THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



75 



Ciimlierland Valley that tlie wheat there looks much 



lii'tlcr tluui hiTi'. 



Mh. Eli II re|)ortc(l for Slrasburir township and 

 vicinity. TIu' irraiii loolis vt-i'v iint'ViMi — s(fim* sputn 

 good iind olljcrs vrry \<ni\. Aluii^' llic I'im|iicii llio 

 gra!?s loi>l\s wi'll, alDiou^li in sunu' plat-fs tlie 

 yoviiii; C'loviT is tliiuly sc-t. Apple and pcaidi buds 

 look wfll. Pears not so proinisinjr, and rasplicnii's 

 and hlafl<lnTri»*s badly liiirt. Soim- potatoes planted, 

 and he saw one small Held nl'corn put in. Hi- laitieed 

 that a larjre area of trfound was beinir ju'epared fur 

 tobacco. The elierry trees are very full of btossoiu 

 buds; strawberry plants are very much back and un- 

 prumisini;. 



I'ktku S. Ukist, of Manheim, did uot expect more 

 than half a crop of wheat. The rabbits had badly 

 injured his fruit trees by peclinir, aial he expressed a 

 decidedly uid'avnralile opinicin of any law wliieh re- 

 stricted sporlsmeu from killing sueii pests at their 

 pleasure. 



Simon A. ITEusnEv, of West Hempfield, reported 

 the ero])s in his section about the same as reported 

 elsewhere — wheat bad and the fruit and i;rass crops 

 prolnisinir well. 



Mil. Koi.i.iNOKH, who had returned from spendinif 

 three w<'cks in t'uiuberland county and Frederick, 

 Md., reported the crops i^encrally in i^ood coutlition 

 throuL'hout that section. They anticiiiated a full 

 eroj) of wheat, i;rass and fruit. 



Why the \A^heat was Winter-Killed. 



Mk. Exoi.e said it was an interestinir ([Uestion why 

 there should be this ililfcreuee ; Ibr althoiu^li Cum- 

 berland is a little farther south it is ol'len colder there 

 than here — sleiirliin^ there wlien we had none. lie 

 would account for it by the fact that it lies at a 

 hiirher altitude, the ascent beine steady until you 

 reach Mcchaniesburff; hence they may not have juul 

 as mm-h alternate thawim^ and less accumulation of 

 water and freezinir, wliieh would account for their 

 wheat not beini; winter-killed. 



jMh. Esiii.em.vn concurred in the opinion that it 

 was owiuEf to less aeeuitiulated water and conse- 

 quent ly less fornuition of ice. lie used to think that 

 ice-freezinir would not kill wheat. .\nd why should 

 it have this ett'ect one season and not another ? He 

 had noticed that where the tield sloped south or east 

 the wheat looked well !mt on north or west slopes it 

 looked as bad as in the low Hats. This difl'ercnce 

 must be owini; to sonu' special condition other than 

 fri'ezinir, which he could not explain. Of all other 

 veijetatiou he had observed that clover is the most 

 in.jured by frequent freezinjjs and tha-winijs. 



Levi S. Heist had observed that where the soil 

 was smooth and level, and faeini; north, the wheat 

 had been smothered; but where the {.'round was 

 rouirh and uneven it was in better condition. He 

 ha<i seen a few fields of rich soil slopinj^ .south on 

 which the wheat is i:ood. 



The I'kesident said he favored rough ground — 

 that is, not too finely pulverized in preparing for 

 seeding. 



Mh. Engle's observation did not eonlirm the idea 

 advanced by (»thers of the ditTerence between North 

 and South slojies. It was only on the Hats that he 

 had noticed the wheat winter-killed. In regard to 

 the question of rough or smooth ground, he said 

 before the invi'Ution of the drills the clods served a 

 .purpose; they jmlverized ami ciivered the young 

 rootlets of the grain; Imt the drill does this by mel- 

 lowing and filling in the earth on the seed. 



Levi S. Keist said that while as a general thing 

 tJieclrilled wheat looked better than that sown broad- 

 cast, his theory was that in rough or cloddy ground 

 the clods allowed the air to penetrate under the ice, 

 and thus prevented the plant Irom smothering. 



Mk. Boi,i,i\-(;eu dilfered with the other speakers 

 in regard to the respective merits of drilling and 

 broatlcast sowing. Ilis neighbor, who sowed broatl- 

 east, had a promising looking field, while his own 

 and that (if scune oilier neighl)ors who had used the 

 drill, looked as if it might as well be ploughed uiiiliT. 



I'eteh S'. Heist had seen wheat under water for 

 days without being injured, wliile that on higher 

 ground was winter-kilied. In answer to a query 

 whether he had seen a single good Held this season, 

 he answered yes, that he had seen a small Held on 

 (iravel Hill which was of uniform growth. He had 

 observed in past years that wlie.it not ripe by the 

 fourth of July was invariably struck by rust, and it 

 was a questiim whether, owing to the lateness of the 

 eeason, it will mature if the time evidently fixed by 

 nature lias elapsed. By way of illustrating this 

 point, he asked whether if a portion of wheat frozen 

 with the soil, was cut anil jilaecd in a cellar cold 

 enough tokeejiit frozen until past the natural sea.son 

 for maturing, ami then placed under the necessary 

 conditions for growth, would it ripen at all? He 

 thought not. 



Mh. En-(jle was opposed to the idea going forth 

 that this Society even looked in the direction of pre- 

 ferring the cdd fashioni'il broadcast sowingto drilling. 

 The almost universal judgment of the agricultural 

 coinnuinity everywhere is op|Kised to such a notion, 

 and this judgment is tjasAl on actual tests ix-rformed 

 under all the usual varying condilions. 



Mil. Hoi.i.ixoEH said the argument of the last and 

 other speakers proceeded on the assumption that we 

 are improving in our methods of culture. Is this so 



in the main ? Are we raising more grain per acre 

 now than was raised years ago f Has not tlie drill 

 been adopted more because it is a labor-saving invin- 

 tion rather than liecaiise it is a superior method of 

 seeiling ? He instanced tlie case of an old neighlior 

 of his who was prejudiced against thedrill, and woulil 

 not have it on his farm, and yet he raised as giKid 

 cro])s as his nciglihors who seeded by drilling. 



Mil. Enim.e replied that (he case cited was not a 

 fair test. The drill could not have been ailo|ited 

 merely as a matter of economy and labor-saving, ibr 

 drills cost money, and you can sow faster by broad- 

 cast than with the drill. The true test is to londuct 

 experiments, side liy side, on the same kind of soil, 

 and under the same conditions. This has been done 

 over and over again. It has been done so generally, 

 and thcgcncral result has been. so uniformly the same, 

 that till' fact should he no longer questioned. The 

 few exee|itions do not disprove the rule. Whentherc 

 is much uiiheaving by allernali' thawings and freez- 

 ings, the advantagesof drilling over broadcast sowing 

 become the more apjiarent . In answerto the question, 

 why we don't raise as good crops as our forefathers, 

 he would remind his friend that we no longer jiossess 

 that rich virgin .soil which they tilled, liy constant 

 cropping we have rolibcd it of certain elements neces- 

 sary to the production of certain cro)is. Wheal crops 

 are generally shipped oil, while corn is more gener- 

 ally fed on the farm; and we raise as good average 

 crops of corn in Lancaster county as in any otiier sec- 

 tion of this country. Hence, in this way we arc im- 

 proving our soil for corn crx)ps. When we bi'tler learn 

 how torciilaee the plant food extracted by each crop, 

 we will be equally successful in the cultivation of 

 other cereals. 



-Mil. BicKWAi.TEK remarked that there could be 

 no question of the fact that drilling is vastly advanta- 

 geous over broadcast sowing when followeci by a hard 

 winter. 



Peter S. Reist thought the thicker the stalks 

 stand together the batter they will be protected from 

 the frost; and, therefore, a clrill that would plant in 

 hills, like corn, would answer the l>csf purposi'. Asa 

 general thing we drill too deep, covering the grain 

 three or four inches when one inch is enough. On one 

 occasion he drilled a part of a field with a very dull 

 drill, which barely covered the grain, and on that 

 portion he had the best crop. 



Varieties and Cultivation of Corn. 



The question, " What variety of corn is most pro- 

 fltable to grow, and what is the best method of culti- 

 vating it ?" was then taken up for discussion. 



Mil. EiiK said he had proposc-d the first division of 

 the question, bceau.se he had found such a dilferenee 

 in the corn he had purchased for seed, varieties dil- 

 fcriiig so much in holding out in measure. He tliought 

 it au important as well as an interesting question to 

 the farmer. 



Mil. Enoee said the answer to this question so far 

 as it eoncei'us variety, must depend very materially 

 on what use is to be made of it. H' it is to be grown 

 for market, and a good market is convenient, the 

 sugar corn would certainly be the most profitable. 

 If (luanlity rather than i|uality is to be considered, 

 the large white gourd will pniduce the most iiushels 

 to the acre. Other varieties will iiroducc less but 

 may weigh more to the bushel. The yellow gourd, 

 being of smaller growth, can be planted closer, and 

 in tliat way will yield as much to the acre. The rank 

 growing varieties (reaching from 12 to 1.5 leet higli) 

 look very big but he dcaibtcd if they were the most 

 profitable. This can he detcrniined only by the 

 actual cultivation of diHerenl varieties grown under 

 the .same conditions. He had rai.sed '.Kl Imshels to tlie 

 acre of the yellow gourd, and had never had so good 

 a yield of any other, though he had not tested them 

 on the same ground at the same time. The larger 

 growing varieties require a richer soil to dcvehip their 

 rank growth. In his experience he never foundany 

 variety of several he had grown to equal iu value the 

 small yellow gourd. 



.Mil. (iiioss.M.w gave his experience during a series 

 of years ; had used different varieties; had tested 

 them in wet and dry seasons with pretty much the 

 same results so far as varieties were concerned. He 

 planted in rows using the corn-planter. Sometimes 

 he had the largest stalks, but his neighbor would 

 have the best corn, and vice versa. 



Mil. Boi.i.iNi^KK thought any variety will make a 

 g(x)d yiehi if it is well cultivated on good soil. 



-Mu. .McCd.msev's exiicrience hail led him to believe 

 there was a great dilferenee in varieties. Some re- 

 quire a stronger soil to develop. The large gourd 

 seed is of rank growth iu the stalk, the ears long and 

 thick, and requires a fi^rlile soil lor its developmeiil. 

 If he had that kind of land he would plant the large 

 gourd seed and be sure of a good crop. But for 

 poorer soil he would select a variety better adapt- 

 ed to it, such as the old yellow lliiit, as that will 

 mature belter on iKior soil than the larger varieties. 

 What there is of il will be good in the grain, wliieh 

 is not the case with the gourd seed. Hence, he 

 would be goveriud in the seleetiou of seed by the 

 quality of the soil. Another reason for selecting 

 large gourd for rich soil is Uiat it is capable of fully 

 developing it, while the smaller variety will noi grow 

 any larger on this than on a soil of iiKMlcrate fertility. 



Petek S. Keist gave statistics from the agricul- 



tural reports going to show that the artificial fertili- 

 zers imported to grow good crops cost half what the 

 corn is worth, and it was questionalple wliethcr this 

 would pay. Insleail of using artificial fcrlilizers, ho 

 woulil grow clover and feed it to stock, using stable 

 manure and lime instead of artificial. He coiiteiided 

 that we plow loo deep. Four or six inches is deep 

 enough. There is no use in turning up tlie sub-soil. 

 Plant an orange tree in u Ikix and it will grow unlil 

 the roots strike the side of the box, and then it only 

 begins to bear fruit. So with corn. It will not 

 mature unlil the riKits strike the subsoil which has 

 not been mellowed with the plow. There is nothing 

 gained by [ilougliing deeper I hail barely necessary for 

 the normal developmeiil of the roots. In his jiidg. 

 inent the variety wliieli produces the largest ears is 

 the best for bushels of ears and weight of grain. 

 But, after all, it don't depend so much on the variety 

 as (m the soil, season and cultivation. 



Mn. HdovEK expressed his preference for the 

 gourd seed variety— but would <-oglinc his remarks to 

 Hie mode of eullival ioii. Tliere is a great deal to do 

 afti'r Hie seed is iilantcd, although there is a dilfer- 

 enee of opinion as to the lii-st plan of iihinting. Ho 

 had tried drilling and planting by single hill In rows, 

 but liad succei-dcd best by the I'lld plan of marking 

 out and cliei kering and planting by hand with the 

 hoc. He could then cultivate botliwavs. (>>rn cannot 

 be cultivated too much. He hud no doubt that if the 

 weeds could he kept down a system of planting by 

 single grains would produce the most corn; hut this 

 would cost too much for labor. Therefore he prefers 

 checkering and planting three grains to tlu' hill, 

 and keeping clear of weeds. When it can be no longer 

 cultivated, remove the suckers and thin to three, and 

 if the hills arc clo.se and the variety large, two slalks. 



Mil. .MrCoMSEV was not .w sureaboul theutilllvof 



high cultivation. Si years ago he planted eight 



acres in corn, in good ineliow soil, scoring holli ways, 

 and cultivated Ihoroiighly so long as he could get 

 through it with a horse and shovel-plow. The crop 

 looked very promising; hut soon after he had done 

 cultivating it there came a heavy rain with wind so 

 completely prostrating the crop t hilt it never recovered. 

 He drew tlie conclusion that if he had not cultivated 

 so highly, making the soil so loose and mellow, he 

 would not have lost the crop. 



Mu. Esiii.em.vn- could not endorse this proposition. 

 It was merely accidental. Before theu|iper supports 

 grow out and nach into the ground, the stalk stands 

 very loosely, whether the ground be mellow or other- 

 wise; but after they take hold it stands firmly. lie 

 was in favor of cultivating [■orii as much as pos.sib1e. 

 He had never been able to raise a good crop, as com- 

 jiared with others, and believed it was owing to ad- 

 hering to the yellow Hint variety. Those who raise 

 the big crojis plant the gourd .seed. .Mr. Cook had 

 rai.sed one liundred bushels to the acre by the use of 

 phosphates. He had intended to house the ero|) care- 

 fully, and when dry test by actual weight the proi>or- 

 tion of cob to grain. He had not heanl the result, 

 but it would be a fact useful to know. He didn't be- 

 lieve .Mr. Heist's theory, that corn will not ear until 

 the roots touch the subsoil, but he meant to test It 

 this year. 



The President, (.Tohnson Mim.er.) exhibited ears 

 of six diHerent varieties which he had grown. For 

 seed he selectsthe thickest ears hecaiiget — thick cob 

 and long ear. The Mainmoth Dent he considers the 

 best. Furrows out and crosses with chain-scoring, 

 so as to cultivate both ways, and keep perfectly clear 

 of weeds. Plants three grains to the hill, anil then 

 thins out to two stalks. Shovel plows six or eight 

 times, both ways, north and south, cast and west — 

 always trying to get the rows as nearly with these 

 points of the compass as |io.ssible. He was opposed 

 to hilling up. He has always been regarded as a suc- 

 cessful corn grower, as was his father, who farmed 

 the same land. 



Mk. Boi-MNiiEit said that in all this talk he had 

 not yet heaiil how iniieh to the acre was considered a 

 good crop. He had raised an average of S-Ji ^ bushels 

 on 1.5 acres. Did not believe that ehcckeriiig had any 

 advantage over planting in rows; nor did he believe 

 in Mr. Heist 's theory of earing depending upon riKits 

 striking the sul'soil. On one occasion he planted corn 

 where an old tree had been dugout, leaving the soil 

 incllow loan unusual depth. lie was sure Hie roots 

 didn't reach the subsoil, and he wished Mr. Reist 

 could have seen that corn growing Hftecn feet higli ! 



Mil. Heist replied that his friend's extnine illus- 

 tration reminded him of the man's test of Hie feather 

 bed. He had heard so much about the softness of 

 feathers that he determined to try them. .So he spread 

 the feather bed on a rock, and got up with a very 

 |)oor opinion of the softness of feathers ! It should be 

 lioriie in mind that the soil around an old tree is gcu- 

 erally fertile, owing loan unusual amount of dn>|>- 

 pings from cattle, who seek its shade. Besides, he 

 did not advocate extremes. What he meant to say 

 was, that the soil should be ploweil and pulverized 

 only so deep as its fertility goes. He favored high 

 cullivalion, both before and after planting, and be- 

 lieved it better than manure. 



.Mu. IIitovEK said it was well known that you 

 can't give young trees too much loose soil for the 

 roots to branch out iu. Ttie rule is to make the pit 

 as large as possible. Hence, trees planted in a newly 



