The herald., 1896-10-10
oo16H MISTAKES OF PROF. HILL.
GARD.

eoME MISTAKES OF PROF. Hill.
GARD.
At the Riverside Farmers institute
Prof. HilEard made grave mistake for
= scientific man, when he represented
from the analysis Of the oranges there
displayed that No. l was grown upon
land with no fertilizer and No 2 grown
with potash, when, in fact, No. sample
was Grown with nitrates and phosphates
and No. 2 sample was grown with nj
trates, phosphates and potash.
He also made mistake when he wrote
his letter of April 25, 1895, to Mr.. Palmer,
In which he said: Three days ago there
was delivered at my house, with the
inscription House on the outside, box
of oranges, etc. These oranges We're
not shipped from Pomona until the af-
ternobn of the 22d, consequently could
not have left Los Angeles until the 8
p m. train, and could not have arrived
1t Berkeley until the oath. When Prof.
Hilgard undertook to criticise the anal
ysis OF a similar box of oranges by say
ing that the total sugars more than
,equaled the total solids in the juice, he
lnnde great mistake, forming an opin-
Ion before he had all his facts.
BY parody of reasoning, it is only
reasonable to suppose that he got the
second lot Of oranges mixed, as he shows
that wherever fertilizers were applied
positive damage was done to the fruit
by such application. If his house SER
want had gotten the first samples "in-
explicably mixed up," might not he, un-
der the showing by his analysis, his Office
clerk or laboratory cat have gotten the
second lot mixed?
Certainly, no one who has given the
trn<z tan af
would believe for one moment that COM
plete fertilizers, In reasonable quanti-
ties. could possibly damage the orange.
When Prof. Hilgard thinks he Is entitled
to an opinion independently Of all other
agricultural chemists in the world in
regard to the matter of finding out the
needs of q CROP and when his opinions
are not backed up by field experiments
CT any other scientific tests. or, If they
are. he .neglects or refuses to print his
results and give them to the public, is
IT, not reasonable to think that he Is mis-
taken in this?
Bulletin No. SO of the Oregon station,
published April, 1895. has this to say: I'm
the first place, let it be remembered that
the value of mere chemical analysis
OF soil Is most doubtful. An analysis
Of soil reveals what and how much of
q given ingredient is present in the soil.
but 1t does not show how much of the
plant food Is available. There is how
ever, more or less value attached to So
called virgin soils, and an accumulated
number of analyses of this class of soils
gives very valuable data upon which to
base judgment of probable success or
failure" [
In oil cases chemical analysis should
be.followed by careful field tests and in
this way any one may become familiar
with the individual needs of his soil.
The professor always puts great deal
Of stress upon the fact that he is the
only. and original investigator of virgin
and arid soils, with thirty-fiv years ex-
perence. The explanation of this soli-
tary and unique possession of our direct
or is that he is probably the only man
who would desire to waste the public
funds and his own time in such almost
worthless pursuit
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE
As many OF our readers may not be
aware Of the broad scope and aim of
the department of agriculture under the
United States government, we have pre-
pared the following outline of the work
Of the organizations:
At the head is the secretary of agrl-
culture, who is regular member of the
presidents cabinet. An assistant secre-
tary, chief clerk and a librarian be-
long to the office of the secretary and
assist in a general supervision of the
various bureaus and divisions of the SER
vice, which cover the entire operations of
the department., The weather bureau is
under a chief with several assistants
and four professors of meteorology. The
duties assigned to this office cover all
matters connected with the weather.
storm and calm, heat and cold, rain and
drought-and the relation of all climatic
variations to the manifold interests Of
agriculture and commerce.. The bureau
of animal industry, under chief and
assistant, supervises the subject of live
stock, taking account of its importation
and expectation, and; also of the diseases
20 which the domestic animals of the
hand are subject,
The division Of statistics, with sta
'tistician- and assistant, looks after the
extent and character of the harvests of
this country and the world and issues a
monthly crop report.
The experiment station, with direct
or and assistant, gathers up whatever
may be of interest in the experiment sta
tious Of the states and territories and
lends hand in promoting the work of
these stations.
The division of chemistry, under a
chief chemist and assistant, directs its
efforts along the line which its name
su9gests.
The division of entomology, with two
oiIicials in charge, gives attention to
all questions. that arise in connection
with insect life, and in Washington and
throughout the country carries on in
veatigati5Bs with a view to lessen the
danger by pests.
The division of ornithology and man.
melogy has an ornitholcgist and an as
Dlstant studying the relations of birds
and mammals to the products of the
deld FOR their benefit or injury.
Divisions of forestry, botany, vegeta-
ble physiology and pathology. agrostol-
o8y, pomology, agricultural soils, fiber
investigation, Irrigation inquiry, road
inquiry, gardens and grounds. take
9cognfzance of the many subjects In
cIuded under these names, and each d.
vision is In the hands of those who have
h&en selected as competent experts.
The department also arranges for the
ru01fcetfon Of the results Of its EXTEND
"a range Of research and distributes
Without charge many of its valuable
GQtQmeAts we believe, to all who re-
4u4yt copies. The farmers of the United
4tA4ee might well more largely avail
th1mgeeyeB Of advantages which the
06garhHaept has thus provided. II Il
they wise sayings Of Solomon