The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1894-02-23
FARMERS SHORT COURSE.
A Student who Attended Writes
Many Loud Praises Of
the 0. A. c.

having aCtenQeQ the farmer
short course, at the agricultural
! college, desire to say few word
about it. l saw it advertised il
the Rural Northwest of Decembe.
1st, and had l not been taking
that paper l would not have hearl
OF it, and would not now be writ
ing these words in its praise
When | read the notice | conclud
ed it would be a good thing for me
to attend, and Immediately deter.
mined to do so. The 9th of Jan.
uary found me on my WY to Cor.
Wallis, and the next morning early
| was at the college, ready for the
first of the four-weeks course oi
lectures. There were not many OF
US On hand the opening day, but
we found each one of The probes
sors at his post and ready for US
whenever his turn came. And
though we were wanting on our
part as to numbers, yet there was
nothing lacking On the part Of our
instructors, for they labored for us
as earnestly as though there had
been a large class. Every lecture
showed careful preparation and
contained much food ior thought.
AsI am engaged in horticulture,
| was especially interested in the
lectures by Prof. Coote upon that
subject. [ found the practical
work in pruning just what | need
ed. But as the ladies went out
doors and helped US gentlemen in
our work, we, in turn, accompanied
them into the green house and took
lessons on the potting of flowers.
The flowers told US things even
more wonderful than did the fruit
trees, and | now love them more
than ever before. But Iruit aud
flowers go hand in hand, and
while think the flowers more
beautiful than ever, l also have
greater love for fruit trees. l
found the work in both lines quite
practical.
Closely related to the horti-
cultural lectures, were the lectures
on economic entomology, treating
of beneficial and injurious insects
and insecticides, and also the lee
ture on ornithology, treating of
birds in their relation to the hor-
ticulturist. TIE subjects treated
of in these lectures by Prof. Wash
burn are of the utmost Importance
in keeping fruit trees in good
health and in full bearing of good
fruit. But the MN whose hobby
is 'sspraying' must not lose sight
of the great Importance of properly
pruning his trees, and, vice versa,
the man whose hobby is s'prun-
ing" must not forget that insects
may destroy the fruit on his per-
fectly-formed trees. A horticul-
turist to be a success must both
prune and spray; and, more, too, he
should study the physical and
chemical conditions of the soil in
which his trees are growing. If he
is seeking enlightenment along
these lines, the lectures by Profs.
Shaw and Fulton would have
aided him very much, as also would
the lectures on tile drainage by
Pres. Bloss, in which we had some
practical work. Prorer drainage
and tillage will keep the soil in
good condition physically, while
the use of fertilizers, either natural
or artificial, will keep it in good
condition chemically. And at the
same time, while a per1on is prun-
ing and spraying his trees and cul-
tivating and fertilizing the soil, he
can be studying botany-how the
tree receives its nourishment from
the soil and air, and transforms
it into wood, flowers and fruit.
Along this line he would have been
much interested in the lectures by
Prof. Craig, Pres. Bloss and Prof.
Shaw. The lectures by Pres.
Bloss on sspolenation" were ex-
cee0ingly interesting and instruc-
tive, revealing wonderful provis-
ions in nature. The horticultur-
ist should keep a few bees for
their invaluable work in fertillz-
ing the flowers, ev' n if he does
not keep them for the honey.
Prof. Bristow gave US some good
points on the value of Lees and
how to manage them.
The lectures ON veterinary sci
ence by Prof. French were more
isolated than the other lectures,
yet they. alone would have been
worth In tho fiyoo af o-,vona y,o,o h