Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1898-02-04

idNc odiu III III du1iicSS poloic VIC lcB
stature of Georgia that the boys,
when they went to Athens for the pur-
pose of studying agriculture, complet ted
the course in few days, as the liter
airy students persuaded them to change
their course of study.
Is it possible that there is no intel
Iectual training necessary TO fit u man
to pursue what Washing ton said was
"the most healthful, most useful and
most noble employment of man." Let
us inquire into this matter and see If
ANY fool" can take the worn fields of
The cotton states and restore them to
fertility, and, while doing so, make
living.
On what is the art of agriculture
based? In the first place, the farmer,
IN pursuing his complicated art, must
know somewhat OF the soil which he Is
TO cultivate, and upon the proper ma
nipulation of which depends his sue
less and subsistence. What sciences
convey an intelligent knowledge of
ioilsp
For their origin and physical proper
lies we have recourse to the science OF
geology, which, in this sense, is the
foundation of agriculture. 10 learn
what elements the soil contains upon
The presence and solubility of which
plant growth depends, we have re-
course TO the science of chemistry
which tells us as well the constituents
OF the atmosphere which bathes the
surface of the earth, the composition
of the plants which derive their
food from soil and air, and how
they obtain this food. 1t tells us in
what forms til" plant appropriates the
dead substances OF soil and air which
1t and it alone can organize into life.
1t tells us how we can best utilize the
products of plant life to the best adj
vantage in feeding our domestic ami
mails TO produce milk, flesh, fat On force.
1t tells us not only what are the essen
lial elements OF plant food, but pre-
scribes formulas for compromising them
in such proportions as will best re-
place the wasted wealth of our de-
nuded hills. Chemical science may
then, with truth, be denominated the
"Handmaid of Agriculture.
Before man is allowed to run u
steam engine in Georgia he is required
to show license, which testifies to his
knowledge of the structure and needs
of the complicated machine.
All animal life upon the earth is de-
pendent upon plants for subsistence,
and man, in addition, for his raiment.
Is it not wise, then, TO teach those who
are responsible for the cultivation of
tho useful vegetation of our globe
something of the laws of being of the
plants they cultivate?
The absence of this knowledge on
the part af the tillers Of the soil in the
COTTON states costs annually in reduced
production of crops more than enough
10 establish tirst-class school OF agri-
culture in every county. AS indicated
by the results of carefully.conducted
experiments, the loss in production by
the improper cultivation of single
crop amount annually TO no less than
$50, 900, 900.
lie who strews a mass of clods to
gether and calls 1t seed-bed for cot
ton will ever complain of poor stand,
and light yield. The man who pre-
pares thoroughly, by the use of sount
judgment and good implements, who
thoroughly pulverizes the seed bed anC
substitutes, as far as practicable, mule
power for manual labor, cultivates
shallow, mulchlng the surface aftel
each rain with loose earth, will buy
out his less thrifty neighbor.
The science of botany teaches how
the seed vegetables, how the plan
grows and how it reproduces. 1t ex
plains the mutual dependence OF leave
and stems upon the roots and the root
upon the work done by the leaves. w
learn from its teachings that the plan
is entirely dependent upon its root sur
face for its supply Of all ash element
without which profitable production
is impossible. Is it not well then tina
the farmer should possess some knowl
edge of botany?
The farmer has, among the in
sects which swarm in his fields
both friends ana foes, and yet no
one farmer in one thousand ca
distinguish them. lie incurs ser
GUS loss every year by his ignorance G
the life history OF these little maraud
ers, and, indeed, the aggregate loss su'
tanned from this source is still est
mated in millions of dollars, notwitl
standing the fact that most valuabl
information has been disseminate b
the United States government an
through the agricultural colleges an
experiment stations. Is then til
study OF sciene of entomology beneat
the dignity or above the dignity Of til
farmers?
The microscope reveals the fact thu
all organized matter, whether dead {
alive, is teeming with life, spores {
germs capable Of producing life. III
study Of this is called bacteriology, an
is now one of the subjects considere
worthy the attention Of the student (
agriculture.
When we consider the losses su
tanned in reduction of values in veg
table and animal life, is it not wi:
that those who grow plants and an
mails should know something Of tt
means Of combating the work of mi
rious bacteria and of encouraging TIL,
Of those which are beneficialp One
the most important Of the many co
tributions of science to agriculture
found in the discovery Of the ability
certain microbes subsisting upon Il
roots of leguminous plants to cole
nitrogen from the atmosphere.
makes the farmer practically ind
pendent of the costly commerce
sources Of nitrogen in supplying til