110 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[July, 



THE FARM AND THE DAIRY. 



Frauds in Commercial Fertilizers. 



As will be seen by our Paris letter, the adulteration 

 of commercial manures is attracting much attention 

 in Europe as well as in this country. It was the sub- 

 ject of a lively discussion at the last meeting: of the 

 Farmers' Club of the New York American Instistute. 

 The subject was broujjht to the attention of the clui) 

 in a letter from Mr. Conrad Nilson, of Stoutsburfr, N. 

 Y. who said that among the numerous important 

 facts presented at a late meeting of the club is one 

 that cannot fail to arrest the notice of American farm- 

 ers. It was stated by Mr. Scoville in his excellent 

 paper on " Experiment Stations in Europe," that tlie 

 results obtained from i'eeding experiments at a single 

 station in Prussia had been worth more to the farm- 

 ers of that country tlian the entire cost of all the sta- 

 tions up to that time. This was stated on the authority 

 of the Minister of Agriculture, and leaves no room to 

 doubt the fact or to undervalue it. But evcnthis fact, 

 immense as it seems, is only a partial indication of the 

 real utility and value of such stations. Besides the new 

 and recent facts dcveloiied in regard to feeding, these 

 institutions are also continually shedding new light 

 on the other questions and especially on the relative 

 value of commercial manures and on the frauds prac- 

 tised by the venders of them . This question of adul- 

 teration of fertilizers is growing in immense projior- 

 tioMs and can no longer be neglected with imi)unity. 

 Commercial fertilizers having a value of less thau S3 

 per ton have been sold in the market for $00. So 

 states the Northeastern Farmer on its own personal 

 knowledge, and there seems to be, in fact, no end to 

 the vast and systematic swindling by which farmers 

 are robbed without limit and without shame. Now, 

 if the establishment of experimental stations in this 

 country would have the same effect here as abroad ; 

 if, along with its other benefits, it would lead to the 

 extiri)ation of this nefarious traffic ; if it would drive 

 out from the presence of honorable men the vile swin- 

 dlers who have so long polluted the channels of trade 

 that susjjicion is beginning to rest even upon honest 

 goods and truthful men ; then, I say, let us have these 

 stations at the earliest moment, for the benefit to all 

 parties would be greater than any of us now realize. 

 Let us have at least one of these establishments in 

 our own State, and we may be very sure that others 

 will shortly follow. 



11. E. Colton said that he accidentally learned that 

 the Peruvian government having been aroused by the 

 notice of frauds in their guauo authorized their agents 

 to manipulate the guano so as to make it even in 

 quality and the phosphoric aei<l soluble. They are 

 also now allowed to sell in the open market instead of 

 as formerly by cargo alone. These gentlemen arc 

 erecting machinery and will soon furnLsh an article of 

 Peruvian guano guaranteed always forty per cent. 

 nitrogen and ten per cent, soluble phosphoric acid. 



The Largest Farm in the World. 

 This is rather a large claim to make, even in this 

 country, where real estate lies around in parcels of 

 eoiisiilerabltsizc^, but according to the St. Louis Re- 

 ]>uhlieaii, it may be fairly applied to the estate of Mr. 

 (icorge (irant, founder of the Victoria colony, in Kan- 

 sas. His farm embraces the entire county of Ellis, is 

 larger than any . dukedom of Europe, and contains 

 57(i,9(MI acres. Mr. (irant devotee himself principally 

 to stock raising, and has accomplished a great deal 

 by the introduction of the best blooded stock and ex- 

 hibiting the liest methods of rearing, feeding, andim- 

 l)roviug the foreign and domestic breeds of horses, 

 cattle, aud sheei). lie has just wintered 7000 sheep, 

 with a loss of less than one per cent., the secret of his 

 success lying in ])rovidiug good shelter. He is the 

 ownei- of the thoroughbred stallion Flodden, valued 

 at :?'2.'),()l)n,>he father of which won the Derby race in 

 18(10. He has just purchased for his farm thirty odd 

 brcHid marcs in Ohio, Virginia, and Kentucky, and he 

 has i?2.'i0,0()0 invested in stock. Amongthe large num- 

 ber of resident colonists and stock-raisers wlio have 

 purchased land of him, and are now raising stock in 

 Victoria Colony, are many young men of prominence, 

 both in this country and F.nirland. The Hon. Walter 

 Maxwell, younger son of Lord Herries, of Everingham 

 Park, Yorkshire, England, owns two sections, and is 

 eomtortably settled down to the healthful life of the 

 raneliero. Then thei'e are three bachelor sons of a 

 Dci-byshirc clergyman, and the nephew of theEarl of 

 Winclielsea, who is now on his way over from Eng- 

 land to take up his home there. Two nephews of 

 Mayor (iuthrie, of New York City, and two young 

 Shields, f Boston, are also among the number. 



The butter is then packed in small packages and ship- 

 ped. The lowest rate at which he sold the past win- 

 ter was thirty-five cents. He thought in that section 

 every farmer should engage in dairying. It is the 

 safest an<l surest, and he does not think it can be over- 

 done. He had noticed that in his own case he had 

 never been able to meet demands against him with 

 the ease that he had since he went into dairying. He 

 took milk- to the cheese factory in the summer. He 

 colored his butter with carrot juice, and fed clover 

 hay, sugar beets and bran in the winter. He raised 

 8(J0 bushels of beets and 1.50 bushels of carrots on 149 

 rods of ground at an expenses of $35. The net price 

 for butter during the winter was about thirty-two 

 cents per pound, and he realized on twenty cows last 

 season, including calves, .^.50 per cow. He believed 

 strongly in feeding bran and in high feeding generally. 



Making Butter in Winter vs. Summer. 



At a recent dairymeirs association, O. F. Pixley, of 

 Oaklanii, lliougbt making butter in the winter the 

 mo.st pj-olitablc. He uses a S(|uare box churn, with a 

 shaft miming through the centre ; churns fifteen min- 

 utes ; had rather churn a half hour, because he 

 thought quick churning injured the grain of the but- 

 ter. He does not wash his butter, and uses Ashton 

 salt, and when salted sets away twenty-four hours; 

 it is then taken and worked till brine comes clear. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



The Culture of Peppermint. 



At a recent meeting of the Farmers' Club of the 

 American Institute of New York, Ur. E. Ware Syl- 

 vester, of Lyons, New York, read an excellent paper 

 on the culture of peppermint, which contains much 

 interesting information new to us. Dr. S. said : 



"In Wayne county we raise about *.500,000 worth 

 annually. Let not the unsophisticated for a moment 

 suppose that we thereby increase enormously the 

 consunii)tion of mint juleps, for it is with great pleas- 

 ure that I inform him that mint juleps are made from 

 spearmint and not from peppermint. Since 1871 the 

 price of peppermint oil has fluctuated from S3 to §(> 

 per pound in our market at Lyons. In 1874 1 planted 

 five acres, which yielded thirty pounds per acre, and 

 sold for .$.5.11 per pound, amounting to S7t)ti..50, or 

 over S1.50 per acre. The latest quotation in village 

 papers was $.5 per pound. Since the publication of 

 my paper on the cultivation of mint I have received 

 from numerous persons these questions : Where can 

 I procure the seed ? Do you plant the root, the stem, 

 or the seed ? It is these questions which I now pro- 

 pose to answer. I have no doubt that peppermint may 

 be grown either from the root, stem or seed, but the 

 most desirable portion of the plant is the rooted run- 

 ner from last year's growth. Perhaps you will be 

 enabled to understand me better if I detail the pro- 

 duction of this ' rooted runner.' For instance, in 

 the spring I plant an acre of mint roots. These grow, 

 are kept free from weeds, and in July or August the 

 tops have grown from one to two feet high, and when 

 in blossom the tops have been mowed off and eon- 

 verted into peppermint oil by distillation. About this 

 time small shoots or runners are seen growing from 

 the neck or collar of the mint and remaining on the 

 surface of the ground. These runners take root and 

 each for himself becomes a living plant, though still 

 clinging to his mother's breast. It is these plants, 

 full of life and vigor, which you must plant if you 

 would grow mint successfully. I once planted seven 

 acres with these runners in November, and the mint 

 was as productive as other mint in the same field 

 planted in the spring, but the general practice is to 

 plant the runners in the spring. Just at this juncture 

 conies the important question. How shall we protect 

 these infant runners during our cold and often in- 

 clement winters, so that they shall possess sufflcient 

 vitality to be sejiarated from the parents and com- 

 mence a vigorous, productive existence in the new 

 field to which they are removed ? If snow falls on 

 the ground before it is much frozen and remains on 

 until spring, covering the runnei-s with a white, soft 

 blanket, they will come out of the winter as bright 

 and smiling as a tottering infant ; but if, as too of, en 

 happens, wc have severe weather, without snows, and 

 the ground is frozen a foot or more in depth, fierce 

 winds sweep across your mint field, and in the spring 

 they look brown or black, their young rootlets are 

 dead and they are unfit for jilanting. How shall we 

 obviate the effects of the winter and have fresh, 

 healthy ruuners ? I answer by relating my own ex- 

 periments. Last autumn I divided my new mint fields 

 into three unequal sections, which I numbered 1, 2 

 and 3. Section No. 1 was ploughed in November 

 very carefully about five inches deep, the surface laid 

 flat and not lapped, so that the runners were by this 

 process covered with soil about five inches deep. Sec- 

 tion No. 3 was covered to the depth of five or six 

 inches with Ijuckwheat straw early in December; the 

 straw was spread evenly from a wagon driven over 

 the field an<i was not pressed down or rolled. Section 

 No. 3 was left unprotected in any way ; just as the 

 runners grew so they were left to care for themselves 

 during the very severe winter which has just passed. 

 The result was that the runners on the section cov- 

 ered with straw came out in the spring bright and 

 healthy; those left without any attention were the 

 next best, and many of them used in planting; while 

 section one, which was ploughed over, was very much 

 injured by the winter, and none of the runners were 

 used in planting, but they have come up through the 

 soil to some extent and now promise a fair crop of oil 

 this season. The method of ploughing over is not 

 always so successful. In some seasons the verV best 

 results are otiiained by this plan. It depends much 

 upon the nature of the soil an 1 the vagaries of the 

 winter. I am of the opinion that a light covering of 



straw is the best method, and that wheat or rye straw 

 will answer as well as buckwheat; what is wanted is 

 some light application on the surface of the ground 

 to hold the light snows, if there are any, and practi- 

 cally protect the young rootlets from severe cold. 

 But, the novice asks, why the anxiety about roots ; 

 after you have planted a field can you not mow the 

 mint year after year, as we do meadows ? I answer 

 no ; the mint is usually cut for two years and then 

 replanted ; in very rare instances three crops are 

 gathered. How many roots do you plant to the acre ? 

 This is a fair question, and I should much prefer to 

 answer it than count the runners we plant on an acre. 

 When the runners are numerous and well rooted, and 

 all alive, from ten to twenty square rods will afford 

 sufficient for one acre ; hence you perceive, then, one 

 acre of runners will plant from eight to sixteen acres 

 of new mint. But if I were so situated that I had to 

 transport my roots to a great distance, then I would 

 mark off an acre in furrows of three feet each way 

 and jilant in the crossings. This would require about 

 .5,000 plants to the acre ; and then the next year would 

 plant my new field, using the runners from twenty 

 square rods in each acre. There is money to be made 

 by growing peppermint when the oil brings in the 

 market over $ i per pound, if every detail is well 

 managed ; audit has this positive advantage — itdoes 

 well on and utilizes soil that is too wet for the suc- 

 cessful cultivation of corn or wheat. 



Utilizing Water by Irrigation. 



The frequent failure of certain crops, especially 

 strawberries, by excessive drought, suggests the 

 western plan of irrigation, where immense crops are 

 raised by this plan. There are many farmers and 

 gardeners in the east who could so manage small 

 streams at their convenience to supply the deficiency 

 of the clouds, and it would pay them handsomely. 

 Indeed, to have water at haml just when wanted would 

 often save an entire crop. The western folks use their 

 water in a very simple manner. The little stream is 

 brought on a level along the hillsides, giving it the 

 appearance of " running up hill." Then it is carried 

 across hollows or round them ; wooden troughs being 

 used when the water is too scant, or the soil toosandy 

 to forbid waste. When there is a tract to be irrigated 

 the water is brought to the highest points and run 

 across in the trough on a dead-level, so that the water 

 will course down hill. In this, every few feet, holes 

 are bored through which water can run when wanted, 

 and be stopped by a plug when not. 



Some suggestive facts on the general subject of irri- 

 gation were given in Mr. Diffenderfer's excellent 

 paper on " Irrigation in the Valley of the Kio (iraude," 

 in the April issue of The Farmer. There the 

 farmers must depend altogether on irrigation for their 

 crops, and have necessarily reduced it to a complete 

 system. 



DOMESTIC ECONOMY. 



How to Can Fruit. 



The principle of canning fruit should be under- 

 stood in order to work intelligently. The fruit is 

 preserved by placing it in a vessel from which the ex- 

 ternal air is entirely excluded. This is effected by 

 surrounding the fruit with liquid, and by the use of 

 heat, to rarify and expel the air that may be en- 

 tangled in the fruit or lodged in its pores. The preser- 

 vation does not depend upon sugar, though enough of 

 this is used in the liquid which covers the fruit to make 

 it palatable. The heat answers another purpose ; it 

 destroys the ferment which fruits naturally contain, 

 and as long as they are kept from contact with the 

 external air they do not decompose. 



The vessels in which fruits are preserved are tin, 

 glass and earthenware. Tin is used at the factories 

 where large quantities are put up for commerce, but 

 is seldom "used in families, as more skill is required in 

 soldering than most persons possess. Besides, the 

 tins are not generally safe to use more than once, 

 (ilass is the preferable material, as it is readily 

 cleaned, and allows the interior to be frequently in- 

 spected. Any kind of a bottle or jar which has a 

 mouth wide enough to admit the fruit aud which can 

 be securely stopped, positively air-tight— which is 

 much closer than water-tight — will answer. Jars of 

 various patterns and patents are made for the pur- 

 pose, aud are sold at the stores. These have wide 

 mouths, and a glass or metallic cap, which is made 

 to fit very tightly by an India-rubber ring between 

 the metal and the glass. The devices for these caps 

 aro numerous, and much ingenuity is displayed in in- 

 venting them. Dr. Yeomans says, " we have used 

 several patterns without much diflerence in success, 

 but have found there was some difference in the 

 facility with which the jars could be opened and 

 closed". The best are those in which atmospheric 

 pressure helps the sealing, and where the sole de- 

 pendence is not upon screws and clamps." To test a 

 jar, light a slip of paper and hold it within it. The 

 heat of the jlame will expand the air and drive out a 

 portion of it. Now put on the cap ; when the jar be- 

 comes cool the air within will C(m!ract, and the pres- 

 sure of the external air should hold the cover on so 



