The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-05-19

Experiment Stations on q Large Scale.
Correspondence Country Gentleman.
It will be generally conceded that the narrow
fields of experiment established In the country
here and there, have done very little to teach
the farmer how to improve his land to increase
the yield of his crops; because the facts and cir
cumstances force themselves upon him, he can
not, in the nature of things do on a large scale
what has been SO cleverly accomplished, with
State or other aid aid on ,s small: But
where the acreage shall be equal, or
nearly equal, to the average crops of the aver
age farmer IL the grant of $l5, 900 or more is
made to each agricultural college, as bill before
Congress provides, there will be fine oppor
tunity to establish these fields of demonstration,
and to follow the new departure taken by the
agricultural teachers of the old world But
these fields of demonstration should not be con-
fined to one county, one portion OF the State,
nor be under one authority, or, at least, no
further than the general direction-thus leaving
emulation and competition to come In
and demonstrate how much may be due to soil
and climate, and how much to the proper
preparation of the land and the skilIful handling
of the crop. AS before stated. perhaps not
much would be demonstrated in the case of
wheat in seasons like the present, when all
wheat is good. nor much more in bad crop years,
like the last; but in the middle and intervening
that if the crop fails, the farmer is responsible
for It, and how and wig In the leading crops,
like corn, oats, wheat, potatoes, and
grass. and meadow land, three separate
forms of demonstration might be entered upon,
representing poor farming, average farming and
farming of the best. To be sure. there does not
seem to be good reason to farm no better than
the average man farms, or as bad as the poorest
only such course would add value TO the
lesson given In the best farming, by demonstrate
ing that those who know how to farm we'll
can, under the pressure of circumstances, farm
i'll
Another form of demonstration would be of
great value l. g., to show why crops which
have been common to the country years ago
now fail, or nearly so. Take breom-corn, for
one example, spring wheat for another,
grass and potatoes for third and fourth. Why
does spring wheat fail on the praires, where it
used to be an Astounding and paying crop2
What are the causes of failure, and what are the
essential conditions the soil must now be put in
to make the crop? Why does broom corn fail
after & certain number of years, while during
the same number corn, wheat and oats make
good crops on the same kind of landg How is it
that crop taken from the land before its ma
turity seems to, or really does, make a harder
drain on it than if left to mature2
1t is pretty evident, so far as beneftting the
farmer is concerned, from the show of expert
mental patches, that they will have to be aban-
doned rs no good and the subject once con-
sidered, it is equally plain that it is the fields
if demonstrated on a considerable scale, the les
sons of practical farming are to be taught, if
taught at all. Though by experiment on small
scale, the results are apt to be forced and
unnatural still in the hands Of the professors
they will be valuable aids in discovering the
truth.