The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1905-01-03
AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT
STATIONS.

| AdRlSCLt oNAL IsAl INIMLAN
I STATIONS.
The People of Baton Rouge: "W
have taken occasion several times to al
attention to the large sums of none,
which are annually devoted to the main
tenance of the Agricultural Experiment
stations located at Baton Rouge, New
Orleans and Calhoun, and which do no
achieve results commensurate with thu
outlay. -
Under the provisions of the Hatch
bill, the United States government con
tributes $4,000 per annum, plainly ane
exclusively for the Agricultural station
of the Louisiana State University AM
Agricultural and Mechanical College, al
Baton Rouge, and the state 5000 for
this and each of the other two Expert
me1lt stations. Besides upwards of $2o.-
600 per annum is derived from the in
spection of fertilizers. This gives an ag-
gregate of $4,000 per annum for agri-
cultural experiment purposes. These
amounts have been punched and so dis
posed as to minimize the results that
should have flown from judicious and
practical concentrations and divisions OF
work and funds.
The State University has chemical
Laboratories and able professors of chem
istry, to give Theoretical and practical
instruction in this sciencet to the students.
1t has work shops for its Mechanical De
partment conducted BY capable instruc-
tors. It has plenty Of ground Tor the ex-
perimental cultivation Of sugar cane and
everything else. A railroad passes its
doors which traverses the entire sugar
region between Baton Rouge and New
Orleans, from which cane ii every stage
and Of every quality, could Be brought
for perimenting In the chemical labo-
ratories the stud .nts could be given prae-
tiea1 instructed in the analysing Of the
fertilizers.
. Yet, the State pays a rental Of $500
per annum to the city of New Orleans
for the small station at Audubon Park,
where another chemical laboratory, and
another personnel to run it are main
tained, TO araa1yze the fertilizers, operate
the Station and the little hgar house !;
and where a squad of eli. or ten stu
dents follow the courses Of the sugar
school
8 The fact that an installation Of this
character is upon leased ground, should
suffice to condemn the location of this
Station, and suggest its removal to
Baton Rouge. There the students in the
Mechanical Department would learn to
repair the sugar house machinery, and
all of the students in the Agricultural
and Scientific De~-~tnents could acquire
practical and theoretical kr1ow1endge in
the sugar house and the laboratories as
we'll
The saving Of expense, and benefits to
the student corps, by this concentration,
are so obvious ethat further argument
seems superauous,
This concentration should be effected
without delay, and is lien Of this worse
than useless Station at Audubon Park,
the Agricultural Experiment Station
which has long been needed in the prai-
RE country of Southwest Louisiana
should Be promptly established. The
rice interests, the advisability OF utiliz-
ing the water reservoirs Of canals al
ready in operation there, to experiment
in the cultivation Of cane, cotton, corn
and other products, BY irrigation, ali de
naand this change
JudiciousIy handled the funds would
be ample to maintain these three Sta
tions in the most efficient manner, and
they would Be So located geographically
as to prove servieeable TO all sections
and productions in the State.