The weekly herald. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 1906-19??, 1907-04-18

| lthlh,
Grass experimental,
Alfalfa experlments--2S,
Cow Pea experimental,
Sugar Beet experiments-36
Flax experiments-l0
Millet experIments-l5.
There are 40 experiments regard
Ing the time, depth and manner of
plowing, narrowing and like farming
questions.
The methods OF doing the work
involved in these $500 experiments
and the way we have to arrange the
planting and ground to keep the seed
pure and get uniform and comparable
results Is a. thing that one cannot
tell about on paper of this kind and
II must be studied Just as carefully
as any OF you professioal men study
your lines OF work, / will not at
tempt to describe these things, but
will mention briefly the general
scope of some OF our projects.
Small Grain Investigations.
The departments small grain work
is conducted in three ways-with
state stations, with farmers and with
our own stations where no other sta
tons are available. Amarillo is the
central operating point for a large
end of the plains country extending
up into Kansas and Colorado, Our
experiments here coordinate with
those farther up north and the re-
suits here aid greatly in understand
ing the results at other places, For
this work we go to Europe Asia or
| Africa as the need arises for seed
and information. The best home
grown and the best liked local vari-
ties are always grown alongside all
the other kinds we can get and all
the methods Of cultivation and plow-
ing that can be suggested are tried
out. After a few years we eliminate
most OF the things and get at the
best ones, so as to find which one
will finally be the best. We are run
ming regular experiments where we
Fchange seed with Kansas and Cali
ffolnia. Mr.. Cartoons office at Wash
! ington among other things has four
chemists busy on the baking quail
Tity of the wheats which his stations
send in. Then the plant diseases
and the insect troubles of the grains
are studied.
Dry Land Agriculture Investigations.
one of our most important lines of
experimenting is that relating to
the actual farming operations, AS
already stated this work covers 10
diffenent things. Now, to show the
difference that we have made in the
plans for this place, l will simply
tell how this one branch of the farm
is planned out. Instead of working
for years and trying to settle all
farming questions for all time, 1t
has been deemed advisable to go at
these things in a more rational man
ner and work together with other
| farms which are situated in similar
locations. Therefore carefully
planned start has been made with
the hope that the practical ends in
view would appeal to the public and
insure the continuation of the ex-
periments.
During the past few years you and
THE rest of the West have heard a
great deal about irrigation and dry
farming; you have learned more or
less of the ways to best utilize your
rainfall for the production of crops
and have been told Of the Dust
Mulch, Summer Fallow and Camp
bells system. Those are the things
which we are trying to work out.
The way to get crops without much
rain has been known for ages, and
any of you who have Travelled
know that marvellous things are pos
sible in this work But a recent set
Element Of a great part of this coun-
try has called your attention to
some of these things and you are of
the opinion that 1t is all we'll known
and worked out into a regular sys-
tem-which IS not the case. We
have planned to Investigate 46 Of
these so-called systems and have
doubled them up and cross changed
parts Of them until 1t makes the 10
experiments which | have already
mentioned. You will see that we are
therefore not working out any one
mans hobby, or trying to prove the
contention of any enthusiast Such
work will not be easy and It cannot
rest on one years figures. The
summer fallow for instance, raises
good crops, but it makes one rop only
eveery other year; So therefore, 1t