The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1888-04-11
ABOUT AGRICULTURAL STATIONS
SOME ACCOUNT OF THEIR ESTAB-
LISHMENT AND PROGRESS.

The Address Of DR.. j. NJ. McBryde, Presi-
dent Of the South Carolina College, be-
fore the Farmer Club of orangeburg.
(From TIE News and Courier.)
DR.. J. NJ. McBryde, president of the
South Carolina College, was introduced
as the orator of the day. He delivered a
most carefully prepared speech, full OF
practical information for farmers. The
first part of this address was on the sub
iect Of ensilage, and he told the farmers
how to construct their silos and what to
plant to make ensilage. He also told
them of the value Of ensilage as winter
food for csttle. This part of the speech
was of most practical nature and full
of valuable facts.
After exhausting the subject of ensi-
lage Dr.. McBryde took up the subject Of
experimental stations and gave them a
thorough treatment. He said:
The experiment station is of modern
origin. In my study of ancient Roman
husbandry, I stumbled upon the follow
ing passage in Palladius, q Latin author
of the fourth century, which would seem
to show, however, that its germ existed
in the distant past. he writes: ssAccord-
ing the Greeks, the Egyptians expert
mentally determine beforehand the value
of every variety of seed in this way.
They cultivate small portion of we'll
titled mellow field, and dividing it up
into plsts, SOW on these all kinds OF
grain or leguminous seeds. During the
dog DAYS, which occur at Rome about
the middle of July, they ascertain which
plants are destroyed and which are left
uniniured by the reigning constellation.
They avoid the former but procure the
lstter, because the arid star gives fore.
shadowing of its noxious or beneficial
influence on each kind OF crop in the
coming year by its present destructive or
salutary effects.
It is usually stated that the experiment
station, as we know it, was first estsb-
tshed at Meeckern, near Leipsic, in
1851, with Emil Wolff as director. But
wears before Lawes at Rothamstead,
England. hsd begun his celebrated series
of agricultural experiments and really
founded, at his on charge, a station
which has continued its work from that
day to this and taken rank as the Oldest
and best in the world.
Ststions have since been established In
all the larger States of the German En-
pire, in Austro-Hungary, France, Great
Britain, Russia, Italy, Spain, Denmark,
Norway, Sweden, Holland, Belgium and
the United States. Some of these sta-
lions cover the whole field OF agricul-
tural experimentation, Others exist for
special purpose. Some are charged with
the control of fertilizers or seeds, some
are devoted exclusively to wine produc-
tion, some TO brewing, some to dairy
products, some to forestry, some to olive
or silk culture, some to sugar production
and some to the manufacture OF alchohc
liquors.
Some years ago the forty German Sta
lions then at work were classified as fol-
lows: Thirteen were engaged In re-
searches in animal physiology; twenty
in vegetable physiology; five were busted
ehify with studies in the chemistry and
ohysics of the soil; four made special
~ CT grape culture and wine production,
and Rve of questions in agricultural
technology. Besides the work above
mentioned control of the trade IN fer
tilizers, by analyses of wares bought and
sold, was exercised by twenty-eight, OF
that in seeds by sixteen, and Of thst IN
fodder materials by thirteen stations.
The great Specialization OF the work
here shown should be particularly noted.
The first experiment station n this
county was established by Connecticut
at Middletown, in connection with
Wesleyan University, with DR.. Atwater
as director, in 1875. Some years after
wards it was transferred to New Haven
and connected with the Sheffield Scien-
tfc School at Yale and the dictatorship
given to Prof. S. ". johnson.
TIE SECOND STATION
vas established by North Carolina. Now,
there is one in every State IN the Union
and in several of the Territories. The
stations in several States were charged
by Law with the control Of fertilizers.
Until recently more than one have con-
cerned themselves almost exclusively
With analyses of fertilizers, feeding stuhs
and chemical researches, and have had
no land for field experiments. In these,
therefore, the work was exclusively
scientific. In other States the stations
were established in connection with the
farm belonging to the Agricultural Col
3eee, and confined themselves to field
sxperiments, attempting little scientific
work. A wide difference of opinion
prevailed st first In regard to their prop
er organization and work. Some were
disposed to magnify the scientific fea,
lures and decry practice. These attached
importance only to the determinations
Of tae laboratory. Others, again. were
disposed to sneer at science and its
nethods, and to rely solely upon the
practical results reached in the stall OF
field. In other words, it was the old
conflict between theory and practice
the contending parties confounding
science with theory, and appearing to
forget that there is, that there can be, no
real conflict between the two. For
science and practice go hand in hand,