The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-25
Method and Skill Needed
in Agriculture.
Valuable Studies in Soils and
p :: Diseases of Plants.
Written for THE CALL
Written for THE CALL
BY PROF. e. w. HILGARD,
Chair OF Agriculture, University Of California


and effect, thus enabling US to foresee and
frequently to control and produce the
effects that specially interest u.s. Expert
ments based upon such general principles
enable US to extend the limits of the ex-
perience had In actual practice But it
must be fully understood that experi-
ments in order to be useful and decisive,
must be correctly devised and carried out:
for foolish question will mostly be an
swered in accordance with its folly. 1t
happens that in agriculture experiments
are usually subject to such complex con-
ditions not easily controlled. that it is often
far from obvious what has been the real
cause of an observed fact, and even the
facts themselves often require more trained
observation than is commanded by the
average farmer. Take for example the old
and ever-repeated delusIon regarding the
supposed transformation of wheat into
"cheat," which is annually reported from
somewhere as ''solid fact" against which
all hook science" is of no avail. Here we
have simply misinterpretation of an OBJ
served appearance; the appearance of
cheat is fact, but that it results from
transportation from wheat is an inference
based upon inaccurate observation by I'M
trained observers. II the inference drawn
were correct, all that the farmer pays for
varieties ''true to name" would be money
thrown away; for it is obvious that if Gas
is contended) not only wheat but any
of the cereals rye, oats, barley,
etc. = can be transformed into not
only one, but several changelings, so
widely different as the several weed
~ Eol1o ~
ties, by the vicissitudes of single season,
then it would be the extreme of folly to
pay high prices for special varieties of the
same grains for seed when that seed is
known to have been derived from the
ordinary kinds by many seasons of careful
selection. The farmer who believes in
the wheat-cheat transformation theory
should logically see without surprise his
favorite bitch bringing forth litter of
kittens.
: These intrinsic difficulties of agricult-
ural problems render the aid Of science to
the farmer doubly important at any time
At present we are confronted with an I'M
usually grave situation in the general &C.
preston of the prices of agricultural
products, which seriously curtails or even
extinguishes the farmers profits, aud of
course necessitates, first of all, the applica-
ton of the most obvious remedy, viz: the
diminution of the cost of production.
This requires that everything shall be
done to the best advantage and this again
means that considerable dose of brain
must be used alongside OF the Drawn that
in the past has in large measure been
supposed to be the one thing needful in
agriculture. Drawn certainly cannot be
dispensed with, but it should not be use
lessly wasted; and it is here that science
steps in most usefully in explaining 'why"
and at once suggesting thereby the chow"
to act with the least waste of energy or
money.
The use of brains and educated judg-
ment is the only point on which we need
net fear Asiatic or any other competition
until we shall be much nearer the millen-
mum; and in this the established prin-
oipIes of science must be our guide.
A fertile soil is assuredly one of the most
telling advantages farmer can have; the
maintenance of fertility is therefore a
matter of the utmost Importance when
ever the population begins to be stable.
1t is only the pioneer settler who objects
to having his neighbors nearer than ten
miles, and expects to move on" before
any nearer approach, that can afford to
ignore this prime need. Cal1fornians can
not well move much further west and
usually object to moving east; the attract
i've climate renders the population really
more stable than in many of the older
States. Hence the question of the main
tenance of fertility has come upon this
State earlier than usual, and is
actually mooted in many cases before
the rich virgin soils have shown any sign
of being tired Indeed, it is not an
uncommon thing to find persons who are
taking profusely rich land into cultivation
for the first time, inquiring by what means
they can ''push production" beyond what
the natural exuberance Of the soil yields.
Especially in the case of orchards the de-
sire to "hasten production" has very
often led to premature and improper fer
tilization which actually retarded, in
stead of advancing, the bearing, at heavy
expense.
In the Old World, and in a measure in
the Eastern States, the practice of GEN.
turtles has established. certain rules OF
procedure in agriculture that until re-
Gently have served their purpose fairly
well. But under the present stress these
old landmarks have even there largely
proved inadequate to secure financial sue
cess, and hence in Europe, particularly,
the most active investigation is constantly
carried on by the experiment stations,
with view to the cheapening OF produc-
ton by doing everything to the best posi-
BILE advantage. All the various methods
and materials for soil improvement are
being tested most vigorously in order to
verify the correctness of the old rules; and
thus a number of rather startling facts,
contradictory OF old ideas, have been
elected. 1t has been shown, for instance,
that under the old system qnite one-half
the original value of stable manure-the
great standby of agriculture in the past
has very commonly been lost; that when
stable manure and that valuable and ex-
pensive fertilizer, Chile saltpeter, are
Jointly used, the latter may be rendered
almost Ineffective; that bone meal
cannot be considered as paying invest
ment unless treated with sulphurlc acid,
now largely produced from iron ores here
ooo,;darad v,orfbleca ia one of the |