Show HOGENSON TALKS ON AGRICULTURE Agricultural College Professor to Deliver Weekly Lectures at University of Utah CLEAR CUT STATEMENT OF APPROVED WESTERN METH METHODS METHODS METHODS OF SCIENTIFIC FARMING FA MING Reported for The Herald by J H Paul Professor J C Hogenson of Ut the Agri Agricultural Agricultural cultural college gave a talk yesterday at atthe atthe atthe the university He has hIlS begun a series of lectures on western agriculture before the tho classes In nature study stud These lectures will be bc more valuable in the west than any an of the textbooks Xo No text yet et pub published published deals with wih western we agricultural con conditions conditions conditions and so would often mislead rather than enlighten the tile beginner Professor lectures will be fie given In The Herald in some detail In Inthe Inthe inthe the Interest of clearness somewhat more than the substance of the lectures will be included and other changes may be made in order to more fully full pop popularize popularize tile the subject The professor remarked that agriculture agriculture ture should be taught in the schools since he estimated that of all aU the tho male mal pupils therein will depend on this vocation voc on for a livelihood Of Plant Substance Children are interested In things that arc alive Each uch as animal pets birds Insects fishes and flowers in bloom and a d In fruit In teaching agriculture to young students it is therefore best to begin with living things thing We shall first fir t take up growing plants We Ve raise most plants for their food products As to the nutritive value observe that tha plants are of plants we may composed when young of from iO TO to toper a 9 aper per cent of water Young plants plant are con consequently consequently consequently less suitable for fodders fedders than are plants fully ripened It is therefore not nota a good thing to attempt to make animal food consist entirely of the tile young and tender growths The amount of mineral mineraI with and matter in a plant Increases age the mature plant contains the most that all aU readily be shown me t It may plant substance consists of 1 water 2 dry matter which com corn comprises comprises prima ash and organic substance the lat latter latter latter ter containing protein In the form of al and also fats and car carbohydrates carbohydrates the latter consisting of nitro nitrogen nitrogen nitrogen gen free extract and crude fiber Water and Ash The amount of water in a plant varies greatly according to the stage of plant development being most abundant in plants and becoming less es as s the tho young oung plant matures The dry matter Is to that which remains after the part of the plant water has been driven drien off Is left Ash Is the mineral matter that after the plant has been burned The or organic organic organic ganic matter is that portion of the plant which is destroyed by b burning Organic or Food Parts Protein Is the name of a class of com corn compounds compounds pounds containing nitrogen These may maybe ma mabo maybe be bo divided Into and sub substances substances substances The are the nitrogenous stances which go to make up the flesh of the body The are nitrogenous compounds soluble In water and are found principally In Immature plants which The fats are the reserve materials of need the plant may draw upon In case The carbohydrates consist of or combinations combinations of the elements carbon oxygen and hydrogen They The are the heat producers in the animal body bod The nitrogen free extract consists of the starchy part of or the plant The crude fiber Is the woody part of the plant and Is the least digestible of the food constituents of which the plant C consIsts This sounds technical It is sufficient however if one simply bears In mind that in a plant whatever is not water is and Is either organic sub substance substance dry ma matter er stance or ash The first Is taken from the theair theair theair from the soil sou In in air the second comes burning a plant the part that goes g s off of into the ai air comprises the part of the plant which Is most valuable fer for food consisting of protein compounds purposes and the the flesh fluh formers heat beat producers producer Of th Roots The roots of plants have hava two functions to hold the Plant In place and to gather the U mineral food from the soil soli This lat latter latter latter ter function is performed pe formed entirely by b the root hairs and not by the root as a The root hairs are the feeding portions portion The total number of or the root hairs Is therefore an indication of the strength of feeder The alfalfa for ex cx example example the plant as a ample has bas only a few of or these fibrous ESSon roots on a given gen length of stem tem b but on account of the great length len h of Its Us roots still a vigorous feeder it K If is the soil Is poor the number of the root hairs tends to Increase so 80 that we of the fertility of r the e often judge fertility may relative abundance of the root soil salt by b the hairs harS Plant Food In the Soil In the soil we find only the mineral minerai foods and of these only three elements element are likely to be lacking namely itro potassium and phosphorus gen There are numerous other mineral minerai sup sub substances stances stan es In the soil that are necessary to plant growth such as Iron lime mag magnesia magnesia magnesia nesia and sulphur but these are always abundant in our soils Were any of them lacking however ho ever it must be added in the form forni of a fertilizer In the east lime is often orten deficient while In the west lime Is always present In sufficient quantity The Food Compounds The plant cannot use any of these pie ele elements ments directly but only when they the are combined with other elements In the form of or compounds Thus the nitrogen must be in the form of a nitrate N 0 O 3 the potassium In the form of potash K I 2 0 O and the phosphorus In the form of phosphoric phosphoric phone acid P 2 0 O 5 before the root hairs can absorb them The compound formed from combining one part of nitrogen with three of oxygen Is called a nitrate The principal use of the nitrates is to produce a vigorous growth of or foliage When we see plants make a strong stron growth with many healthy health looking leaves leav we conclude that nitrates are abundant In that soil The use u of potash is to make the stems strong and tough When we observe whole fields of plants with weak stems we e conclude that potash Is lacking In Intha that tha t soil soli If It the soil lacks Jacks phosphoric acid the seeds will be small smail and shrunken When therefore there tore we see grain or other seed plants with strong stems many man leaves and but little seed we conclude that the th soil needs fertilizing with phosphoric acid Importance of Nitrogen Nitrogen Is the most Important food f od of plants because It is the most difficult for them to get and uld the most expensive for forman forman man to supply It exists free In the at atmosphere atmosphere atmosphere and hence in the soil soli which normally contains a great deal of air But soli soil nitrogen cannot be used by plants plant until It Is changed to the form of nitrate nitrogen by the nitrifying bacteria Atmospheric nitrogen cannot carnot be used by any agricultural plants excepting legumes end nd even een leguminous plants have no pow power the unless er 1 to obtain nitrogen from r their roots are provided with the proper bacteria As a rule each important agricultural legume must have its own particular species of bac bacteria bacteria teria lena Bacteria of the Soil Soli Two great classes of ot bacteria are arc first tho and second the tie nitrogen gathering bacteria The nitrifying bac bacteria bacteria teria terla have the power to form nitrates The nitrogen found by analysis of the soil Itself consists mainly of organic com corn compounds compounds pounds In which nitrogen Is united with other elements chiefly carbon hydrogen and The latter three are found in inthe Inthe inthe the soil as partially decayed vegetable or animal matter During the process the nitrogen is separated from the carbon and other elements composing comp the insoluble organic matter and is united or combined with oxygen and some alkaline element as calcium to form the soluble nitrate Calcium is the alkaline element contained in lime or limestone The same calcium nitrate indicates Just w what at elements clements this compound contains namely calcium ni nitrogen nitrogen nitrogen trogen and oxygen In the names of com corn compounds compounds pounds the ending ate always means oxygen o Formation of Nitrates The nitrate thus formed may be cal calcium calcium calcium nitrate magnesium nitrate slum nitrate or even sodium nitrate de do depending depending pending upon which of ot these alkaline alk ole ele elements ei ments is present In the most suitable form If no alkaline element Is present In avail available available able form then no nitrates can be made In the soil soli One of or the reasons for apply ing ground limestone to soils that are de deficient deficient deficient in lime is to furnish the element calcium in suitable form for the formation of nitrates in the process of nitrification In the formation of nitrates there is re required required required not only the presence of or calcium or some other alkaline element In suit suitable suitable suitable able form but also nHo a good supply of the element oxygen The supply of oxygen for the formation of nitrates In the soil comes from the air which consists of about 20 per cent oxygen 78 is per cent nitro nitrogen nitrogen nitrogen gen and 2 per cent of or other elements and compounds One of the most important effects of cultivation or tillage Is that it permits the air more freely to enter the soil and thus promotes nitrification The Plants Food Among the ten essential elements of plant food carbon has no commercial value because plants get It free from the theair theair theair air and the hydrogen l and oxygen from tram soil soli water Calcium magnesium Iron and sulphur are always sufficiently abundant In soils for plant growth But nitrogen phosphorus and potassium being present in limited amounts while required by b plants in considerable quantities have market values and are sold as fertilizers Three Soil Soli Microbes There are other kinds of bacteria ria than those that live on the roots of leguminous plants in fact there are three kinds of bacteria wherever organic matter is 16 de do All 11 chemical changes in decaying organic matter are due duo to their presence The first kind of bacteria changes some ome of 01 the decaying matter maUer Into ammonia Then another kind of bacteria the sec see second second ond end makes use of the ammonia and gives off of nitrous acid Still another kind of or bacteria the third makes use of the nitrous acid and produces nitric acid this being a nitrate which the plants can use There are no bacteria that produce pot potash ash ah and phosphoric acid We Ve therefore have to add these to the soil sell They The do this In the east by directly adding these chem chemical chemIcal ical heal fertilizers to the soil son but It Is an ex expensive expensive pensive process and has to be repeated each year The potassium and phosphorus are found in abundance In nearly nearl all soils soil but not necessarily In a form In which plants can use them They The are locked up In the rocks In chemical compounds not available to the plants Air and moisture are the agents for converting the potes potassium potassium slum and phosphorus into available forms If J we stir or plow our soil specially Especially In Inthe Inthe Inthe the fall the tIle air all and moisture will cause causa the disintegration of the hard substances that contain these chemicals and then the plants will be able to absorb them as food |