The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1900-10-06
..Crops....
A Delta Experiment Station

MIR. Edgar S. Wilson, the able
manager of the Picay une's Mis-
sissippi Bureau, on the subject OF
establishing a state experiment
station in the Delta. 1t furnishes
its own argument for It's repro
duction here:
The provision for the branch eXpe'
rimental station by the recent session
Mississippi, about which SO much has
been recently said in the press of the
state, caused the manager of the Plea
yune bureau to secure some data in
support of his recent suggestion that a
branch experimental station in the
delta be provided by the session of the
Legislature of 1902 Mississippi is an
agricultural state, and Mississippi
must do what other states are doing
along this line. There is no standing
still amid the march of modern pro-
gress in the matter of agriculture or
anything else. The state. or any part
of state that does not advance, as
surely retrogades.
The objects of the experimental sta
tion are: l. To determine the physical
and chemical analysis of soils, the
crops and various classes of soils, the
best systems of rotation of crops, the
most economical method of cultivating
and fertilizing lands. the best breeds
of animals work. dairy and beef, the
most efficient and economical RENE
dies of combating plant and animal
diseases and of insect enemies and to
determine the cheapest and best feed
ing rations for farm animals. 2 The
PRONUNCIATION of scientific agricultural
agricultural press.
The results OF experiment station
work are: l. Farmers and planters
have found it impossible to carry out
experiments for themselves and have
encouraged the establishment of
stations in every state in the union.
2. The results of similar experiments
upon different soils are variable, and
have led to a general classification of
the soils of each state, and as far
as has been possible station or sub
station has been placed in each in
order to reach results that will bene-
fit the people of each section. To
particularize: The soils of Louisiana
have been divided into three main
classes, viz: The piney SOIL represented
in the experiment station at Calhoun;
the bluff soil, represented in the exper-
iment station at Baton Rouge, and the
alluvial soil represented in the expert
ment station at Audubon Park, New
Orleans. The crops grown upon the
three stations differ greatly. Alfalfa,
which is such success upon the allu-
vial lands, is failure in the bluff and
piny woods sections. Sugar cane and
cotton are the main crops experiment
ed with in the station in New Orleans.
such a way as to meet the needs of
planters, while at Baton Rouge. cotton.
corn, tobacco, the rearing Of cattle
dairy and beef and general DIVERSE
fed farming form the basis of expert
ments, and these are conducted, not so
much to meet the needs of the planters
and large land overs, but are espe-
cially outlined to meet the demands of
small farmers. 3. The result of this
division of experiment station interest
in Louisiana has been a general re-
vival of agricultural interests through
out the state, for, generally speaking,
the stations are within the reach of the
farmers and planters of the particular
section the station represents, and
ocular demonstrations of the success
or failure of the tests being made are
posi- BILE at any time. This result may
be obtained by any other state possess
ing characteristic differences in soil
constitution. In Mississippi, lime
stone (cretaceous) and piney woods,
bluff and alluvial tertiary form the
important soil divisions, and it is not
expected that one station, located upon
the lime stone division, and branch
section in the piney woods section. will
meets the needs of the two other and
larger areas.
Some specific reasons why single
experiment station cannot meet the
demands of an entire state will prove
interesting:
rst-Implements tested and recon-
mended for the cultivation of crops
grown upon light lands will prove of
little or no value for alluvial sections.
Second Varieties of staple crops
giving the greatest yields on light
lands are likely to prove failure upon
lands, and plants discarded
as valueless for light lands may ade-
quately meet the demands of the allu-
vial planter.
Third Fertilizer experiments con-
Quoted upon light lands and suitable
formulate recommended for such are
not in proper proportions and frequent-,l
ly not at all suitable for alluvial lands.
Fourth-The plant and animal di-
seases, as well as insect pests, are
generally peculiar to particular sec
tions, due, perhaps to the character of
the soil, and thus those of alluvial dis
tricts, are vastly different from those
hill sections.
Fifth-Planters with interests en-
tirely different from those of the diver
sified farmer usually possess alluvial !
lands.
Sixth-The above differences have
led to Indifference on the part of farm
ers and others to the result of expert |
ment station work outside Of the soil !
section in which they are interested.
Seventh-States possessing stations
upon the different soil areas have made |
more rapid agricultural progress than
hose in which but a single station |
existed.
The state Is pretty quiet, politi-
ally. There is not enough ex-
,1tement about it to make it half
way interesting. We have never
ried 1t, but we imagine that at
to inject enthusiasm into
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