The Yale expositor., 1918-06-27
Can Secure Timely Assistance
From Specialists If They But
Know How to Go About It.
N. A. C. IS HEADQUARTERS
Making Up Of Rations, Testing Of
Soils and Combating OF Plant Dis
eases Few of Things Col
lege Does.
BY EARL r. TRIANGULAR.
Michigan Agricultural College.

East Lansing, Mich.-Harvey John
son was lord and master over q farm
In Kent county, well groomed place,
with 300 broad, rolling acres of thor
oughly fitted land. Every building
and animal bespoke able management.
But even 30, Johnson was not who'll
ly content. His wheat he observed,
was yielding only Is to 20 bushels to
the acre, while one of his progressive
neighbors with an almost identical
type of soil was securing yields of 25
bushels or better. For some reason
Johnson found he simply couldn't
bring up his yields, even with liberal
manuring and the planting of superior
strains of grain
Must be something else lacking In
the SOIL" he finally concluded.
Johnson had fallen into the habit,
when confronted with problems some
what beyond the reach of his own
extensive farm knowledge, OF taking
up matters with the college. So now
he gathered up a number of typical
examples of his soil, placed them In
bottles and forwarded them to the
soils department of NJ. A. c. for ex-
animation.
about all your land needs" the de-
partment wrote back in few days, ais
q good dose Of lime" Johnson acted
on the suggestiOn-that was two years
ago. Last year the college received
this message from him:
my yields have jumped up FIVE
bushels to the acre"
Now 1t cannot be said that Johnson
Is by any means an average farmer.
II he was, he would never have thought
of submitting soil sample to M. A. c..
for In the course of much travelling
about the state l have learned that
most agriculturists, and this includes
many a prosperous farmer, are but lit
tie familiar with the opportunities
which exist for the securing of assist
ance from the college and the state.
In some quarters the idea still per-
sists that about all the college does Is
produce NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. its work
is threefold, for besides educating stu
dents II maintains as well an expert
agricultural problems and an extension
service for aiding the farmer directly.
IL is with this service that jewellers
In the country will find il most con-
venient to become acquainted.
How can the extension service be
used7 A query of this kind might be
answered in a typically Yankee fash
/
a physician or lawyer be useA?' If
| you find yourself doubled up with
pain with which you are unfamiliar,
you call in the family doctor. If you
are a farmer and you stroll into your
potato patch some morning to find
your tuber plants In bad way, II is
possible TO make use of the extension
service Of the college by calling In the
plant pathologist (plant doctor) or by
submitting TO him few diseased
plants. In such case all that would
be necessary would be TO wrap up a
few of the plants in box and mail
them to the department of botany, in
East Lansing.
Upon receiving the specimens the
|
day or two letter will come back in
forming you that your crop is suffer-
ing from black leg. rhizoctonia, wilt,
or any one of the many Affections to
which the potato is susceptible. If the
pathologlst cannot tell you how the
sick plants can be saved, he at least
can usually place You in possession of
| 70 nh fol,
your potatoes in the future.
This is only one way in which the
college and the extension service can
be used. II you are dairyman with
number of feeds on hand and you
are undecided just what mixture of
them would make the best balanced
ration, an inquiry addressed TO the
dairy department of NJ. A. G. will prob
ably secure you the information you
desire.
In fact expert advice can be obtain
ed from the dairy and animal hus-
bandry men of the college on almost
any question bearing upon the breed.
ing and feeding of live stock. whether
the animals be dairy or beef cattle, or
sheep and swine.
Or II you are considering purchasing
some commercial feed and are doubt.
full about It's exact feeding value, IL is
usually possible TO obtain It's "pedl
gree" from the chemistry experiment
station by mailing TO Prof. A. J. Pat
ten the brand or trade name of the
feed, with the name and address OF
manufacturers. The same can be done
with fertilizers. This one department
Of the college through its work in this
field, has probably saved the eagricul
turists of the state from more frauds
than any other agency created for the
protection Of the farmer.
Occasionally II is not feed and fer
tilizer problems that concern the coun
trymen so much as It is insect pests
maggots In the beans, grubs in IN.
corn. or fies In the wheat. For deal