No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 6dl 



What a coterie of brain with sneh authors as Noah Porter, George 

 Geddes and Grace (rrccnwood, Sarah Lippincott, as correspondents. 

 Is it any wonder that for thirty-five years our ''Hearth and Home" 

 remained and yet remains sacred in its library place! 



In the "Hearth and Homo" was Abijah Wilker Sons' diary. Abijah 

 was a flctition of Mr. Mitchell. The dairy reads something as does 

 "My Farm at Edge wood," being the journal of a Yankee farmer, 

 with, as characters, the day-hand Seth, and Sister Jerusha and Je- 

 rusha's admirer, Parson Bolles. Parson Bolles seemed such an an- 

 noyance to Abijah in that the Parson, knowing his P's and Q's, would 

 not stand for an argument against Abijah — the brother of his old 

 sweet-heart, in fear of friction that might alienate Jerusha's atfec- 

 tions. Mrs. Downing so much enjoyed Mrs. Kate Hunnibee's 

 column and her Women's Club. Mrs. Dodge was the Kate Hun- 

 nibee pictured over her household column in the "Hearth and Home," 

 as sewing by the evening larnp, with four children, the babe in an 

 old time cradle, two children at their books, one jollying pussy, all 

 at Mrs. Hunnibee's feet. Our children, too. w'ere young at that tinie 

 and what Mrs. Hunnibee or Aunt Betsy of the Club said about chil- 

 dren was gospel with Mrs. D. and is to this day, 



NOTED CORRESPONDENTS. 



But we have as yet of us and with us the Hope Farm corres- 

 pondent who writes, aside from fruits, as yet of children, as does 

 the loving and lovable "Aunt Harriet." W^e have as yet that sup- 

 posed to be hoary old farm philosopher, Judge Biggie, and Tim of 

 the horses, and the author of the wife's share mingling with the 

 farmers of many states and writing of them so genially and of their 

 profitable methods as to this and that. Also Alva A gee, of pleasant 

 remembrance, who gathers from farmer's, lessons, which he is so 

 good as to recognize as being equal to those coming from himself and 

 whom farmers in turn consider'as a valuable instructor. 



LOCAL CHARACTERISTICS. 



Should any of you visit State College, if you fail to enter the State 

 Experiment Station you will miss much that you should not loose. 

 During my many visits to the College as trustee and committeeman, 

 and t£» see the boys, I was prone to linger before a cabinet in which 

 were pigeon-holed farm monthlies and w^eeklies from all states and 

 far countries. You could learn here of agriculture, and farm life in 

 all its phases — of intense dairying amid the springs and rills of Wis- 

 consin — of fruits and wheat along the Pacific slope — of the corn of 

 the prairies — of the alfalfa and potatoes of Colorado — of the cot- 

 ton of the South — of the herds of Ohio — of the oats and peas of Vir- 

 ginia — of the apples of New York and so on. You could find there, 

 too, our own Farm Journal and Practical Farmer, in contrast 

 with all these papers, plainly and truly evidenced the characteristics 

 of the farmer and farming, of the housewife and the house economy 

 of Eastern Pennsylvania, while the Stockman of Pittsburg truly rep- 

 resents its clientage of Western Pennsylvania and Ohio. And yet 

 these excellent publications reach a multitude of readers beyond the 

 locality of their publication. 



It is indeed encouraging to witness in this cabinet of farm periodi- 

 cals the increase, in so few years, of farm literature. And now, as 



