14 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[January, 



MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS. 



A vote of thanks was tendered both gentlemen for 

 their productions. 



A pear brancli covered with a scale inseet, was ex- 

 hibited by ^fr. Erb. Prof. Rathvon reeommended 

 oil as an application late iu .March to destroy the eggs. 

 The common name of the insect is oyster-shell bark 

 louse, Aapifliofin conchiforniu. 



Mr. Cooper called attentionof the members to the 

 meeting of the Pennsylvania Fruit Growers' Society, 

 at Doylestown, on tlie nineteenth of January. If 

 fifty members go from this section, the Pennsylvania 

 road will furnish excursion tickets. On motion, a 

 committee of three, consisting of Johnson Miller, 

 J. H. Brackbill and Levi S. Reist, was appointed to 

 represent this society at the Doyestown meeting. 



Mr. John B.Erb exhibited Pennock apples, a bot- 

 tle of Blackberry wine and sweet apples. J. H. 

 Byerly, East Lampeter, forwarded a small bag of 

 Russian grass seed. Mr. M. B. Eshleman exhibited 

 specimens of a large potato, Brownell's Beauty. 



On motion, a committee of ten was appointed to as- 

 sist Mr. Miller in his contributions to the Ai;ricultural 

 Bureau. M. B. Eshleman,!. L. Landis, J. H. Brack- 

 bill, P. 8. Keist, H. .M. Engle, E. Hoover, J. M. Steh- 

 man, M. B. Kendig, Levi W. Grotf and J. B. Erb 

 were named as the committee. 



On motion, Mr. Cooper was made a committee to 

 confer with the Fruit Growers' Society In regard to a 

 representation at the Centennial. 



Several questions w(Te submitted for discussion : 



Mr. Erb. Is it profitable to turn land worth more 

 than $100 an acre into forest ? 



Mr. Ebv. Should the planting of forest trees be 

 encouraged ? 



Mr. Peter S. Reist. Is swine flesh a proper food 

 for man ? 



Mr. Kendig. How can the comfort of our homes 

 be increased ? 



]SIr. Pownall, of Octoraro Agricultural Society, 

 was introduced. 



On motion, society adjourned to meet at the Athen- 

 seura, at 1 o'clock, on Monday, the 7th of February. 



THE GRANGERS IN LANCASTER. 



History and Objects of the Order of Patrons of 

 Husbandry. 



Perhaps a more intelligent and solid body of far- 

 mers never before convened in Lancaster city or 

 county than that which represented the State 

 Granoe, of Pennsylvania, and held its sessions in 

 our Court House, commencing on Tuesday, the 14th 

 of December last, and continuing to the end of the 

 week. Although not morbidly secret iu its organiza- 

 tion and the attainments of its objects, yet in its busi- 

 ness meetings its doors are closed against the intru- 

 sions of the public, but the principles and the essential 

 transactions of the order are usually published in 

 their organs, and the newspaper and periodical press 

 in general. The noit-essen.tiah — that is, non-essential 

 to the public good — they usually keep among them- 

 selves, for the very good reason that they do not con- 

 cern the public, and are purely family secrets. As 

 our space is limited, and most of the transactions of the 

 late meeting have already been published in the col- 

 umns of the local press, we deem it sufflcient on the 

 present occasion to append the following synopsis of 

 the rise, progress, and the present status of the Pa- 

 trons of Husbandry, as well as the principles of their 

 affiliation. 



The origin of this order is attributed to Mr. O. H. 

 Kelley, a native of Boston, who, in 1866, being then 

 connected with the department of agriculture in 

 Washington, was commissioned by President Johnson 

 to traveT through the Southern States and report uix)u 

 their agricultural and mineral resources. He found 

 agriculture in a state of great depression, consequent 

 upon the radical changes wrought by the civil war 

 and the abolition of slavery. At the same time there 

 was much dissatisfaction among the farmers of the 

 AVest and Northwest in consequence of the alleged 

 high charges and unjust discriminations made by rail- 

 roads in tlie transportation of their products. The 

 farmers also complained of the exorbitant prices ex- 

 acted by middle men for agricultural implements and 

 stores. Mr. Kelley conceived the idea tliat a system 

 of co-operation, or an association having some re- 

 semblance to the order of Odd Fellows or Masons, 

 might be formed with advantage among the dissatis- 

 fied agriculturists. For this purpose a plan of or- 

 ganization was determined ujjon by him and Mr. 

 William Saunders, of the department of agriculture. 

 The name chosen for the orderwas " Patronsof Hus- 

 bandry," and its branches were to be called granges 

 (^Fr. grange, a. biiru). The constitution of the order 

 provides for a national grange, and State and subor- 

 dinate granges. There are ceremonies of initiation, 

 rituals and injunctions of secresy, though in some re- 

 spects the order is not secret. Theoliicersof agrange, 

 whether national, State or subordinate, are elected 

 by the members, and comprise a master, overseer, 

 lecturer, steward, assistant steward, chaplain, trea- 

 surer, secretary, gate-keeper, Ceres, Pomona, Flora 

 and lady assistant steward. Women are admitted to 

 membership upon the same terms and with equal 



privileges as men, but only those persons interested 

 in asfricultural pursuits are eligible. Regular meet- 

 ings of the National and State Granges are held an- 

 nually, while subordinate granges usually meet 

 monthly or oftener. The constitution was adopted, 

 and on December 4rth, 1867, the National (rrangewas 

 or2;anizeil in Washington ; its headquarters are now 

 in (icnra-etown, D. C. In the spring of 18()8 Mr. Kel- 

 ley founded a grange in Harrisburg, Pa., one in Fre- 

 donia, N. Y., one in Columbus, O., one in Chicago, 

 III., and six in Minnesota. The number of granges 

 soon began to multiply rapidly, and in 1874 they had 

 been organized in nearly every State and Territory of 

 the Union. In 1871, Vio granges were established; in 

 1872, 1,160; in 1873, 8,667; and in the first two months 

 of 187-4, 4,618. At the beirinningof 1874 the number 

 of granges in the United States was 10,01.5, with a 

 membership of 750,12.5. The total number of mem- 

 bers in April, 1874, was estimated at about 1,. 500, 000. 

 The order has its greatest strength in the northwest- 

 ern and western States, and is well represented in the 

 South. At the annual meetingof the National Grange 

 in St. Louis, Mo., in February, 1874, a declaration 

 was adopted setting forth the purposes of the organi- 

 zation as follows : 



"To develop a better and higher manhood and 

 womanhood among ourselves; to enhance the com- 

 forts and attractions of our homes, and strengthen 

 our attachment to our pursuits; to foster mutual un- 

 derstanding and eo-operation; to maintain inviolate 

 our laws, and to emulate each other in labor; to has- 

 ten the good time coming; to reduce our expenses, 

 both individual and corporate; to buy less and pro- 

 duce more, in order to make our farms self-sustaining; 

 to diversify our crops, and crop no more than we can 

 cultivate; to condense the weight of our exports, sell- 

 ing less in the bushel, and more on hoof and in fleece; 

 to systematize our work, and calculate intelligently 

 on probabilities; to discountenance the credit sys- 

 tem, the mortgage system, the fashion system, 

 and every other system tending to prodigality and 

 bankruptcy. We propose meeting together, talking 

 together, working together, buying together, selling 

 together, and, in general, acting together for our mu- 

 tual protection and advancement as occasion may re- 

 quire. We shall avoid litigation as much as possible 

 by arbitration in the grange. We shall earnestly en- 

 deavor to suppress personal, local, sectional, and na- 

 tional prejudices, all unhealthy rivalry, all selfish 

 ambition. Faithful adherence to these principles will 

 insure our mental, moral, social and material ad- 

 vancement." 



One of the chief aims of the organization is to bring 

 producers and consumers, farmers and manufactur- 

 ers, into direct and friendly relations; for this pur- 

 pose co-operation is encouraged among farmers in 

 the purchase of agricultural implements- and other 

 necessaries direct from the manufacturer. The or- 

 ganization therefore is maintained for social and eco- 

 nomic purposes, and no grange can assume any poli- 

 tical or sectarian functions without violating a fun- 

 damental principle of the organization. 



DOMESTIC ECONOMY. 



New Process for Preserving Meat. 



Many attempts have been made to discover a pro- 

 cess by which fresh meat can be so preserved as to 

 bear transportation or storage for a long time in tro- 

 pical countries and yet retain all its essential quali- 

 ties. These attempts have rarely been successful, but 

 it is now claimed that a process has been found which 

 will keep meat sweet and sound for any length of 

 time under any conditions of climate. Mr. Gaullieur, 

 a merchant at No. 36 Cedar street, New York, inter- 

 ested in the process, gives the following history of it: 

 For a numoer of years past Prof. F. Saec,a professor 

 of chemistry at Noufchatel, Switzerland, and a friend 

 of Humboldt and Liebig, has been making experi- 

 ments concerning the preservation of meat. Within 

 a year his experiments have reached such a point as 

 practically to demonstrate beyond doubt the success 

 ofhiseflbrts. His process is cheap and simple. It 

 consists merely in treating the fresh meats with the 

 acetate of soda, dissolved in water, and poured over 

 the meat like ordinary brine. Treated in this way 

 the meat will bear any infiuence of climate. When it 

 is desired to use the meat, all that is necessary is to 

 soak it in hot water lor a short time, when the ace- 

 tate of soda will leave it. 



In order to convince the practical business men en- 

 gaged in the provision business on the Produce Ex- 

 change of the value of the process, Messrs. Gaullieur 

 and Sacc submitted it to a test, the result of which is 

 told in the following certificate: 



Onthe:^dult., Prof. F. Sacc, the recent inventor of a 

 mode by which meat can be preserved perfectly fresh 

 in any climate for an indefinite period, together with 

 Messrs V. M. Yber and H. Gaullieur, called upon us 

 to pack for them two barrels of beef. We have much 

 pleasure iu certifying that the beef was brought to 

 our store fresh from the Washington market, and 

 after having been subjected to this peculiar chemical 

 process, was packed by us the same day and allowed 

 to remain close by a stove in our office tor two weeks 

 in a temperature of about 70°. And that now on 

 examination after its return from Havana, whither it 



had been shipped by us per steamer Vera Cruz, we 

 find the meat perfectly sound, in no way unpleasant 

 or disagreeable to the taste on being cooked , and that 

 it has preserved all the freshness of its color and ap- 

 pearance that it presented at thetimeof being put up. 

 Mr. Gaullieur also sent a barrel of the meat to Key 

 West, Fla., where a sample was taken by the agent 

 of Mallory's steamship line, who also approved the 

 condition of what he ate. The barrel was returned to 

 Mr. Gaullieur who now has it on exhibition. Messrs. 

 Mallory & Co. have made arrangements for a supply 

 to be used on their vessels instead of the salt meat 

 heretofore given to the crew. The process costs about 

 one cent per pound of meat. 



Fruit and Vegetables by Weight. 



Only the other day we marketed a load of onions 

 and sold them by measure. We have a standard 

 bushel basket and measured twenty-five bushels. 

 Arriving at the grocer's, as he had stepped out for a 

 few moments, leaving a little girl in the store, we 

 unloaded our onions with a basket that stood by the 

 door, and had them in the cellar when he returned. 

 They measured out twenty-seven bushels and a half. 

 The grocer looked at the basket and then inquired 

 with a dissatisfied air, " Have you given good 

 measure?" "Yes, as much as the basket would 

 hold." The money was paid for them, but we saw 

 that his bushel basket was a sale basket and not the 

 one he used in buying. 



The truth is, there is no justice in our measure- 

 ments of vegetables and fruits, and just as long as 

 measures are employed there will he injustice. The 

 baskets sold for bushel baskets are not of the same 

 capacity. The fruit baskets have diminished in size 

 from a bushel down to a peck, and scant at that. 

 There being no standard in the matter, each producer 

 suits himself as to size. We maintain that the only 

 satisfactory way of handling produce is to bring every- 

 thing to the test of a scales — potatoes and peaches as 

 well as corn and wheat. Purchasers have in their 

 power to correct the prevalent system, and while 

 there is so much talk about specie basis let us also 

 have a pound basis. — Detroit Free Press. 



Keep the Feet Warm. 



Many of the colds which people are said to catch 

 commence at the feet. To keep those extremities 

 warm, therefore is no effect an insurance against the 

 almost interminable lists of disorders which spring 

 out of a " slight cold." First, never be tightly shod. 

 Boots and shoes when they fit closely press against 

 the foot and prevent a free circulation of the blood . 

 When, on the contrary, they do not embrace the foot 

 too tightly the blood gets fair play, and the places 

 left between the leather and the stockings with a 

 comfortable supply of warm air; second rule is never 

 to sit in damp shoes. It is often imagined that unless 

 they are positively wet it is not necessary to change 

 them while the feet are at rest. This is fallacy; for 

 when the least dampness is absorbed into the sole it 

 is attracted nearer to the foot itself by its own heat, 

 and thus perspiration is dangerously cheeked. Any 

 person may prove this by trying the experiment of 

 neglecting this rule, and his feet will become cold and 

 damp after a few moments, .although, taking off the 

 shoes and warming it, it will appear quite dry. 



Keeping Meals Waiting : Little things often 

 interfere with our edmfort very much, and one small 

 annoyance is for men to delay coming to dinner when 

 called. Sometimes they have an hour or more of 

 work which they will do before quitting, and then 

 they go to the house to find the dinner cold and the 

 cook discouraged. Nothing is more disheartening to 

 a tired woman than a table full of dirty dishes orna- 

 menting the table an hour and a half later in the 

 day than usual. Punctuality is a virtue that men 

 should learn, if they are in the habit of being uncer- 

 tain about coming to meals. Any woman worthy the 

 name housekeeper will be regular with her meals if 

 it lies within her to have them so. 



A NEW industry has sprung up in France by 

 which common chicken feathers are utilized and con- 

 verted into a valuable product. The operation is to 

 cut the plume portion of the feathers from the stems 

 l)y means of ordinary hand scissors; the stems placed 

 in a common bag, which, when full, is closed and 

 subjected to a thorough kneading with the hands. 

 At the end of five minutes it is stated that the feath- 

 ers become disaggregated and felted together forming 

 a down perfectly homogeneous and of great lightness. 

 It is even lighter than natural elder down, and sells 

 in Paris for about two dollars per pound. It is 

 another illustration of the French talent for utilizing 

 everything. 



Red Pepper and Vegetables. 



A piece of red pepper, the size of your finger nail, 

 put into meat or vegetables when first beginning to 

 cook, will aid greatly in kiling the unpleasant odor 

 arising therefrom. Remember this for boiling cab- 

 bage, green beans, onions, chickens, mutton, etc. 



