1875.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



-187 



tory ortlicl)uiliiiiii;wi]l givn tlR-positiiiiisuicoriliiig to 

 this system. 



C.VHiis.—Caifl.s supplied liy tlioCciiteimiiil Comniis- 

 siuii iiiiiy lie alHxcMl lo puiils, statiiiir tlie oxliil)itor's 

 luiiiH', lulilicss iiMil plnct' 111' iniimif'ucture, cliiss ololi- 

 jocts. calalogue ihiiiiIht, and price. 



Kxliiliitiii>' liiisiiies^ eanls. eireulars, anil sani])les, 

 may he plaeeil « itliiii llieir .-^paee fi)rilislrilmtioii, but 

 visitors sliall not lie solieiteil to receive tlieiii. 



I'KHMiT KoiiSi-AiK. — Wlieiillie allotiiieiit I'or space 

 is iletiuilely maile. eaeh exiiiliitor will be iiotitietl and 

 i'urnislied witli a permit iiirspaee. 



I'.NTHV OK (lOiiiis. — All ixliilnlx mnst be eiilertd ill 

 fhi- oj/li'c of tht' Chirfof thf Jinmtti of AifricHUnrc^ and 

 lufoyi- iinpitcK-itiff or ai'fUHifiiiif the artichu^ the entry 

 t/ittst he I'fidorst'tt oil the per III if for npiiee. 



I)i;i.lvi:uv OF (ioons. — .Ml produels arriviiii; at the 

 iliiors ol" the tmiidini;- by rail, wai^on, or otherwise, 

 will be received by the liurcauof'Traiispiirtatioii, and 

 delivered on the space craiited. Kaeli exhibitor will 

 then lie expected to unpack and arranii;e his i:-oods 

 wilbiiut delay, rrovisiun has been made lor (he re- 

 moval and safe storai^e iit"emi»ty boxes auil cases im- 

 mediately alter unpacking. 



LivK Stock.— The Live Stock Exhibition will be 

 held during the months of September and October, 

 l>>7(i. Special rules and regulations will be issued 

 on the sntiject. 



The Chief 111' the Bureau of .\griculture has charge 

 of the allolment of sjiaee to exhiliitors. 



Tile right lo alter or amend thiisc rules is reserved. 



OUR PARIS LETTER. 



Farming on the Continent of Europe. 

 Oorresiioiideuce of Thk Lanc-vstkii F.mimkr. 



Pakis, NovenibTr SO, 187.5. 



THE SUBJECT OF SELECTION OF SEEDS. 



and of wheat particularly, occupies much attention. 

 As a principle, it is said, we ought not to sow wheat 

 in tlie place where it has been produced. True, it is 

 an excellent practice to renew seed wheat, but is it 

 necessary to do so every year? Competent authori- 

 ties who practice wliat they tliink, rejily no. So long 

 as the yield of grain shows no falling oil', and the 

 grain disjilays no signs of degeneracy, easy at all 

 times to iierceivc, there does not ajipear to be any 

 iicees.sity for changimr the seed. Some farmers ailopt 

 the practice of selecting every year, a quantity of tlie 

 plumpest grains, sowing them apart in a kind of nur- 

 sery, and thus kecj) up a constant supply of sound 

 seed. Unfortunately these kind of sowings are gen- 

 erally too thick ; the axiom being forgotten, that the 

 richer the soil the thinner should be the sowing. A 

 soil may be rich atiil well prepared, but these condi- 

 tions will not ])roiluee gCK)d grain imless the seed be 

 in itself ''robust." The vigorous plant is that which 

 lias had during the stages of germination, the largest 

 supply of matters stored in the seed for its food. It 

 is not counted g<X)d farming to cultivate numerous 

 varieties of wheat, save where the farm is very ex- 

 tensive, and it be desired to have the crop mature at 

 some intervals, to allow of tlic better distribution of 

 harvest work. For rude climates and poor soils the 

 lieardcd vaiicty of wiieat with its line straw, is gener- 

 ally chosen ; the olher kinds would simply fail. For 

 milder climates and richer land, a variety of wheat 

 more productive, with stronger straw and a harder 

 grain, must be preferred. The crop will thus cscajie 

 the eliances of being laid aud the cars from shedding 

 the grain. 



FARMING SOCIETIES IJJ FRANCE 



I are commencing to adopt some excellent measures; 

 I many have already pun based some of the newest 

 ty|ies of airricultural machinery, in order to initiate 

 farmer> inio their um', while iniprcssicg Ibrni witli a 

 sense of Iheir iiniiortanee. From maeh nery, the plan 

 I spread to test seeds, and it has now become the turn 

 I to experiment with manures. Samples of these are 

 I obtained, and tried under i-oinmon conditions as to 

 soil and croiis. Tlius each farming society has its ex- 

 perimental Held. The results of a total series of 

 trials, with divers fertilizers, may be thus summa- 

 ri/ed; commercial manures alone ought not to be 

 relied upon to maintain the richness of a soil; they 

 oui.'bt only to be ciinsiilercil as the conipliinent of 

 farm yard manure, taking care to alternate tlie phos- 

 phate with nitrogenous and potash pri'ijarations. 



.\I. Golfart was the first in France to adopt thcplan 

 of preserved green soiling In covered trenches, as fer- 

 mented 



FOOll FOR LIVE STOCK DUIIING WINTER AND SFHINO. 



F.vcry autumn he invites those who please to honor 

 him with a visit, to come and witness his process of 

 preservinir maize. Three machines, driven by steam, 

 cut the fodder into lengths of one inch; for every six 

 shovels of the green stuH', a workman adds one of cut 

 straw; the mixture is then thrown into the ojien 

 trench; live tons per hour is the ipiantity thus mani- 

 Jiulated, and lil'ty represent the produce of an acre. 

 The maize is cut lirst on coming into llower. Of 

 course, it can also lie stored in an unihopped state. 

 When the weather is wet at the time of putting into 

 the trenches, a more liberal supply of salt is distri- 

 buted over the mass, at the rate of seven pounds to 



the ton, slrewinir a little in the bottom of the trench, 

 scaltcrim.' it 111! the sides— never in the middle — and 

 usinirit liberallyon (he w holcsurfaceof last layer. Too 

 much salt would injure the health of the ca(lle,(hat 

 ought never (o receive more (hali two ounces of salt 

 daily. Before covering with clay — never with sand — 

 a layer ordry leaves or straw may be iiilviintiii;eousIy 

 idaecil overthe maize. Any llssurcs thai may open, 

 close them by a stamp of the foot, and in a few days 

 the earth will have absorbed the fermenting gas. Du- 

 ring frosty weather, the food for the I liini: should 



be extracted from the pit the previous evening-, and 

 vire nrmi ; forty ihiuiiiIs is a sullicient average feed 

 for a cow, with ten pounds of hay given at three 

 intervals, the lirst on cut Cling the shed in (he morning. 



HORSE UREKDINC IN FRANCE 



Is commencing to exhibit signs of jiractieal ameli- 

 oration. One of the chief obslaeles hitherlo, has 

 been inditl'erence as to the food. This has been al- 

 most a rule respecting horses of a liirht breed, (hat 

 were generally left lo lind out their living durinL'their 

 growth as best they could; precocity was no objeet , 

 and at the end of four or live years they were certain 

 to sell for something. The matter wiis diU'erent re- 

 specting heavy draimht animals; in their ea.se, gen- 

 eriius fcciliuir during L'rii\vlb was rcjiiiid liy earlv de- 

 velopment and hanilsome prices. .\t present, the 

 fashion is generally to cross native races with F:nglish 

 blood; but French breeders forL^et, or desire not to 

 recall, that without liberal I'eedini:, (here can be no 

 good race of animals. Now, liberal feeding means 

 oats, and such is the food that is not forthciiming; 

 instead, straw and hay, with occasionally roots, are 

 given. What could a race, post, cab, or omnibus 

 horse do in the shape of work, if, instead of rations 

 of oats, their stomachs were sluUed with straw and 

 hay ? 



There is a marked tendency for the 



rUODfCTlON OF IMPROVED BREEDS OF SHEEP. 



Each agriculturist apparently desires to have a " spe- 

 cies" of his own, but what he obtains is, of course, 

 only a variety. The production of wool is no longer 

 regarded as a paying speculation. France cannot 

 com]iete with Australia, South America, t'cc, hence 

 the aim is, the precocious prodiu'tion of meat and of 

 wo(d at the same time. Now, precocity is irtit the 

 privilege of any race; it is a mere ijuest'ion of feed- 

 ing. M. Pilat is celebrated in the north of France for 

 an excellent variety of sheep known as " Brebiercs," 

 formed by the dishley and a cross merino breed, 

 which he maintains by careful selections and cross- 

 ings. The lamlis at tlieir birlh weii;h from II to 12 

 pounds, and, like their mother, are objects of studied 

 care in the matter of good feeding. When sixweeks 

 old the tails of the lambs are amputalcd; in .March, 

 castration takes ])laee. The weaning is cll'ected 

 gradually and naturally, and it is in the happy selec- 

 tion of lambs to be retained as rams, that M. Pilat ex- 

 cels. With the males, the pcrinancnt teeth ciimnience 

 to show between the twelfth and thirteenth mmitli. 

 The animal is adult at :iU months. For fattening, he 

 selects the animal having the chest broad and deep; 

 eye lively; head snuill; forehead broad; hind quar- 

 ter well developed; bones small; skin line and su|)- 

 ple. During the fattening, ab.solute tranquility, demi- 

 obscurity, and regularity of feeding are observed. 

 The lambs, which are in great request, are sold at 

 the rate of sixteen sous per pound, live weight. It 

 must be admitted that the jieriod for payimr fancy 

 prices for rams of celebrated Hocks is dying out. 

 Agriculturists have discovered how to develop pre- 

 cocious breeds, and never to attempt such unless 

 abundant and rich food be obtainable. To have a 

 prize animal, and not the means of feeding in keep- 

 ing, resembles much tHe possession of the white 

 elephant. In 



.TUE RECENT ACRICULTCRAL SHOW AT LfXE.MDOURG, 



held in honor of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 

 governorsliii) of the King of Holland's brother, a few- 

 facts prominently stood out. The local breed of 

 horses, resembling those of Ilainant, well adapted 

 for draught work, but lacking a little in eueriry, were 

 much remarked. They sell, however, for i'r.l'J to 

 1.5(1(1; twenty years aijo one-third of that sum was 

 ctinsidered to be a remunerative price. Pigs, as every- 

 where else on the eoiiTinent, ai'e conlined to the large 

 and small F'nglish races; local breeds are rapidly dis- 

 appearing. A threshing machine to be worked by 

 two men — very common in (iermany, attracted much 

 attention; butturniuir machinery is not the work now- 

 a-days lor mankind; we si'ck the motive iiowcr in 

 steam, air, the wind, and horses. Small f.irmers in 

 France associate to purchase a threshing machine, 

 worked either by steam or horse powi-r. There was 

 a threshing machine, also, that implement makers, 

 it is hoped, studied. Instead of the two beating roll- 

 ers having, as usual, a circular base,oneof them was 

 a cylinder with an oval base. 



THE QUALITY OF HEET IS POOR THIS SEASON, 



as compared with IS74; the yield of rich Juice is nota- 

 bly less. On (he other hand, the ipnintity of riKits is 

 su[ierior. Sugar manufacturers, of course, complain, 

 but the preparation of sugar promises to undergo a 

 complete revolution by the use of tht: hydraulics In- 

 stead of the continuous press, for the extraction of 

 the juice. M. Viollette has set the question at rest, 



respecting (he cIIccIb of partly strlppini.', during 

 growth, the leaves oM'the beet root for callle feeding. 

 That practice, he shows by analysis, not only destroys 

 the saccharine rich nets of the root , as well as the vield 

 per acre, but introduces into (he organihinof (he beet 

 other matters instead of sugar. 



THE VINE DUG CONTINUES ITS RAVAGES, 



wUhon( any apparent diminution. No powder has 

 been found of the hundreds essayed, (o act as a cure; 

 the best only prolong the life of "the vine, but do not 

 save it. The Faiuon process, that of lliKiding vine- 

 yards in autumn for six or eigld weeks. Is evemalled 

 in questiiui; but the failures, on examinalion, show 

 tha( vines so treated were already next to dead, or 

 the soil marshy; neither after the Inundation did (he 

 vines receive a manuring, which (hey ouglK. It is 

 useless llooding a vineyard, almost naturally in such 

 a slate: the soil reijuires (o bedrled alter the pliylox- 

 era are drovvned, for such (hey really are. Exix-rl- 

 ments are being eonducled with various varieties of 

 .\niirican stocks, taken in Diiawaie, Calilbrnia, A:e., 

 and reputed capable of resisting the bug; the results 

 have yet to be recorded. 



OUR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS. 



Proceedings of the Lancaster County Agri- 

 cultural and Horticultural Society. 



THE DECEMIIEU MEETING. 



The rcLmlar monthly mectin'.' of the Society 

 was held in (irant Hail, on .Monday aflernoou, the 

 tith of December, at l'^ o'clock. 



The following members were present: Johnson 

 Miller, president; Alex. Harris, secretary; John B. 

 F.rlj, Calvin Cooper, John .Miller, Henry '.M. Knglc, 

 John (irOBsman, Ephraim IJoover, Miltim B. Eshlc- 

 man, Amos Buekwalter, Mr. Ileishey, Jacob B. (iar- 

 ber, Martin S. Fry, Levi Powiialf, Levi S. Heist, 

 Frank (icorge, Simon P. Eby, John Iluber, S. i. 

 liathvon, .lobii M. Stehman, John Brailv, Henry Er'.), 

 Dr. P. W. Hicstand, Peter S. Heist, J. .Staull'er, Wal- 

 ter Kieller, and the reporters. 



Johnson .Miller said there was not much to re- 

 port in regard to 



THE CROPS AT THIS SEASON OF THE YEAR. 



The winter wheat in Ids neighliorhood looks very 

 well. It is more thickly set this fall than last, and 

 is smaller. The farmers are now going into winter 

 quarters, aud should therefore protect their slock by 

 well-closed stables — ventilation, of course, being 

 considered. 



Mr. Erb said that in his neighborhood the crops 

 were about the same as rejiorted by Mr. .Miller. As 

 regards the wheal stubble grass, it is a little 

 thin, bul what there is of it is goinl. The bee hives 

 are lighter this fall than heretofore, and if they are 

 not looked after they will lie a total I'ailun:. In some 

 of his hives he I'ound on examinationonty t wopoinids 

 of honey; in others there was iml enough ol" honcv in 

 the hives tfi feed the bees. The bees should cer- 

 tainly be looked after. 



Mr. Miller urged the importance of 



BETTER ATTENDANCE AT THE MEETINGS, 



and thought it a question (hat should cn^'aire the at- 

 tention of every memberof the society. The inember- 

 ship is very large, but for all (his, only (ifteen or 

 twenty of them are regular atlendanls, and out of 

 this munbcr. five or six do all the talkiiii.'. This he 

 did not object to, but he thought a larger attendance 

 ought to lie had, aud that all should parlicipiUe in 

 the discussions. This would make the meetings 

 more interesling, and more information in rcirard to 

 our proceedings would be given lo thepubtii-. He 

 hoped that at the next meeting there would be a large 

 turnout, as there wouKl be an election lor ollicers for 

 the year 187(i. 

 The coinmillee appointed to procure 



A SCITABI.E ROOM FOR HOLDING THE .MEETINGS, 



reiwrted t bat ( hey had looked at several and had come 

 to the conclusion that the one in which (he meeting 

 was now being held would be the best as well as (he 

 cheapest, the rent of which .wouhl be #'i a meeting: 

 the other rooms that the committee looked at woum 

 cost S'- 5(1 per meeting. 



Mr. Cooper (liouglit the room was too large, and 

 that a smaller one near the centre of the city might 

 be secured. 



Mr. Harris agreed with Mr. C'oo|>er, and referred 

 the stwiety (o (he rooms of the Athetueuin, where the 

 society formerly met. P could be uot rent free, and 

 the only cost would be for the fuel lor lire, which 

 wouUI amount (o about ij^ J for the winter. 



On motion, it was onlered that the next meeting 

 be held in the .Mheiaeum rooms. 



A bottle of wine from mixed grapes and soiue ap- 

 ples were presented by .Mr. Erb. 



Levi S. Keist presented a pear and some choice 

 apples. 



John Brady presented some very flue apples. 



The Secretary said he had ri-i'eived an essay, un- 

 accompanied by the writer's name or address, which 

 he thouirht merited some attention from theSwiety, 

 It was read as follows: 



Farming, or Science on the Farm. 



Who, in all this " broad, grceu eartli," has more 



