The herald., 1896-12-26
made by some one having other peoples


agricultural college who appears to de-
vote much of his time and the public
funds in work that Is of no earthly value
when 1t Is done.
The work Mr.. Palmer represents as
being done at Berkeley in soil and fruit
analysis from this plot Is a good illustra-
tion OF our assertion.
While agree with Mr.. Palmer about
the roots of the trees reaching out into
adjoining plots, cannot agree with him
as to the soil analyzing higher in potash
on the unfertilized plot, on the side
thanking the potash plot" and high in
phosphoric acid on the soil fianking the
phosphoric acid plot" because they so
ad5oined the plots containing those ele-
ments. First, because while the roots
travel, the soil does not; and second. be-
cause, II the whole amount of any ele-
ment added during the three years and
applications should have been added to
the soil at one time, analysis would not
show such application. To illustrate, if
we take the soil to the depth of three
and one-half feet-only about one-haIf
as deep as the roots Of the trees go-and
add to it all the potash, for example, that
Mr.. Palmer added during three years,
namely, 300 or 375 pounds per
acre, we would find that the
actual potash that Mr.. Palmer added
would equal only .002 (over two
an amount SO infinitesimally small that
no chemist would venture to even report
1t as more than "a trace"
Mr.. Palmer's instances emphasize
| most forcibly the experiences Prof. Hill
gard had at the ten-acre experiment sta
ton, where he analyzed the soil from 65
plots and found that no two agreed. We
venture our reputation that Mr.. Palmer
can take 85 samples of soil from his
ranch within a radius of 65 feet and
! send them to 65 differents chemists, and
| that no three of them will agree, and Of
| fer to pay the expense of analysis If
they do. Such is the absurdity of soil
| analysis.
| Mr.. Palmer has made some unfortun-
ate isstatements, no doubt inadvert-
antly, as he seems very willing to cor
| rect them, as he has also made some
mistakes In his purchases of fertilizers,
, paying for a Boston make about s44
per ton, including his commission for
| the same goods he could have pur-
takes could not happen If Prof. Hilgard
had rightly informed the public as the
directors of other experiment stations
| inform their patrons.
First-Fair samples of the fruit were
selected for analysis and one lot of SAM
Piles was taken by DR.. Woodbridge to
l,L Los Angeles" This is a mistake The
of Los Angeles, who made the chemical
samples. The different lots were
| numbered, and Messrs. Wade & Wade
worked merely from the numbers, not
knowing which they represented until
their work was all done and their report
had been made.
Second-Mr. Palmer says 1.-The read
ers Of the Rural Californian will remem-
Der the outcome. DR.. Woodbridge's an
alysis did not agree with Prof Hilgard's S
analysis. and the matter ended in an un-
fortunate controversy Of little benefit to
| the orange growers"
The controversy was published In the
| California Cultivator, not in the Rural
Californian. Mr.. Palmer may think the
| controversy unfortunate and of little
benefit" We think this very paper of
! Mr.. Palmer's is proof that practical
| experimentation has taken place of a
nearly absolute, impracticable reliance
on uncertain soil analyses and it's re-
ception by an appreciative club is an
| illustration OF progress in the right di-
rection. Soil analyses has been rele-
| gated to the rear, while test plots are
| the recognized masters Of the situation,
| brought about to some extent by the
very controversy Mr.. Palmer deprecates.
In the concluding paragraph Of Mr..
Palmers paper he places himself square
| ly In the position which the writer has
to cast contempt upon the
teachings and assumptions of
| Professor HtlgArd, II shall therefore
| tie to a complete fertilizer containing
the elements of nitrogen, phosphoric
| acid and potash in proper proportions
and thoroughly acidulated. believing
that by so doing I can make a good
deal more money in the quantity and
| quality of the fruit" Mr. Palmer, in U.s.
| ing this language, had evidently made
| Of little account the dictum of Professor
| Hilgard. found on page 1876 of the report
| of 1S94-5, that sound economy requires
| that only what Is needful should be
used; but those in doubt and having
| surplus of this worlds goods and an
| indispcsition to use their brains may of
| course continue In the beaten track"
The Herald has maintained as its main
criticism against Prof. Hilgard that
| he has not shown the ranchers how
| single crop has been improved in guam
tity or quality. To substantiate our
| proposition We put in evidence Mr..
| Palmer and his lengthy paper on fertll
izers. He has gone at length into the
| subject and quoted several times from
Prof. Hilgard. but not a single practical
suggestion, although he shows that if
| Professor Hugards advice had been
followed the fruit would have been
coarse and puffy" And Mr.. Palmer has
l
Hilgard, says he Is proud of his ac-
| quaintance. and has perfect confidence
| in his ability.
Alas! Poor Yorick! We of course
think Mr.. Palmer has the best of the
| argument and while both Professor
| Hilgard and Mr.. Palmer have shown
| that we have produced the first swallow
| indicative of the approach of summer,
! they have also shown equally clearly
| that Professor Hilgard has not done
| the first thing to lift the struggling
rancher, in the matter of fertilization,
from the winter of his discomfort.
| WHITEWASH.
! "Prof Hilgard and the Stations.-
| The attacks which have recently beer
made on Prof Hilgard and the expert
ment stations by Abbot Kinney and
| Mr. Woodbridge, through the Los An
| geles Herald, are beginning to rebound.
| In it's Wednesdays edition The Herald
| claimed that it could find no farmers
| who had profited by the college of ag-
| riculture at Berkeley, Of which Prof.
| Hilgard Is at the head. 1t can probably
| find them now. On Monday afternoon
! the Pomona Farmers and Horticultur-
| lists club held it's regular meeting, with
| about seventy present, all practical
tillers of the soil. Among other busi-
| ness the following resolutions, which
| speak for themselves. were passed:
| Resolved, That this club has perfect
| confidence in the ability and special fit-
ness of Prof E. w. Higard for the po-
| sltion of director of experiment stations
and professor of agriculture in the Uni
~