The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1898-04-15


there stand awcd as they gaze upon
the holy OF holics built out of natural
laws OF the universe. Our coming
farmer, oar later Goth Century farmer
will encourage and take care of these
seekers after truth, not so much from
the truly scientific tandpoint, but the
iull appreciation of the fact that the
thcorist is the source Of all practical re-
suits: the spiing from which flows the
the stream of our practical life and
which cannot exist longer than its
source is perennial. This then is the
starting point for our coming farmer
y public sentiment favoring the en-
ploy of men of the highest scien-
titic training to collect, tabulate, and
combine the phenomena of nature, and
draw from this data the conclusions
evolved 10y the operation OF each natu-
raj law as it affects our vocation.
First. the coming farmer will be cen
vcrsant with the sol with which he has
to deal. lie will appreciate that its
characteristics are based upon the
parent rock from which it disintegratcd
The problem of soil moisture. soil heat,
radiant and absorptive energy Of both
the visible and invisible spectrum,
humus content,-thcse will all be fac
tors in the product he is attempting to
make Due consideration will he given
to each. This knowledge of his soil
and the characteristics of vegetable
life, and its adaptability to fixed condi-
tions alone, depending upon the plant,
will enable him to produce the maxi
mum result. both as to quantity and
quality. Like the lawyer, preacher or
doctor. he will have a literature and
power to use the same. The present
mass of information coming from our
Experiment Stations and Agricultural
Depart mcnt will be codificl. indcXcd.
arranged. and each agriculturalist will
be enabled by his training to find the
solution to Il difficulty with IS much
ease as does the trained lawyer solve
his legal problem, or the doctor dag
nose his patients trouble. The chem
ist encouraged and supported by the
agriculturist will give the latter in re-
turn the solution to many difficult
problems now disturbing each of them
How can we detect the difference be-
tween soluble and insolublc plant food:
How can | make insoluhlc food solu-
hlc on an economical basis, How can
| supcrinducc nitrification in the soiE
How can ! prevent Identification?
How can | enter the greatest fertilizer
mine in the nniversc-thc atmosphere
surroundin" our globe. and there fix
and bring down to the soil such 4
quantity of its nitrogen rs may he
needed to pr, Il ice the mailman results!
The solution of all such problems
will he the heritage of our 2Otil Cen
tury iarm.r Many oil them are now
his From the standpoint Of the soil
th Sc ar som'' of the problems whose
mtricaci,s will no longer puzz.c us.
Vegetable lif. will be the next consid-
Grafton. Hundreds of problems meet
us on the Threshold now. which will
disappear before the rising intelligence
of Il class in close communion with ma
turc. Every side OF plant life will be
studied. Soil and atmospheric condi-
tions, the twin m,iiiicrs of plant de-
vclopment. will yield up their myster-
les. Men will no longer ask why this
soil cannot be made to produce clover;
why it is that wheat cannot he raised
upon this field; why plant from the
temperate zone assumes different
type when transplanted to the tOrrid
zone. The present imperfect under
standing of variety production will be
suppIantcd ly a thorough understand
ing OF the same Men will produce
ideals in every departments of the veoc.
table kiu9dom, Just as men to-day fix
the ideal for 4 horse. a hog. COW or Il
chicken. and then select and develop to
the standard set up. The mysteries of
plant diseases will have passed away.
The peach yellow trenching of tobacco,
black rot in plums, pear light, potato
blight. tomato hligh and thousand
other troubles will become matters of
easy control for us.
Within the past year, your Agricul-
tural College has had serious trouble
with so ofthe dcadlieSt diseases known
to animal life. Tuberculosis among
c,ttle and the swine plague among
h '@S. Our present Ignorance prevents
any surccssiul control of these two
benc.ni and destructive ma.adies. The
scientifically trained Bacterioiogist in
his laboratory is to-day bending his
energies to gain contro! OF these trou-
bles. At no distant day in the future
oar cattle and swine will be given im-
munity from these deadly diseases.
Professor Waite, OF the Department of
Agriculture in Washington, says that
there i now ~ r"aS III f)r Il man hav-
iny pear blight in his orchard save
shear neglect. This problem has been
solved. The law is from one victory
to another. The human minl is ever
restless. never satisfied The .Alrmbic
in the laboratory of the chemist and