1"'he Agricultural College EXTENSION BULLETIN

VOLUME III SEPTEMBER 1907 NUMBER 1

11 Pla&ue! ef they ain't somepin' in work 'at kindo goes ag'in' my convictions! "

PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY COLUMBUS

Entered as Second-Class Matter, November 17, 1905, at the Post Office at Columbus, Ohio, under Act of Congress, July 16, 1904 A CHILD TO A ROSE

White Rose, talk to me! I don't know what to do. Why do you say no word to me, Who say so much to you? · I'm bringing you a little rain, And I shall be so proud If, when you feel it on your face, You take me for a cloud. Here I come so softly, You cannot hear me walking; If I take you by surprise, I may catch you talking.

"White Rose, talk to me" Tell

Did it feel like dying VVhen first your blossoms fell? Did you know about the spring? Did the dasies tell? If you had no notion, Only fear and doubt, How I should have liked to see vVhen you found it out! Such a beautiful surprise! What must you have felt, When your heart began to stir, As the snow began to melt ! 2 Do you mind the darkness As I used to do? You are not as old as I­ I can comfort you. The little noises that you hear Are winds that come and go. The world is always kind and safe, Whether you see or no; And if you think that there are eyes About you near and far, Perhaps the fairies are watching­ ! know the angels are.

I think you must be lonely When all the colors fail, And moonlight makes the garden So massy and so pale; And anything might come at least Out of those heaps of shade. I would stay beside you If I were not afraid ! Children have no right to go Abroad in night and gloom ; But you are as safe in the garden As I am in my room.

White Rose, do you love me? I only wish you'd say! I would work hard to please you If I but knew the way. It seems so hard to be loving, And not a sign to see But the silence and the sweetness For all as well as me. I think you nearly perfect, In spite of all your '.>corns ; But, White Rose, if I were you, I wouldn't have those thorns! -ANONYMOUS.

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11 I wouldn't have those thorns" DRAINAGE BY A. G. McCALL, Professor of Agronomy.

NATURAL DRAINAGE Land is nowhere exactly level. Its slope is alwavs toward the streams that have carried the free water from it. The greater the slope the less water will the soil take into itself. The same attractive force that draws a ball, stone, or bird to the earth draws the raindrops to the ground. This same force still continues to pull straight down­ ward. The steeper the hill the more rapidly is the water drawn down­ ward, and little of it is given a chance to be taken up by the soil, as water or ink that falls upon a blotter is taken into it. The more ne1rly

Shows quantity of water that Shows quantity of water that passes through loam. passes through clay. The same experiment can be performed by using bakbg powder cans and tumblers. 4 level the land, the more readily does the rain pass into it. It will con­ tinue to pass into it until, like the blotter or sponge, the soil can hold no more, when the water will flow over the surface to the lowest point in the field or little valley; here it joins a rill, creek, or river-a part of nature's great drainage system. A fine sponge will hold more water than a coarse one ; a coarse, loose blotter will take up less water, but will do it more rapidly than a compact or hard one. Clay soils are made up of small particles and will hold the most water. Very frequently the rainfall :s so rapid and the quantity so great that the soil cannot absorb it. What cannot enter the clay will pass over the surface to the nearest stream. The slow, steady rains, or the frequent rains of certain seasons of the year allow the clays to become too well filled with water for the good of the plant, if there is no way of escape other than by a very slow, downward course, or by evaporation. A loam will take in water very rapidly and will allow it to pass downward much more readily than clay, because the parts of which it

AFTEJ:« KINQ Showing Jines of flow of &round water dunng seepage into a stream. is composed are coarse and the space between the parts is larger. It is like the loose blotter that will take up water more rapidly than the compact one, but will not hold so much. Nature has an underground as well as a surface system of drain­ age. Rock is found beneath all soil. In some places it lies but a few feet below the surface, in others many hundred feet. There are also beds of gravel and sand beneath some soils. Water comes to rock layers or gravel beds and seeks a passage out along the direction of the slope of these underground layers. A spring is but an outlet of one of these passages. A well is only a hole dug down to an underground waterway. An artesian well is made by punching or drilling a hole into an underground stream whose source is higher than the surface of the ground where the hole is drilled. Just think of a long under­ ground hillside waterway as a supply for the artesian well. Nature does her work well and in her own time. She has taken long periods of time to wash down the hills, to break up and wear off 5 small particles of rock, to grow plants that upon their decay become humus in the soil, to mix the fine rock particles and humus, to fill up low places with vegetable substance and washings, and to place the rocks, gravel and soil in the order and condition in which they are now found. She would go on persistently carrying out her plans as to the formation of the soil, the place and kind of plants grown, and fruits produced, the drainage system, the temperature and ventilation of the soil, if man did not step in and ask the questions of the plant as to the conditions under which it begins its growth, and develops, and the pos­ sibilities of its greater development. He has observed the withering and curling of the leaves on corn and other plants; the yellow color of the same plants and of the grasses has been considered ; the very spindling growth of plants on cold, sticky

"Water comes to rock layers or gravel beds and seeks a passage out along the direction of the slope of these underground layers." soil and the more luxuriant, growth on loose, warm soil have been noted. It has been long known that an excessive qu::ntity of water caused the plant to become spindling and yellow; the need for water caused the leaves to curl and wither. The growth of moss indicates a soil that is very moist. Large, deep cracks in the surface of the soil in­ dicate that there has been an excess of moisture. Natural drainage is too slow to be of immediate benefit to man. 6 Artificial drainage is used to carry the water away more rapidly. The first and the easiest to provide is a system of surface drains which carry away little more than surface water. If the under or sub-soil is sandy or gravelly, the surplus water readily finds its way down through the soil, but if the soil is heavy clay to a considerable depth it is necessary to use deep open ditches or tile drains in order to remove the excess of water after every heavy rain. About one-third of the total air space in sand and about one-half of that space in clay is occupied by the soil particles themselves and the other half is taken up by air, if the soil be dry. For the best growth of crops about half of the space not occupied by soil should be equally divided between air and water. If the soil is not drained this space be­ comes entirely filled with water and the plants whose roots are feeding in the soil are suffocated from the lack of air and oxygen. Some plants, such as the cypress and water lily, have special structures which enable them to obtain their oxygen from the air and water while their roots are entirely under water; but our common field plants do not have this power. Soils that are quite sanely or gravelly may allow the water to pass downward too rapidly and thus deprive the plants of needed

·•Large deep cracks in the surface of the soil indicate that there has been an excess of moisture.1 '-Drains are needed.

moisture. In such cases it is necessary to treat the land in such a way th~t its water-holding capacity is increased. This may be done by plowing under stable manure or any well-rotted vegetable matter which assists the soil to hold water like a sponge. In the heavy soils the water passes downward so slowly that plants in their early growth send out only a very shallow root system be­ cause the free water is so near the surface and because the common field plants will not send their roots into free water. In time the water 7 makes its way far below the roots of the plant; a drought comes on and the plant dies or shrivels oecause the root system in its early life did not extend deep enough that it might find film water-that is, a thin water coating on the soil grains-which would supply it during the dry season. A tile drain will car:ry off the free water rapid/31 and permit plants to root deep. The removal of free water permits air to enter the soil to furnish nitrogen to the clover root bacteria and oxygen to the root­ lets of the plant. If oxygen can freely enter the soil, decay of soil particles is more rapid and complete. \Vith the greater quantity of film moisture there is also an increased supply of plant food, for it is in this thin film that the tiny root hairs find their food.

The le(t pan contained very dry sand. The Experiment to show why tile should be right one contained the same quantity of placed deep. Slowly pour water into can water. One third of the water wa• poured containing gravel and having three holes into the pan of dry sand before free water punched as shown in the illustration. Bottom began to show on the surfacs of the sand. of can entire.

Under drains illlprove the texture of the soil. By texture is meant its coarseness or fineness. \Vet soils are sticky and if stirred become very lumpy and clocidy. \Vell drained soils break up more readily and are more easily cultivated. In soils that are well pulverized the root hairs touch more soil particles and can secure more plant food. The well fined soil permits warm showers to enter more rapidly. A system of 1mder drains assist to l?ecp the soil warm. If one were to take two thermometers and insert the bulb of one in a vessel of dry sand and the other in a vessel of water and allow the sun to shine upon both sand and water until each become 4 ° warmer, it will be 8 observed that it takes many times longer for the water to show the same rise in temperature. The sun must spend much of its heat on the free water before the soil is warmed very much. If the free water were taken away by drains the sun could spend more of its force in warming the soil. A system of well-placed under drains permits the soil to be worked earlier in the spring and later in the fall, thus lenthening the growing season. Tile make the most satisfactory drain; they should be placed from two and a half to three feet deep. Ir in leveling the ditch the bottom is left irregular, the tile lying lowest will partly fill with sediment

AFTl!.R KING

Showing how the mam fl.ow of water to lmes of tile may be through a subsoil of sand when this is present and near the surface. unless there is much fall. Great care should be exercised in laying the tile where there is little fall. Drains coming into the main line should join at an acute or very sharp angle. The mouth of a drain should be well protected by a screen or coarse wire to prevent rabbits and other small animals from entering. The outlet tile should be the hardest that can be selected, to prevent injury from freezing.

Aim'T~R KING-

Showing how hnes of tile may be placed at A and B to intercept underflow from hither land.

Under drains remove free water from two or three feet of surface soil thus: Admitting air into the soil. Assisting in the decay of plant food. Extending the root space. Assisting plant to withstand drought. Hastening the time for cultivation after rains. 9 Cl A :r-, JI

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A shows improper grading and laymg of ttle. B shows proper grading and Iavml! of tlle.

Under drains improve the texture, thus: Making it possible for root hairs to touch more soil particles. Permitting warm showers to sink into the soil rapidly. Under drains cause the ·soil to be warmer, by: Checking evaporation. Using the sun's heat to warm more soil and less water. Lengthening the season.

THE SCHOOL TEACHER'S CREED "I believe in boys and girls, the men and women of a great tomor­ row; that whatsoever the boy soweth the man shall reap. I believe in the curse of ignorance; in the efficacy of schools; in the dignity of teaching; and in the joy of serving others. I believe in wisdom as re­ vealed in human lives as well as in the pages of the printed book, in lessons taught, not so much by precept as by example; in ability to work with the hands as well as to think with the head ; in everything that makes life large and lovely. I believe in beauty in the schoolroom, in the home, in daily life and out of doors. I believe in laughter, in love; in faith; in all ideals and distant hopes that lure us on. I believe that every hour of every day we receive a just reward for all we are and all we do. I believe in the present and its opportunities ; in the future and its promises; and in the divine joy of living. Amen."-EowrN GROVER.

"Above all, don't imagine a farmer is any different from any other kind of a citizen. Farming is a profession requiring more shrewdness than law, more technical training than medicine, more uprightness than theology, more brains and resourcefulness than pedagogy. It is its own reward."

10 HINTS FOR THE PHYSICS CLASS

GRAVITATION: Gravity or free water on and in the soil. COHESION : Globules of butter-fat in butter. ADHESION : Film water on sand and other soil particles. CAPILLARITY : Rise of water through capillary passages in soil. ABSORPTION OF GASES BY SouDs: Muck or landplaster thrown on manure to absorb gases. ABSORPTION OF GASES BY LIQUIDS: Milk absorbs joul odors from vegetables, etc., placed near it. OSMOSIS: Passage of plant food from cell to cell in plants ; soaking dried fruit-prunes, etc. DYNAMICS: The use of the barometer in forecasting weather condi­ tions. Transfer of liquids over elevations by use of siphon. The common lift pump or the force pump. Hydraulic ram. Air forced into soil by weight of atmosphere above. BUOY.ANT FORCE OF LIQUIDS: Test of strength of brine by use of fresh egg; raising of cream on milk; floating valve in watering trough. SPECIFIC GRAVITY: Cream and milk, coffee and ch1ckory, fresh and stale eggs, seed, nuts, etc. Use of hydrometer in testing vinegar, syrups, milk, honey, etc. MOTION : Inertia-grindstone, threshing-machine cylinder, balance wheel on shredder, cream separator bowl. Composition and resolution of forces-hitch to plow for depth of land, set of collar on horse, high and low hitches, disc harrow, wind engine in or out of gear, brace at end of wire fences. Center of gravity-homemade plumb or level. Centrifugal force--separating milk from cream, the Babcock milk tester (the centrifuge), hand seed sower, broadcast sowing. Momentum-proper method for using hammers, grubbing tools, ax, etc., to economize physical strength. MECHANICS: First, second, and third-class levers-location of ten­ dons and bones in the hind legs of race horses and draft horses ; two-horse and three-horse eveners. DIFFUSION OF HEAT: Soil conducts heat upward or downward. Soil loses heat by radiation and conduction. Effects of alternations of heat and cold in soil formation (rock chipping). Freezing of liquids. Why use much salt and fine ice when freez­ ing cream? 11 Evaporation; loss of soil water (mulches to prevent it), loss of heat in soil. Snow as a non-conductor. Protects winter wheat. LIGHT: Reflection-Look down well or cistern by using mirror. COLOR: Difference between heat-absorbing power of soils due to difference in colors. e se of light and dark colors of clothing, hats, and shoes with change of season. Danger of using tar paper on fruit trees to prevent caterpillars ascending. Sun scalded bark results unless cotton is beneath black paper. ELECTRICITY: Telephone-cutting out telephone by laying hairpins, etc., against binding post; by kite string, limbs, etc., across wires in damp weather. ·Binding posts loose on instrument or batteries. Gasoline engine-binding posts loose on batteries. \?i/hy not make more of our physics in small high school apply to farm work? The farm is in one sense a large physical laboratory. Let us use it. Knowing and doing should share each other's company. "Useless each without the other."

Wood work and Agricnlture taught in Rural Schools by Estella Kent, .Medina Co., Ohio. A good library. Regular work done in better spirit than before. Voluntary work done at intermissions.

12 A rural school beautifully decorated. Walls papered, organ and case containing books that children can read. On the first day of school no weeds are found in the yard. Flowers and shrubbery have been planted. A home-like school.

RECENT BULLETINS Exercises in Elementary Agriculture, by Crosby, Department of Agriculture, \Vashington, D. C. Plants and Their Relation to the Soil, by Prof. B. 11. Davis, Miami University, Oxford, 0.

HIGH SCHOOL TEXTS. Agriculture Through the Laboratory and School Garden. Pub­ lished by The Orange J ucld Co., N. Y. Bailey's Principles of Agriculture. Published by The Macmillan Co., N. Y. Insects and plants will be named free for those who desire to know a little stranger. Address College of Agriculture, Columbus, 0.

13 WHERE TOM FOUND HIS MANNERS* One morning Tom was playing with his dog on the beautiful and well-kept lawn that surrounded his home. His father was wealthy, and Tom had every comfort in life; but he was very proud and selfish, and felt superior to all others on account of his good clothes and fine playthings. He was near the front gate when a ragged, barefooted boy came alon'g, carrying a bucket of blackberries. He politely askei Tom for a drink of water, but Tom very rudely refused, and called him a beggar. He threatened to set his dog on him if he did not go away at once. When the boy had gone, Tom thought that he would go for black­ berries, and so he went into the house and got a basket. To get to the blackberry patch he had to jump a ditch. In doing so, he fell in, and sank to his knees in the mud. He called for help, and directly the boy whom he had insulted came along. Tom asked pardon for his rudeness, and offered him money if he would help him out. The boy refused the money, but kindly helped him out. Tom felt ashamed, and had to confess that fine clothes do not make fine chidren. He took the boy home and gave him a ride on his pony. After this, Tom was more polite and kind, and often said that he found his manners in the ditch.

UNGRACEFUL POSITIONS.

No. l. Stands with arms akimbo. with bis legs cros!'led. " 2. Sits with elbows on the knees. No. 5. Rests his foot upon the chair· 11 3. Sits astride the chair, and wears <(!lshion.' his hat in the parlor. " 6. Tips back his chair, soils the u 4-. Stains the wall paper hy press· wall by resting his head against ing against it with bis hand;. it, and smokes in the presence eats an apple alone, and standa or la.dies.

*Our older readers will be mindful that about SOOJ children receive this Bulletin. 14 BAD MANNERS AT THE TABLE.

No. 1. Tips back his chair. No. 8. Drinks from the i.auccr, :rnd laps with " 2. F.ats with his mouth too full. his tongul' the Ja-.;t drop from the ~ltue. " 3. J.'eeds a dog at the table. " 9. Comt:':1 to th('t:'llilc iu his~hirl-slccn·3, " f. Holds his knife improperly. and puts his f<.•ct. beside his chair. " 5. F.ogages lo \·iolcut argument at the " 10. Picks his teeth with his fiug:cr-.. mcal·time. " 11. Scratches her bead aud is frNp1cnlly " 6. Lounges upon the table. unnecessarily getting up from lhe ,. 7. Brings o. cross child to tbc'table. table.

A BUNCH OF KEYS

A buuch of keys is mine, make each When eve - ning comes," Good night!" say, And close the When friends give a - ny thing to me, I'll use the ij=t:--- EB---==- ± J.:z"' -LI s~=t B day with glad ness shine. ''Good morn ing!" that's the door of each glad day. When at the ta ble lit_ - tie "Thank you'' key. I'll oft en use each lj~ -;,=r ?! I~ l t=I~ gold en key, That un locks ev 'ry day for rue. "If you please ! " take from off my bunch of keys. gold en key, And so a hap - PY child I'll be.

15 LITTLE LIGHT. C E. Pot.t.ocK. ~-lJ=i~=wrr@=ttff-m:__j¥rj: 1 l. God, make :my life a lit - tie light, With · in this world to glow 2. God, make my life a lit - tie flow'r, That giv - eth joy to all, 3. God, make my life a lit - tie song, That com • fort· eth the sad, -It-- ¥J

A lit - tie flame that bum .• eth bright Wher - ev • er may go. Con - tent to bloom in na • tive bow'r, Al· tho' its place be. small. That help - eth oth - ers to be strong, And makes the sing - er glad.

Lit- tie light, lit- tie light, Wher- ev-' er I may go; Lit- tie fiow'r, lit- tie flow'r, Wher- ev. er I may go; Lit- tie song, lit- tle song, Wher · ev ·er I may go; " Lit-tle light, Lit-tie fiow'r, Lit-tie song,

~~~~ ._ __.~=b. ___ 55El=l=1=-A£J=f.=1 -c-. Lit- tle light, lit-tle light, Wher- ev - er I may go. Lit- tie flow'r, lit·tle fiow'r, Wher-ev · er I may go. Lit- tie song, !it-tie song, Wher- ev · er I may go.

--~ l~JV'~ II ~g~__ ~+;8Jgbf.,_.,_..,__.., -- ~ Lit-tie light, lit-tle light, Lit-tie flow'r, lit-tie light, Lit-tie song, lit-tie light,

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