1876.J 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



43 



be added to the committee. It was parried, and the 

 chair appoiuted Mossrs. Katlivon and .Stauller. 



Two Wlls, one of ?5.44 for chairs, aud another of 

 JIO.?.") for a sign for the society, were read and or- 

 dered to be paid. 



The folloninsi: essay was then read by C. L. Hi'n- 



.SEOKER : 



A Few Hints to Farmers. 



"How blest the farnier's-Riiigle life! 



How ptire the j.ty it yieldn ! 

 Far from the world'n tempeatuoUH Btrife, 

 Free "niiil the Hcented lielilH." 

 The healtliful enjoyment of life in the cultivation 

 of the soil is, perhaps, not exeeeiled by any other in- 

 dustry. It is, liesides, a pursuit that escapes from 

 the many temptations, vices and crimes to which man 

 is exposed in the cnnvdcil city. The I'armcr's life is 

 sim|ile ; itisalradc that commends itself, bccattse 

 no country can maintain a lars;e ami prosperous 

 Iiopulation without sUillful airricullurc, however rich 

 and productive the soil may naturally he. The (jrcat 

 cities of the worlil, with their immense populations, 

 health. niaiuifacturesJ, ami commerce, would perish 

 if the fanners failed to supply them with food. 



Aijriculturc in every civilized country, exerts a 

 jiowerful inHuence in the production of wealth, com- 

 merce and manufactures. It is the great and trans- 

 cendent interest, employing more cajiitai, more per- 

 sons, and sustaining more than all other interests 

 eoml)iueti. 



The supposed population of the world is 1,000,- 

 000,000 of men, who are dependent f^tr their vcrv 

 existence u]ion tlie productions of the earth; 200,- 

 000,000 of men probably expend their daily toil in 

 pursuits connected with operations of aKrieulture, 

 the parent and precursor and most important of all 

 arts ; and nine-tenths of the fixed capital, perhaps, of 

 civilized nations is embarlvcd in this one great pur- 

 suit. 



It is the great and permanent industry of our coun- 

 try ; manufactures, mining and commerce are de- 

 I)endent u|ionit. Believing tliis to be indisputable, 

 our agricultural friends having done so much towards 

 the development of the counti-y, cannot be justly ac- 

 cused of aiming to look up other matters "than 

 farming, which have a near or remote bearing 

 upon their interests. Hence it follows that the 

 farmers of our country, who produce tliree- 

 fourths in value of the exports from this country, 

 and I'urnish a larjjc amount of the tonnage on the 

 canals and railroads, and much of the passenger 

 travel, have a deep interest in the question of the 

 price of freight and fare. (Janals and railroads were 

 constructed lor the public convenience — for the con- 

 veyance of articles to and from market, and revenue 

 a subordinate object. But it has become manifest of 

 late years that quite too many of these thoroughfares 

 have been converted, by watering stock, and charging 

 excessive rates of freight, etc., into dangerous mo- 

 nopolies, against which intelligent farmers protest as 

 an innovation injurious to the industry and properity 

 of our common country. 



What a man earns by thought, study and care is as 

 much his own as what he obtains by his liauds, is 

 true as regards the exclusive manufacture and sale 

 of a valuable patent right. But when these rights, 

 as has been frequently the case, get into the hands of 

 merciless speculators, and become burdensome to the 

 public, like Jethro Wood's iron plough, and the 

 sewing-machine, the protests of the Grangers against 

 the oppression of the patent laws to Congress were 

 highly proper. The telegraph, indeed, arrested the 

 attention of Congress, and a committee reports 

 against the great injury and injustice of the telegraph 

 monopoly, aud recommends that it is the duty of the 

 government to provide an economical and impartial 

 system of telegraphy. 



It is an important fact in the history of Pennsylva- 

 nia, that for many years, up to bSijij, the pecuniary 

 means lor the construction of internal improvements 

 in the State were obtained to a great extent by taxa- 

 tion upon real estate, and principally from the agri- 

 cultural inhabitants. Peiuisylvania' has still a public 

 debt. Would it not be good policy to reduce this debt 

 to the amount of funds available in the coffers of the 

 Sinking Fund i 



During the last year the United States exported 

 fifty-four of every hundred bushels of the wheat im- 

 ported by Gi-cat ISntain. Our farmers Ibllow no idle 

 theories, but, like the teamster in Esop, put their own 

 shoulders to the wheel and manfully pull the car of 

 commerce along. - 



It is said that if we cultivate man, the improvement 

 of the vegetable and animal kingdoms will surely 

 follow. Ail history confirms this. The liest educated 

 and most enlightened agricultural countries have in 

 all ages outstripped in the race of progress their less 

 A-ultivated neighbors. England, France, and Eastern 

 Pennsylvania confirm this. In skillful rotation the 

 land is enriched by the application of proper manure. 

 If you go to Kent, in England, there will he found a 

 soil that has lieen enriched by cultivation for almost 

 two thousand years. Incessant labor and judicious 

 Jnanagement will impiove a farm in producing better 

 crops. Talk of worn out farms iu Lancaster county. 

 If there are such they have not been tilled by the 

 Amish, the Mennonites, the Dunkers, or the .Metho- 

 dists. They know better than to exhaust farms ; 

 they enrich them by their industry. 



Agricultural chemistry is the science which inves- 

 tigates the properties of the (lid'crenl kinds of soil, 

 and discovers and a]>plics the propir fcrlilizers. In- 

 deed, numerous discoveries in ugrii ullure have l)eeii 

 made by oliservant farmers, independent of a knowl- 

 edge of chemistry, but a more Ihorougb knowledge 

 of the nature of the soil, which cbi'inistry explains, 

 is of the greatest practical benefit, andshoulil he 

 beard by every farntcr. When the first cargo of 

 guano was introiluccd into tills country It mcl with 

 till' prcjuilieeaTilbraciti-eoal had to coiiiend wiih. .Vd 

 oni' knew aiiylhing In regard to its iutrinsie value, 

 and eonsei|uently every person set it down as a hum- 

 bug. The farmer, near Philadelphia, that purchased 

 the first lot, and had tin' courage to use \l,iH>ilriliiil,il 

 it n/tnn strii'ul tu-rm of t/yuss in xurh </ntin/i/i/ '"* '" 

 eiitii-fhj kill thr frv/i. lie immediately called u|Hin 

 the unfortunate seller and threatened to prosecute 

 him for obtaining money undi'r I'alsc pretences. 



The knowleiige and Jiropcr ap|ilieation of the dlll'er- 

 enl maiuircs is of very great [iraetical importance; 

 anil chemists, such as Leil)ig, i)raper, .lohiislon, and 

 others, have analyzed soils and plants ; enlomologists 

 have discovered the nature of destructive In.scels, and 

 oriuthologists the auxiliaries in their destruction. 

 Some plains have a local habitation and a place, 

 w hieh is probably owing to the nature of the soil. .\ 

 soil entirely deficient of lime will not produce wheat. 

 The earth is full of seeds, »bieli, if thrown in a 

 favorable position anil exposed to the air, will spring 

 up and ]n-oduee llowers of surpassing beauty and 

 richness. Every Hour and blade of grass rejoices 

 when the rain falls uiion It. This is one of the ele- 

 ments of farming, and the others are a g 1 soil and 



a favorable climate; and husbandmen who know 

 that upon their industry and skill the crojis depend, 

 will give the culture which is due to their acres ; hoc 

 every weed, dress the soil, and harvest shall repay 

 their toll. 



Southcy says that an animal is of more consequence 

 than a plant, because It has life ; and anotlicr author 

 thinks that the meanest insect is a collection of won- 

 ders. True, we have the microscope and the telescope; 

 one leads us to see a world in every atom, and the 

 other a systetn for every star in the firmament. 



The people of Flanders, in Europe, erected a statue 

 in honor of the man whoini roduced into their country 

 the cultivation of the potato, and everywhere the 

 man who by his knowledge and skill can produce two 

 spears of grass where only one grew tielbre, is con- 

 sidered a benefactor. What shall we say of the men 

 in our country who have imported blooded stock, and 

 thus improved the noble horse, the Durham ox, the 

 Alderney cow, the Merino sheep and the Chester pig ! 

 These men are entitled to the lasting gratitude of t he 

 American people, and a statue would not add totbeir 

 greatness, but their disinterested elforts entitle them 

 to a monument in commemoration of the event. 



The rapid disappearance of our forests has of late 

 years excited a great deal of discussion. The many 

 uses to which timber is applied makes it important, 

 and the cause of the anxiety manifested in regard to 

 it is deserving of serious thought. But there are still 

 millions of acres, thick set with wood, in the broad 

 expanse of our country and Canada ; and if lumber 

 should hereafter become scarce and dear, science will 

 develop other building material to take its place, as 

 stotie-coal has taken that of wood. There are men 

 living in Ohio and Indiana, who have a weary life In 

 clearing olf the large trees that encumber I heir acres. 

 Still, as the Atlantic seaboard has been pretty well 

 stripped of hs Ibrcsts, there are localities probably In 

 every State of the Union that would pay better if de- 

 voted to tree-raising, than the cultivation of grain. 



Science will develop employment and means of sub- 

 sistence as fast as population can grow, in all time to 

 come, and it is idle to fret over imaginary evils. Our 

 country could sustain a populalionof a thousand ndl- 

 lions of souls, and would not be as densely |x)pulated 

 asseveral European Kingdoms. In Pennsylvania, one 

 of the old States, not one-half of the land is under cul- 

 tivation, and much of the unbroken ground is still 

 covered with the primitive forests. 



The Italians have a proverb to this effect, "that he 

 who has not seen Naples has seen nothing." This 

 will be excm|iliHed in .\merica " that he who does not 

 visit Philadelphia during this C:enlcimial year, and 

 look upon the magnificent display on the Ccnteimial 

 grounds, need not pride himself in after years that he j 

 lias seen anything worth seeing." There all interests 

 will be represented, and agriculture will have a largo 

 share. 



The complaint Is that ui the distribution ofrtlHcelii 

 our country the agricultural interest has been greatly 

 neglei'tcd. There is some show of reason ior I his com- 

 plaint. In the State Convcnlion toameiid the t'onsti- i 

 tutionof Pennsylvania, a few years ago, of the one ' 

 hundred and thirty-three members comprising that 

 body, ninety-fiv.' were of the legal profession, and | 

 the balance of thirty-eight had a respectable sprink- 

 ling of .M.D.'s and l).l).'s, iron men and meiihants. 

 The same proportion of lawyers, doctors, merchants, 

 iron masters and manufaetun'rs, and other depart- 

 ments of Industry, independent of agricultural pur 

 suits, have controlled the legislation of our country, 

 almost exclusively, lor many years. Probably three- 

 fourths of the voles that arc cast at every liii|>ortant 

 election are thrown by citizens engaged at farming. 

 Why is it that the agricultural interest is thus iguurvu' , 



Why, it Is owing to the Indifference of leaving tha 

 management of primary meetings, conventions, Ac., 

 to persons who have no sympathy with, or interest In 

 the cultivation of the soil. If ihe evils lomplaincd 

 of are to be eorrecled, farmers must show llielr 

 hand and arrest the evil by Bup|K)itliig nieu for office 

 who are In sympathy with their interests. 



" Man shall not live by breail alone. .S<i is it true 

 of nal Ions, I hat riches and aggrandizement are means 

 and not objects of governinenl ; and that Slates thrive 

 and nourish not only on merely physical eleinenls, but 

 In pro|iortiiiii that law, onlcr, [M-ace, justice and 

 liberty are hialntalned In the Commonwealths of 

 Nations." 



Forest Trees and Rain Fall. 

 Mil. Ehy thought the plaiiling of forest trees a 

 subject of great Iniportaiiee, and elied hcveral in- 

 stances III which the atleiilion of foreigners was 

 attracted to this country. He held that when Ihe 

 forests are cleared away Ihe streuiiibdry up. To sup- 

 port this, he referred to the Potomac river, and said 

 that since the forest trees which skirt lis banks are 

 being cut down there Is a great falling olf as reganls 

 Ihe volume of the slreain. The same falling olV Is 

 nolhed In the Danube river, and Ihe Austrian govern- 

 ment has become so alarmed that they have ap- 

 pointed a eommitlccio investigate the cause. He felt 

 eoiilideiit that that eommlllee wuuld rcjsirl that It 

 was caused by the deslruellon of the forest trees. He 

 then referred to the Tucquan creek, whicli runs 

 through the lower end of this county. Some ten 

 years ago, when he used to fish for trout there, It was 

 a very rapid stream, and was supplied at. frequent 

 intervals by a great many small tributaries. On all 

 sideji it was surrounded by a dense wtjods, the same 

 belonging to the parties who own the .Marlle and 

 Coleinanville forges. .\ short time ago lic^ visited this 

 locality and found that the mouth of the stream was 

 greatly diininished 111 size. He traced the course of 

 the stream to its source, and was greatly astonished 

 to find, that where he used to catch ten Inch trout, 

 the farmers had to dam uji the stream in firder to col- 

 lect enough of water for their cattle, ttii every hand 

 he noticed that all the old trees had disappeared, 

 having been cut down by the owners of the forges as 

 fuel for their furnaces. Hetlien sjioke at considerable 

 length in regard to the preservation of our wcmkI lands, 

 not only as a preserver of our slreaiiis, but that we 

 might have plenty of timber lor our own use and 

 those of coming generations. He thought that there 

 was good doctrine in the essay on this subject, and 

 said that If the (irangers would only pay a little at- 

 tention to this great want, they would accornjillsh 

 something in the mission to which they seemed to be 

 called. 



Mr. Engi.e called the attention of the chair to the 

 strangers present, Messrs. Carter and Harvey, of the 

 FarmerB' Club of West tirove, who he llioughl 

 would like to say something on this subject. The 

 chair then invited the gentlemen to give tliclr views 

 oit the matter. 



Mk. C.4i(TER did not think he could add any re- 

 marks to what had already been said, as the ground 

 had been pretty well gone over. He thought the sub- 

 ject of growing trees for increasing timber was a very 

 important one. The best tree he knew of for plant- 

 ing was the yellow locust, which was the most valu- 

 able, as it would stand more than any other tree, 

 although It was somewhat subject to the attack of 

 the borer. He had no time to enter into any discus- 

 sion just now, as he had to leave on the three o'clock 

 train for home. He closed his remarks by referring 

 to the inHuence of evaporation, some streams having 

 an underground current while others evajiorated by 

 the sun. 



-Mr. H.tRVEV would like to speak, hut was unable 

 to do so, as the hour had arrived when he would have 

 to leave. He believed in the |M>sitiim taken by his 

 friend Carter. 



A vote of thanks was then tendered the gentlemen, 

 and the subject of forest trees was then continued. 



Mr. MoComsf.t said that during a visit to a town 

 in the Slate of Ohio, he had learned from a credita- 

 ble source that the stream which llinviHl by the town 

 had, within a |H'riod of seventy years, decreased to 

 less than half its former size. He himself had noticed 

 a marked decrease in the size of the stream during 

 the eighteen or twenty years which Intervened \h:- 

 tween his visits to the place. A canal had formerly 

 tieen built at great expense, along its banks, but had 

 long since been abandoned for want of sultlelent wa- 

 ter. Ohio, seventy years ago, was almost one un- 

 broken forest, whereas it is now, to a great extent, 

 elcarcil of timber, and the dimlnulloii of this, and 

 other streams, was attributed to that fact. 



It seemed to be an almost undisputed fact that as 

 a country Is strlp|>ed of ils timlwr, the rainfall and 

 streams proiwrtionately decrease. This being so, may 

 not our now fertile land at some fiitun" period. If not 

 guanled against, iH'come, through these causes, a 

 barren desert ! There was another subject to which 

 .Mr. McCoinsey was pleased to~hear the essayist re- 

 fer—agricultural chemistry. Perfect agriculture, as 

 has been said. Is Ihe true fouiidallon of all trade and 

 industry, as well as Ihe foundation of the riches of 

 States. But a rational system of agriculture cannot 

 l)e formed without the application of scicntiflc princi- 

 ples, for such a system must be based on an exact 



