Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-07-02
OUR EXPERIMENT STATION.


noOu NOfk
Stntt Correspondence Of Gnzette and journal
NEWARK, juno 25.-At the last meet
ing Of the board of trustees of Delaware
College the following report of the work
now in progress under the direction of
the officers Of the agricultural expert
ment station connected with the college
was read by President Raub. The re-
port attracted much attention in the
board as admirably showing the valu-
able work being done in the interest of
agriculture, and the extracts printed
below are worthy of the attention and
consideration Of all farmers of the State.
Ihe report is prepared by the director,
DR.. a. II. Neale, and consists of 23 type
written pages. Following are some ex-
tracts OF the most general interest
The report, made to the president of the
college at the last stated meeting of the
board of trustees, detailed the work ac-
conplished during 1870. The aim at pre-.
sent is to give AN impression as to the na.
tire and extent Of the risk undertaken
slllce the beginning of the present season.
In general it may be stated that the station
seeks 70 establish partnerships with repre-
sentative farmers of the State, to obtain
from them any information gained by
actual practice and to give them in return
such information as can be acquired only
by the refined methods of the botanist, the
entomologist, the chemist, nc.
The information acquired from all
sources is made public in part by bulletins
and the daily press. but principally by lee
lures before farmers institutes and
oranges. These lectures are RAPIDLY be-
coming the most important and exacting
duty which the station staff is called upon
to perform. A classification of work as
yet unreported embraces: Undertakings of
II general character, diseases of plants, the
control Of insect pests, chemical work.
horticultural tests and weather records and
observations.
DISEASE ATTACKING HORSES.
For several years past disease known
rs cerebro spinal meningitis has been
causing horsenen serious losses. 1t is
liable to occur at any season, either in city
or country stables Nearly every article
of stock food has been said to cause it. but
at present silage from corn and from
clover is rapidly gaining an unenviublc
reputation. Fifteen or 20 deaths with
characteristic symptoms during the past 10
months, generally within week of the
time of beginning to feed said silage. Dur
ing the same time probably twice that
number of cases have been noted in city
stables where silage is unknown.
Only one theory is broad enough to cover
all the cases recorded, viz, that some mi
croscopic plant, parasitic upon stock feed,
generates poison which paralyzes certain
sets of nerves. One of said plants was de-
tected by Prof Chester growing upon oats,
said oats being part of a supply fed to
one horse Immediately before its death
| Following the usual botanical methods, q
considerable quantity of the microscopic
! plant in question was grown and fed to
a worn out horse, purchased for the exper-
iment. The results have thus far been
negative, but the experiment is still in pro-
gress.
LEGUMINoUs PLANTS.
The positive demonstration that GER
tain family Of plants possesses the power
OF securing atmospheric nitrogen. calls at
tention fOrcibly to green manuring as a
method for reducing the outlay for fertil-
izers. Generally speaking scarlet clover Is
now the most popular of this family in
Delaware. Its period of growth, however,
is confined to the fall and early spring AT
the request OF DR.. j. j. Black the station
is now advocating the COW pea vine as a
supplement to the clover, suitable for use
during summer months on land which
will not support clover crop. On such
soils it should be used as a green manure
alone. In other cases il will be tested as
food for milch COWS, in the hope that ii
may prove in our climate to be substitute
for red clover in cases where that crop fails
| Unexpectedly.
As green manure the COW pea vine has
been seeded at Newark, Dover and George
town. As stock feed it is to be tested at
Stanton and at Elsmere under the station 4
direction, and at Delaware City under
private management. Successful tests have
been made with this plant by Mr.. Ander-
son at Laurel, by DIR. Martin at ljridgeville
by Mr.. Packard at Dover, and by others
The stations aim therefore is to keep it be
fore the public until lis value is sfully appre.
ciated.
TAsMAN1AN PEACH TREES.
At DR.. Blacks request the station or
derod 500 budded peach trees and twelve
bushels of natural peach pits from Tas
mania, south OF Australia. The object
was to introduce new stocks and test theii
ability TO withstand The yellows. The
trees were intended simply to furnish bud
sticks for seedlings. Owing to the date or
which the order was sent, that is january
lssm, pits could not be secured that year
the peach season in Tasmania closing be
fore March lst Trees were secured how
ever, and arrived in fair condition. They
were distributed among careful and enthu
siastic men, and although many have dice
il can be claimed that the larger number
are still alive. The peach pits are suppose
to have been shipped some time ago, sever
weeks being required fer the passage.
SOIL AND CROP TESTS.
The general plan and the first seasons
results in this field were described in bul
ctin NJ. This work is carried on in co
operation with The State Grange. Expert
ments now in progress are rs follows:
In Sussex county on corn, sweet potatoes
and peach trees, located at Georgetown
Seaiord and Rridgeyille.
In Kent county on wheat and COW peas
locaied AT FELTON,, near Frederick an,
Dover.
In New Castle county on potatoes, locate,
at Mermaid, Port Penn and Odessa
A DOMESTIC SUGAR INDUSTRY.
Preliminary steps were taken during tn
past winter 10 secure private capital 10
building II sorghum sugar factory in Della
ware. sugar brokers and machine build
crs however, earnes tly advised against am
action in that direction, urging the ncccs
, sitv Of securing definite information from
, the United States supreme Court as to tn
right of Congress to enact sugar bount,
! law; from onr ministers abroad regarding
: the efforts in German and French parlia
mcnts to annul export bouuties on sugar
} and from the department of agrcnltur
, relative to new process for improving tn
quality of sorghum products This advic
was taken and attention has been Unite
to efforts to secure seed from high testin
cane of u large number of different varie
ties The work is in progress ~ Odessa
lIarbeson, Dover and Newark,
; GENERALIZATION OF EXPERIMENTS.
0 BY direction of the board direction
$ were given to centralize experiments q
: Georgetown, Dover and Newark. Thi