University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1910-10-18
WORLDS LARGEST
LABORATORY At M.U,
College of Agriculture Uses
Natures Own Work
Shop.
678 ACRES IN FARM
Classes Are Held in Fields
Practical Object Lessons
Given.

herself. Nature is one subject that
is never exhausted and is always in
teresting. 1t is the study of this
great teacher that the student of az
riculture is most vitality interested in.
Instead of listening to some lecture
on theoretical subjects, in a pent-up
lecture room, the agricultural student
is out in the fields, breathing the pure
air of heaven, hearing her chorus Of
joyous birds. and learning direct from
nature herself His work is practical
and not theoretical. He can apply it
after he has got out in the world.
When he is told that a feed of two
parts of some one kind of feed and
three parts of some other kind, mixel
together, is the best to feed COW for
dairy purposes, it means more to him
and will be of more benefit in after
life, than if he were told that X
squared plus Y squared equals z
squared is the equation of the circle.
Gets Acquainted With Soil.
First of all he gets acquainted with
the soil. This is the ground work of
the farmers knowledge. He must
know the nature and kind of soil with
which he has to deal and what soil is
best adapted to the raising of a GER
tain kind of crop. He must know
whether this soil has the elements suf-
ticient to raise good corn crop and
in it does not possess them, how ne
must go about to put the proper ele-
ment in them. To find this out he
must go out and get the soil. He has
to dig in the earth and observe and
if he is not sure, to take it into his
laboratory and subject it to a cheml-
Cal analysis.
When he has determined just what
mis- soil is and what it's elements are.
he must know how to prepare it to get
the best results. To do this he goes
to the soil itself and experiments. If
deep blowing will conserve the mois-
ture and release the plant food better
than shallow blowing, he determines
this out in the field, and not by read
ing book by the light of a smoky
lamp. And after he has decided on
just what kind of blowing he wants
to give his crop, then comes in the
question of how he will do it. What
kind of pillow or farm tool is the best
to use. Will he employ common
moleboard plow or will he use one of
the later model disc plows. He can
know only by actual experience, just
what kind of pillow will work on his
ground.
Wat Kind Of Motive Power?
The kind of pIow determined the
question of motive power comes in.
Can he use a steam pillow to advan-
tage. If he has very large farm,
in all probability this will be an econ
omical way of blowing his ground. He
must know of the different types Of
plows and their uses. To meet this |
need a great building filled with all |
kinds of machinery for farm use, is on |
the state farm.
Sees How Machine Works.
The student is given demonstrations
Of how this machinery will perform
by seeing it in actual operation and
operating it himself. If he decide to |
Use horses for his motive power, it is
necessary to know what type of horse
can do his work the best and cheap
est for him.. To meet this need. there
IS great horse barn, filled with the
:ypes of animals best fitted to farm
needs. He is taken to the barn and |
given actual work in judging these |
horses, detecting their faults and see
ng them in working condition. He
S taught how to feed and care for |
hem in order that they may do their
pest work.
When the ground is prepared, ne
must next know what to sow on it |
md how much. He has to determine
What elements the crop he is going
o sow requires from the soil and then
low on the plot of ground containing
hese elements. And the selection
VI seed is an important matter. To
'nable the farmer to select the best
eed, classes in grain judging, in ex- {
mining and grading grains are held. b
The student is taken out into the open
ields and selects the grains that will
row best. There is no guess work
bout it. He knows to an absolute
ertainty the characteristics of a good
ar of corn, or a good head of wheat. l.
Learns How to Sow Seed.
When he has selected his seed. he II
lust know when and how to SOW it.
lie learns that certain slopes are beet
aort,;,, E;ndc nf |