The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-04-22
No. Il
NITRIFYING BACTERIA IN THE SOL
AND HOW TO PROMOTE THE WORK
OF THESE ORGANISMS,

by the most intelligent farmers that
the value of barnyard manures CON.
sisted only in the actual fertilizing
constituents which such manures
contained in themselves. Strange
as it may appear it is nevertheless
true, that all the advances in chemi.
cal knowledge as related to agrioul-
ture, as we'll as most of the most i'm
portant discoveries, have been made
and worked out by persons who were
not actually engaged in that high
calling. The interest in agrioulSure
felt by early students of chemistry
led them TO investigate the subject
of plant life and plant food this
naturally carried them to the soil,
then TO experiments; experiments
led to new discoveries, controversies
followed, and controversy stimulated
deeper researches. So that opposing
opinions resulted in bringing to light
natures hidden truths, again evi-
denoing the fact that all progress
and all growth is the result of oppos-
ing forces.
And although agriculture is the
oldest high calling ordained for man.
yet it may be regarded as being in
it's infancy today. It's growth and
developments, however, is wonderful
and when
CHEMISTRY GAME TO ITS AID,
it received an impetus and a help
truly wonderful; but it remains yet
for those engaged in it to put into
practice the discoveries already
made.
Many antiquated theories must be
pushed aside in order that the new
discoveries may be put into practice
Already the agricultural schools and
colleges and the experiment stations
are spreading the light and the in
ventive mechanics are at work, bring.
ing as labor saving machines to do
the work with one man that formerly
required twenty or more to do.
TEACHING AGRICULTURE IN THE
SCHOOLS
This is only the beginning. Francs
has set grand example to the world
her efforts to foster and encourage
her agricultural interests-free
schools, where the elementary prin-
ciples and practice of agriculture
horticulture and ar borculture are
taught, children from to 9 years,
and to II beginning with the gar
den. Under the guidance of the
Minister Of Agriculture her boys are
advanced from one grade to another
until they are fully prepared to take
charge of and manage estates, sugar
manufactures, distilling, etc., in all
their technical details as we'll as till
ing the soil, renovating and improv-
ing the fertility of the soil In fact,
their training leaves nothing undons
that pertains TO soil production.
The United States has made a good
beginning, but it is only start com
pared with what it must yet result
in. We need TO have the elementary
principles of agriculture taught in
every rural free and private school,
graded somewhat on the French
plan. Up to within the last half
century we may safely say that the
Americans worked to exhaust our
lands by wearing them out, leaving
them in gullies and washes, turning
out and clearing more, only to repeat
the operation and finally to remove
to newer States in order to pursue
the same old course. But we are
glad TO see signs of revolution the
tide is starting now which is to
usher in new era in American agri-
culture. AS the movement gathers
force we may hope to see in few
years many of our solitary and waste
places blossom and yield their wonted
abundance.
We started out to rite this articla
THE INTERPOLATION GOING ON IN TIE
SOIL,
but for the existence of which our
lands TO day would not support the
people now living on them. Mans
ingenuity to discover and find out
has hardly been as commensurate
with the deterioration of the soil as
in mechanics, nevertheless, and an
important discovery pertaining to
agriculture is made, it is not long be-
fore the advance guard takes it up
and uti1izes it. For many years it
[CoNT1NUED on PAaE8l