The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-08-23

una mat Wneat eats largely Ol III
trogan. and so we buy nitrogenous
manures for it. The strawberry and
our fruits thrive to advantage on
fertilizer containing strong per-
centage of potash, and SO we find
many prominent fruit growers buy
ing potash in various forms, as
wood ashes, ETC., with which to ma
nure their fruit trees.
In the town of Glaston bury, Con
nectlcut. lives Mr.J.H.Hale, a prac-
teal farmer in every sense of the
word, and yet who applies to his
practice scientific reasoning. Be-
fore the Connecticut Board of Ag-
riculture in 1884 he demonstrated
this as follows:
From a somewhat careful study
of the manure question in the cult
va9ion of large fields of strawber-
ries for market, ! think better
crop of fruit can be usually had
from the use of commercial manures
having but small amount of nj
trogen, and the fruit be of better
texture and flavor than when stable
manure or heterogeneous commercial
fertilizers are used. The strawber-
ry IS gross feeder, and whenever
well rotted manure or fertilizer
contai ling large amount of readl.
ly available plant food Of nitro
genous character such as blood and
bone, Peruvian guano or fishscraps
is used, it will take it up greedily,
and very rank foliage growth is
the .resuls the first year, and the
plant seems to make its plans for an
enormous crop the next season;
but somehow it never quite keep
its promise, making a greater show
Of foliage than fruit. What fru it
there is, is watery and insipld in
flavor aud will keep but a
short time after being picked.
While on the other hand, I have
found that a manure of raw gro und
bone and wood ashes, or mur:ate
of potash, encourages a much less
rapid plant growth early
early the first season, but that it is
steady and even the whole season
through, and by fall We have fine
stand of we'll developed, but not
rank, foliage plants. These will al
ways at fruitlng season the next
year give heavy crop Of firmer,
brighter colored and better favored
berries than can be grown on the
same soil by the aid of manure con-
tanning a large percentage Of nitro
gen."
There is hardly successful
farmer in the older agricultural por-
tions of the United States but what
practices the rotating of crops. We
know that if we grow plant on a
piece Of ground for several years,
tn at each succeeding crop dlmin-
ishes in pro ductiveness and quality
to a more or less extent The rea
son for this is, that the plant re-
moves from the soil certain sub
stances that are especially suited to
it as food. But there are still other
plant foods left by this crop that
are not eaten to any great extent.
For instance the wheat is a nitro
gen feeder. In three or four years
Of wheat cropping from the same
land, the crop grows smaller and
the grain poorer. So we change
our wheat to another field, and
grow potatoes, which are potash
feeders, where we formerly had the
wheat.
The nitrogen in the ground grows
less and less the farther we 60 be-
low the surface. And 80 science
has taught Us to first SOW some
comparatively shallow rooted crop,
like wheat, and thus feed the plant
upon the nitrogen near the surface;
to be followed by deep rooted
plant, such as clover, whole roots,
will penetra ate far down in soil, and
secure the food there, not only Civ.
ing it the vegetation above ground
but leaving no uncomfortable guam.
tity in the dead roots for the use OF
the next crop to be grown in this
place.
Is there such a thing as science
in agriculture? Ask the man who
can milk his cows, run the e uid
through centrifugal machine, and
from the resulting cream churned Al
60 degrees, give you butter fol
breakfast from that mornings milk
Is not that a triumph Of science
over art2
There is wide spread notion
that to apply science to agriculture
one must experiment and do maDy
foolish things to the amusement o
the neighbors. But as have al
ready clearly shown, this is alto
gether wrong impression. Agri
cultural experiment which shall re-
suit in uncertainty need not be car
ried on to any considerable Eek
tent upon the farm. The genera
government has generously provid
ed that each state shall have an a:
ricultural experiment station, wher
$4,000 per year may be employee
in investigating scientific problem
as applied to the welfare OF tn
farm. And it is the privilege, AM
should be the duty, of every farmer
in this broad land of ours to avail
himself of the free offerings whic
come from these stations for hi
benet. Our agricultural experimen
stations are carrying on gran
work, that should receive the cor
dial support of all farmers intel
ested in their business.
All fair minded men will endors
the sentiment of Thaer in hi
"Principles of practical agricul
ture," when he says:
cit is true that experiments o
this kind are not easily mace; bu,
nevertheless, they are In the powe
of every rejecting agriculturis
Whoever has accomplished one ex
. pertinent, whatever may be the p.
, culiar.ty of the circumstances unde
, which it was made. and has given
faithful account OF 1t, has we'll con
tributed to the advancement of SC
;. ence, and consequently to useft
G practice, and has entitled himself t
= the gratitude of his contemporary
and of posterity. 1t would surpa:
# the power of any single lndividu'
:. to accomplish any considerab
= number of these experiments, an
a could not be expected from him.
p is the duty of the government t
place some we'll educated men in
+ position to employ their time an
y II