The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-02-03
EXPERIMENT STATION.
Pamphlet Just Issued Shows What
Station Accomplished in 1908.

Clemson College, Jan. 27-The
twenty-fifth annual report of the
South Carolina experiment station has
been issued. showing what the station
has accomplished during the past
year. The pamphlet contains the re-
ports Of the director. the chemist, the
horticulturist, the agriculturist, the
geologist. the animal husbandman. the
botanist and bacteriologist. the veter-
marian. the zoologist and entomologist
and the secretary and librarian.
The agricultural division has carried
on experiments on various farm crops
Cotton experiments have been made to
determine the best varities for the Diff
ferent types OF soil in the State, to
find varieties resistant to disease. va
rieties with large boil and higher yield
Of lint. and varieties of better length
and quality Of lint.
Experiments show that to grow al
falfa successfully 1t Is necessary to
use lime, about 1000 pounds per acre.
an abundance of phosphate at time
OF planting and q liberal supply of
stable manure.
The station has reached the conclu-
sion also that the best way to apply
fertilizers to oats, in addition to that
used when planting. is to use ample
supply of nitrate of soda and small
amounts Of phosphate and potash az
top dressing in the spring.
Tests to determine the relative value
Of nitrate Of soda and cotton seed
meal as the source of nitrogen have
led to the conclusion that on poor
soils depleted Of humus nitrate OF soda
gives better results. but that the Sec
ond year cotton seed meal gives better
results.
The determination OF the most econ
omical fertilizers for different kinds of
soils has led to valuable results. OF
the $12.000,000 spent annually for fer
tilizers in this State it is estimated
that 100000 is lost to the farmers
by their not knowing the proper pro-
portions and amounts to use on a
given kind Of soil for a given crop,
and by the failure Of the farmers to
rotate so as to get the best results
from fertilizers applied.
The work Of the horticultural de-
vision In experimenting with grapes,
Irish potatoes, tomatoes, etc.. is given,
showing what has been accomplished
in breeding plants. fruits and vege-
tables, Details of this work will be
given in bulletins.
Studies of the peach crop borer and
how to control it, of the codling moth,
OF the plum curculio and of pecan in
sects have been made by the entomol-
ogist. who has also given much at
tention to the stomach worm and the
hook worm in stock.
The division Of animal husbandry
has come to the conclusion from feed
AH6 -SAPSthAC IudI COTn Sll8Re and
cotton seed meal is the most econo-
mical ration to feed to dairy cattle at
present In this section. Corn silage
can be produced in the State more
economically than in many of the
Northern States, where the dairy in
dustry is a success, and that fact, to-
gether with the fact that the meal
does not have to be hauled long dis
tances at considerable expense. should
make our farmers give the dairy in
dustry the attention which it deserves
The botanist and bacteriologist
spent much time during the year on
the study Of anthracnose in cotton and
how to check and prevent it, as this
disease is now causing the loss Of
thousands of dollars in this tSate.
Other work done by this division was
on diseases Of cotton, wheat and other
grains.