University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1910-11-28
Little Stories.

year AFTER year, century alLef century,
yet no one heard. Eyes and ears
there We're q plenty but they We're
dead TO the tale. 4 century and
half ago it was heard 1t is the story
under the lid OF The teakettle. the
story Of the power OF steam. that has
changed the industries of the world.
Apples had been falling from trees
rs long as Tree had borne apples yet
not Till Newton came did we know OF
The laws Of falling bodies.
For ages chandeliers had h,en
swinging in cathcGrals and not until
about three and one-hali hundred years
ago did We get the laws OF The Vi
bra5ing pendulum. Gaiiileo read il
as the chandclic: swung 10 and fro.
Thz story o. tha telephone the tel
agraph, and of scores OF ether tlinga
| have been telling themselves through
al! the ages, but not until recent times
nave many Of them been heard.
There is one more story that has
baGIcd men through all the ages and
may continue 70 DO SO. We nav lcng
sought The mystery that men call Efo.
That mysterious something that lroGi
the earth, The air, and the water, puts
the green into the leaf OF the plant,
tn, brown into It's stem the crimson
inro its petal, and gives it its per
fUme. That something, somewhere.
| that out Of these same clements builds
the blood that nonrishcs the ncalt tina.
loves, that builds tna brain hat thinks
and rules the world. We are baGied
SILL The mystery ab,des.
Every being from man 10 the creep
ing thing, every rock. the soil, the
trees. have their story. These stories
are being told irom year 10 year from
scason to season. Irom age TO age yet
now few 30 comprehend?
To the scientist bone Of an ami
nal or its Footprint tells him the
story OF its ex:z, nee. 4 leaf tells
the story Of plant that bore it.
If men could realize that every
plant Of cur fields tells a story of the
&oil n which il grew. a study of these
stories would be a. fascinating as are
tAo stories Of men. !
/. Men do Iove ,hcse stories and do
search for them in so far is their
Knowledge goes.
We see a man in a faded coat of
blue" a sleeve Of which contains no
arm. and We wouId like TO know how
ii happened. We See a man in hand.
cuffs in the company OF ali officer who
wears badge and we seek his story:
IN cur great prisons are men froif
all the stations in iifa each bearing
his burdens that would be interesting
70 know.
1t is so all along the line OF Ifs
that where We see the sign Of some
hidden thing the search begins.
On our farms thee stories are toli
and to the eye of the trained man
are as easily read as is the printed
IDage. The orchard BY its leaves in
ttha autumn tells the story of the soil
in which it grows as to the crops ii
| produces, or how It ias been farmed,
The nitrares stimulate leaf growth.
Legumes add nitrogen TO the soil Non
ieGumes rob the soil Of its nitrogen,
Ihence foster the early falling OF the
leaves. The early falling OF the leaves
stops the work OF the leaf, OF course.
Il its work of forming frui, sugar to
be stored up i'll the sap for future
isc.
While thr leaves are green they are
II work, and as result late lea!
growth means that the sap will be
rich in fruit sugar Clear water will
freeze III - degrees Fahrenheit. but
when soma sugar is added it takes
lower Temperature to freeze it. When
+ i, made nto syrup il does not freeze
1t all. 1t then becomes evident that
late leaf growth WI: prevent The buds
from being killed by freezing where
on the trees that lose their leaves
ary in the season the buds are likely
20 he killed even at much higher
temperature. SO the story is that
iegumes should be grown in an or
cnard that there may be plenty of nj
,r0gen in the soil that the leaves may
he retained on the trees late in the
season the fruit sugar may be stored
in the sap to make it possible for the
buds to endure the greatest amount
OF freezing without damage
The question is often asked as to
Hhether or not the University make.
chemical analysis. of the soil for farm
.era.
The facfS are that thp growing fron