The Bossier banner., 1893-12-28
FARMER AND PLANTER.
SCIENCE I'M AGRICULTURE.
1t Enables the Farmer to Adapt His
Operations to Existing Conditions.

Operations to Existing Conditions.
The many agricultural experiment
stations in this and other countries are
adding to the knowledge which ena-
bles the farmer to adapt his operations
to the conditions under which his
farming must be done, and the man
who makes the best use of all the
knowledge as to his avocation is. other
things being equal, the most likely to
succeed. To claim that the small be-
glnnings made by the investigators
constitute a science of agriculture
would be claiming too much. Indeed,
so complex is agriculture that, while
science has determined much useful in
formation, the most that can be said of
it is that the intelligent farmer can
make it useful.
Prof. Charles S. Plumb, director of
the Indiana experiment station, has
written an article in which he enumer-
ates some of the ways in which the
| farmer may benefit himself through
the aid of the information developed
through scientific investigation. Be-
low will be found some extracts from
Prof Plumb's paper:
"a score or more years ago, when
Horace Greeley and Henry Ward
Beecher were telling the American
| public what they knew about farming,
there was quite general tendency on
the part of the agricultural class to
hold up to ridicule what was termed
scientific farming Great claims were
then made as to the Importance of a
knowledge of science, so that the
farmer might analyze the soil, crops,
fertilizers, etc. Early investigators,
engaged in faithful and hard work
| CLEANED much information of scientific
Importance. and eventually overturned
numerous theories that had hitherto
seemed plausible. Chief among these
was the analysis of soils, whereby one
could know the composition of his soil
and at once determine in what ingredi-
ents of plant food it was deficient, so
that he might feed back to it the lack
ing element. Time and study have
shown that soil is very complex sub
stance, and one analysis is usually quite
unsatisfactory, because a little sample
ground, perhaps representing quite un-
fairly the entire field. Consequently
soil analysis are not thoroughly prac-
tical, on account of the difficulty in Sc
curing sample of few pounds that
shall correctly represent the millions
of pounds of soil in even a single acre.
to say nothing of field of many acres
'Justus Won Leibig, a German chem
ist, made Investigations as to the COM
position the soil and plant nutrition.
He was the first to prove that plants
fed on certain ingredients of the soil,
and that different classes of soils and
plants varied in their composition.
Science is knowledge There is no
scientific farming. The highest type
of farming is intelligent farming. The
intelligent farmer of to-day is simply
that have practical application.
'For half century science has been
laboring in the interests of agricul-
ture. This year the United States ap-
propriates nearly one million dollars
for scientific experimentation as ap-
piled to agriculture. And yet but few
farmers realize how material is the as
sistance beng given the agricultural
classes of the country through the di-
rect application of accomplished scien-
tifc work.
''The first real substantial assistance
received by the farming public from
science was in the examination and in
spection of commercial fertilizers. Nat
ural manures (animal excrement) con-
tanned nitrate of potash and phosphoric
acid, consequently soil fertility could
be maintained by the application
of these. But chemistry here came to
the farmers aid, by suggesting that
the various essentials of plant food be
supplied in artifcially prepared form.
However, it was not long before much
fraudulent material found it's way in
to the buyers hands; many dealers
were not honest, and farmers were
often outrageously swindled. Here,
again, the chemists came to the as.
sistance of agriculture. Fertilizers
could be analysed, their component
parts determined, and purchasers
might learn how many pounds of plant
food ton of artificial manure con.
tanned. Nitrogen, potash and phos-
phoric acid each had a commercial
value per pound; consequently
the chemist would easily de-
termine in fair manner the value of
a ton of fertilizer. Nearly every state
in the Union handling fertilizers to
any extent has passed law appoint
ing state inspector of fertilizers.
The result is, manufacturers can not
with safety sell the farmers shoddy
fertilizers.
''It requires no effort to emphatically
show that already many, many millions
of dollars have been gained to agricul-
ture through the disinterested efforts
of scientists. Scientific investigation
will continue in the future as it has in
the past, and it is fair to assume that
each year will see much good work
done. Certainly no other class of la
Dor is receiving greater benefits from
science than is agriculture at the pres
ent day.