil in the condition that. will
favorable seasons, the husbandman ma,
expect a profitable return for his out
lay aud labor. Here rests the i'm
pOrtance Of the Information furnished
by the Bureau, and if some of ou
I farmers give no attention to the facts
xperimentally and otherwise obtaine,
aud presented to them in these annua
reports, that is 20 reason why the Blu
reau should be abolished. Beside
these reports are full of useful read
ing respecting improvements in stocl
raising, fruit culture. statistics, &c, il
short, everything connected with tn
farm. The great obstacle to agricul
tural Advancement is the stupendou
/ ignorance and prejudice of so large
number of farmers, and there are NJ
tenable grounds for such state o
things The farmer has perhaps NOR,
! leisure hours than any other of tn
/ laboring classes. He will with fey
proper books and a good agriculture
paper, with a determination to stud.
them and abandon the worn out eifot
modes of farming of his fathers ant
take up he new, see his fields restored
to their first fruitfulness, and joyfu
notes from his mouth will swell wher
naught now but lamentations fll tn
air. j.