The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1880-04-07
Facts and not Theory.

Editor Of the Florida Agricaltur'ist:
The orange grower cannot afford
to experiment on his grove, he may
and should do so on few trees.
Many read some theory that happens
to strike them tavorably, and in their
eagerness and haste to push their
groves into bearing, grasp at the
idea and 90 it blindly, the result is
often disastrous. Knowing the above
is what prompted me to write what
l know about the effects Of sal. on
orange trees. Mr.. Manville is not
the only gentleman that l had in
view. l have heard others, who
have seen the good effects of salt on
cotton, speak OF trying it on orange
trees, and it has been recommended
by other papers in this State as
good fertilizer tor the orange.
suppose Mr.. Manvilles explana-
ton of the chemical changes that the
salt undergoes, when composted with
muck and lime, is all correct, but as l
am no chemist and know but little
about the science, am unable to Judge,
it, however, strikes me that if salt
can form ammonia by composing it
with lime and muck, we can then
have an abundance OF that rare and
costly fertilizer at small expense tor
salt and lime are cheap, and muck
abundant for digging.
Why do the phosphate works
around Charleston purchase large
quantities of fish and boat it hun.
dreds of miles for the small per cent.
OF ammonia in it, when they have
such an abundance of the material
(salt, lime and muck at hand with
which they could make it?
Muck alone contains a small per
cent. of ammonia. Will Mr.. Manville
tell us what proportion of muck, salt
and lime Is proper to mix together
and how much ammonia is thereby
formed in the muck.
Mr.. Manville and other scientific
gentlemen would benefit the orange
grower great deal if they would
put their analysis and theories
through a coarse OF thorough and re.
peated experiments, until they prove
them to be good, but we don't want
theory, gentlemen, oh no We want
facts. Theory is really necessary and
good enough in it's place, and it's
place is always in advance, not in
papers, but in the brain, from there
it should be put through the ordeal
ofpractical and repeated experiments
until it is proved to be fact, then
publish it for the good of your fellow.
man and receive his thanks and bles.
sings. Be careful and not fall in love
with your theory, lest you be partial
in your experiments.
remember once reading of
young man who, having worked up a
very pretty theory, submitted it TO
his father; the old man, with broad
smile, told his son it was certainly
very beautiful theory but unfortu-
nately the facts were against him.
"Well," replied the son, with shrug
OF his shoulders $50 much the worse
1or the facts"
Now Mr.. Manville may be correct
in his theory that compost of muck
salt and lime is the best fertilizer for
orange trees or he may not Il say
theory for he did not say in his ex-
cellent article on "Orange Culture"
that he had ever tried it) but how
much more satisfactory it would have
been, had Mr.. Manville written that
be had applied compost of muck,
salt and lime to every alternate row
of trees in his grove, giving the ex.
act proportion and all the details of
applying it, and the result after re-
peated applications. Here again let
me beg you scientific gentlemen to
give us details. knew fellow who
had little smattering OF Latin, that
would whine his phrases out on every
occasion, but he never failed to trans.
late them, tor he imagined that he
was the only man who ever read
Latin. Now agricultural writers, as
a general thing, go to the other ex-
treme and take it for granted that
every farmer is master of all the arts
and sciences, and, therefore, they
never go into details.
know a gentleman who, being in.