Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-06-07

to diseases OF animals and plants. and,
indeed whatever the farmer needs 70
know and science can discover.
The national appropriation comes to
the experiment station for a distinct pur-
pose, and cannot properly be used for po-
lice work. Fertilizer controls, SEED con-
trolls. study Of food adulterltion, and
the like must be supported from other
sources. The $4,000 per year derived
from the funds under the Hatch act Is
spent In investigation OF problems per-
tanning to agriculture and I'm distributing
Information regarding these problems
and the results of the Investigations
Hence. it is not to be expected that a
station maintained by the national fund
should do police work.
What kind then. Of Investigations shall
the experiment stations undertake? In
the first place except under extraordl-
nary conditions, the experiment station
should not perform experiments OF such
a nature that the farmer can readily
make them for himself Many kinds of
field experiments are better made by the
farmer than by the station. Frequently
1t Is important that the station should
help the farmer make the experiment,
but since the results CT such experiments
are only of local benefit it is better that
they should be performed by farmers, in
stead Of by the station.
The kinds of work which the stations
do ranges from simple experiments. such
as ordinary variety tests of vegetables,
plants and animals TO the most com
IJ!cated kinds of re search.
our stations are many of them, max
ing simple experiments. Inc stuuies
winch the Storrs station = ihhkins ~ nv
ietdlhs practiccs " me ~ iiei9 va 60
necticut comes und@r TINS heau. ou. s,
experiments are simple and easy, ana
Tor the most part fe..uAs
selves 10 FARMERS my .ar $3.50 80
Inc meaning OF su1n ~,
n'tily iaSihel anu - .. -, -,
thinks that these are among the Dt-Ni
work which the 9torrs stauon ~ uY ,li,
In my opinion iheSe afe ainohs my Nv
est and least NainaDis OF tne tnlilss
whlch ~ ~ tecVtipiss. n. 0VliSt III, ~,
such as the stuuy "a luilsi oise-aS, - -, tile
ptudy OF insects INJURIOUS 10 vega aio.,,
ana many ptner ttchiileal hIhaS u Woih
are OF more importance put ! peiteEe
that the best work the eNpsi iiheh1 so
TONS Will in the long run 90 fot aEfi-
culture is along the iInes OF suen NOR.
abstract inquiry instances Oh sucH kiilus
OF WORK are Ipuhn ~ lns Stuny OF pro
teids conducted 20 the 1onheetleut tAP.t
iment station, the experiments IN p5ctS-
riology ana WITH the respiration eaioti-
MISTER which are being conducted Al the
.Storrs station
The results OF such inquiries are Hut a.
ways apparent 10 the iayman, fof eA-
al7ple--l draw most OF my ILLUSTRATIONS
rom the Two Connecticut experiment
stations and largely from the StoFrs sta
ton. whose work ! know the Dest-~heil
we commenced to study the acquisition OF
atmospheric nitrogen by plants. " the or
binary farmer mad seen all the steps ali'i
precautions used. such as carefully sltt-
Ing. washing. aud burning ordinary sea
sand. placing Il with great care, 50 that
1t should neither be too compact nor too
Corse. into glass bottles. taking ten or
fifteen minutes to plant a diminut.Ve pea
plant in one of the jars; carefully meas
urins everything. even 10 a drop Of water
given 10 the plant; and watching us
q
and almost hourly az though II was agri-
culture gone Silly and yet just snch
paiustaking inquiry was needed IN order
to demonstrate whether or not plants are
Ille to acquire nitrogen from the air. BY
such experiments il was found that the
4cgumes, such as peas, clover. etc, aaon1
have this remarkable power Of acquiring
atmospheric nitrogen.
/ suppose that when some of you re
celYe the reports OF the Connecticut sta
ton you are little disturbed because
so much space is taken up with the ac-
count OF the abstract Inquiry into the
and nature of the varieties
cf protetds OF wheat oats and seeds or
various kinds. This is, however. among
he best work that station is doing. be-
cause it Is work which IS fundamental
In order to obtain an adequate under
standing OF .-.e heterogeneous constituents
OF foods just suyh work Is necessary,
Farmers have learned to talk gIbly
enough of protein and most Of them
think of II as a definite chemical SUD
stance When 1t Is understood that the
term protein is used TO designate a large
number of very different kinds Of matter
and that the knowledge of the percentage
&c protein in the feeding stun Is obtained
hy determining the percentage of nitro
gen and multiplying this number by an
arbitrary factor 6.25, it Is evident that
Just such fundamental inquiries are nee |
essary to help solve the problems Of
feeding.
The study OF the bacteria which exists |
in milk and have 10 do with the ripen- |
ing of cream and the manufacture of but !
ter and cheese have been carried on SUE |
cessfully at the StorrS station by Prof. |
Conn. The reports Of that station for
the past few years have contained long
technical descriptions of these bacteria. |
Page after page of these reports is taken |
tip with material of this kind and. per-
chance. the farmer may say. what nave
! to do with such trash rs THAR Bur
that kind Of work is necessary in order |
To find out the ripening OF cream in hut
ma kiutr nj hp result of Those. fpVps- |