The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-13
PROFITABLE AGRICULTURE.
What the University of Califor-
MIA Experiment Stations
Are Doing.
TESTING DIFFERENT CROPS
They Are Teaching Farmers
How to Succeed.

4 visit to the seven agricultural expert
ment stations of the University of Califor-
MIA is very likely to at first prove disap-
pointing to the visitor, who is apt to pic
ture to himself in farm supported at pub
lie cost a paradise of culture where every
plant shall be perfect of its kind and in
the full vigor of luxuriant growth. In
stead of that he is very likely to be shocked
by an exhibition of crooked, yellow, dried
up and unhealthy looking plants and trees
in all stages OF dilapidation. These are the
failures.
In all experimenting failure is usually
to be expected. The Office of the expert
ment stations is to try faithfully whatever
gives reasonable promise of success, or in
fact any promise, and to accept the result,
not necessarily of one experiment, but of
sufficient number. If from a hundred ex-
periments in forage plants one good per-
ennial summer-growing grass could be
found that would take root and thrive on
our dry hills il would more than repay all
the cost OF the College OF Agriculture from
the beginning. Perhaps this is hardly
- be expected, but exotic plants have
been discovered, some adapted to one STU
aton, and some to another. and which in
time will become permanent additions to
our profitable grOwths. 1t has been ascer-
tanned definitely that muItitudes of plants
won't grow or are good for nothing, and
the farmers are protected from those who
would have sold them the worthless stuff.
There is no better place in the world to
learn what not TO do than we'll conducted
experiment station, and we must never
forget that where the farmer loses money
is in doing what he ought not to do. He
works hard enough, but frequently does
not work wisely.
In establishing the experiment stations
it has, of course, been the object of the
university to secure locations typical of
the largest possible areas and as different
in character as possible with the object of
ments as would be of most value to the dis
tricts represented. Nor has the aim been
in all cases to secure the richest lands with
the most favorable exposures, wherein
within reason, anybody can make any
thing grow, but to take the good and poor
together, as farmers generally are COM
PEELED to do, reproducing in fact, as far as
possible, the conditions under which ordi-
nary farming is carried on. This, of course,
is sound common-sense, but the results to
the eye are not always as agreeable as
might be achieved were the object simply
TO make show places. No farmer in the
State IS likely to have more serious prob
has confronted in its alkali lands, and gen.
orally there has been no disposition to
shirk the hard work.
The agricultural experiment stations of
the university are five in number. At the
central station at Berkeley the climatic
conditions do not closely represent any
large area, although they bear q general
resemblance to a good deal of the coast
line. It's location was principally deter
mined by its convenience to the univer-
sity, but it has a special usefulness in the
fact that it's equable temperature and
abundant moisture ENABLE experiments to
be made with wider range of plants than
is possible at any other station, and to
propagate for distribution many that
would not permanently thrive there. 1t
has an extensive standard orchard of fruits
true to name, with which new or unknown
varieties can be compared, and from which
scions of any desired varieties that can be
grown there can be obtained. 1t is not a
good fruit region, and the specimens pro-
d1ced there are not usually such as Cali
fornia exposes at great fairs. 1t is, how
ever, fairly good place to experiment
with grains and with such forage plants as
are adapted TO our moister climates. The
practice work of students in the best times
and methods for grating, budding and
otherwise propagatin2 is done there, and
it is a good place for any one to learn such
purely agricultural work at this station
cannot possibly be disentangled from the
expenses incurred for other departments
of the university they are principally
borne from the university funds.
The Sierra Foothill station, near jack
son, Amador County, is altogether out OF
the lines of ordinary travel. 1t is the
quiet station of the group. 1t is repre-.
sentative of very large areas OF foothill
land, which may be cultivated with or
without irrigation, and its work has thus
far been largely expended on the horti-
cultural problems which most Immediately
press upon the people of those districts.
They are not grain exporting districts but
the production of forage for the animals
employed on the farms and in the forests
and mines is an important consideration
and receives due share OF the attention
of the station.
The southern Coast Range station, near
Paso Robes in San Luis Obispo County,
in the Upper Salinas Valley, represents
the drier portions of the Coast Range on
their eastern slopes. AT the establish
mept of this station the districts were
generally devoted to stock-raising, with
some grain production in suitable spots.
There was, however, a general desire on
the part of the residents to engage In fruit
raising and to subdivide and sell the
large ranches for that purpose. The
main effort of the station therefore
has very properly been to ascertain the
adaptability of the various soils and ex-
posures to the different varieties OF fruit
and the best methods of culture under pre-
vailing conditions, without, however, neg
Letting the original industries OF grain
and forage. 1t is the place Tor farmers