8 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[January, 



be selected especially for their milking quali- 

 ties ; and just here is wlieie too many are at a 

 loss, whetlier by purchase, or breeding and 

 rearing, in view of this object. — U. M. E, 

 Marietta, Pa., Jan. 10, 1870. 



[to be continued.] 

 ■ ^ 



For The Lancaster Fabmer, 

 DRESS ORCHARD TREES. 



Old fruit trees should be scraped in winter 

 with the tree scrajxr, talking off all loose, rough 

 bark and insect nests in the cavities. Look 

 over the whole of every tree and clear it of in- 

 sect nests ; some are easily seen, others have 

 to l)e carefully looked for. One is a gluey 

 patch the color of the tree bark ; look sharjily 

 for it and scrajie it oil". All moss growing upon 

 trees should be scraped off, as it is as inju- 

 rious to trees as itch and scab are to animals. 

 The scraping is as beneficial to old trees as is 

 currycombing to horses and cattle. It pre- 

 vents harkhoimd. The washing of stems and 

 large branches of trees with a solution of car- 

 bolic acid, soap dissolved in lukewarm water, 

 and a portion of the ttowers-of sulphur mixed 

 ■with it, is a good method for destroying tlie 

 insects. The best time to do the washing is 

 after the spiring opens. It will then stick to 

 the trees, and when the insects come out the 

 poison kills them in their infant state ; and by 

 that the foliage and fruits of the trees may all 

 be saved. One of the most valuable features 

 of The Faioier is, that it has a highly scien- 

 tific Entoriioh (jist as its editor. Our crops, 

 live stock and ourselves would be ruined, were 

 it not for the science of entomology. Our 

 mothers knew the science so far as to keep us 

 clear bj' comliing our heads in our young days. 

 Birds of the air and faini ])oultry are destroy- 

 ers of insects. Air birds should not be shot, 

 but fed well in winter with small grains and 

 weed seeds from the winnowing machine. — 

 Old Cultivator. 



blood of their own kind and that of other ani- 

 mals. Sometimes these manifestations become 

 furious, and the animals seem to be in a state 

 of nervmis paroxysm, which pervades their 

 whole system. Any one raised on a farm must 

 have often noticed this. It is therefore not so 

 astonishing that it should terminate in abor- 

 tion. The remedy is to guard them against 

 all improper contact. In cases where but one 

 cow is kejit there is less exposure and a less 

 occurrence of it. — EdA 



For The Lancasteb Faki^leh. 

 ABORTION OF COWS. . 



As the question of cattle breeding was up 

 for discussion before the December meeting of 

 the Agricultural and Horticultural Society, 

 without resulting in any special exjiression of 

 opinion that could benefit any one, I would 

 beg leave to ask a question in this connection 

 which I think is of special importance to dairy- 

 men. We had been thinking of preparing for 

 the coming Centennial with a number of good 

 cows, but we have been more or less discour- 

 aged by a singular coincidental occurrence 

 among our cows. It i)erhaps canuot be called 

 a disease, yet it is very similar to contagion. 

 Our cows are miscarrying to a very alarming ex- 

 tent; the stock of very few cow-owners escape. 

 Three of my neighbor's cows miscarried last 

 winter, and one of them twice in succession. 

 This singular affliction happens to all grades 

 of cows : to those that are well kejit, as well 

 as to those indifterently or poorly keiit. What 

 may be the cause of it '? What may prevent 

 it y To what extent has it hapiiened in other 

 parts of the country V — Comstoya, Jan. 5, 1870. 



[We are not a ''Looney Mactwalter," and 

 must therelbre confess our ignorance of the 

 cause, remedy, or extent of this singular mis- 

 hap among the cows, but the above may bring 

 them out. In conversation with an "intelli- 

 gent reading farmer from the eastern part of 

 the county, in relation to this subject, he stated 

 that cows are exceedingly sensitive and easily 

 affected in this respect ; especially in dairies, 

 or where herds are kept. The sight and smell 

 of blood sometimes iiroduces abortion in cows ; 

 and where one in a herd miscarries, the sight 

 of the placenta or firlns will affect others, as 

 it were, similarly. This is well known among 

 horse-breeders, and therefore the pregnant 

 dam is carefully shielded from improper sights, 

 smells and sounds. 



Some aniniids, and especially rmniimntu, are 

 very peculiarly constituted. When one dies 

 or is slaughtered, the survivors utter the most 

 melancholy moans and bellowing over the car- 

 cass or the l)lood, and it is astonishing how 

 completely they can distinguish between the 



For The Lancaster Farmer. 

 IS A CHANGE OF SEED NECESSARY ? 



At the meeting of the Horticidtural Society, 

 last Mfinday, I was somewhat surprised to 

 hear all the speakers advocating the necessity 

 for farmers to "change their seed grain ;" 

 that wheat, potatoes— indeed, all grain and 

 root cropS' — are improred by procuring seed 

 from a distance, or by simply changing seed 

 with their neighbors, or from a gravelly or 

 slaty to a limestone soil, and vice versa. 



I know very well that this idea " of a change 

 of seed" is a favorite hobljy with writers on 

 tlie subject ; at least by such as jiretend to be 

 scientific farmers. But have those advocates 

 of " changing seed" experimented themselves, 

 and for a series of years found it to be true as 

 they say? or, do most of them "follow the 

 say so" of pretending scientific writers ? or, 

 can they bring proofs of the theory from 

 their own experience V A single favorable 

 or unfavoralile season will not in-ove anything 

 for or against it. Or, again, have they 

 been in the habit of selecting the most per- 

 fect seeds for propagation, and yet found 

 their grain to deteriorate after a number of 

 years V or, have they taken the seed at ran- 

 dom from the heap, and, in consequence, 

 found their crops less than formerly V Give 

 us facts, gentlemen ! 



It is now many years since a Mr. Cooper, of 

 New Jersey, tested this question of "chang- 

 ing seed " more thoroughly, and, I think, con- 

 clusively, than it had ever been tested before, 

 or since. His statement was substantially as 

 follows : That when he first commenced to 

 select his seed corn, with nuich searching 

 through his field, he found only a few 

 stalks with two ears, or nubbins ; these he se<- 

 lected and planted the following season. Of 

 this second crop he found many stalks with 

 two ears. Again selecting the largest and 

 earliest ripe ears, he improved the crop, so 

 that in a few years there were but few stalks 

 with less than two, and some with three ears. 

 Continuing this course of always selecting the 

 largest, earliest and most ears on a stalk, he 

 so improved his crop during a term of thirty 

 years (when he published the statement) that 

 very few stalks could be found with less tlian 

 three, and many with four large ears. He did 

 not change his seed from one farm to anotlier, 

 but coTitinued "breeding in and in " from the 

 same old stock that at first produced only one 

 ear or uulibin to the stalk. 



He o])erated in the same way with squashes 

 and otiier vegetables, and in each case the 

 improvement was truly remarkable. His im- 

 jiroved corn was sought after for seed from all 

 directions ; as also liis seeds of vegetables. 

 These experiments of Mr. Cooper, I think, 

 fully establish the fact that by proper selec- 

 tion of seed grain no deterioRition of the grain 

 will result ; not alone with corn and wheat, 

 but with all vegetable growths suitable to the 

 climate. 



Well do I remember that, about forty years 

 ago. the Hessian-tties ruined oiu' wheat in 

 Lancaster comity and elsewhere to such an 

 extent tliat many farmers harvested less than 

 the seed sown. Large quantities of wlieat 

 were imjiorted from Euroi)e. ISIany farmers 

 purchased this imported grain for seed, and 

 some even for bread, at two and a half to 

 three dollars per busliel. Like my neighbors, 

 I, too, procured small samples of more than a 

 di zen varieties to test their adaptability to our 

 soil and climate. Xot one variety did any 

 good ; all mildewed, rusted, and the grain was 

 very imperfect. So I did not grow more than 



two varieties after the first year ; but as they 

 did not promise well, these were also dropped. 

 With the discarding of these new wheats, I 

 afterwards found several new leceds had been 

 received with these varieties of wheat, and 

 which gave me some trouble to clean out 

 again. Then I may also state that the old 

 blue-stem w heat was for many years our best 

 wheat ; but when the Hessian-fiiesmade their 

 appearance, fiy-proof wheat (like curculio- 

 proof plums) made their advent, and our old 

 blue-stem wheat had to give place to newer 

 kinds. These in turn were again replaced by 

 other varieties. Then the Mediterranean va- 

 riety came to be tried, perliai>s twenty-five or 

 thirty years ago. At first it was a rough, 

 thick-skinned Ijerry. The straw was soft, and 

 very subject to lodge, and the grain light and 

 imperfect. Yet this variety was grown on 

 our farm without change of seed for at least 

 twenty years. It gradually improved ; the 

 straw became shorter, stiffer, not so liable to 

 lodge ; the berry became lighter in color, thin- 

 ner-skinned, and generally a superior wheat 

 to what it was when first procured. 



Again, some years since other celebrated 

 wheats had to be tried, and the old Mediter- 

 ranean was discarded, in the hope of getting 

 still better varieties ; but in a few years, by 

 "change of seed," we again secured the old 

 Mediterranean, which still succeeds about as 

 well as heretofore, although I do not believe 

 that this " change of seed " had the least ef- 

 fect in improving the variety. 



Thus giving my exjierience and opinions for 

 what they may be worth, I would say in con- 

 clusion, that my experience with many va- 

 rieties of wheat in this matter "of changing 

 seeds " confirms me in the belief that by al- 

 ways selecting the most perfect seed, there is 

 no necessity for exchanging seed with your 

 neighbor, or to procure the same variety from 

 a distance, but select the best from your own 

 crop and farm, where it has been acclimated, 

 or naturalized, as it were, and with good cul- 

 tivation and needed fertilizers, and favorable 

 seasons, we may raise good crops to the end 

 of time from our own carefully selected seed, 

 and thank Providence "that our lot has been 

 cast in pleasant ])laces. " All the benefit I 

 ever secured by "a change of seed " was a 

 fresh erop of iDCcds. — J. B. Garber, Columbia, 

 Pa., Dec. 10, 1875. 



For The Lancaster Farmer. 

 LADIES' PARLOR OR WINDOW 

 FLOWERS. 



The lady readers of The Farmer should 

 be caieful of their parlor or window plants 

 now, and for two months to come. Give them 

 full sunshine ; keep near the glass while the 

 sun shines upon them. Draw them back from 

 the glass a little when the sunshine is over, 

 as there is a cold air close to the glass on very 

 cold days. On mild days, the neai'er the 

 glass they are kept the "better. They look 

 lightsome and pretty in the winter, when all 

 looks desolate out-doors ; they are also com- 

 panions which give no offense ; even when ill- 

 treated, the}' mildly speak of it by their droop- 

 ing and yellow leaves. Those with sweet- 

 scented leaves are i)leasant company now, and 

 the Iilooming species will put forth their flow- 

 ers in due time. On very cold nights move 

 them from the windows and set them in the 

 warmest part of the room until the house is 

 heated in the mornings. They all should be 

 sparingly watered in January and February, * 

 as they then are not making fresh growths, 

 and if dry. the cold of nights will not so much 

 injure them. Those generally grown in rustic 

 stands and hanging baskets will flourish even 

 if the .sun never shines upon them. Geraniunu 

 are best for pot cultiu-e, yet many other choice 

 species do well. Beynnia^iinA Pouvardiashhwm 

 all the winter. Crocuses, Hyacinths and Van 

 Thol Tulips bloom beautifully during winter 

 and early spring. Calla jiroduces its large 

 white lilies in early spring. The species with 

 variegated leaves look very lively all winter. — 

 W. E. 



