The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-08-22

progressive farming brethren are be.
coming, through the medium of the
experiment station bulletins of their
respective States, pretty well posted
on the extremely valuable results OBJ
tained from said experiments; but
there are very few of them that have
the least idea OF the degree OF nicety
and precision which must continually
be exercised in order that the expert.
menter may arrive at an absolutely
just, accurate and unerring decision in
regard thereto We were forcibly
struck with this fact during a recent
visit we were fortunate enough to make
to the Experimental Farm of the North
Carolina State horticultural Society,
located at Southern Pines N. @.
The Obi ct of the work carried on at
this experimental farm is to determine
the proportion of the dlff9 tertiljB,
ing observation-disclosures, phosphoric
acid and potash-necessary to secure
the best growth and development of
orchard and garden fruits and other
agricultural and horticultural prod
ucts, and also to discover the best treat,
ment for the soil in order to produce
this result. No commercial brand of
fertilizer Is used in these experiments,
but fertiliEing ingredients are employed
both singlY and in various combinR,
tions; in fact, in almost all possible
combinations; and the precision exer-
cised in the carrying on Of these ex.
periments, even down to the most in
significant minut.a ae or smallest detail,
guarantees the accuracy, reliability
and value of the final results reached
and conclusions drawn.
AS an instance Of this precision, ev,
in what seemed to us to be quite an
Insignificant and comparatively Unim.
portant matter, we would call the at.
tention of the reader to the fact that
every plowhand carried with him to
the field an empty sack Now, We had
become quite accustomed, during our
travels over the States Of North and
South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama,
to seeing empty sacks strewn around
in all directions; mostly fertilizer sacks
that had been carried to the field full,
but had been emptied OF their con.
tents. Others had been carried to the
field, or rather, orchard, to put the
curculias in when lrred IF the fruit
| trees; but these particular sacks had
been carried to the field for the express
purpose of putting the droppings of
the horees in, which we're scrupulously
gathered as fast as dropped,
This extreme nicety, to US, (although
we carry on an experimental farm of
our own for the purpose Of testing all
the various fertiIizing agents that are
found on the market, side by side,
singly and in various combinations, to
gether with their effects upon differ
ent crops and soils), seemed almost
superfuous; yet, absolutely accurate
results, and dedRctions therefrom,
could not have beer obtained without
being thus particular, even in the
smallest and apparently most insignifi
cant of details. On our own farm we
would have been inclined to let the
droppings lie right where they were
voided, thinking that in the run of
year about an equal amount Of manure
would be dropped by the ploW animals
en- the untertilizad as upon the fertil
lied plots, or upon one fertilized plot
as upon another; and this would be the
reasoning of nineteen twentieths of
our brother farmers, but by being thus
nice, precise and particular, the ele,
ment Of "chance" is eliminated, and
an almost absolute certainty takes it's
place. Again, when looking over the
barn and outbuildings we found the
years pruning OF vine and tree mostly
tied up in bundles and stored away.
We asked if they we're going to propa
gate from them, but were told that
they would be sent to the State Chem
lst at Raleigh as soon as dry to be an
ally ID for the purpose Of finding out
the amount of plant food removed
from the soil in the formation Of that
amount of woody growth.
Field experiments with fertilizers
have been carried on, more or less, at
almost every experiment station in the
United States, and much good has
been accomplished in this direction;
vet, none of the stations is doing as
effective, complete, exhaustive and
thoroughly reliable work along these
lines as is the Experimental Farm Of