THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE LANCASTER 



COUNTY AGRICULTURAL AND 



HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Tills society nicl .«tiiteilly, on the fourtli of 

 Jamuuy, 1S7.">, in llie (Jri>liiiiis" Court room, 

 Lancaster city. .Toliiison Miller, cliainiiaii, 

 pre.sided, ami" Alex. Iliinis was cliosen sec- 

 letarv ;<ro (( »i. I'leseiit, .loliiisoii Miller. II. 

 :M. Knu'le. Alex. Harris, T. W. Ilieslaiid. 

 Levi S[ rieisi, I'eter S. Heist, .laeol) IJiick- 

 walter, M. ]). Keudifj, .loliii H. Krl), T). L. 

 Resh, M. M. Kslileniaii, A. H. Heist, S. F. Eby, 

 A. C. Uvus, U. Cf. Swart/, Henry Fraiike, Israel 

 L. Laildis, J. n. Kisser and Hon. J. 15. 

 Livingston. 



The reading of the minutes was dispensed 

 with, and the chairman then called for reports 

 from standing connnittees on the crops. 



M. ]}. Eshleinan reported the crops lookinj; 

 as well as could lie expecti'd. Tohacco is 

 nearly all stripiieil and ready for the market. 

 "Wheat is aliout half s;oiu> into market. 



>[. I). Kenilii; n'jiorted that the tobacco 

 was jiretty well stripped, and as to other 

 matters he agreed with .Mr. Kshleman. 



n. M. Eu^le remarked that if the winter 

 did not iirove a hard one, the crops would 

 most probalily do well. 



John 15. Erb reiiorted the fruit bndsswelled 

 a little, but regarded every I bins safe as yet. 



1). L. Rcsli read the followinjf excellent and 

 interesting paper on the subject of 



THE CULTIVATION OF FLOWERS: 



The tirst article of our constitution declares 

 tliattlieobjcM'tofthe Horticultural Society shall 

 be to eiicouraiie and iiromote the cultivation, 

 improvement and exhibition of fruits, vetieta- 

 bles and llowers. The lirst two objects slate<l 

 have received, in a marked dejireo, the atten- 

 tion which they deserve from tlu^ members of 

 the Society, while the last, in my ii|>inion, 

 lia.s not been treated with that consideration 

 which it so richly deserves, and which its im- 

 portance demands. 



Tlic ciiltivdtiiin i)f Jloicer/: — frcjm the earliest 

 times to the jiresent— always has occupied a 

 prominent place anions the industries of the 

 most eiiliaihtcned people. The ancient city 

 of Babylon was noted for its bantling gardens, 

 to which the utmost care was given. In tbesi' 

 gardens tlowers and |>lants were cultivated in 

 profusion, under royal patronage. Thevwere 

 the jtride of the great city. Xothing was 

 spared which conld add to their productiveness 

 . or beauty, and if history informs us correctly. 

 they have not been excelled by anything of 

 the kind in modern limes, with all our boast 

 of the onward march of iuiiirovement. 



Flowers played no unimportant part in the 

 public and jirivate life of the (Jreeks and 

 Romans. At weddings and at funerals, at 

 their feasts and festivals, upon state occasi(uis 

 and in the worship of their gods, tlowers were 

 used with a lavish hand. ^'ictors in the 

 Olympic and other games were rewarded with 

 cliai>lets of tlowers, and at a marriage the 

 bride and her attendants were crowned with 

 garlands. 



Xol only werP the heathen nations of an- 

 tiipiity devoted Worshippers at the shrine of 

 Flora, but (rod's chosen peo])le used the same 

 means to manil'est the rnllnessof their joy and 

 gladness on triumphal and festal o(!casious. 

 From that period down through the sne<'eed- 

 ing centuries of the Christian dispensation, 

 flowei-s have never lost their ancient signiti- 

 canee, although their language may have lu^en 

 partially unheede<l through the sanguinary 

 and intriguing .sellislme.ss of the darker ages. 

 They ever .spe.ak a beautifi* language, and 

 symbolize those active human ideas and affec- 

 tions \vhi<'h ultimately culminate in that sml, 

 which may germinati' and bloom in the realms 

 of the " better worhl." 



At the present time, both in our own coun- 

 try and in Europe, much money is invested in, 

 and more attention is given to, "the cultivation 

 of ornamental plants and trees than was ever 

 before known. Not only in the cities, but 

 also in the rural districts,')>er.sonsof leisureare 

 devoting their time to this line and useful art, 

 while to many men of business, and to house- 



wives and other women, it is fiwt becom- 

 ing a necessary and healthful recreation. 



The time is jiast when the respectable farmer, 

 or merchant, or nu'chanie. after working hard 

 all day, spends his evening in the saloon or 

 tavern, or other loating iil.iee. He now spen<ls 

 it at home with his family, his books and his 

 tlowers. Nearly all farmers have blooming 

 plants in their windows in winter time, and 

 the number that are building conservatories 

 or greenhouses is yearly iiicrea-sing. This 

 shows a refined and cultivated taste which 

 true country life is well calculated to create 

 and nourish. 



The IlorticuUural Society of Germantown, 

 in the suburbs of I'hiladelphia, with a view 

 to eiK'ourage lloriculture among tlu' people of 

 that iilace, annoimei's that it will distribute 

 amongfemale applicants lifty winter-blooming 

 carnations in live inch pots. The person who, 

 at the February nii'eting, shows hers in the 

 best condition will receive, as a premium, one 

 liKiiili-t'il iKHUling l>lants. The second best.si)e- 

 cinian calls for ti/hl bedding plants, and the 

 third liest for tn-'cHlii-jhr. The bedding plants 

 will lie delivered in iime for putting out in the 

 spring. 



This iilan has been frequently practiced in 

 foreign citiesand villages, with the best results. 

 Will not other societies, like that of (Jermaii- 

 town, take a forward aU'fi in tbisdiri-ctiou and 

 introduce and encourage practical Horieulture 

 in city and country. 



Will it pay me to beautify my home with 

 Howers and shrubbery V is a rpiestion which 

 everv one who lias a home must answer for 

 himself. There are few persons who cannot 

 afford to invest a small sum in a few rose 

 bushes or other ornamental ivlants to start 

 with, and in a short time they will be well re- 

 paid for their slight expenditure and trouble. 



Anything which adds to the beauty and 

 cheerfulness of a home adds to its perinanent 

 value. There are many gems in the lloral cre- 

 ation which, when once implanted in the soil, 

 will continue to grow in lieauty year after 

 year, and remain joys forever to the f(n'tunale 

 po.ssessor. All will admit that this department 

 of nature is well wiu-thv the study of man. 

 " Flowers are not the trifles which many think 

 them to be, or God would not have besto\ve<l 

 the care on them that he did." 



II. M. Eugle entirely endorsed the senti- 

 ments of the essayist, and concurred in the 

 opinion that llowers followed agriculture — 

 were next in importance. He believed that 

 most farmers failed to pay proper attention to 

 the cultivation of tlowers. 



A vote of thanks was tendered Mr. Resh for 

 his essay, after which the Chairman, .Johnson 

 Miller, read his 



ANNUAL ADDRESS. 



Gextlkmex : With this meeting closes my 

 labors for the lirst term as I'resideiit of tln^ 

 Agricultural and IlorticuUural Society of Lan- 

 caster County. One year ago, at the January 

 meeting of this Society, you held au election 

 for otlioer.s. Some important business in wliieh 

 I was interested recpiired my absence tVom 

 your meeting for some time, and when return- 

 ing into this room, a commit tee a|iproaehed me 

 and announced the unexpected intelligence 

 that I was elected President by a majority of 

 one vote. To he elected to the highest posi- 

 tion without my knowledge, or asking any 

 member to vote forme, isaeoniidinient worthy 

 of remembering, and for which acce|)t my 

 heartfelt thanks, one and all. When taking 

 the chair, which I have lillcd at every meeting 

 excepting one since my election, I wassomncli 

 cmbaiTa.s.sed when the idea struck me that the 

 youngest member of this Society at tlie time 

 should be the presiding oliieer, that 1 knew not 

 what to say. The only practice I had in par- 

 liamentary rules, or as chairman of public 

 meetings, was what I learric<l as Su|Hn-inten(l- 

 eiit of a fliiiday-.school, to which I was elected 

 for four consecutive terms. This, I think, was 

 more becoming to me than to be Chairman of 

 this Society. In the former, I was instructor 

 of persons younger than myself; in the latter, 

 quite the reverse. But notwithsUmduiy all 



this, I conducted the meetings of your Society 

 to the best of my knowli-dge and ability. I 

 however feel that there are some members 

 here that could conduct them better. 



As this is my tii'st annual address, you will 

 ple:i.se bear with me if 1 should go into details, 

 which, perhaps, do not Udong to siiidi papers. 

 I will, however, try to remain within agi-icul- 

 tural lines. In the lii'st place, a few words for 

 the Society may not be out of place. During 

 the year just closed, sevi'ial of our members 

 have passed from time to eternity, and somi! 

 new names have been added to the list already 

 on our b loks, so we set' that as some leave us 

 others tall in ; but tiiis is not all we want. I 

 think we ought to liavi^ made more progress 

 since the organization of this Association, in 

 ISlit). It has made, little advancement as a 

 c<iun)y society. Its meetings are often slimly 

 attended, jiarticularly when iiolitical excite- 

 nienls are in order in the county. I am ollen 

 called a politician my.si'lf, but I always regard 

 these meetings as of the lirst iiniiortance, and 

 even if I should be a candidate no inducement 

 couhl i)reveiit me from alteniling here. But 

 when politics run high we have only a half 

 dozen members here. Now, why is this state 

 of alfairs ? is a (pui.stion'which should engage 

 the attention of every member ujion thislloor. 

 Do the jieople of Lancaster county not know 

 there is a w<M-kiiig agrienltural society among 

 them y I say they do; they see the proceed- 

 ings in the dilVerent newspai^rs of this county, 

 for which the publishers deserve the thanks of 

 every menilKr of the Society. Wushould in- 

 vite the representatives of the press to rejiort 

 the proceedings of the Society from time to 

 time. Willi all this advantage the people have 

 of knowing there is an agricultural society, 

 they will not attend our meetings, save about 

 a dozen active member.s. It is a shame to have 

 to make such a report for a county like Lan- 

 caster, yet such is the fact ; and when I am 

 called upcm to make my annual address to-day 

 1 will frankly tell the truth of things, no mat- 

 ter whether it is in favor of or against our 

 Society. If we continue without awakening 

 more interest, and without endeavoring to get 

 people interested in our meetings, the trnmiM-t 

 of death of this Sociity will be sounded in our 

 ears before another President will deliver his 

 annual address. A year ago I made the ex- 

 pression that it would never die under my 

 hands, and I stand on the same platform be- 

 fore yon to-day. 



Shall it be .said that Lancaster county is 

 without agood Agricultural and Horticultural 

 Society, when almost every other county in 

 the great Keystone State has a large Agricul- 

 tural society? The counties of Berks and Cuni- 

 biiland are lilting examiiles for us to follow. 

 They have interesting meetings, well attended, 

 and" we have some springing up within the 

 borders of our own county — primary societies, 

 (asidi' from the (Trange movement, to which I 

 will refer in another place), which will soon 

 overbalance our own in point of niimliei-s, 

 attendance and interesting proceedings. I 

 ap|)eal to you, members, let not this he the 

 case. Let us not 1m^ satislied any more with 

 the aunouneement of names for membership, 

 but let us make it a point to have <nir neigh- 

 bors and frii-nds along with us, and not only 

 at oni^ or two meeting.s, or perhaps, join for 

 the .sake of political gain, or become a member 

 to gain iullueiicc. We have upwards of two 

 hundred names, if I mistake not, upon our 

 lK)oks, when we never have twenty-live menil>ei-s 

 attending. This is a very unsatisfactory .state 

 of alVairs to rejiort, yet such is the ca.se. Many 

 of our members come to the city to attend to 

 business, and regard the coming to our meet- 

 ing as a matter of secondary importance. 

 This is one of the greatest mistakes, and is 

 one of the iirincipal drawbacks upon our 

 Society. It is very often the case that no 

 members make their ai)pearance until half- 

 (la-sl two or three o'clock, when the hour of 

 meeting is fixed (irecisely at two o'clock, and 

 should be (me o'clock. To remedy this an- 

 novanci! I would suggest a plan, viz : Meet 

 eaily and adjmirn early. The members who 

 live'at a distance have to go home by night, 



