St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1898-12-03
FARMER ANDPLANFER.
EXPERIMENT STATIONS.
70 Get Best Results Experiment Farms
should Follow Up the Work OF
the stations.

S6A4 OANAAA4Ae = - 0S~e
70 Get Best Results Experiment Farms
should Follow Up the Work OF
the Stations.
Many individuals seem to think that
because the general government has
seen fit to organize experiment sta
tions in every state for the purpose of
arriving at as near absolutely correct
conclusions in regard 10 the great
facts and principles that underiie the
science of agriculture, as it is possible
for poor erring humanity to do, and
that as these conclusions will in every
instance be the outcome of painstak-
ing research and accurate experiment.
alton, much more SO in fact than the
average farmer would have either
means, time or inclination to deter
mine for himself, and that as this ex-
perimentation is paid by the general
government, that there is no need
therefore of the farmer using his own
time and means in experimenting for
himself. This idea is erroneous; the
stations made experiments to estab-
lish general principles. and now it is
the province of every good farmer who
aspires to be at the head of his occu-
patton to experiment, each for HIM
self, until he ascertains how best to
apply those principles to his individu-
al farm.
Luckily for the farmer, we have
quite a number of experiment farms
in existence that keepimmediate prac-
tical results, just such as every busy,
go-ahead farmer is interested in, in
the foreground. Prominent among
these, we may mention Rothamstead
in England, with which every grain
raiser is pretty thoroughly acquaint-
ed; but we have one right atourdoors,
one which has already aptly been
termed the Rothamstead of America,
IN which we ar. al vially interested,
but of which comparatively few have
as yet heard; we refer to the vxperi-
ment farm located ut Southern Pines,
North Carolina. In . conversation we
had with one of the directors of ex-
pertinent stations, that gentleman
stated that their object was not to
make money or to save money; but
to spend money. Now, this is exactly
the opposite of what the majority OF
our farming brethren want and need.
Money-making and money-saving in
formation is just exactly what they
think they need, first, last, and all the
time; and this is just exactly the in.
formation the experiment farm al
Southern Pines proposes to give. Un-
like the major portion of the farms
| that are carried on in connection with
our several experiment stations, which
are mostly located on old and well
worn soils, this particular experiment
farm was located originally on virgin
soil, yet it contained but little plant
food, and was uniform in composition
| The main object in locating thi.
farm was to fully answer the impor
tant question, what amount of phos
| phoric acid, nitrogen and potash art
needed. and in what proportion tt
| each other, for best development o.
horticultural products? This question
| could be answered much more surely
and satisfactorily by selecting sol
not rich in all the elements that go t.
make n fertile soil and one that wa:
totally unaltered by cultivation, thar
by choosing lands that were richer
but from which a greater or lesser
number of crops had in time been re
moved on a larger or smaller amour
of manure or fertilizer been applied
either of which would have materiall,
modified or nullified results. If ii wer,
possible to learn nothing else by I
visit to the experiment farm at South
ern Pines, one can certainly learn
lesson in accuracy. As instances o
the Iicety, exactitude, precision an,
accuracy that characterize each ant
every operation of the farm, we woul'
call the readers attention to the fac
that in the first clearing of the land
all trees and stumps were removed en-
tirely and nothing burned on the land
so as to prevent any alteration in 1t
natural character.
In looking over the barn. we coul'
not help noticing the large mum
Der OF bundles of grapevine and othe
cuttings stacked up. Our first question
of course, was: Are you going t
propagate from them?' The answe
was: "No; every particle of pruning
are carefully saved and accuratel
weighed, SO that all the actual growt
ON a plat can be accurately ascel
tained." This same adherence to tn
strictest accuracy, even to the yer
smallest and apparently most insignif
can't and unimportant of details, chaI
acterizes the entire farm and every
thing and everybody connected with i
While Watching one of the plow-hand
cultivating the plats, we saw that h
had a sack along, into which all tn
droppings of the horse were put
fast as dropped, and carried to tn
barn at noon and at night. Lookin
at this from the farmers standpoin
as a matter of course it looked as
they were unnecessarily particular
vet these, and many more such il
stances, we have neither time nc
space to mention, are essential
strict accuracy. They certainly ser,
to show that whenever the horticu
tural society of North Carolina send
out its report of work performed,
results obtained, at the experimeI
farm at Southern Pines, such repol
may be depended upon rs being stric
ly accurate.
In the matter of applying fertilizer
! the labor involved in the mere weigl
ing of the various amounts to be a.
piled can be realized from the stat
! ment that there were 6,556 weighin,
made in one season.-G. H. Turner,
Rural World.
KAFFIR CORN FOR PIGS.
Results Of Expsrinents Made ut the Kano
Agricultural College 60 Test the
: valuo Of Kn0r Corn.
xta