The Tupelo journal., 1905-10-13
FARMER AND PLANTER.
THE EXPERIMENT STATION.
The Tnrmer's Interest IN Che Exps-
rimcnt station Is Greater Thnn
Many Of Them Imagine.

The real purpose Of the experiment
farm and its relation to the farmers OF
derstood. There seems to be in the
public mind a confusion of the expert
ment farm with a model farm. The
two are by IL les the same; but
that no distinction is made is evident
from the expressions you hear in a
crowd going through an experiment
farm: THAT corn is not as good as
NINE" says one, or John, you can beat
that cotton" Such comparisons show
that the speakers think the crops grown
al the experiment farm are intended
as models for the farmers OF the state.
This Is a mistake. What then is the
purpose of, the experiment farm? 1t
of new crops or new varieties that have
been originated in other sections or are
recommended by individuals to develop
useful crops from native weeds or
grasses, to test methods Of culture AND
fertilization, and to submit the results
to the farmers Of the state in a form
that will. be practically useful.
1t is clear that since the greater part
of its work is really experiment, that
there must be many failures-more fail
ures than successes. The fact is that
the advantage of the experiment sta
tien is just this: To save the individual
farmer the time and expense of making
thncn avporinaonfc and nQnpCcorV fall
ures himself. 1t is cheaper to appropri-
ate MONEY to the purpose and let them
be made once for all than for each OF
us to do this work for himself. 1t is
unreasonable to expect all the crops
we find on the experiment farm to be
successful and useful as models for u
farming. What we have a right to ex-
pect is a clear statement of the meth
DDS, ETC., which have been tested, and
the results of the test, SO that we may
avoid those that are not good and
make use of these that are.
To illustrate: The maypop is perfect
ly familiar to us all, as a weed, n
most of US have enjoyed sucking the
| seed while we were boys. 1t is quite
| possible that from this weed may be
| developed a fruit that would be a source
| of pleasure and profit. On the other
| hand, it is possible that an attempt to
| develop such a fruit would only end
| in failure. Certainly the average farm
| or has no time or money to spend on
its development. Right here comes in
| the experiment station. Through 1t we
| all combine to make the test. The cost
| to each of us is very small, and if the
| attempt Is successful we shall all share
| the benefit.
Or again, our woods are full of wild
| legumes. Some of these with proper
handling may prove equal in feeding
value to clover and alfalfa and, being
| native to our soil, will be easier to
| grow. But no individual has the time
| and money necessary to make the test,
| with the possibility of failure that has
| always to be reckoned with. And so
| we should look to our experiment sta
| lions to do this for us. Their service
in regard to testing new varieties and
| methods of cultivation and so forth is
| similar. And the experiment farms
| have lone much good in these direc-
| rions. Let us judge them by their real
| purpose, and we shall not only be more
lust TO them. but We shall be in a bet
| ter position to get good from then.
On the other hand, the experiment
| stations are sometimes at fault in esti-
mating their obligations to the farm
| ers, by whose will and for whose ad-
/ vantage they have their existence, as
| secondary to their obligation to pure
| science and scientific men. That they
| can and ought to make contribution to
| science is not to be denied. But the
lines of investigation that they pursue
| and the form in which the results OF
| their Investigations are published
| should be determined by the needs OF
| the farmers in their section. The bull
| letin issued should be written in a
| popular and interesting style, and
| should be eminently practical in their
| treatment of the subject. Furthermore,
they should not consist generally in
| statistical tables, ETC., which are r
reading. They should state and inter-
| pret results in the most simple, clear
| and popular style possible. In order to
| do this the men engaged in this work
| should come frequently and intimately
in touch with the people for whcrs
| they work and understand the manner
| of thought and the problems that meet
them.
When the people expect only what is
legitimate from the station, and the sra
| ton realizes it's relation to the people,
we may expect the best results for ag-
| riculture.-B. M. Drake, in Southern
| CultiyatOr.