The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-04-08
AGRICULTURE IS
A GREAT SCIENCE
Lecturer Says Farming Is
Most Important Indus
try of World.

j, Kansas City. April S.-How about
shat bald headed" lawn? You SOW
and SOW bluegrass and 1t withers and
dies. Why don't those hens in the
city lot lay eggs when you are paying
the grocer 80 cents a dozen?
Teach the boys and girls in the city
schools the underlying principles of
agriculture and you will bet the an
Hwer TO those and good many other
necessary problems, said Professor >.
NJ. Jordan, OF the Missouri State uni.
vergity In lecture at the Central
High school
To whatc extent should the boys
and girls in the city schools be taught
agriculture? The answer Professor
Jordan gave To that question was a
recitation of facts that were interest.
ing and somewhat startling 10 the au.
diencc of business men. school teach
ers and high school pupils.
when I left high school" he said,
81 knew all about geometry, the Per
sian invasion of Greece and Napol-
cons disastrous march To Moscow. but
] didn't know how to feed n pig, prune
tree, or prepare balance ration to
make "A COW give lots of good milk.
don't mean that We should do away
with the intellectual and academic
learning. bur the boys and girls who
In addition To- that will know how To
husband the fertility of the soil. and
our agricultural resources are 10 be
the nations saviours. our only hope.
A Nations Mistake.
THE worlds most important indus
try Ia agriculture" he added. s'because
II liz our oaly means of existence.
Our soils fertility is our wealth
Gods great first gift. Our system of
education has not looked to the prep
aration of r,en to husband our soils
fertility and has not trained them in
agriculture. That system has not only
not qualified the tiller OF the soil for
his work. but il has taken from the
soil our brightest men. Our nation
has asked for the most perfect man
hood TO spend much time and oppor-
tunity In what Is called the nations
defense. II has left the incapable be.
hind TO work the fields and these in.
capables are destroying the soils fer
tility as fast as bad methods can do
It,"
The lecturer said the soil should be
kept busy intelligently and revealed
the simplicity of learning how to do It,
Let the Cut Grass Lie.
Professor Jordan told of farms that
are held AT prices ten times higher
than they were in 1875 and are pro.
ducing smaller crops because the ear.
~ farmers knew nothing about renew
ing the soil The abandoned farms
of New England were cited as a warn
ing Of the dangers facing the country
from lack Of knowledge of the soil,
which he said should be possessed by
every boy and girl.
ut doesn't need a chemical analy-
sis" he said. ito know that the lack
of the deep. rich green in the first leaf
of the corn stalk Is due to lack of nj.
trites I'm the soil and il is "A simple
thing to know that to bet some of the
millions OF dollars of nitrogen over
our heads into the impoverished soil
IL to give the soil humus-decayed
vegetable matter. Instead of using
the lawn rake and the grass catcher
behind your lawn mower. let the grass
lie. In a few days II will disappear
into the soil"
The lecture was one of series to
be given under the auspices of the az.
ricultural department of the state uni.
versity Next Saturday night Profess
sor Horace T.. Majoss will lecture at
tn central high school on the flower
garden.