Scientific Agriculture, 



466 



[November, 1908. 



The"Sohaga," from its consolidating 

 action on the upper layer of the soil, is 

 not the best implement to put last over 

 a piece of tilled ground not to be imme- 

 diately flooded with water, and required 

 to retain its moisture well. 



Again, in relation to the economical 

 use of the soil moisture, Ave have the 

 problems of finding out the relative 

 amount of water required by each of 

 the common crops during a growing 

 season, the best arrangement of crops in 

 a rotation from this point of view, and 

 many other questions far too numerous 

 for me to say anything about in such a 

 note as this. 



It will be quite satisfaction enough 

 for me if I have achieved in some 

 measure the object with which I set 

 out. — Agricultural Journal of India, 

 Vol. III. Part, III. July, 1908. 



SCIENCE IN AGRICULTURE. 



By R. Helms. 



Soil Bacteria, 



A great deal has been written about 

 soil bacteria during the last twenty 

 years, when first they excited attention 

 in the scientific world. Especially those 

 contained in the swellings found on the 

 roots of leguminous plants have come 

 in for comment. Newspapers, copying 

 one another and enlarging frequently 

 on their own accounts, have excited 

 attention to this subject everywhere. 

 Unfortunately, however, through the 

 exaggerations and false deductions 

 promulgated by non-scientific writers, 

 the farmers were led to expect too 

 much, and the promised benefit these 

 micro-organisms were to bring the 

 agriculturists have not been realised 

 in the greater number of instauces. 

 The scientists who have investigated 

 the important part bacteria play in 

 connection with the fertility of the 

 soil, one and all acknowledge that the 

 subject is not yet completely under- 

 stood. At the same time the functions 

 of soil bacteria have been revealed to 

 a certain extent aud also their import- 

 ance demonstrated. What so far has 

 been definitely established by scientific 

 research and is known of this important 

 problem I intend to repeat in the 

 plainest language possible, 



It is always extremely difficult to 

 popularise a scientific subject, or rather 

 to treat scientific matter entirely in 

 popular language. In order to be quite 



lucid to the non-scientific reader, tech- 

 nical terms have to be avoided, and 

 this cannot always be done, as they 

 have been specially coined to express 

 definite meanings, and, therefore, require 

 tc be translated, which frequently 

 obscures their meaning. The disregard 

 of scientific work in the past has been 

 largely due, no doubt, to the fact 

 that scientific research tended to dis- 

 credit the preconceived notions that 

 had been inherited for generations. 

 Scientists were regarded as abnormal 

 creatures, or mere speculative dreamers 

 dabbling in untenable theories. A 

 number of practical men holding such 

 views are still to be found. Perhaps 

 there is an excuse for it, considering 

 the inherited system of rule of thumb 

 by which their forbears did very well. 

 It is true the work of the pioneer 

 requires no scientific knowledge ; the 

 expert axeman, and the man who can 

 handle a team of bullocks or horses 

 well, possesses an advantage over the 

 less experienced, and herein the prac- 

 tical mostly consists. There is nothing 

 to prevent a scientist being a good 

 worker with his hands, but the man 

 who can only use his hands is not 

 likely to make a, scientist very readily. 

 This, moreover, is not necessary ; a 

 division of labour has its advantages. 

 It is a pleasaut sigu of advancement 

 in general knowledge that the modern 

 farmer is becoming keen on utilising 

 the achievements of science. The idea 

 of considering a scientist an impractical 

 theorist or bookworm is becoming a 

 thing of the past, and the man who 

 loudly boasts about his practical know- 

 ledge is beginning to be looked upon 

 as being mentally indolent aud attempt- 

 ing to hide his ignorance under pretence 

 of superior expei'ience. The valuable 

 services science has rendered agriculture 

 are, however, scarcely realised yet by 

 most people, 



Farming is as old as history, aud, 

 for the matter of that, science also, but 

 its universal application to agriculture 

 dates back Oiily a few decades. All 

 applied sciences contribute their quota 

 to make agriculture and its adjuncts 

 more profitable now than in former 

 times. Chemistry, pathology, physics, 

 metallurgy, medicine, botany, entomo- 

 logy, meteorology, bacteriology con- 

 tribute their share. It may be worth 

 while to select a few items which have 

 prominently benefited agriculture, and 

 proved the devotees to science practical 

 men par excellence, 



Liebig, fifty years ago, invented super- 

 phosphate, and laid the foundations 

 of the present univeral use of artificial 



