GERMAN AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS. Ill 



theve is without doubt often a great waste of phosphoric- acid iu Ger- 

 many, representing a large cost to farmers. Hence it becomes a very 

 important function of the agricultural experiment stations to elaborate 

 a method by which the degree of solubility or availability of the phos- 

 phoric acid in the soil can be accurately estimated in order to deter- 

 mine whether phosphoric acid is really required, and if so whether a 

 light or heavy application is called for. 



As compared with the determination of phosphoric acid, chemical 

 soil analysis is more reliable in the case of potash in showing the 

 amount available; although in this case chemical analysis is really 

 unnecessary as it may be replaced by physical analysis. If it is found 

 by the physical-mechanical analysis that a soil has a large amount of 

 dust-like fine earth, it can be concluded with certainty that the soil 

 does not require heavy applications of potash. The tine earth separated 

 by the elutriator consists as a rule of large quantities of residues of 

 potash-containing rocks; and only a soil poor in line earth will show 

 poverty in potash. Hence chemical analysis has only a small applica- 

 tion in this held, as it can be easily and accurately determined by other 

 means whether or not a soil is in need of potash fertilizers. 



RELATIONS OF THE STATIONS TO THE FARMERS AND TO THE 

 IMPROVEMENT OF FARM PRACTICE. 



The experiment stations should advise the farmers on all (lateral ques- 

 tions, ami should (/ire to practice the necessary basis for a rational farm 

 management. 



A broad field is here presented to the agricultural experiment sta- 

 tions, from which only a few examples will be cited. 



The feeding of farm animals is at present far from being understood, 

 and the practical farmers have by no means applied the investigations 

 of the experiment stations in this line to the same extent that they 

 have those in the fertilizing of crops. This is true in spite of the fact 

 that the rational nutrition of farm animals is equally as important to 

 agricultural production as the rational use of fertilizers. The experi 

 ment stations are in a position to assist the farmers to feed in a more 

 rational manner, and on the basis of investigations in animal nutrition 

 rations can be calculated with comparative certainty as to the result 

 which will follow their use, often with much more certainty and relia- 

 bility than in the case of questions of manuring, in which many uncer- 

 tain factors enter whose effect can not be estimated. 



A profitable line of work for the experiment stations is therefore the 

 collection of information from farmers on the methods of feeding which 

 they follow; and on the basis of this it will be found in many cases 

 that the principles of rational feeding are imperfectly understood. In 

 place of the faulty rations employed by them, which in some cases well 

 be found insufficient, in others wasteful, and in others one-sided, new 

 rations should be calculated and recommended to the farmers. 

 1513— No. 2 2 



