The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-02-17

President COnibea1'S Address
Before Farmers Institute


McCauley told US long ago, viz:
THAT legislators can do no more
than crystalize into law what the
public sentiment already approves .
Or something to that effect.
! AS the nation advances in learn
ing and civilization the farmers will
come along; as they better under
stand their own rights the quicker
public sentiment will be ripe to crys-
talize into laws the measures de-
vised to protect the poor and give all
fair show
/ Since this is the age of Specialize
ton, it is the business of the farm
ers to give their time and attention
to their special business and know
all hey can about it.
These meetings are for the express
purpose of bringing before you the
results of the work of the expert
ment stations. To get some of the
results that have been we'll estab-
lished by actual experiment under
the guidance. of trained minds and
carried out with the help of trained
assistance.
In all ages among farmers there
has been different customs, theories
and practices as we'll as different re-
tsults. Oftentimes the proper causes
for success or failure of this or that
crop has been assigned to the
wrong cause. Who is there among
us that cannot remember when the
failure of the crop was blamed upon
the moon. That is, the crop was
planted in the wrong phase of the
moon.
Since the days of Iceberg who
pOintd out the elements of the soil
as the main factor the more intelli-
gent of mankind have been study
ing the composition of the soil as a
cause. For long time the chemist
! has had the attention of men to
make the earth produce in abunh-
ance, which made them forget about
the moon. 1t was found that chem
istry did not answer all the ques-
tons of soil production.
Then came the comparatively new
science, that of bacteriology and it
shed new light on many of the ques-
tons that arose. When that science
discovered the function of the nitro
gen gathering bacteria and the no.
dulles containing them on the le-
gumes, it opened up new line of
investigation, which has resulted in
giving an entirely new phase to the
matter. Instead of now dealing
with the earth as an inert sub
stance containing the proper chem
ical composition to grow crops, we
lind that we have a new phase of
life to deal with, viz, the bacteria
of the soil whose function is to pre-
pare materials in and of the earth
Tor absorption by plants Hence the
successful farmer of today has to
study the growth and care of his soil
bacteria, which are the LIVING ele-
ments that has much 10 do with the
productivenese of his lands.
These microscopic organisms
cut as large figure in the prepare
ton of food for plants as man does
in preparing proper rood for himself
and his animals.
Everyone now knows something
of the importance of a well-balanced
food for himself and animals. at
least enough to know that it is abb
solutely necessary to keep either in
health to have a balanced ration.
1T will soon be as well understood
that the same laws apply to plants,
hence to the crops.
There is as yet much confusion in
the minds of men as to the results
of this or that practice.
1t is the work of the experiment
stations to determine what is the
proper course to pursue.
The gentlemen that will address
you on the different subjects during
this institute have all been making
a study of the different questions.
Have had opportunities to determine
many questions that the average cul-
tivator does not have. | hope they
will be able to give us light on many
questions that have come to most of
us and that this meeting viii | be
profitable TO all of lis