The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-02-02
EXPERIMENT ST4rION.
More Money Needed for Enlarging It's Fa-
 cilities

l
 cilities.
 The committee on agriculture gave a
 hearing Tuesday, at Hartford on the bill granting S25OO as an annual appro- priation to the Agricultural Experi-
 ment station, and $1O,OOo for the better equipment of the chemical and botani- cal laboratories, for additional build ings and for experiments in the presen- tation and care of tobacco at the sta tion in Windsor. The details of the hearing are as follows:
 Dr. Jenkins of the station said this station, founded in 1875 and incorpor- ated two years later, was the first in this country. At first an appropriation of $5,0O0 seemed sufficient, and for sev- eral years the work was chiefly the ana- l lysis of fertilizers. At first the farmers paid little attention to it, but gradually | found it useful, and the demands on it | increased greatly. It has done much to help the work of the dairy commits | sioner through analysis and by fur nishing expert evidence in court. Dr. Jenkins described, at some length, the work of the station, it's utility to farm CTS and their use of the advantages | thus offered to them, and explained in detail the additional work now pro- posed. He spoke particularly of the vegetation experiments, and of the re- claiming of waste land, such as that at North Haven and of the daily work, such as helping introduce in creamer- ies the system of paying for the butter fat contained instead of paying by space. In reply to a question, Dr. Jen- kins said that not less than 22,5OO tons of commercial fertilizers were used in year in Connecticut, at a cost of $6S0,- OO0
 Professor Brewer of Yale, as treasur- CT of the station, said that much of the prosperity of farmers of the state depended on experiments which they could not make themselves, and which are carefully conducted at the station. It had succeeded admirably for in stance, in keeping fraudulent manures out of the state. He believed that all the money invested in this work yield ed a satisfactory return to the farmers. III lNPAJ " el HuCollOlit IIOlGSpOI. DItW- CT said that the station now received $SOOO year from the state, $7,5O0 from the United States and a varying amount, usually $4OOO to S5,OOO, from analysis fees and all other sources. The SS,OOO is an annual appropriation; this bill proposes to increase it to $1O,5OO
 Judge Griswod of Windsor, repre- sentative of the New England Tobacco association, said that Windsor had 800 acres in tobacco, yielding on an average 1,50Q pounds an acre of the finished product The value probably exceeds the dairy product of many counties in the state. The yield was uncertain, and he suggested that help might be had from the experiment station, and help ed buy tract of land and cultivate to- bacco for the station to study. He thought the results valuable, and knew the work of the station had been ap- preciated and praised in other states. | The curing of tobacco involves a fer mentation as well as a drying This | Fermentation goes on under suitable | natural conditions in Cuba and Suma- | tra, but it checked by the climate here | when the curing is done in the old-fash- | toned way. Yet the texture of the leaf | is often as fine as that of Havana or | Sumatra. What is needed is a scientific | and practical way of curing tobacco.
 MT. Hough of Windsor, secretary of | the Connecticut Tobacco Growers asso- citation and vice-president of the State Agricultural society said he was hearty believer in the station. He knew the very great value of the experiments made with tobacco during the past three years, It had attracted attention all over the country and in Germany. The analysis of the station had saved hun dreds of dollars to many farmer. He hoped the appropriation would be granted,
 MT. Fenn of Milford thought the sta tion had saved the farmers much more than it had cost. According to the last census there were 26,35O farms in Con necticut. The $10,5O0 appropriated would be about 3S cents a farm. The farmers when they paid a direct tax to the state paid much more than the station has cost during it's whole exist ence. One great benefit the station buy material subject to the analysis of the station, and are thus fully pro-
 ! tected against fraud.
 MT. Potter of Bristol spoke especially of the interest of the dairymen in the station.
 Mir. Hoyt of New Canaan. was sure every farmer in the state would vote giving up the station. If 1t was not giv- en up it should be properly supported.
 Mr. Woodruff of Orange, as a large user of commercial fertilizers, spoke of the great benefit of the analyses of the station product in practical use on his farm, and also the utility of seed test ing as there conducted.
 MT. Patterson of Torrington also spoke of the utility of the fertilizer analyses, seed tests and other work of he station. and advocated the appro- He would like to see a milk standard adopted and tests applied wherever milk is sold
 MT. Stadtmueller of West Hartford said an appropriation to the station vas for the good of the whole state: lot of the farmers alone. The state with an exhausted soil stands in compe- ition with other states more fortunate n this respect. To meet this disadvan- Ind it can be done by such work as is age is for the good of the whole state, ollowed at the experiment station.