* I Q '\^ Cid y> f T'^ Bnbucribers in 

 ) i rt 1 Cdl ^ Ibe county. 



SINGLE COPIES 10 CENTS. 



^'•""'»uic Sooi^/'-.r""".'"" "'} $1. 28. 



Prof. S. S. RATHVON, Editor. 



LANCASTER, FEBRUARY 



PEARSOL & OEIST, Publishers. 



FAMILIAR TALK WITH THE READER 



It is with a fculiiii; of pride that we ivfVr to the 

 varieil ami sulistautial eharaeternf tlie eonteiits of 

 this issue of TiiK Lancastek Fahmeu. We thiuk 

 tile jiraetieal fanner will sustaiu us in prouounein^it 

 the most valuable nuuiher we have yet priuteil; anil 

 we luive IK) hesitation in ehalleni;iniif the world to 

 proiluee another ai;rieultural puhlieation which fur- 

 nishes a greater amount or lurRer variety of valuable 

 informatiou for /t-jcx thuu. tt'it cents, which is all it costs 

 its Lancaster county patrons. And it is gratifyins; 

 to us to lie able to give a large measure of the credit 

 for the value of this issue* to our many esteemed and 

 jiractical contributors, the number of which are 

 steadily on the increase. We have, perhaps, issued 

 numbers which were more attractive in the amount 

 and variety of their illustrations, but none which con- 

 tained more able articles from the pens of writers who 

 are iiractically versed in the topics they discuss. 



And with tills issue of The Fakmek in the hands 

 of our readers, who embrace many of the leading 

 intelligent and progressive farmers of this great 

 county, may we not be pardoned for appealing to 

 them to make a special efl'ort to increase its circula- 

 tion ? We freiiuently receive letters from distin- 

 guished agriculturists, horticulturists, and stock- 

 breeders abroad, expressing surprise that such an 

 able and valuable publication sliould eonline its 

 etl'orts mainly to securing home support. Tliey say it 

 is too good to limit its usefulness to the " pent-up 

 Utiea " of a single county: but these kind and appre- 

 ciative frii'uds do not consider that Lancaster county 

 is an empire in itself — the ricliest agricultural eoiiuty 

 in tlic I'nitnd States — containing material to furnisli a 

 6ul)Scription list of .5,U00, with only one out ol' Uvoof 

 her farmers among its patrons. If only every second 

 farmer in the county would become a subscriber, we 

 would be able, with facilities already at command, to 

 make Tiiii Laniastkh Faumek the must licautiful 

 and valuable publication of its class in llie world, for 

 such is the ambition of both editor and jjublishers. 

 'J' he bound volume for IST.'i.a limited number of copies 

 oi' which can be furnished, is worth ten times itscost, 

 and in a few years cannot be bought for any such 

 sum. Then let" every one of onr present subscribers 

 exert himself to send us one tir more new subscribers, 

 that we may be able to still further improve The 

 Faumek^ until the farmers of Lane-aster county can 

 claim the credit of being represented in the Held of 

 agricultural literature by a publication which shall 

 stand without a rival. 



IMPROVED LIVE STOCK. 



We take pleasure in calling the attention of our 

 readers to tlie adverlisement ol' W. Atlee Burpee, 

 importer, breeder, and shipijcr of live stock. Mr. 

 Hurix'c is a grandson of L)r. Wasliington L. Atlee, 

 (brother of -Ur. .John L. Atlee, of this city,) well 

 known to many of our readers. We believe there is 

 no other man of his years who has \vi>n a more de- 

 served and extended rc])Ulation as a reliable and con- 

 scientious breeder and dealer in the kinds ol' stock 

 which he makes bis specialties. We arc very careful 

 about what we eonimcnd in Tni; Kaumkk, and the 

 judgment now given is iia.sed only on a thorough 

 knowledge of tlie man and his ability to make go>od 

 all engagements with his customers. 



CONTENTS OF THIS NUMBER. 



p.\c;k. 



- 17 

 17 



- 17 

 IS 



EDITORIAL ARTICLES : 



Black Cochins, - - - - 

 Toulouse Geese, - ' - 

 The Hed Echymyd (Eehymys nifus). 

 The Mouse Moth, - - - - 



What Kind of Oil, LS 



An Open Winter, .--■--]<) 

 Peculiar Etlcets of Winter Heat, - - - 1!) 

 The " Snowflake " and " Kuri'ka" Potatoes, lil 

 The Dairy Interests (Practical Hints About 



Making and .Selecting liood Chesse,) - 20 

 Arrival of Birds in 187.5, - - - - 20 



Facts of Natural History — " Homes Without 



Hands," ----- .21 



Mental Culture Among Farmers, - - 21 

 Spiders, ------- 22 



The Grangers, ------ Si 



The Fruit Growers' Society, - - - 2.5 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS: 



Humming Birds. F. U. Dirt'EXDEHiFEit, 2'2 

 Lancaster County as an Apple Orchard. 



Oi.i" CoNTKimvroH, - - - - 24 

 Notes and Remarks on New Fruits and 



Vegetables. J. B. (iARBEH, - - - 24 

 Make Hot-Houses. Walter Ei.dek, - 24 

 Corn Culture. .J. B., - - - - 'i') 



Testing Fertilizers and their Continued 



Action. .John I. Caictek, - - - 2.5 

 Rural Life. Wai.tei: F.i.I)EK, - - 2.5 



THE PATRONS OF HUSBANDRY, -2.5 



AiHiujI aiMrcss uf Master James Cx. McSiiarraii, of 

 Kiillou (Iraiige, Nu. CO. 



The Fruit Growers' Society, - - - - 2(> 



Aiiiiujil Meeting iu Dojiestowu—Iuterfsting Ses- 

 sion -V.ihnljle Kssaya and DiHCUHBiouB— All 

 About Fruit Growing and Ocueral Horticul- 

 ture — Geueral Uei)urtH and Loiterh- — AdtlresH by 

 tlie I*resii1eiit — losiah Hooi)eH on Yards and 

 LawuH— Management of OrcUards — Klection of 

 OtticerB-Tbe Centennial— Mort* Alxiut Apiile 

 Orrliaidt: — Hybridization of Fruits— I^-st Varie- 

 ties of Api'les— Dtwtroying the Burk Loum- — 

 Election of Otticern — I'ne Codling Moth— IVars 

 ftnd tlieir Culture— Fruit Trees from the North — 

 PruHervation of Fruit by Ice— Cultivation of the 

 Clierry — I'cach < "ulture — Miscellaneous Toiiice — 

 Strawberries — Haei>berrie« and Bluckbe-Ties — 

 Currants aud Gooseberries — Grapea — Ever- 

 greens — UOBCB. 



Our Paris Letter. 2ft 



Our Local Organizations, - - - - 30 



Our Farmers in Council— Economy r«. Hard 

 Timet* — IteiJortouCrofs — Tup questiou of Plant- 

 ing Foipst TieeH— Shall We Eat Pork?— Walk- 

 ing Horses VM. Trottiug — The State Agricultural 



liej ortH. 



GENERAL MISCELLANY, - - - 'n 



Shade Trees — Thoughts for March— Large Poultry 

 Yard— The State Agriculturist— The Pestilenlial 

 l';aHt Wind — Influence of Food on the Mind — 

 Hurtful Ke;uiiug — Celery— Coru SUrch Cake — 

 What it will do. 



THE FARMERS HOME ORGAN. 



|l|e |anca?tBr |ariiiBr; 



A MONTHLY NEWSPAPER, 



DEVOTED TO AGRICULTURE, HORTI- 

 CULTURE, DOM ESTIC ECONOMY 

 AND MISCELLANY. 



PRACTICAL JENTOMOLOGY 



Made a ]iromiiu>nt feature, with special n'ferutire to Ibe 

 wants of the Farmer, the Gardener aud Fruit •Grower. 



Founded mu\cr the auspices of the Lancaster County 

 Agricultural and Horticultural Society. 



Edited Tjy Prof. S. S. EATHVON. 



LITERARY AND PERSONAL, 



Book> alid PerJodicids, 



Our Fence Corners, - - - - 

 Fact aud Fancy, Wit aud Humor. 



- :!2 



The Lancaster Farmkh has now completed itii seventh 

 year^the last having been under the auH|pir**H of the under- 

 signed as ]iublishers. When we asstimeil the reiipunKiltlllty 

 of the publication one year ago. It was wiDi u detenninatiou 

 to make such imjirovement*' during the year as would pl»ce 

 the Farmers' Organ of Ibis great agricultuml couuly iu the 

 very front rank of |>ublicatiuiiH of its class. Tlnit we have 

 done so, our readers will benr cheerful teHtlniony. Bui our 

 work of improvement is only fairly begun. \V« proitowo to 

 make the volume for ttieConluiiuIal yeiirsiill inorelniereMtiug 

 aud vsluabte than its i)redeo»'M8or for 1S7.'). In this, how- 

 ever, we need the co-operutiuu uf ever)' friend of the enter- 

 p^1ft^^ To make it a HUccesH, e^ery one who now n'ads TiiK 

 Fakmku should at once send us at least one new suttAcritier. 



The contributions of our able editor. Prof. ItATiivo.v. on 

 8Ubje<'tH connected with the science of fanning, and partic- 

 ularly that specialty of wliieti he is so thon>ughly a master — 

 entomological science -some kuowletlge uf which has iM-come 

 a necessity to the succettsful farmer, are aluue wortli much 

 more than the price of this pnblicitiou. 



The Faumeu will be published ou the I6th of every 

 month, jirinted on go«id paper with cle«r tyi***, in cou- 

 vcnient form for reading aud bludlug, and mailed to iiut>- 

 Hcribers on thu following 



TERMS: 



To subscribers resi<liug within the oouuty — 

 One copy, one year, ----- $i.oo 



Six copies, one year, - ----- 5,00 



Ten Copies, one year, ------ 7.50 



To subscrilH'rs outside of Lancaster ooonty, including 

 I)08tage pn'-paid by the publishers: 



One copy, one year, - - - . - $1.25 

 Five copies, one year, 5.00 



All subHcriptions will commence with the January num- 

 ber unless otiienvis** ordered. 



All eominuuications iuteadod for pnbllciition should be 

 addrexHed to the Editor, and, to Ne4>ure Insertinii. should be 

 In his hnnds by the first of the month of pnltlicitlou. 



All busincMs letters, conlalniug nulwrrlptj.ms and adver- 

 tisements, should he uddn khi d to the ]>ubIishcrH, 



- PEARSOL & GEIST, 



Express Buildings, 22 South Queen Street, 

 LANCASTER, PA. 



UATKS OF AltVt:itTINI\». — Ten OntN n 

 line for t'Hfli limcrHoii. Twilve lium lo ilic ludi. 



