Evening star., 1927-04-03
Capital Sidelights

of the Department Of Agriculture for
| modern scientific methods was laid by
Yale professors and investigators. DIR.
William NJ. Jardine, Secretary Of
Agriculture, 10 authority for this new
| distinction for ''Old Yale, Mother Of
Men"
The earliest scientific paper on agri.
| culture by a resident OF the English
colonies was that OF John Winthrop,
| jr., first Governor of Connecticut, on
the Description, Culture and Use Of
| Maize" This was read before the
| Royal Society in 1863. The Rev. Jared
Eliot of Killingsworth, Conn, in the
next century. is believed to have been
the first American to publish book
| In 1894 the London Society for the
encouragement of Arts awarded him
a gold medal for his process OF MAX
ing iron and steel from black mag
| netic sand.
Since pioneer days scientific agri-
culture In America has been under
| Yale influence and guidance, DIR.
Jardine says. He points out that
modern scientific study really began
| with John P. Norton, who undertook
| his duties as first professor OF agri-
cultural chemistry ut Yale in 1s47, and
| who. after making a very promising
beginning, died at the early age OF 80.
His plans were carried to fruition by
his pupil, Samuel W. johnson, who
held the aprofessorship of AGRICULTURAL
| chemistry at Yale for 40 years, from
| 1855 to 1898. Prof. johnson is recog-
nized as the father Of agricultural re-
| search in the United States. The work
which he did In the fifties as chemist
| OF the State Agricultural Society in the
| analysis OF fertilizers "for the inforfna-
and protection Of farmers" and, the
exposure of frauds attracted wide at
| tention. AS early as 1854 he advo-
Gated the establishment in this coun-
| try OF agricultural experiment sta
| tions and wrote: What agriculture
] most needs is the establishment of
1 it's doctrines. If agriculturists
| would know, they must inquire. The
| knowledge they need belongs not
to revelation. but to science. and 1t
must be sought as the philosopher
| seeks other scientific truth"
| efforts, the agricultural experiment
station idea first took shape in the
| Connecticut station, which began its
career at Wesleyan University. at
Middletown. in 1878. Prof. w. o.
Atwater, a former student Of John
| sons, was made director. Prof. At
| water laid the foundation Of American
( scientific studies In human and animal
nutrition. The station was incorpo-
rated as a separate institution in 1877
and moved to News Haven. Prof.
johnson became director, and ofilces
and laboratory were supplied by the
Sheffield Scientific School.
| Prof. Johnson's contributions to
| agricultural science were many and
| valuable. "How Crops Crow and
'How Crops Feed are agricultural
| classics. His influence in bringing
science to bear on all the varied
phases Of agriculture was far.reaching.
! The success Of the Connecticut ex-
pertinent station led other States to
follow. DR.. Johnson was active in
developing q wider interest.
Another movement which had an
important bearing on the development
| OF agricultural research was the estab.
| lishment Of the bureau. now the De-
partment OF Agriculture, and the land
grant college system by congressional
acts in 1862.
The Department of Agriculture from
the beginning was planned to be a
national research agency. It has been
gradually developed along these lines
until now 1t is the most extensive re.
search agency of the kind In the
| world, expending for fundamental re-
I @N&%A %Ae 9IcA A4A@ VA 24 Az lLS
| larger aspects more than $4,000 900
a year and employing more than a
| thousand trained investigators, and In
addition a corps Of more than 1000
who assist in the work directly or in
| directly.
| In the days when the tourist tide
| Is commencing to flow into Wash
ington, some slight conception may be
| had Of how the National Capital,
which is the mecca of all patriotic
people awheel, is going to be even
| more than ever q great national rally.
ing ground, as the years roll on and
the Federal-aid highway plan is car
| ried out.
Just think. there were 5000, ,00o, 900
motor bus fares paid in the United
States last year. and the motor bus is
| rapidly replacing the family "fiivver."
| Even now there is very heavy tour
list travel into Washington by busses.
| and there are $4,000 busses In opera.
ton, some $500 Of which are run in
| conjunction with railroads. To meet
this heavier traffic the roads have to
be built stronger. because the ex-
pense incurred in operating over poor
roads represents the difference be-
tween profit and loss.
All the people OF the country are
becoming closer neighbors, with the
| good roads providing the rights of
way over which distances are battered
down by automobile and bus travel.
Under the Federal-aid plan, a system
Of connecting State highways is laid
out, which, when completed, will link
all parts OF the United States with
excellent roads. More than 80 per
cent of the population Of the country
lives within 10 miles Of some portion
Of the Federal highway system so
laid out, and every town in the United
| States OF over 5000 persons Is touched
by a part of the 174,350 miles con-
stituting the system.
| Il = kA
What kind Of trees draw the light.
ming is one Of the new studies that
Uncle Sans scientists are making
| not merely to give very useful infor.
| nation on where II Is wise not to be
when thunderbolts are being let loose.
but especially to furnish valuable
| data on the forest fire hazard, in
view OF the fact that there are on an
average Of $3.50 forest fires a year.
| The forestry experts say that light.
ming probably strikes all species Of
trees, but that European studies indi.
cate that pine, oak and spruce are
most likely to be struck, and beech
Is least likely. An American study
on more than 10000 trees shows that
[ ~ per cent OF the trees hit were vel.
| low pine and Douglas AR. The deduc-
| ton is that smooth-bark trees are
| less likely to be struck than those
| with thick, furrowed bark, and that
dominant trees are more liable than
the shorter trees in the forest.
n = +
A modern Robinson Crusoe might
have considerable difficulty In getting