New-York tribune., 1902-02-08
AGRICULTURE UNDER CLOTH.

AGRICULTURE UNDER CLOTH
II was on a trip in the South that Joseph
Mltchelson saw the experiments which We're
being made on limited areas in Florida of grow
ing Sumatra tobacco under both cloth and lath
shade. The results had been satisfactory. The
government was interested. and N. l. Floyd
an expert in the Bureau Of Soils. was directing
the experiments. The Paris Exposition had
awarded 10 this Florida grown Sumatra tobacco
two points over that grown in Sumatra and i'm
ported The soil and climate of Connecticut
were made expressly for tobacco raising There
was no reason why Connecticut tobacco raised
Onoer cover should not be fine the best
Sumatra and finer. Ariel Nicholson, who
a progressive farmer at TariffviIle, was the man
to try it, AS result, early last spring they
began 10 place posts nine feet high above
ground and rod apart on four different tracts
Of land. amounting in the aggregate TO eighteen
acres. over these posts stringers and gal
Nanized wire they stretched the cheese cloth coV-
erng closing in the field above and on every side
When the entire cumbersome structure, with Its
1876 posts to an acre. its stringers wire, cloth.
snaphooks and rings was erected il cost about
1850 acre. The long rows of plants-all of
Sumatrs seed which had had one years growth
in Florida-Were set at different times on the sew
eral fields that the harvesting of each might
follow in quick succession. Mr. Floyd had come
to Connecticut to direct the work of the little
plantation
AS the plants grew the advantages of rails
ing under shade became easily evident. Most
patent of all was the fact that the many insects
which prey upon the leaves We're kept out by
the covering. So strongly the tight tent Of
cloth built. moreover that the toughest winds
necessitated but few repairs. and the plants.
usually lashed and torn by the storms. were en-
tirely protected. Under the cloth also a uni
form temperature was possible. varying from
three TO five degrees warmer than that of the
open field. The cold nights of the spring which
deter the growth of the plants in the open did
not influence the growing under cover Within
the tents continuous tropical climate existed
The hot sun that hakes the soil was tempered
ana considerably larger percentage Of hu-
lnlcity was kept under the cloth than was nossi-
bic in the fields The effects of heavy rains were
also modined- The leaves were not harmed hv
nT n
ana hardened into crust. Instead the water
neaung upon the cloth sifted through and fell
an = hne, warm mist upon the plants The
growth seemed to have the advantapas' Of bntb
inc open air and the hothouse gaining +ba
t tTaaeh OF one and the protected ffneness Of the
LSI, Nlth the idea Of getting the finest nossi-
re leaf The plants were not topped In tbA earI
FitieI; the long stalks. standing up like rows
e tuiUS poIeS. and bearing thin broad Leave.
81 vivid green. were touching tb ooe t iedVes i
u coth.-tThe Worlds Work
M foFESSORS OLD STYLE AND NEW
80 mere is no college faculty without its Clerk
- DAsLlo ord-some unwOrldly soul who sroy[e
verv tsnoit, tahSlpIe rewards. possibly without
tangible achievements. but who has na,(ar
Hel+ss Kept the pure flame of learniney aiiy.a =,
1t. ld1 neaTt. innocent eccentricities attach them
Nts 10 MN Young doctors from The graa+
ioieigh ana American universities find him
IIine old fashioned in mis- views and unawara
oi me latest dissertations. Yet the bIameIess
clerk loves his twenty books to the arJ
pne such man I remember in particular In
+ba od4s ne had been a Latinst until
tne loss; oy IRE. Of his manuscript Latin gram
Lar olsheartened him. and he accepted a casua1
oteI OF chair of elementary mathematics
men ne kept till his death He f,lfled biS
duties ds instructor with perfect gravitv ana lrI1
niehty. but cared wholly for other thfngs. for
his collections of Phaedrus and black Ie++er
Eaucers; Tor Scotts novels, which he used
70 read through once each year: for the eIdar
oFamatlsts; for Montaigne and Lamb Weather
permitting. he drove from twenty to forty miles
DAY IN ms rusty, mud-covered buggy; he knew
every Wild Hover every lovely or bold view
within reach Of WiIliamstown To be his com
ramon upon one of these drives was to touch
me very essence Of fine. whimsical irresponsi-
hle scholarship But Professor Dodd made no
speeches in town meeting. was scantflv inter
Fsted IN no license agitation. was rather likely
10 forget Election Day altogether and on pleas
ant sundays used to patronze obscure churches
that lay at extraordinary driving distance
from home. His sense of freedom from these
ccmpulsions that are laid upon the strannons
citizen OF New-Engiand very charming
me land of his habtation was far from this
war"
The type OF moral detachment which my old
friend thus eNemplifed is not only charming il
is positively necessary. If the work demanded hyy
productive scho 'arshp-though he was quite
ITanky an unproductiVe schoar!-is adequately
70 he done But newer type Of college pro
lessor is also everywhere IN evidence. The ex-
pert who knows all about railways and bridges
and subways. about gas commissions and cleo
tTical supplies. about currency and banking
Philippine tariffs. Venezuelan boundary lines
the industries of Porto Rico. the classification
Of the civil service, the control of trusts
take my illustration almost at random. and yet
In connection with each topic upon that Varie-
Gated list IL would be possible to point TO col
lege professors who have lately been rendering
4 signal public service These men combine
technical training with practical capacity They
can no longer be brushed aside contemptuously
as mere theorists" They helping to carry
forward the detailed work of governmental de-
partments. and you and are paying for their
travelling expenses and their stenogra pliers,
they ought TO meet every American definition Of
"the practical man't-CThe Atlantic
THE REFORMATION OF CRIMINALS.
AS a part Of the parole system several States
have adopted what are called-inaptly, L think