The evening times., 1899-04-03
READY TO CULTIVATE
THE POTOMAC FLATS
Government Farmers to Make
Simple Tests First.
Leading Experiment Station to Be
Established Here.
Delay in Securing the Land-RauL
Growth of Weeds Expected to
Delay in Securing the Laud-RauL
Growth of Weeds Expected to
Give Trouble.

Through unavoidable delay at the War
Department the Department of Agricul
ture did not secure control of the Potomac
flats or the portion thereof which it has
decided to use for gardening purposes as
soon as was expected.
1t was scheduled to begin p!owing there
April l. but this plan was abandoned as
soon as it was seen that the papers trans
ferring a part Of the fats 10 the officials
OF the Agricultural Department would not
be prepared in time.
The officers at the department are highly
pleased over the prospect of having an
experimental station so near the office,
but they do not intend to be in any hurry
either in the preparation of the ground or
the planting Of the crops. 1t is not ex-
pected that they will place anything in
The ground this year except vegetables,
such as corn or potatoes. These are the
simplest crops that can be gown, requir-
ing little attention and testing the strength
OF the soil TO certain extent. 1t is
thought that the ground On the fats will
prove the most fertile of any in the vi
cinity OF the District of Columbia 1t is
all made ground and the depths of the Po-
tornac River were drawn on to supply il.
The rich black soil is mostly that VIII ch
has been brought up by the dredging ma
chimes that have been engaged in cleaning
out the main channel OF the river and is
of the most fertile character
There is. besides this, the natural fer
tilizer made by the decaying of weeds and
other vegetable matter that has grown
profusely on the flats for number of
years. This enriches the soil to great
extent and will be of material assistance
in the experiments to be tried there.
The official farmers expect to have con-
siderable trouble in controlling the growth
of weeds that have had the run of the fats
for years. The seeds of these have been
scattered widecast by the winds in both
winter and summer and almost every por-
tion of the land is filled with them. To de-
stroy these and clear the ground will be
the first work Of the botanist and his as
sistants, who are in charge of the expert
ments..
1t is expected that the plowing will begin
at the fats in a few days, perhaps this
week, and from that time on interesting
Developments may be expected.
1t is proposed to make this the foremost
experiment station in the country and IL
the department finds by next year that 1t
has not sufficient land it is probable that
an effort will be made to secure control of
the entire stretch, and turn 1t into gar
den for the trial of new vegetables and
flowers that will have been brought to the
attention of the department officials.
There are now in the department
grounds several small patches that are de-
voted to the cultivation of grasses. These
will be transplanted to the fats or rather
their products will be raised on the flats
instead of in the department grounds and
larger tracts will be allowed for exDeri-
ments in the growth of the grasses.
The official farmers of the Agricultural
Department expect to make some valuable
discoveries through the experiments they
are about to inaugurate on the Potomac
fats.