About The Sandersville herald. (Sandersville, Ga.) 1872-1909 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 3, 1891)
Tin* 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 tit the Station and an an nual report is published and distributed generally. RESULTS OK WORK OK TIIK 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 tit Athens, bulletins were published on the following sub jects: 1 he Ash Anah ses of Native Woods (two papers). The Origin of Soils Geologically Considered. The Imported Cabbage Butterlly. Experiments with Phosphates and Kninit Applied tc Cotton. Preservation of the Sweet Potato in Winter (two papers). The Melon-Worm. The Pickle-Worm. The Cabb ige Bug. Tiie Cow-Pea as a Fertilizing Chop. Manure for the Cow-Pea. Analyses of Cattle Foods. The present Station was established July 1st, 1SSD. A great deal of preliminary and preparatory work was neces sary before tun experiments whatever could be undertaken. Since its establishment, however, bulletins have been issued upon the following subjects : The ('often Caterpillar. The Potato Sphinx. The Twig G irdler. “Southern Drift,’ and its Agricultural Delations. Analyses of Feeding Stull's. Meteorological Observations for Five Years. Notes on a Destructive Insect. I rish Potato Culture. Potash and Paying Crops (special). Fertilizer Experiments on Corn. Culture Experiments on Corn. \ ariety 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 OK 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 1 ho rough ly s. lent i fie and accurate manner questions and problems connected with agriculture in till of its manifold branches and to distribute free among the people the results of the investigations, together with"such other kindred information as might be proper and practica ble. The value and utility of such stations has been imlis- Aitably established by experience in foreign countries and in Borne of the States of the Union. Although the law is si- iwiit on the subject, it was not expected that each station could or would undertake investigations in all the numerous subjects connected with agriculture (the appropriation to each is entirely insufficient for this purpose), but that eacli would 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, \\ ashington, 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 *11 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 investigations they may be ultimately brought to the high standard which com monly marks American achievements in any undertaking. The Georgia Experiment Station, in common with t he others’ is at this disadvantage of the general inexperience, but •t.hopes to be no laggard in its efforts to attain and main tain a respectable place in the community of stations. I or the 'present the Georgia Station has determined to give its chief attention to the following lines of investigation: 1. Culture and fertilizer experiments and variety tests of Cotton. 2. Culture and fertilizer experiments and variety tests of Corn. 8. Culture and fertilizer experiments upon the Sweet Potato. 4. Methods of preservation of the Sweet Potato. [>. Culture experiments on Grasses and Forage crops <i. Feeding experiments with stock and cattle. 7. Culture and fertilizer experiments upon the Cow-Pea, especially in relation to its use as a manurial crop. 8. Investigations and experiments in Dairying. Minor investigations will also be conducted in other branches of agriculture and in the various branches of horticulture. A portion of the farm has been specially set apart and arranged for the experimental culture of standard and small fruits. Purely scientific researches will also be conducted in the chemical laboratory, in hybridizing etc as time and opportunity permit. Recognizing the great diversity in soil and climate in the ctule, anaugements will be made from liwo to time Lo 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. . Every farmer must appreciate the fact that many difficul ties attend an experiment in agriculture, and that accurate results can be obtained only by carefully conducted and re peated trials. The variations and the uncertainty of seasons make it necessary to extend the Bame experiments in many cases through a long series of years before reliable results can be had. Therefore tlie officers of the Station and those for whose benefit it is established will be called upon to exer cise great patience in their search for the truths involved in the .problems of agriculture. BUREAU OK INFORMATION. In addition to its chief function as tin establishment tor investigation, the Station wishes to be also a bureau of in formation for the farmers of the State. It expects in its bulletins, from time to time, to publish results of experi ments and work which have been obtained at other Experi ment Stations anil in the laboratories of scientific workers throughout the world, whenever these results shall be con sidered to be of interest to the people of Georgia. The Sta tion will be glad, moreover, to render every assistance in its power, in any matter connected with agriculture, by infor mation or advice to any fanner of Georgia who mav npplv to it in person or by letter. 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 usefully shall be its constant aim. That the service may be useful, the Board of Directors will endeavor to guarantee by selecting qualified officers for the work of the Station and holding them strictly to competent and enthusiastic work. That it may be acceptable requires the co-operation of t lie farmers themselves who are cordially and earnestly urged to fool and 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 at 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 tlio present Bulletin. By order of the Board of Directors, 11. J. Redding, Director. All communications, requests for Bulletins etc., should bo addressed to Georgia Experiment Station, Experiment 1*. ()., Spalding Uo., Ga. FORAGE rLANTS. [GUSTAVE SFETII, Horticulturist.] Tf wo inquire into the causes of the decline of the fertility of our soil, and Into the onuses of the exhausted condition of sonic farm laud us demonstrated by the great area of abandoned farms in our Southern os well as in sonic of the New England States; if wo go one Bte[> further and analyze the different methods and systems, or we might go still further and suv, if wo look ut tho careless modes of farming, with ait system oi; method, we cannot fail to at tribute it greatly to tho sinful neglect of tho cultivation of forage crops, and consequently to the serious falling off of farm live stock. It is recognized by tho whole farming world that live stock and the careful attention to all their wants and sustenance are tho most prominent factors in tho economy of successful farming. The experience of tho old world has long established the fact that the pros perity of the farmer, that tire productiveness of the soil, is in proportion to the amount of live stock maintained and tho extent to which the cultivation of nu tritious forage plants is carried. The productiveness of tho soil depends upon the amount of plant food it contains and upon the supply of manurial matter to replace the elements assimilated by the'growing plants and removed with tho crop. This is recog nized as the basis of successful farming. It must therefore he a matter of first consideration to supply the land in the most economical manner with all tho necessary plant food for tho most successful production of crops. It is not our object to detail the differeut ways in which tho desired result can be obtained, or to more than brietly attend to the different sources within the reach of every farmer, so far as it is closely connected with tho object of this bulletin—the cultivation of forage plants. The sources which wo have to consider iu this connection ore, 1st, com mercial fertilizers; 2d, green manuring; 3d, barnyard manure. COM MB RCIA L FIRTILIZEIW. The value of commercial fertilizers is too well known to require more than a passing notice; but while we advocate its use only as a supplement aud addi- tion to our home-made manures, we cannot strongly enough protest against its injudicious use, carelessly and sometimes purposely neglecting tho means of developing the manurial resources of the farm. If wo consult the statistics in regard to the use of commercial fertilizers wo find that the Southern States are the largest consumers ; we will ulso find that our Southern Stutes are the largest consumers of forage crops raised outside our States. If we did not daily see train loads of woatorn hay and corn pass before our eyes we were loth to believe it, and this in a country and climate where stock can tie pastured the larger part of the year, where green fuod can be obtained for the same period, aud where some of the most nutritious forage plants grow in luxury and perfection. The cause of this abnormal condition therefore cannot be attributed to tho ■oil or climate. It is to ho cliurged to the present methods of farming, the criminal neglect of fodder and food products, tho waste of the manurial re aources of the farm, tire injudicious use of commercial fertilizers, and the one crop system—the cultivation oi cottou ycur after yeur on tho same land. GIIICEN MANURING. The results obtained from green manuring confirm its Importance in eco- nomic farm operations. Iu former years it was thought necessary that laud, after a number of yeais of cultivation, should rest a season for recuperation It was consigned to a rest from the plow ami to the enjoyment of a growth <>f 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 tho cultivation of such crops as recuperate the soil, and the planting of special plants to be turned under as a mechanical and chemical factor—tho improvement of the soil—has replaced the old system. the giuat family of leguminous plants offers a large number of species from which to select for almost any soil and climate for tho purpose. While clover enjoys a luxuriant growth in tho colder zones, our Southern .States is the home of tho cow-pen, the most important plant in the economic system of rotation, while the value of other leguminous plants, such as vetch and lucerne, is already well established. The roots of these plants penetrate deep into the soil,drawing their foodsup- ply from strata oat of reach of most of our cultivated plants. It is claimed that they have the power of assimilating nitrogen, tho most costly fertilizing element, from the atmosphere. tour fifths of the weight of the air is nitrogen. Every square inch of tiie surface of our globe is exposed lo tiie influence of nearly twelve pounds of nitrogen, which, if uvudutde for tha production ol our food supply, would prove an cxiuiuetlma store of the most costly fertilizing element. This question of the ability of the leguminous plants has attracted the atten tion of scientists. While the researches of Atwater, liellriegel and others imply that legu minous plants acquire large quantities of nitrogen from the air during theii period of growth, and that the ability to assimilate free nitrogen depends largely on the presence of tiie so-called root-tubercles, or bulb-like enlarge ments, sometimes called “ warts,'” which have their source in the action ol certain microbes in the Boil, yet many physiologists still adhere to U>e teach ing» of Eoussinguult, that plants cannot use the free nitrogen of the air, am#; that they are dependent upon that stored in the soil or supplied in manures. The highly interesting results of Prazmowski's experiments coincide with those obtained by Atwater aud others, so that it cannot he doubted that the bacteria are the only cause of the power of leguminous plants to acquire the free nitrogen of the air, and as the bacteria have their scat in” the root tuber cles, i. e., in those organs which, by t-lie action of these bacteria, are created by the plant, it is conclusive that the root.-tube idea are the organs through which the free atmospheric nitrogen is assimilated. Pome of the legumes produce large quantities of forage of a highly nmss character, their dense foliage protecting the soil from baking, washi^ parching to which it is exposed by the clean culture of our staple prod!L cotton and corn. If turned under green they furnish the soil with an «h„ ance of plant food drawn from that immense storehouse— the deen t and acquired from that inexhaustible supply-the atmosphere above Hut in the system of rotation the legumes are especially valuable sine* n stubble and roots left in the soil after gathering the crops furnish an ah ■ T ant supply of vegetable matter, so important, in our hot climate to keen U ' moist, loose and friable. llie routs and stuhlde of an nere of average cow-peas contains ab.-mt * pounds nitrogen ; 5.1) pounds phosphoric acid, and U.5 pounds of potash • T*, will represent about 280 pounds of cotton seed u.eal; 60 pounds of acid j. plmte,and 115 pounds kninit. Tho harvested crop of penvinea from the same nrea contains about m. pounds of nitrogen; 20 pounds of phosphoric acid, and tlx pounds of not** winch would represent an application of about 1,200 pounds of cotton alt meal, 2(H) pounds of acid phosphate (at 10%), and 650 pounds of kainit. Naturally the yield of tho crop and the amount of roots and stubble with the condition of the soil. The larger tho yield of vines, the i m., r ■? amount of roots and stubble. The larger the amount of these mater.*, ■! nml upou the soil the larger the share of plant fuod fur the benefit of fim crops. to illustrate the beneficent effect of cow-pens turned under for the pMnr. tion of wheat, wo copy tho results of experiments performed at the \* Carolina Experiment Station, by I’rof. J. K. Chamberlain. The pens were’,-.' „ in June, at the rate of 2 bushclH per acre, turned under in October in ,» o land sown to wheat November 12, together with the different fertilizers ' ' Application of Fertilizer per Acre. Cost. Yield without Peavines. Yield with- l’uavinex None 20 bush. 501b 21 bush. 41 k 25 bush, oi) iti. 24 bush. 10 ib. 15 hush. 50 ib. 12 hush. 42} tk 25 bush, ii lb. Him) IU. Kninit H'M) li>. Aci<l Phosphate.. f 175 lli. Acid Phosphate \ 87J lh. Cotton Seed Meal t 37} lb. Kainit None 2 M 2 70 2 01 I hu ll. 22) lb 4 bush. 10 lb 3 bush. 32J lb I hu-h. 40 lh 5 bush. — lh II bush. 52} lh 30 ) lbs. Cotton Sf.*.| Me.-d f 350 lh. Acid I’le-splint** 175 lh. Cotton Seed Meal (75 lbs. Kainit 3 00 6 S3 The following re.irks we find important to . . " rho willtur H 0 00, iu this locality, w m severe on all winter grain, ta “any Instances wholo fields, on very g,,,,l i... I, were Injured. All of the nlafe iu this experiment have tho same exposure; all ure w, 11 drained and subjed to the same external conditions. On some of tho plots the stand was injuml, on others not.. The plots injured were these where no peuvines had tee* plowed under. On these plots the plants lacked in development, both or v.g aud root, probably from want of food ; the strong plants growing where ;n» vines were plowed under could withstand tho bad weather, uud ukitnjarfj produced good growth and crops." The above results correspond with those of the writer obtained in forme* years in tiie cultivation of cotton and oats and detailed in a report to the H i>j Agricultural Society. As in the above experiment, the application of s.mi minerals (acid phosphate and potash) proved to he tiie cheapest fertilizer is the cultivation of those staple crops planted on land on which a crop cow peas has been turned under or a heavy growth of peavines been ren> vsd. The manurial value of the cow-peas depends upon tho large amount of ;.Unt food they contain, upon their power of assimilating large amounts of u/lnye. from the atmosphere as well as from the soil, their ability, on account of tfiar large root development, to penetrate deep into tho subsoil to obtain U;*it nourishment. II tho vines, or only the stubb 1 be turned under, these, with the mou» the soil, decompose aud furnish available plant food for future crops. In the economy of farming the cow-pea is therefore the most important stint os a renovator and improver of our soils, either in reclaiming our worn out laufii by a judicious system of green manuring, or in maintaining its fertility by . rational method of rotation. BARNYARD MANURES. Systematic rotation necessitates the cultivation of forage plants, whi\« it Includes the careful feeding and management of farm stock as the first step to wards an intensive system of farming, in opposition to the extensive i»» so much practiced in tho South. A German scientist, who has ,!•*«,ttri much of his time to experiments in stock feeding, expresses his concluswus i* these words: “ The more forage the more manure; the larger the die more money in tho end." These words are eminently true. In the eeonomical system of farm m.twag**- ment and feeding of live stock, the developing of the manurial resouiww at the farm, on which the remunerative production of our crops pivots, do.tMoia on the amount of forage produced und consumed on the farm. The manurial value of the animal excretions depends on the compositum at the vat oils articles used in feeding. Most of the elements removed fi'nmtbs soil in the different forage crops arc returned to tiie soil, to add, with tSs> u4 of natures silent furor's, new plant food for future plants, after having *w«4 its purpose as food for our farm stock. The constituents of the different foods in relation to the support')! ta.!*al life are divided into three groups, nitrugmeout, non-nitroyeneoui and mi f e atm- stituents. Each has its special office lo perform in building up the eyateut mi sustaining animal life. fi lie nilrugeneous compounds, nr albuminoids, are especially necessary f- h Ut. formation of muscle, sinew and milk ; the uon-uitrogeneous, or carbohydraOot ■uppiy fuel to maintain tho natural heat and energy ol the body, und they ift also stored up in the fatty tiss.a s of its various parts; while the mineral com pounds, although found in every part of tho body, are chiefly devoted tolls, formation of tho bones. 1 hese non-nit rogeooous compounds in the different foods are eompatoJ of hydrogen, oxygon and earhon—the elements which tin* plants aa.‘iii zi. from the soil and atmosphere withoutjiffecting the fertility of our laud The minerals furnish the material from which tho bones are largely b««U|»; they form the essential constituents of tho blood and various other jui/zm u» the uuimal body. I he most valuable elements which we remove from tho soil in removing th. crop are tho nitrogenous and mineral compounds. If we compare tho different food constituents with their use in the axhmJ mechanism, we cannot but udinire the wonderful work of nature's laboratory. The non-nitrogoiioous compounds, or carbohydrates of tho food, have tlmir source in the uir of the soil and tiie atmosphere that surrounds us. They «« therefore w itlro tt influence upon tiie fertility of our soils ; they are either oa» ■umed in the asiimul body, or stored as fatty secretions. The mineral and nitrogeneous compounds of some plants (while other* may assimilat* the nitrogen from the air) coine from tho soil, which is Uw.-wfij made so much tiie poorer by this loss of plant-food. Bu. as nearly all those elem-mts are again found in tiie liquid and solid ex cretions, after baring served their purpose in the animal body, and be.aj » turned to the adl, they leave the land—taking into consideration the i£ubbl* and roots left from the cultivation of forage plants—in as good or better osodh tion than before, notwithstanding ut tiie same time very largo quAaUtu* «f forage ure removed therefrom. It is claimed by many fanners of some of our forage plants to be very to hanstive to the soil. Ibis is true where large quantities are remove ! ffeer* from, but if consumed on the farm, the manure carefully collected »sd to turned to the soil, ulinost all that has been removed is returned to tnahiuia tin* fertility that existed before. •A nalynli UUcti from Storr's S'tioo. Kxperlmeat 8t«t on He purl.
