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6 The State pays the actual travelling expenses of the Board, of Directors in attending quarterly meetings but gives them no compensation. This is the only regular charge upon the State made by the Station. A quarterly report is made to the Governor of the expenditures at the Station and an an nual report is published and distributed generally. RESULTS OF WORK OF THE STATION. The Station at Athens was in operation but one year. A good portion of this time was devoted to preliminary prepa ration. Nevertheless, as the results of experiments at Athens, bulletins were published on the following sub hets: The Ash Analyses of Native Woods (two papers). The Origin of Soils Geologically Considered. The Imported Cabbage Butterfly. Experiments with Phosphates and Kainit Applied to Cotton. Preservation of the Sweet Potato in Winter (two papers). • .The Melon-Worm. ,■" | VThe Pickle-Worm. the Cabbage Bug. Jhe Cow-Pea as a Fertilizing Crop. Manure for the Cow-Pea. MbgAalyses of Cattle: Foods. present Station was established July Ist, 1889. A great deal of preliminary and preparatory work was neces sary before any experiments whatever could be undertaken. Since its establishment, however, bulletins have been issued upon the following subjects ; The Cotton Caterpillar. The Potato Sphinx. The Twig Gir filer. “ Southern Drift,’ and its Agricultural Relations. Analyses of Feeding Stuffs. Meteorological Observations for Five Years. Notes on a Destructive Insect. Irish Potato Culture. Potash and Paying Crops (special). Fertilizer Experiments on Corn. S Culture Experiments on Corn. , Variety Tests of Corn. Fertilizer Experiments, Culture Experiments and Variety Tests in Cotton, Sweet Potatoes, Field Peas, Garden Vegeta bles, etc. Field Experiments in Forage Plants, with Analyses of the Products. Analyses and Observations on the Culture of Forage Plants. OBJECTS OF THE STATION. The object of Congress in establishing Agricultural Exper . iment Stations was to provide in each State and Territory an organization and an establishment whose duty it should be to investigate in a thoroughly scientific and accurate manner questions and problems connected with agriculturroj&aHisL fta mandfold k iV.. fj.l.lJ l results oFthe investigations, together with such i kSdred information as might be proper and pracUca rT" ‘ Til e value and utility of such stations has been iadis- T'*" Wa-Rably established by experience in foreign countries and *" ' E* <n some of the States of the Union. Although the law is si oa- the sixb’oet, it was not -expected that each station Kpr would or would undertake isvestigations in all the numerous ®nibjects connected with agriculture (the appropriation to is entirely insufficient for this purpose), but that each jyrould give Its chief attention to the matters which were most important in its particular locality, or for which its special qualifications best fitted it. A Central Station and Bureau at the National Capital, Washington, District of Columbia, which is, in a sense, the head of the experiment stations in the United States, regularly collates the results of work at all the stations and distributes them throughout the country. The experiment stations in the United States are, as yet, in their infancy, and have scarcely had the time or experience necessary to enable them to settle down to the systematic and acceptable work which may be expected of them here after. It is reasonable to anticipate, however, that, in time, by interchange of the wisdom that comes with experience, and by judicious division of labor in investigatioas, they may be ultimately brought to the high standard which com The Georgia ipxperiment Station, in common with the others, is at this disadvantage of the general inexperience, but it hopes to be no laggard in its efforts to attain and main tain a respectable place in the community of stations. For the present the Georgia Station has determined to civeits chief attention to the following lines of investigation: 1. Culture und fertilizer experiments and variety tests of ■ Cotton. \ , 2. Culture <md fertilizer experiments and variety tests of Corn. 3. Culture and fertilizer experiments upon the Sweet Potato. 4. Methods of preservation of the Sweet Potato. 5. Culture experiments on Grasses and Forage crops. 6. Feeding experiments with stock and cattle. 7. Culture and fertiliser experiments upon the Cow-Pea, especially in relation to its use as a manurial crop, k 8 Investigations and experiments in Dairying. Minor investigations will also be conducted in other branches of agriculture and in the various branches of I' Jg horticulture. A portion erf the farm has been specially set ■' apart and arranged for the experimental culture of standard and small fruits. Purely scientific reeetircliee will also be conducted in the chemical laboratory, in hybridizing, etc., ■ as time and opportunity permit. Recognizing the greet diversity in soil and climate in the : State, arrangements will be madi* from time to time to repeat in different part of the State experiments made at the Sta tion, the results of which would probably be modified by such differences in conditions. . x Every farmer must fact that many diffioul • ties attend an experiment and that accurate results can be obtained onlJHHKffully conducted and re peated trials. The variationHflflflMe uncertainty of seasons make it necessary to experiments in many » cases through a long seriegxEMMra before reliable results can be had. Therefore the of the Station and those for whose benefit it is be called upon to exer cise great patience in for the truths involved in the problems of agrictaKUh' BUREAU OF LNnrORMATION. In addition to its chief function as an establishment for investigation, the Station wishes to be also a bureau of in formation for the fa liners of tlhe State. It expects in its bulletins, from time to time, tp publish results of experi ments and work which have belen obtained at other Experi ment Stations and in the laboratories of scientific workers throughout the world, whenyer these results shall be con sidered to be of interest td people of Georgia. The Sta tion will be glad, moreover, ;o render every assistance in its power, in any matter conne ited with agriculture, by infor mation or advice to any fai mer of Georgia who may apply to it in person or by lettqr. Although a creature of the national government and dependent upon its bounty, it is the special servant of the farmers of Georgia, and to serve them acceptably and usefplly shall be its constant aim. That the service may be usfriul, the Board of Directors will endeavor to guarantee by selecting qualified offeers for the work of the Station and holding them strictly to competent and enthusiastic work. TlJjat it may be acceptable requires the co-operation of the farmers themselves who are cordially and earnestly urged to feel land manifest a genuine interest in the work of the Station, |to suggest to the Director any special lines of investigation in which they may be interested and to apply to the Station alt any and all times for such in formation and advice as it may be able to give. To develop this co-operative interest is the object of the present Bulletin. v- By order of the Board of Directors, R. J. Redding, Director. All communications, requests for Bulletins, etc., should be addressed to Georgia Experiment Station, ! Experiment P. 0., Spalding Co., Ga. FORAGE* PLANTS. [GUSTAVE SPETH, Horticulturist.] y If xve inquire into the causes of the decline of the fertility of our soil, and into the causes of the exhausted collection of some farm land as demonstrated by the great area of abandoned faring in our Southern as well as in some of the New England States; if we go oni step further and analyze the different methods and systems, or we might gcJ still further and say, if we look at the careless modes of farming, without system or method, we cannot fail to at tribute it greatly to the sinful neglectlof the cultivation of forage crops, and consequently to the serious falling off live stock. It is recognized by the whole larmilg world that live stock and the careful attention to all their wants and sustenance are the most prominent factors in the economy of successful farming. The experience of the old world hasflong established the fact that the pros perity of the farmer, that the productivjness of the soil, is in proportion to the amount of live stock maintained and thu extent to which the cultivation of nu tritious forage plants is carried. The productiveness of the soil dep< ads upon the amount of plant food it contains and upon the supply of maiiurial matter to replace the elements assimilated by the growing plants and lemoved with the crop. This is recog nized as the basis of suecessful farming! It must therefore be a matter consideration to supply the most sucoWul production of crops. It is not our object to detail tl» diArent ways in which the desired result can be obtained, er to mere LWtff*WMi|ly attend to tlug different sources within the reach of every farmer, so far as i is closely connected with the object of this bulletin—the cultivation of foragtplanls. The sources which we have to consider in this connection are, let, com meceiaSi fertilizers; 2d, green manuring ,3d, barnyard manure. ' * > The value of commercial fertilizers is 'oo well known to require more than a passing notiee; but while we advocate .is use only as a supplement and addi tfien to our home-made manures, we camot strongly ewengh protest against its injudicious uae, eaaetespiy and sometines purposely neglecting the means of developing the manorial resources of he farm. If we ceiwult the statistics in regard o the use of commercial fertilizers we find, that the States are the largest consumers; we will also find ttait our Southern States are the largest constmera of forage crops raised outside our States. if we did not daily see train loads of western hay and corn pass before our eyee we were loth to believe it, and thi| in a country and climate where stock can be pastured the larger part of the jftar, where green food can be obtained for the Kime period, and where some of jhe most nutritious forage plants grow in luxury and perfection. The cause of this abnormal condition therefore cannot be attributed to the eoil or climate. It is to be charged to the present methods of farming, the criminal neglect of fodder and food pExiucts, the waste of the manorial re sources of the farm, the injudicious use of commercial fertilizers, and the one crop system—the cultivation of cotton yesr after year on the same land. GRItEN MANURING. The results obtained from green manuring confirm its importance in eco nomic farm operations. In former years it was thought necessary that land, after a number of yearn of cultivation, should reet a eeasocx for recuperation. It was consigned to a rest from the plow and to the enjoyment of a growth of weeds (which by dropping their seeds infested the land); the volunteer vegetation was turned under for the benefit of the soil. This method is now almost universally abandoned, and a system of rotation involving the cultivation pf sveh crops as recuperate the soil, and the planting of special plants to be turned under as a mechanical and chemical factor—the improvement of the soil—has replaced the old system. The great family of leguminous plants offers a large number of species from which to select for almost any soil and climate for the purpose. While clover enjoys a luxuriant growth in the colder zones, our Southern States is the home of the cow-pea, the most important plant in the economic system of rotation, while the value of otl>er leguminous plants, such as vetch and lucerne, is already well estaldislied. The roots of theate plants penetrate deep into the soil, drawing their food sup ply from strata out of reach of most of our cultivated plants. It is claimed that they have thelpower of assimilating nitrogen, the most costly fertilizing element, from the atmosphere. Four-fifths of th<» weight of the air is nitrogen. Every eqnare inch of the surface of our glob e is exposed to the influence of nearly twelve pounds of nitrogen, which, if i ivailable for the production of our food supply, would prove an exhaustless ston > of the most costly fertilizing element. This question of i .be ability of the leguminous plants has attracted the atten tion of scientists. ■ fa. While the reeem ches of Atwater, Htllriegel and others imply that legu minous plants acqt ire large qualities nitrogen from the air during their period of growth, s md that the ability to free nitrogen depends largely on the presence of the n >-calkxi nwt-||berclcß, or bulb like enlarge ments, sometimes c ailed “ warts, ’gwhich have their source in the action of certain microbes in tl>e soil, yet many physiologists still adhere to the teach ings of Boussingaullthat plants cannot use the free nitrogen of the air, and that they are depeni lent upon thaffttOrel in the roil or supplied in manures. The highly intert sting results of' Fnumowslri*s experiments coincide with those obtained by . Ltwater and otht-rt, so that, it cannot be doubted that the bacteria are the onl cause of thelpower of plants to acquire the free nitrogen of tha air, and as thd bacteria have their seat in the root tuber cles, i. e., in those forgans which, b 4 the action edithese bacteria, are create I by the plant, it is conclusive that the root •tiberdeskre the organs through which the free atmospbefric nitrogen is assimilated. Some of the legumes produce large quantities of forage of a highly nutritious rharacter, their dense foliage protecting the soil froih baking, washing and parching to which it is exposed by the clean culture of our 1 staple products— cotton and corn. If turned under green they furnish the soil with" an ance of plant food drawn from that immense storehouse—the deep subsoil, and acquired from that inexhaustible supply—the atmosphere above. But in the system of rotation the legumes are especially valuable, since theflH stubble and roots left in the soil after gathering the crops furnish an abund ant supply of vegetable mailer, so important, in our hot climate, to keep the soil MM moist, loose and friable. The roots and stubble of an acre of average cow-peas contains about 22.6 pounds nitrogen; 5.9 pounds phosphoric acid, and 14.5 pounds of potash* This will represent about 280 pounds of cotton seed meal; 60 pounds of acid phos phate,and 115 pounds kainit. z ? The harvested crop of peavines from the same area contains about pounds of nitrogen; 20 pounds of phosphoric acid, and 68 pounds of potash; ** " which would represent an application of about 1,200 pounds of cottoa seed meal, 200 pounds of acid phosphate (at 10 %), and 550 pounds of kainit. Naturally the yield of the crop and the amount of roots and stubble vary (. with the condition of the soil. The larger the yield of vines, the larger the j amount of roots and stubble. The larger the amount of these materials in > and upon the soil the larger the share of plant food for the benefit of further crops. To illustrate the beneficent effect of cow-peas turned under for the produc tion of wheat, we copy the results of experiments performed at the North Carolina Experiment Station, by Prof. J. R. Chamberlain. The peas were sown in June, at the rate of 2 bushels per acre, turned under in October, and the land sown to wheat November 12, together with the different fertilize!s. o E Application of Fertilizer r . .Yield without Yield with o - per Acre. VOSI - Peavines. Peavines. ' ■ n * 2 bush. 30 lb 20 bush. 50"1b7 2 3001 b. kainit 255 4 bush. 22} lb 21 bush. 401 b. 3 300 lb. Acid Phosphate 270 4 bush. 10 lb 25 bush. 50 lb. f 175 lb. Acid Phosphate... 4 { 87} lb. Cotton Seed Meal 294 3 bush. 32| lb 24 bush. 10 lb. (. 37| lb. Kainit.. ! o - y-v; -; 1 bufih - 40 lb 15 bush. 501 b. 6 300 lbs. Cotton Seed Meal 360 5 bush. —lb 12 bush. 4211 b. (" 350 lb. Acid Phosphate 7 ] 175 lb. Cotton Seed Meal 588 11 bush. 52| lb 25 bush. 25 lb (75 lbs. Kaijiit The following remarks we find important to copy: “The winter of in this locality, was severe on all winter grain. Tri 4 many instances whole fields, on very good land, W§sfe injured. AU, of tiie,,jdote J in this experiment have the same exposure; all ml well drainod and suVfectt ’■ '"JB to the same external conditions. Ou some of the on othe.rs not. The plots injured were those no peavines had been '‘(".l plowed under.. On these plots the plants development, both on top and root, probably from want of food ; the Btfong plants growing where pea vines were plowed under could withstand tl ie bad weathe\, and ultimately produced good growth and crops.” r The above results correspond with of the writer obtained in former yeans in the cultivation of cotton and osto nu j detailed in a report to the R. Co. Agricultural Society. As in Lie abovfc experiment, the application of mixed minerals (acid phosphate and potash I proved to be the cheapest fertilizer in the cultivation of those staple crops d on land on which a crop of cow of peavines been removed. The maiifirial value of the cow-peas depeixis upto the large amount of plant food they contain, upon their power of assimilating Wg® amounts of nitrogen from the atmosphere as well as from the soil, their ability,-on account of) their large root development, to penetrate deep into the obtainji their M nourishment. | sRH If the vines, or enly the stubble, be turned under, these, with in flfl the Boil, dccompoee and furnish available plant food for future crops. ]|g In ii..• v(.i.wi s y offs-.- ■■ ■ ■ ; pwyfais 11« a:-" r.r.-n.ii i:; i hn>v < r ■>' .irfr !;■ '.r- - - '<ll <l>l '?;■< 'O ratiuual method -ji rotation. fIEfIBN ' " ■ • BARNYART) MANURBS. 1 Sj-gtomatfe rotation necessitates the cultivation of forage plants, while it includes the carefal feeding and management of farm stock as the first step to- -- wards an intensive system of farming, in opposition to the extensive one ; eo much practiced in the South. A German scientist, who has devoted much of his time to experiments in stock fading, expresses/his conclusions in these words: “The more forage the more manure; the larger the cvpqfthe more money in the end.” These words are eminently true. In the economical system, of farm manage ment and feeding of live stock, the develofiing of the manorial resources of the farm, on which the remunerative production of our crops pivots, depends on the amount of forage produced and consumed on the farm. The manurial value of the animal excretions depends on the composition of the various articles used in feeding. Most of the elements removed from the soil in the different forage crope are returned to the soil, to add, with the aid oi nature’s silent forces, new plant food for future plants, after having served its purpose as food for our farm stock. -- The constituents of the different foods in relation to the support of animal life are divided into three groups, nilrogeneaut, non-nitrogenema and mineral con stituents. Each has its special office to perform in building up the system and sustaining animal life. The nitrogeneous eompounds, or albuminoids, are especially necessary for th© formation of muscle, sinew and milk ; the non-nitrogeneous, or carbohydrates, supply fuel to maintain the natural heat and energy of the body, and they are also stored up in the fatty tissues of its various parts; while the mineral com pounds, although found in every part of the body, are chiefly devoted to th© formation of the bones. These non-nitrogeueous compounds in the different foods are composed of hydrogen, oxygen and carbon —the elements which the plants assimilate from the soil and atmosphere without affecting the fertility of our land. The minerals furnish the material from which the bones are largely built up; they form the eeeential constituents of the bfood and various other juices in the animal body. The most valuable elements whiqh we remove from the soil in removing the crop are the nitrogenous and mineral compounds. If we compare the different food constituents "with"thelr tfse in thte ahitaai mechanism, we cannot but admire the wonderful work of nature’s laboratory. The non-nitrogeneous compounds, or carbohydrates of the food, have their source in the air of the soil and the atmosphere that surrounds us. They ar© therefore without influence upon the fertility of our soils; they are either con sumed in the’animal body, or stored as fatty secretions. The mineral and nitrogeneous compounds of some plants (while others may assimilate the nitrogen from the air) com© from the soil, which is thereby made so much the poorer by this loss of plant-food. But as nearly all those elements are again found in the liquid and solid ex cretions, after having served their purpose in the animal body, and being re turned to the soil, they leave the land —taking into consideration the stubble and roots left from the cultivation of forage plants—in as good or better condi tion than before, notwithstanding at the same time very large quantities of forage are removed therefrom. It is claimed by many farmers of some of our forage plants to be very ex haustive to the sori. This is true where large quantities are removed there from, but if consumed on the farm, the manure carefully collflbted and re turned to the soil, almost all that has been removed is returned to maintain the fertility that existed before. ♦Analyst taken from Ston ’s S. hoo» Expesimem S’at on KeporU