1900 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
469 
PROMOTION OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE. 
Interesting Meeting of the Society. 
ITS SCOPE AND OBJECTS—The American So¬ 
ciety for the Promotion of Agricultural Science recent¬ 
ly held its twentieth annual meeting at Columbia 
University. This Society was organized in 1880 by a 
number of men who were then interested in problems 
of scientific agriculture. At that time, scientific edu¬ 
cation as applied to agriculture was barely past its in¬ 
fancy. Courses of study had not been organized in a 
satisfactory manner, and there were comparatively 
few men in the country capable of teaching the science 
of agriculture. The men who organized this society 
saw the necessity for an organization of this sort, 
where educators and experimenters might come to¬ 
gether for the purpose of comparing notes and organ¬ 
izing future work. Prof. W. J. Beal of the Michigan 
Agricultural College was the first president of this so¬ 
ciety, rnd in his presidential address this year, he re¬ 
ferred to the growth and development of agricultural 
education. The membership of the Society has not 
been large. It has been the purpose of those w'no 
controlled it to limit this membership largely to those 
who were deeply interested in its work. This has 
probably been a wise policy, for an organization of 
this sort could not be both popular and scientific. 
Fault has been found at times that the publications 
of this Society are too technical and scientific for the 
average practical man. We do not think this is a 
fair criticism, for the papers presented at these meet¬ 
ings are not intended distinctly for the practical far¬ 
mer. For example, it is not intended or desired to 
tell how to plant corn, how to use the Bordeaux Mix¬ 
ture, or how to cut potato seed. The object rather is 
to learn what the scientific workers have been doing 
during their past year, it being certain that if there 
is anything practical in their researches, it will sooner 
or later leach down through the varous agencies of 
the agricultural colleges, the experiment station bul¬ 
letins, and the agricultural press, to the man on the 
farm. 
TEACHING AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE.—A long 
programme had been prepared for this meeting. 
Some of the papers were quite technical, and not of 
general interest to the public, although they contained 
valuable data, and facts for the use of scientific men. 
A large part of the programme was taken up with tne 
discussion of the best methods of teaching agricultural 
science, both in the agricultural college and in the 
school. For instance, Prof. E. B. Voorhees, of New 
Jersey, read a paper on How to Teach Agricultural 
Chemistry. He took the view that the teacher of 
chemistry should try to show the application of this 
sc.ence to the practical affairs of farm life, and he 
made strong arguments along this line, showing the 
great value of chemistry in teaching exact habits of 
observation and thought, and also the fact that all 
useful operations of the farmer are based upon chem¬ 
ical operation, the proper understanding of which 
would add greatly to the farmer’s ability properly to 
handle his soil. The following papers were read: 
W. J. Beal, A Syllabus for a Course on Grasses and 
Other Forage Plants; C. E. Bessy, Some Phases of 
Agricultural Education; H. L. Bolley, The Course of 
the Hyphal Filaments of Tilletia in the Body of the 
Wheat Plant—a correction of an error; F. D. Chester, 
Preliminary Studies in Soil Bacteriology; D. G. Fair- 
child, Egyptian Agricultural Institutions; B. E. Fer- 
now, Development of Forestry during the past Twen¬ 
ty Years; B. T. Galloway, Twenty Years of Progress 
in Plant Pathology; C. C. Georgeson, Subarctic Agri¬ 
culture; C. P. Gillette, Experiments in the Apiary; 
B. D. I-Ialsted, Seven Years of Field Experiments with 
Bush Beans; E. W. Hilgard, The Present Condition 
of Direct Soil Investigation; L. 0. Howard, The 
Progress in Economic Entomology during the past 
Twenty years; W. G. Johnson, Some New Facts Re¬ 
garding the Destructive Green-Pea Louse, with Meth¬ 
ods for its Suppression and Control; E. O. Ladd, 
Humus and Soil Fertility; W. A. Lazenby, Physical 
Properties of the Soil; V. A. Moore, Infectious Swine 
Diseases; W. M. Munson, The Development of Tomato 
Hybrids; L. H. Pammel, Syllabus of a Course in the 
Study of Cryptogams, The Weedy Plants of Iowa; I. 
P. Roberts, Agricultural Instruction by the University 
Extension Methods; W. W. Rowlee, Uses of Willows 
in Guarding the Banks of Streams; H. Snyder, Influ¬ 
ence of Wheat Farming upon the Fertility of the Soil; 
S. M. Tracy, The Uses and Abuses of Fertilizer For¬ 
mulae; W. W. Tracy, Plant Breeding; W. Trelease, 
The Botanic Garden as an Aid to Agriculture; E. B. 
Voorhees, How to Teacn Agricultural Chemistry to 
Best Combine the Science of Chemistry with the Ap¬ 
plication of it to the Affairs of Farm Life; F. M. 
Webster, Plant Influences on Insect Variation; J. B. 
Weems, ^ Few Points on How to Make Agricultural 
Chemistry Applicable to Farm Life; M. Whitney, 
Progress in Soil Physics during the past Twenty 
Years; J. C. Whitten, Notes on the Comparative 
Hardiness and Phenology of Some Southern and 
Northern Trees of the Same Kind. 
FORAGE PLANTS.—Dr. Beal gave his idea of a 
short course on grasses and other forage plants. Dr. 
Beal believes that grass culture is really the basis of 
all agriculture, although many farmers through ig¬ 
norance use the grasses of low value when the same 
soil and the same labor would produce far greater 
results with other varieties. How shall the farmer 
be taught to know the difference between the valuable 
grass and the poor grass? That was a fair subject 
for discussion, for it comes down to the fundamental 
principles of practical education. 
A SNOW-COVERED BACKYARD—There were pa¬ 
pers also of a more popular character. For example, 
Prof. Georgeson described the agriculture of Alaska. 
He thinks the time has come when Secretary Seward 
has been exonerated by general consent of the peo¬ 
ple, for purchasing this snow-covered American back¬ 
yard. it has been supposed that Alaska was simply 
a collection of forests and snow banks, but Prof. 
Georgeson shows that there are really great agricul¬ 
tural possibilities there. He has matured flax, bar¬ 
ley, buckwheat, oats and Spring wheat, and there is 
considerable stock of cattle, sheep and Angora goats., 
which thrive well on the islands along the coast, ob¬ 
taining outside pasture for the entire year. He says 
that the coast region is likely to prove of more value 
as a stock country than for grain production. The 
lack of sunshine retards the ripening of grain until 
the Autumn rains set in, when it is cured with great 
difficulty. The rich soil produces a heavy growth of 
straw, which makes the gram lodge, but this same 
soil produces an abundance of excellent pasture. 
Prof. Georgeson compares Alaska with Finland in Eu¬ 
rope, the two being in much the same latitude. Fin¬ 
land has an area of 144,000 square miles, with some¬ 
what less than 50,000 square miles under cultivation. 
It has a population oi 2,500,000 people with agricultuie 
for their chief industry. These people not only feed 
themselves, but export large quantities of butter, meat 
and live stock. Alaska has four times the area of 
Finland, and possesses advantages which the other 
country cannot have. It is capable of supporting 
many millions of people in comfort, and Prof. George¬ 
son really seems to think that the time is coming 
when Americans, somewhat like the old pioneers, will 
settle Alaska, conquer it physically, and prosper there. 
EGYPTIAN AGRICULTURE.—It appears that the 
Department of Agriculture has a new class of work¬ 
ers known as agricultural explorers. These men visit 
foreign countries hunting valuable seeds and plants 
for introduction into this country. One of these ex¬ 
plorers, David B. Fairchild, gave an account of the 
agricultural institutions oi Egypt. Many Americans 
will be astonished to learn that in the land of the 
Pharaohs, the Government spends annually $228,000 
for agriculture. There are some curious features con¬ 
nected with this outlay of money. For instance, ex¬ 
periment farms are to be located in various parts of 
Egypt. On these farms, among other things, will be 
located imported, pedigreed animals, which under 
certain conditions will be held for the use of Egyptian 
farmers. In the Tyrol of Europe, laws forbid per¬ 
sons to breed from any but pedigreed animals, while 
it is not possible to carry out such laws in Egypt, it is 
hoped that these located animals will add greatly, in 
time, to the value of the native stock. A sum of 
money is used each year for the purchase of several 
thousand bushels of selected cotton seed. It is sold 
upon 12 months’ credit, at cost, to the smaller grow¬ 
ers. The Object of this is to induce the farmers to 
use better seed and to experiment with seed imported 
from other farms. The 12-month credit mattes easy 
terms of payment and many farmers avail themselves 
of this offer. It appears that practically all tne wood 
used in Egypt is imported. Further experiments are 
under way to learn if various trees when once started 
by means ot irrigation, will grow and form profitable 
groves. If these forestry experiments can be made 
a success, the trees will add greatly to the wealth of 
Egypt. 
WHEAT AND SOIL FERTILITY—Prof. Harry 
Snyder, of the Minnesota Agricultural College, sent 
an interesting paper on wheat farming and its ef¬ 
fect upon soil fertility. Speaking of experiments in 
the Northwest, he says that the native or virgin 
prairie soils are first broken and planted to corn or 
some similar crop. After one or two corn crops, 
wheat is grown year after year as long as a paying 
crop can be secured. The straw and stubble are 
burned, no manure is used, shallow plowing is prac¬ 
ticed, and in some cases the seed is drilled into the 
old stubble land without plowing. Prof. Snyder has 
tried to find out why, with such culture, these lands 
finally refuse to produce good crops of wheat. This 
has proved a difficult task, but comparing unbroken 
soil and that in fields long in wheat culture, he has 
been able to compare them. He says that there is a 
general uniformity in the effect which continuous 
wheat culture has on the composition of the soil. 
Some of these virgin soils are exceedingly rich. In 
some cases they actually contain one-half of one per 
cent, by analysis, of nitrogen. We may understand 
what this means when we say that ton for ton, there 
is more nitrogen in these soils than in average stable 
manure. Growing wheat on these soils when they 
are first turned over would be like sowing the seed 
in an immense bed of compost. No wonder the farm¬ 
ers first prefer to raise several crops of corn or mil¬ 
let before seeding to wheat. A comparison of the 
native soil with similar soil, after 10 years of wheat 
culture, shows that there has been but a slight loss of 
potash or pnosphoric acid. There is still enough of 
these minerals left to produce hundreds of grain crops. 
The greatest loss is in humus or volatile matter. In 
other words, the chief damage done to the soils by cul¬ 
tivation is destruction of their source of available 
nitrogen or of their power to prepare more of this 
available substance. For this reason, Prof. Snyder 
thinks that the organic matter of the soil has been de¬ 
stroyed by cultivation, by burning the stubble land, 
and other operations pertaining to the production of 
the crop. The use of chemical fertilizers has not been 
found profitable on these western fields. In some 
places where farm manures are used the wheat makes 
a growth too ranK and heavy. The soils are natur¬ 
ally too rich to require manure. Some farmers use 
millet as a green manure with good results. The 
■I'.orthiwest needs a crop that will do what the cow pea 
does at the South—grow quickly between crops of 
wheat, supply humus and add nitrogen. 
EVENTS OF THE WEEK. 
DOMESTIC.—A deed filed in the New York Register’s 
ollice June 21 transferred a child, for a consideration of 
$100. The mother was a sweatshop worker. A 
train on the Canadian Pacific Railroad broke through a 
bridge over the St. John’s River, near Caribou, Me., June 
21. The engine and 10 cars fell 75 feet; or.e person killed 
and many hurt.Colorado has established a 
quarantine against Chinese and Japanese, because of the 
plague scare in San Francisco. The Japanese Minister 
at Washington has protested against it.Old 
Home Week will be celebrated in New Hampshire August 
11-18, and Governor Rollins invites all absent sons and 
daughters to assist in awakening State patriotism. . . . 
A train fell through a bridge near McDonough, Ga., June 
24, the cars being dashed to pieces and burned; 35 per¬ 
sons lost their lives, and many others were hurt. The 
accident was due to a washout, which carried away the 
foundations of the bridge, while leaving the surface in¬ 
tact.An excursion train near Green Bay, Wis., 
ran into a freight train June 24, the resulting wreck 
causing the death of six persons.Three men 
were killed and three fatally injured by a tornado that 
swept over Beaver County, Okla., June 24. Thousands 
of cattle stampeded, and 16 ranchmen were injured. 
. ... At Mobile, Ala., June 26, 12.57 inches of rain fell 
in a few hours, being the heaviest rainfall for the dis¬ 
trict in the history of the Weather Bureau.A 
tornado passed over Eutaw, Ala., June 26, wrecking many 
buildings.A young farmer at Kuhnsville, Pa., 
was killed by lightning June 27. He was riding on a load 
of hay, and it is supposed that a long-handled steel pitch- 
fork near him drew the bolt which caused his death. 
. ... St. Louis street cars are running, but citizens 
are boycotted if they ride on them. At Dayton, O., 
strikes exist among cigar and laundry workers, and St. 
Louis tactics are being used, young women being assailed 
with sticks and umbrellas, and their clothing torn off. 
PHILIPPINES.—An amnesty proclamation was issued 
by the President June 21. Its terms are very sweeping. 
Everyone engaged in the insurrection is offered com¬ 
plete immunity for the past and absolute liberty of 
action for the future on accepting the sovereignty 
of the United States, unless he shall have been 
guilty of violation of the laws of war. Those who 
take advantage of this offer will, so far as practicable, be 
furnished with transportation to any part of the Archi¬ 
pelago they may select; prominent persons desiring to 
confer with the Military Governor or with the Commis¬ 
sioners will be brought to Manila for that purpose, to 
relieve distress among the soldiers 30 pesos ($27 in silver) 
will be given for each rifle presented in good condition. 
. . . . The rebels ambushed 40 Americans near 
Cagayan June 14, nine Americans being killed and 12 
wounded Reinforcements are being sent to Samar, where 
trouble has broken ouL again. 
CUBA.—Unusually heavy rains have caused yellow 
fever to appear in many places where it has been un¬ 
known for several years. 
GENERAL FOREIGN NEWS.—The native uprising on 
the Gold Coast of Africa has resulted in the complete in¬ 
vestment of Kumassi, and the small force of British 
there are in sore straits.In the Transvaal 
Gen. Bullet is pushing forward rapidly.The al¬ 
lied forces were attacked by the Chinese at Tien-Tsln 
June 20-21. All the powers, including the United States, 
are hurrying troops to the scene. The little force of 
Americans and Russians, which tried to force the way 
into Tien-Tsin, was ambushed June 21 and several casual¬ 
ties resulted. The President has refused an armistice 
asked by the Chinese Minister at Washington and a 
brigade will go from Manila to China. There seems no 
doubt that a number of Americans and Europeans have 
been massacred, and that large forces of Chinese threaten 
the allied troops. Gen. A. R. Chaffee has been assigned 
to head the American forces in China. The allies com¬ 
plain of the Russians, asserting that they display bad 
faith, and that at Taku they were guilty of the indis¬ 
criminate slaughter of non-combatants. Admiral Sey¬ 
mour was relieved by a column of Russians June 28. 
. . . . June 26 there were 25 new cases of plague at 
Rio Janeiro, Brazil. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—The Meat Inspection bill was 
passed by the German Bundesrath June 22. 
Missouri has adopted a quarantine against cattle from 
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode 
Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jer¬ 
sey, Delaware, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wiscon¬ 
sin, Iowa, Minnesota, California, Kentucky and Tenn¬ 
essee, and the Dominion of Canada, which will only be 
admitted after being subjected to the tuberculin test. 
The quarantine is directed against tuberculosis. 
The Worcester (Mass.) Agricultural Society will hold 
its annual cattle show September 3-5. There will be a 
large poultry exhibition in connection with it. 
A terrific hailstorm occurred near Denver, Idaho, June 
26, and it is reported that wheatflelds were damaged to 
the extent of $50,000. 
A despatch from St. Paul, Minn., June 27, asserted that 
the existing drought will mean a loss of millions of dol¬ 
lars to the dairy and butter interests of Minnesota. 
Judge Shipman of the United States Circuit Court 
granted June 27 a conditional injunction in the suits 
brought by Samuel Pine and Frederick Muller, two Con¬ 
necticut farmers, against New York City to compel it to 
make restitution for injury to their riparian rights 
through the diversion of water from the Byram River, 
upon which their farms are, into the Kensico Reservoir. 
Judge Shipman held that as the New York statutes do 
not allow the condemnation of land in another State for 
public purposes, and as the Connecticut statutes do not 
give New York City rights of eminent domain over land 
in Connecticut, the plaintiffs were entitled to an injunc¬ 
tion. Unless settlement is effected before November 1 
an injunction will be issued restraining the city from 
using ihe water. 
