The herald., 1896-11-01
and this year they had no vacation
whatever, but worked right straight

and this year they had no vacation
Whatever, but worked right straight
along all summer.
Their object Is to furnish information
| on every topic any farmer wants to be
advised about. If the subject Is obscure
and the questions have never been sol
we'd, they go ahead and work them out.
Bulletins are printed from time to time
on the work accomplished and these are
sent to whoever wishes them.
During the last year Prof. Hilgard
has answered some 1900 letters of in
quiry. These letters were not answered
by printed matter, but by individual.
| specially written replies. The agricul-
tural department as a whole, wrote be-
| tween 5000 and 5000 Of these letters of in
| formation.
The farmers send for all sorts of in
| formation They ask how to pickle olives,
| how to destroy army worms, how to
| dry figs, how to reclaim alkali lands,
| how to grow oranges on cactus plants,
and thousand different things. Every
| question Is answered as fully and as
promptly as possible. Besides these
letters great deal of printed matter
Is being constantly sent out.
| Berkeley Is the only place in the
United States where there are facilities
| for studying wine making scientifically.
| When the old viticultural commission
was abolished the valuable library and
apparatus it had accumulated were
turned over to the University Of Cali
fornia, and its duties added to the work
already carried on by the department.
| A great deal of very valuable work has
been done since. Mr.. Hayne of the de-
partment has recently devised wine-
cooling apparatus for use during fer
mentation. which it is believed will save
tens OF thousands of dollars to the
farmers of California every year. by
lessenfng the chances of wine spelling
IN the making. At present the viticul-
tural starr is experimenting on the use
or yeasts In wine making, another thing
which promises to be Of gre at Importance
to wine makers.
DOWN in the western part of the uni
verslty grounds is an interesting insti-
tuition, the first experiment station
founded in the United States. When
frofessor Hilgard came to California,
twenty years ago, he induced the re-
gents OF the university to start an ex-
pertinent station on the German plan.
II was a valuable idea, and Senator
Hatch was so impressed with the prac-
tical results that he introduced the bill
which provided for the establishment
OF stations in other parts of the country,
the well known Hatch act. Since then
other stations have been founded else
where in California, at Paso Robles,
at Tulare, near Chino, etc, all directed
by Prof. Hilgard and all used as places
ment. Her new varieties of fruits,
vegetables and economic plants are do
mesticated, experiments in pruning, fer
tilizing, irrigation, ETC., carried on, de-
Examinations made of the kind of crops
suited for particular soils, etc. The
aim is not to raise anything in quantity,
but merely enough for experimental
purposes. The results of these investi-
cations form part of the agricultural
bulletins.
There are also two forestry stations,
| one at Chico, one at Santa Monica.
They are the only ones in the United
| States.
An interesting part of the work of the
college of agriculture is the farmers
| institute movement. The farmers of a
section of country meet together and
| listen to addresses on agricultural topics
by professors sent from Berkeley. and
| then discuss their own experiences and
observations. A great deal of useful
knowledge is thus disseminated. The
| farmers institutes have sometimes re-
suited in the formation of permanent
| farmers clubs.
1t seems to me this is a good oppor-
| tunity to correct a widespread misappre-
| hension. Some of those people who are
opposed to the University of California
agricultural department, from various
motives, generally Of personal enmity.
talk about the improperly and folly of
|
| the expensive and useless agricultural
college. The truth is that only about
one-tenth of the revenues of the agri-
cultural department comes from the
state treasury. All the rest of the ex-
penses are borne by the national gov
eminent. Such an institution Is neces-
sarily costly. but from the knowledge
1t spreads, from the stimulus it Is to
intelligence in farming, it's value is in
calculable.-Victor H. Henderson in the
| Times.
We wish to give the advocates of the
| agricultural college the full benefit of
all they can allege in it's behalf, and
therefore we print in full the letter of
| Mr.. Henderson. The cause of dissatis-'
faction with tn work of the college as
they have been presented in the Herald
| are not even touched upon by Prof. Hill
gard, and in his attempted vindcation
| before the farmer institutes or in the re-
hash of the same served up in the above
| letter. The practical question is what
| has the college done with it's large re-
| sources to help the agricultural interests
of Southern California? We have given
replies from numerous ranchmen and
we prove superfluously that no help
has been given and none can be given to
our crops along the lines followed at the
college. The claim of Mr.. Henderson
| that because nine-tenths of the money
| spent at the college comes from the Uni
| ted States and therefor ought not to be
| taken in account in estimating the ben
| eft which the state receives, is too alb
| surd to need answer. Indeed, this whole
| epistle, viewed as an answer to our
| structures, only reminds us of the old
| saying, as we try to review it's state
| ments of the case, that it is very hard
| to kick at nothing.
| Will Mr.. Henderson point out wherein
the college has accomplished anything
| to rid our orchards of our internal insect
| pests? Will he point out single crop
| which Prof. Hilgard can show that he
has improved in quality or quantity,
| where and how and to what extent they
| have been accomplished?
| If Mr.. Henderson would, instead OF
| taking his inspiration from the men at
| Berkeley, get out among the ranchers
| and make some inquiries, he might learn
| the true state of affairs.
| If he had been present on Wednesday
| at a conversation held with Mr.. e. C.
| Bichowsky of San Gabriel, Mr.. Hender-
son would have learned something.
| Question: What good has the agricul-
| tural college been to you as a wine
| maker?
| Answer: If you will ask me what
| DANA geit has done I can readily answer
| you.
Question: What damage has it done?
! Answer: Prof. Hilgard was the di-
| rect calISe of the SDread of phvIloyera