The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1894-09-29
FARMER AND PLANTER
THE MODERN FARMER.

NeceSSlty SnCCpSsful
Agriculture.
At no period has science so largely
benefited agriculture as at present, and
the time has long since passed when
there is nothing to be done but to plant
the seed in the spring and gather the
harvest in autumn. While agriculture
has made much advancement during
abreast Of the times during the last
decade, and some of the others have
pushed ahead of this most ancient and
honorable occupation. Agriculture
has excluded itself too much from the
other lines Of industry, and is just now
coming abreast of the times through
the aid which science has rendered
This is particularly true in some special
lines. Farms crops are attacked by two
kinds of organisms-the injurious in
sects and the parasitic fungi-and il is
in dealing with these that perhaps the
most advancement in scientific agri-
culture has recently been made. The
insects eat the leaves and suck the sap
of plants, while the parasitic fungi
feed upon the rich juices of plants,
causing great check in growth. How
much damage is caused by injurious in
sects and parasitic fungi can not be
estimated in just so many dollars and
cents, but it is safe to say that fully
one-fourth of the average yield of all
farm produce Is destroyed by injurious
insects alone. That is to say, that were
1T not for the insects the yield would
be one-fourth greater than it is at pres
emit. To one who has not given the
matter attention this statement may be
received somewhat doubtfully; but it is,
nevertheless, only too true. Take the
case of some of our grains-say corn, for
example. The seed has scarcely pushed
its tender stalk above the ground be-
fore the cutworms necessitate a second
planting. When the second planting,
or what remains of the first. is about
three inches high, the bud-worms be-
gin their work upon the part of the
plant which is above ground, while the
root-worms feed upon the remaining
portion which lies beneath the surface.
Owing to the damage caused by these
insects, the farmer may well take the
advice of the poet and plant
'One for the blackbird and one for the crow,
Two for the cutworm. and three to grow"
II by good luck the corn reaches the
roasting-ear stage without being at
tackled by the chinch-bug, the forming
grain is eaten by the bollworms, and
little later by several weevils and the
larvD of the grain moth. The grain
weevils and the larvae of the
grain moth continue their work of de-
vastation after the corn is harvested to
such an extent as to destroy the entire
harvest in many cases. But by the APP
plication of proper remedies large
part OF the loss caused by injurious in
sects can be prevented, and that with
but little trouble and expense. 1t is
here that the science of entomology
comes to the rescue of the agricultur-
list by bringing forward insecticides to
lessen, and indeed in some cases to en-
tirely prevent, the loss caused by the
ravages of injurious insects. In the
case of the American corn referred to.
the insects which attack it can all be
more or less successfully dealt with by
proper cultivation and the application
of insecticides. Clean culture and
good cultivation will greatly lessen the
number of the insects which attack the
growing corn, while the application of
bi-sulphide of carbon to the grain as
soon as harvested will prevent further
damage by insects in the granary.
In many cases the loss through dam
age by parasitic fungi is no less than
that caused by the attack of injurious
insects. The diseases of the grape
have, perhaps, received the most atten-
ton at the hands of mycologists, and
the beneficial results of their work in
this branch of scientific agriculture
manifest themselves ON every hand.
Grape diseases were formerly but little
prevalent, but during recent years
they have increased in their distribu-
ton and destructiveness to such an ex-
tent that it is now almost impossible
to bring the grapes to maturity with
out the application of fungicide to
check the growth of the parasitic
fungi which are the cause of the grape
diseases. This being the case, the
viticulturist knows that the applica-
ton of the Bordeaux mixture is as
fully an important part of success
as pruning or cultivation. But it has
also been recently shown that many
plant diseases other than those of the
grape can be checked in like manner
by the application of fungicides. A
prominent example of this is found in
the good resulting from the applica-
ton of Bordeaux mixture to potatoes,
recent experiments showing that this
fungicide not only prevents the potato
rot, but also so very largely increases
the yield that it would pay well to APP