The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1920-04-08
EXHAUSTIVE EXPERIMENTS ARE BASIS OF
AGRICULTURAL ADVANCES, But TAKE time

Experimental Farm at 6s'tsvItse, Nd.
Ar eelns
<Psapared by the United States Depart-
mont Of Agriculture.)
The scientific experiment Is a slow
process, but 1t is the best way in the
world to get facts.
The slowness Of it is one of tho
reasons why the farmer, even though
he IL q scientist, cannot make the ex-
p4iments for himself. He has not
the time to devote to them. Then.
sometimes a great many experiments
have to be tried before one Is made
Inst produces the desired results. The
farmer cannot afford the numerous
experiments that may not get satisfac-
tory results for the sake Of the one
that does.
Here Is an illustration Of the kind
OF experiment that, from the stand
Doint Of the length Of time 1t takes, no
16rmer could undertake for himself
u business proposition. The United
States department Of agriculture
Esunted to know whether the milking
tendency in beet cattle is transmitted
mainly by the dams through the male
nne of descent, and to what extent
TIE milk-giving function of the dam
Influences the beef character Of the
proesny. An experiment to determine
dose facts was begun In 1915. 1t
wm not be completed until 1885. But
1t the end Of that 20year period the
department of agriculture will know
noee facts, and every farmer In the
United States may know them just
>s thoroughly as If he had devoted
20 years of his own life to working
them out.
BENEFIT for Human Beings.
This is one. of the experiments Of
the bureau Of animal industry, and,
like all the experiments of that bureau,
has as it's object the improvement of
tive stock. But it has been repeat
edly proved that work for the I'm
provement of live stock always has
an Indirect, and frequently direct,
beneficial effect on human beings
Here is an illustration Of direct benefit:
Horses sometimes die of what Is
known as forage poisoning. The bu-
reau of animal industry began expert
meats to determine the cause Of that
poisoning. The bacillus botulinus was
inezfminated. Experiments were begun
h develop serum that would protect
against botul1nus poisoning. A sheep
was finally immunized and quantity
Of serum made from its blood. Then,
one day, word came to the bureau that
a little girl had contracted botulinus
poisoning from ripe olives and was
dying. The serum-prepared with the
IDEA Of projecting horses against for
are poison-was rushed from WASH
inKton to New York, and the little
girls life was saved. Cases Of botu-
linus poisoning, from canned goods
and other foods, have frequently
caused the death Of entire families,
and there has previously been no re-
lief for It.
Experiments prove theories or dis
prove them, and one may be Just as
significant as the other. There has
long been theory that COW would
1--WE more milk If MIXED at regular
times every day than If MIXED IT.
regularly: The department of agri-
culture tried it out on scale SUI
ficiently large to make certain Of the
facts, and found that, so far as pro-
duction is concerned, there Is no note
worthy difference between regular and
irregular milking, although regularity
is usually desirable for other reasons.
In the experiment the feeding hours
were regular throughout. More differ
ence might be found If both feeding
and milking were irregular, as Is the
case on many farms. It has always
been the common opinion, also, that
a COW would give more milk II she
had water constantly before her than
II she were watered once or twice a
day. The department is experiment.
ing on that, and has reached the ten
tative conclusion that the advantage
OF water continuously lies mainly in
the saving Of labor rather than in a
greater production Of milk.
Question Of WalloWs.
There was another common theory
on which people were divided. Some
men said that a hog would do better
II be had water to wallow in. Other
men of equal experience said there
was nothing to it; that a wallow had
nothing to do with the prosperity of
a hog. The department made some
experiments, and found that hog
does gain weight more rapidly II he
has access to wallow than II he has