258 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



the experiment stations will be found of great value. 

 There is a notion abroad among some old-fashioned 

 farmers some irrigating farmers perhaps also that 

 they can learn little or nothing about their business 

 from books and papers. This is a serious error. No 

 man in this day can successfully conduct the business 

 of farming in competition with his fellows, who is not 

 a close student of methods and suggestions given in 

 the foremost journals devoted to his interests. It is a 

 costly error for a farmer to indulge that he " knows 

 all about farming." No man knows that; but THE 

 AGE pledges itself to be helpful to the whole body of 

 farmers, and especially to irrigators. 



NEW VARIETIES OF POTATOES. 



Bulletin No. 30, of the Oregon Experiment Station 

 is valuable for the information given regarding new 

 varieties of potatoes. Last year experiments were 

 made with 153 varieties at the Oregon Station, 88 be- 

 ing grown in plats sufficiently large to warrant cal- 

 culations regarding the yield per acre. Among the 

 most promising varieties, as shown by these experi- 

 ments, some of which were continued for two years, 

 are the following : Dublin Chief, James Vich, Bur- 

 ling, White Lion, Thorburn's Late Rose, Dakota Red, 

 Tilden, Early Sunrise, Rochester Favorite, Silver 

 Skin, Salt Lake Rose and Van Orman's Superb. 



Of these varieties, Thorburn's Late Rose, Early 

 Sunrise, Silver Skin and Dakota Red are highly 

 recommended. Of all the varieties tested, the Salt 

 Lake Rose gave the highest yield, 279^ bushels per 

 acre, while Thorburn's Late Rose yielded 21 5i 

 bushels per acre. Although grown on clover sod no 

 fertilizers were used, and the results obtained are re- 

 garded as quite satisfactory under the circumstances. 



EXPERIMENTAL FARMING IN UTAH. 



BY PRES. J. W. SANBORN. 



II 



Varying amounts of seed wheat and oats have been 

 sown on another section and agree in their results 

 with the common views held by farmers in relation 

 to amount of seed required. The same may be said 

 in a series of plats on harvesting. The results make 

 it clear that wheat until it is dried through and hard 

 to the center continues growth. An extensive series 

 complexly arranged crop rotations, 2, 4 and 6 years 

 series show that rotation is much more successful 

 than where a crop follows itself. These data we re- 

 gard as of very great importance. Other trials in 

 forage crops and method of handling crops are in 

 progress. Twelve acres of the farm are given over to 

 horticultural products, vegetables and small and 

 large fruits, under charge of Prof. E. S. Richman. 

 The work there is largely given to variety tests and 



with the larger fruits and forest trees we make only 

 notes and progress. Sufficient to say that fruits 

 flourish here of fine quality and color. 



In the barn throughout the entire year extensive 

 experiments are constantly in progress in animal 

 nutrition, involving the feeding of cattle, sheep, 

 horses and hogs. A review of these trials would 

 make an extensive demand upon your columns. So 

 little research is given to feeding horses that I will 

 at this time merely note the results of two or three 

 experiments in this direction. It was found that 

 blanketing horses in a stable of moderate tempera- 

 ture was an unprofitable process. It was found that 

 watering horses after feeding was an economical 

 method, not because digestion was increased, or the 

 percentage of food digested was increased, but be- 

 cause when watered before eating the appetite is a 

 little keener and the horses ate a little more, thereby 

 leaving a greater excess above maintenance for use 

 either in flesh or work. The better method probably 

 is to water both before and after feeding. It was 

 found that cutting clover increased its efficiency to a 

 decided degree. Another experiment in feeding 

 hay and grain mixed to horses as against hay and 

 grain fed unmixed showed no advantage in mixing 

 the hay and grain. Little advantage or no advantage 

 was found in grinding grain for horses. Still another 

 trial was made with carbonaceous rations against 

 nitrogenous. The belief is a prevalent one that corn 

 meal is a heating food and does not contain protein 

 enough for the horse engaged as he is in muscular 

 work. Corn and timothy and carbonaceous ration 

 was fed against lucerne and clover, oats and wheat 

 to the advantage of the latter ration. The advantage 

 however, is believed to be due largely to the fact that 

 it is a more palatable ration, because a more varied 

 ration, and partly to the fact that it is fed in the sum- 

 mer season. This trial is now under progress again 

 in a somewhat modified form during the colder 

 season of the year. An article of this kind cannot 

 discuss the reason for entering into the experiments 

 named. They are all based upon some philosophic 

 reason. Farmers are chiefly interested in the results. 



The station has connected with it an hydraulic 

 engineer, Prof. S. Fortier, who devoted the summer 

 season investigating the irrigation problems of the 

 territory, and there is now in press a partial report of 

 his investigations that will be of very much interest 

 to the irrigating world. With the station also is asso- 

 ciated a biologist, whose time is devoted to plant and 

 animal diseases, Dr. F. W. Brewer. Dr. Brewer has 

 been on leave of absence, as the head of the division 

 of hygiene and sanitation at the World's Fair, and is 

 about to commence active operations with us. The 

 college recently added a specialist in dairying, and 

 much work will be done in this direction. The man 



