The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1895-09-07
UNCLESAM'SGRASSF FARM.
Where Specime ms Fl, m All Lands
Are Experimental With.
Thousands Of Plants Raised Every Year
for Distribution Throughout the
States = Scientific Research
In Agriculture.

Back Of the big brick seed barn OF
the department of agriculture is very
funny kind of garden. which has just
begun to sprout. 1t covers about half
an acre. which is divided up into ever
so many little rectangular patches. OF
the latter there are four hundred and
fifty in all, which are sown with as
many different kinds of grasses. The
seeds for most of these have been OBJ
tanned from foreign countries, through
United States consuls, who have re-
sponded to circular sent out by the de-
partment of state requesting them to
send samples. In fact, says the Wash
ington Star, they come from all over
the world, and the purpose OF the
garden described is to make fairly
comprehensive exhibit OF the grasses Of
all lands.
Included among the four hundred
and fifty species are various kinds OF
forage plants. The idea of this novel
exhibit is original with Prof. Scribner,
the agrostologist recently engaged by
the department OF agriculture. When
all of the plants are fully developed,
along towards the autumn, the garden
will be very pretty to look upon. There
will even be bamboos, which belong to
the family of grasses. Adjoining the
garden is l.. o. Howard's insect-rear-
ing establishment, in which bugs of
multitudinous varieties are bred render
glass. The latter gentleman jocularly
threatened to let out his bugs to browse
upon Prof. Scribner's grasses, not to
mention the plants OF different kinds
which Prof. Wiley is cultivating in the
immediate vicinity.
Prof. Wiley has an outfit OF very
peculiar sort. It consists of a shed
with glass roof out from under which
run series of parallel railway tracks
for distance OF about sixty or seventy
feet. On the rails are miniature fiat
cars, which carry huge earthcn pots
and wooden tubs. In each tub is q
growing plant. There are number of
specimens of each kind of piant-po-
tato, pea or what not-each growing in
different kind of soil. The purpose in
view is to find out just how much avail
able food is contained in various soils.
The soils employed have previously
been analysed. The quantity Of plant
food in a soil may not determine its
usefulness for producing crops, in
asruch as it may not be in such shape
as to be easily absorbed.
Feeding plants is like feeding babies;
the diet has got to be not merely nu-
tritious. but easily digestible. Having
ascertained by analysis just how much
plant food is contained in each kind of
soil, Prof. Wiley wants to know how
much of it is assimilated in the process
of vegetable growth. The soils expert
United States, and the information OBJ
tanned is expected to be of much use to
farmers. The days of farming by
guesswork have nearly passed by, and
agriculture is a scientific pursuit. The
rails and cars enable Prof. Wiley to
run his plants under shelter when it
! rains Rain water contains nitrogen,
which, being added in undetermined
quantities, would interfere with the
accuracy of his experiments. Only
distilled water is furnished to the
plants.
The department of agriculture raises
every year on it's farm many thousands
Of plants for distribution through mem
bers of congress and to applicants. gen.
orally. This season it will take eighty
five thousand cuttings of grape vines,
comprising twenty-five varieties. OF
course, the grape vines were grown out
of doors. Twenty-Five varieties OF
olives will be grown under glass for the
same purpose, to be distributed in the
! south. OF these ten thousand will be
produced, some varieties being best for
oil and others most suitable for pickles.
Out of doors will be grown thirty va
rieties of figs, from which, perhaps,
fifteen hundred cuttings will be taken.
To the list will be added one hundred
thousand strawberry plants of forty
varieties; also five thousand camphor
plants raised from seed, and pineapples,
guavas, oranges and lemons. Olives
and figs are distributed only south Of
North Carolina, camphor plants south
OF Savannah, and pineapples in south
eastern Florida, due regard being had
for the climatic conditions suitable for
the raising of these products.