1876.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



91 



they stand between the roses and tlio apple-s 

 and pears. Their hlonsonis are generally 

 wliite, rarely roue-colored, (iieeordinK to (iruy) 

 and therefore the red an<t pink ones »ent to 

 T}iK Fa1!:\iki! tnay be n ;;anled as merely a va- 

 riety ; but a hedge, a copse, or a (duster in 

 i'uH'blooni, lik'' those sent by our correspond- 

 ent, is eertaiidy a " tliiiii; of beauty and a joy 

 forever," if only seen once in a lifetime. 



Ill the " lanjiuase "f th<' flowers,'" the haw- 

 tliorn is recoiznized as a symbol of hope. Few 

 trees exceeds the hawthurn in btaiily durinR 

 the season of its liloum, and they arr admired 

 for their abunilance and for Iheir delishtful 

 fiafjrance. From the I'aet that the hawthorn 

 usually blooms in the month of May. it is also 

 .sometimes called the NFay bush, and the (•oun- 

 try people of Kiicland decorati' their houses 

 aiid churches with it in its blooming; season just 

 as they do with the holly at Christmas. The 

 ripened autunm fruit of hawthorn, even after 

 it has shed its k'aves, possesses a rich beauty, 

 and We are admonished by the i>oet to 

 " Tlius lei li uil beilii'k tljy sjiray, 



'Allii age's leiilless seeiie." — Aiiiiilmrk. 



THE CROP PROSPECT. 



A correspondent of the Pmrtkul Farmer, 

 who has concluded a ramble throu^di Chester, 

 J-ancasler, York and Adams counties, Pa., 

 and Carroll, Frederick, Montgomery and 

 Triuce tJeorvie's counties, Md., .says (writing 

 under date of ^[ay •.':!(!) that with few excep- 

 tions wheat is remarkably fine— farmers say 

 never better. (Jrass generally good, and will 

 .soon be ready for the mower. Oats in the, 

 I'enn.sylvania counties looks fine ; but a small 

 areii sown in Maryland. Weather ha.s been 

 cool, find much corn is now being planted; 

 yet some farmers have their corn up and have 

 .started the cultivator. 



Applt^ trees could uol have Viloomed more 

 pivfu.sely, and pi-ospectsgood for an abundant 

 crop. In some localities jH'ach trees have a 

 fair croji ; in others none at all. Even in the 

 same orchard, on one side the trees are well 

 loaded with fruit ; on the other all killed by 

 the cold. From present api)earance the crop 

 must lie light. Green peas sold this da^- in 

 market here to the hucksters for $7.00 per 

 barrel; strawlierries, 1.") cents per quart ; to- 

 matoes, $3 ■ to $■'> per bushel, according to 

 (piality. The farmers' wives and daughters 

 have been very busy with the whitewash- 

 brush on the buildings and fences surrounding 

 them, which certainly renders their homes 

 very inviting to the traveler, by their neat, cosy 

 appearance. In this iiarlii-ular they far excel 

 the rural districts along the lake shore in Ohio. 



IMPROVEMENT OF GRASS LAND. 



Much is being said in the papers just now 

 about the improvement of grass land. This 

 is all right. Hay, as an agricultural product, 

 has not had near as much attention given to 

 it as other crops have, and as it well deserves. 

 On the other hand, much is said about the 

 improvement of grass lands under a misap- 

 prehension. Writers tell us that by a projier 

 treatment of grass land it may lie made to 

 last for many years without that continuous 

 plowing up that is customary. A timothy or 

 cl()ver patch, we are told, may be continued 

 for a dozen years. 



This is all very well, but we do not always 

 liut land in grass merely for the hay orpjusture 

 it produces. We are looking to other crops as 

 well. Com and potatoes do ever so much bet- 

 teV in sod ground than in ground that has 

 been kept in clean crops. Indeed, m<ist things 

 do Well in a pie(-e of broken sod — lietter, per- 

 hai>s, than in a piece of clean ground well ma- 

 nured. There is, indeed, no way to restore 

 the worn-out condition of land so well as to 

 put it in sod ; and even where hay or grass is 

 an inferior object, people lay the land down to 

 it as a preparer for other things which to them 

 may lie of more importance. So we see it is not 

 a question altogether of how long we may keep 

 a piece of grass in good heart by good t reatment . 

 by good manuring, as it is of a jiroper rotation 

 of crops on the land, and the intluence one crop 

 may have on that which succeeds it. 



OUR PARIS LETTER. 



Farming on the Continent of Europe. 

 Corriwi'ondciicc of Tint Lakcabthh Fabmp.h. 



Pakis, Muy 4, 1870. 



Il is lint surprislnp, Mlc cnrdliil wclcdiiic tlip ni;rl- 

 culliirnl loinninniiv exIciiilH to tlic priiiinseil hiler- 

 imlli>iml K\lill>ili<in of 1H7X. Tlie riinil IhIcithI 

 iTu|Mil Inciiliululile iiilviiiHiiL'i'B from tin' exiiiliiticiii 

 of ISM, lint It HUB almiwt, ovcrliKikeil in Miul (il \Hii7. 

 The I'XliilitliDii ol' IS.%r> nii;rlit I"' reciinleil ub u " new 

 depart lire " I'm- Kn-mli uirrliallme. Il wiis IVuni tljc 

 sillily ul'llic iin|p|i-in('iils llieif rxp(iM'il lliiil runners 

 were I'uinpelleil 111 acliipl inacliinei'y, iiml Biiiec llien 

 proi^reisH in tliiR renpecl ImP. iK-come 8<i crejit, tliiii Iho. 

 villiiire sniltli liiis well iilsrli diBiippc-areil— inipnived 

 iiiuciiiiiery inlern-d. Superiiprly lillcil land, wliicli 

 ill ills turn exaeteil nnire manure ; lietiee the lieniand 

 fur anil the ennimeree in fertilizers. The l.dniloii 

 Kxhihitiim of 1SC|2 wan full of vuluahle leBBOim ; sev- 

 eral Kreiieh iij,^rievilturiBtB seized the (leeaBitm to pro- 

 luuiidly study the amidiuralion of the breed iif eatlle 

 in pdinldf preeiieity and feediiiir. In lst',7 the ai^ri- 

 eiiltural seel ic in of the I'aris Kxliibilion was a failure, 

 because il was separated by several niiles from the 

 main buildinir, and to which fatlirued visitiirs felt no 

 inelinalinn In repair. Then the nianner nf hcildinu' 

 intermitted show s of live stoek — nin- w eek sheep, tin- 

 next black cattle, then lii.irs, etc., and eaeli a diller- 

 eiitspeeies — reipiired six months to follow the details, 

 and the primary objeet of tlie exhibition was lost — 

 that nfsiinultaneoUB contrast. The same fault was 

 repeated at Vienna in lS7:i, but will be avoi<led ill 

 I'aris ill 1S7S. 



The queslion of a stec]) for seed irrain oeeupies not 

 a little attention ; when well prepared it is ellieaeious 

 aijaiiiBt smut and rust, and allows lii;ht seeds to be 

 skinimed awuy. But anotlierolijeet remains to lie se- 

 eiirid — the uniform and rapid ^'erinination of the 

 i;rain; and to attain this end, a solution of leadis reeom- 

 meiided as beiiii; Bn]ierior to lime, (ilauher's salts, 

 and weak solutions of vitriol or arseiiie. From ex- 

 jieriments made with wheat, barley, oats and rye, in 

 solutions of salts of lead, of eopjier and of ordinary 

 water, the seeds treated with the lead preparation 

 not only germinated more uniformly, but also more 

 rapidly. 



Veterinary Surgeon Felizet draws attention to the 

 continued siieeees attending the employment of caus- 

 tic lime lor the foot disease in Bhecp. It Is Very la- 

 borious to touch the feet of a numerous lloek of 

 sheep with the usual astringent solutions of cop- 

 peras, white vitriol, ealeiiied alum, or spirits of tur- 

 pentine. Instead, form a spi^ies of enelosed " run " 

 fifteen yards long by two wide ; make a well-trodden 

 floor, raise a liorder with puddled elay around the en- 

 closure, so as to senile the unifbriu depth of nine 

 inches towards the middle of the run; jiour into this 

 bath four barrels of water, and distribute ov<T the 

 bottom two esvts. of quiek-lime, covering all with a 

 dozen bundles of the refuse fodder from the racks, 

 so as to form a carpet. Drive the sheep into this 

 foot-bath, one hundred at a time, and compel them 

 to w'ell pass and repass from one end to the other. 

 The spread fodder pn vents the feet sinking too pro- 

 foundly, and acts as a brush at the same time for 

 forcing the caustic solution to enter the nails. The 

 bath must be made entirely new once a week, hs the 

 linie-absorbiuL' carbonic acid loses its eaustieity. It 

 is a common practice to wet the straw intended for 

 thatching pur|)Oses with a solution of quiek-liiue ; 

 the straw becomes thus more durable, incombustible, 

 along with pressing sanitary advantages. 



The cultivation of sugar beet has not made new 

 proselytes this spring in the North of France ; the 

 ()uarrel5 last autumn lietween the farmers and the 

 nianiifacturers have not created confidence in the cul- 

 tivation of the roots ; then the duty is high, and if 

 not unjustly, is vexatiously levied. Kor the 

 future the base of the purchase will will be the den- 

 sity of the juice, and all parties seem contented with 

 this solution. The [loint now to secure from the 

 government is, that the imiHist will be levied aeeopl- 

 ing to the richness in sugar, just as alcohol is taxed 

 according to its streiiirlii. All parties interesteii in 

 the raisinirof beet agree, thatthe less voluminous the 

 root the more saccliarineit will be, and to rediu-e the 

 volume the plants ought not to be too distant. But 

 no similar axiom can lie laitl down as to the manure 

 most suitable for the ero|i, further experience under 

 this head being required. Howcver.il is eonsidered 

 advisable to ajiply the manure duriiiir the tillage of 

 the soil, and before iiroeeedinir with the sowings. 

 There is another reason for the pause in the cultiva- 

 tion of beet ; since the roots can be perfectly con- 

 served, like tdiopping green maize and rye, in trenches 

 for s|iring feedinir. farmers are feeling their way as 

 to whethiT a heavy crop of roots for feeding would 

 not be more profitable than the sinallt-r return neces- 

 sitated for the sugar manufactory. 



The turnips, colza, cabbage, etc., grown in the 

 sandy soils of Belgium are every year more and 

 more attacked by larva, while alluvial and calcareous 

 soils escape. Independent of the pi'riod at which 

 any of the plants in question may be sown, as 60<in 

 as the first leaves appear, the root, if examined, will 



present nn excrcBconce that Inen-ases with time. If 

 t Ills swelling lie opened numerous white worms will 

 be discovered. I'ntouehed the wen will enlarge, aiiil 

 tin- roots cease lo penetrate In the soil, beeoining in 

 time a simple gall, changing to a [lutrld mass, and 

 bursting when the inseelB liave attained their liiBt 

 stage of nietamorphosis. Il is conjeetiired that the 

 malady is proilueid from the pumture of an In- 

 sect, and Is more prevalent where the soil is 

 well tilled and abundantly nianureil. Instead of 

 having an average yield of twenty tons of turnips to 

 the acre not more than ten an- olilained. Among the 

 remedies relinl u|ioii are, avoiding the use of fresh 

 manure, preferi-inj; dissolved guano, urine, and f<iur 

 parts of super phospliale, with two of sulphate of aiii- 

 inoiiia, and one of sulphate of |H>tash. 



Though every ellort is direeted to combat thedepre- 

 dal ions of the vine bug, perhaps most attention Is 

 given at present to an exhaustive sliitly of the habits 

 of the insect. .M . Italbiani seems to devote his life to 

 the wat<diiiiLr of the phylloxera, and his indefatigable 

 application has lieeii ren.irdeil by iin|i<irtunt dis- 

 coverlcB. It is now reioi;nizi'd that the liiseel hag 

 four speeilie forms, and develops its eggs in winter, 

 not only around the i-oots, but on the shoots; Boiiiu 

 forms anr the result of sexual intercourse, anil others 

 iKit. .M . Balliiani has delected the iiisi-et leaving the 

 eirg during winter, the i-ltl's having been de{sisiled 

 on shoots id' the vine; thus the dlseas<- is both u'rlal 

 and subterranean. The Coinle de la \'ergne coats 

 the stem of the vine with coal lar, and finds lln^ plan 

 prtivents the mijrration of the bug to the braiielies, 

 and that vines so treated have their leaves, flowers 

 and fruit better than lliose which have not been 

 tarred ; but the process does not ensure^ Immunity 

 from the scourge. The Cointe is tryiiii.' the eX|K,rl- 

 ment of steeping green veiretable mailer, heath, 

 rushes, &c., in the alkaline sulpho-carlionate, ami 

 burying the mass around the vine, thus supplying it 

 with a manure and an insectieide at once. 



The culture of the Knirlish Chevalier barley, so 

 admiralile for malt itnr purposes, has taken this season 

 a great extension in t lie northeiBt of Franci' ; It yields 

 well and fetches au'ood price; two |Kiuni|sof the bar- 

 ley [iroduee about li^; |K>unils of mall, t/ie latter 

 yieldini; about .511 , per cent . of extractive matter, a 

 result that brewers a(iplaud. When more aeidima- 

 tised, the chevalier barley will be tried in Soiilhern 

 France and Alsreria,!! Iieing the chief grain employed 

 for feeding horses in these regnoiiB. 



The director oft he eorperiinental farm at Lezardeau, 

 draws attention to the neglect extended to the refuse 

 of tan yards as manure. This resuse consists of two 

 kinds, animal and vegetable. The former is derived 

 from the .scrapings and trimmings ofthe hides, more 

 or less fresh, and after undergoing the lime bath it is 

 rich in phosphate of lime and nitroiren. tint loses -10 

 jier cent, of the latter after three months fermentation, 

 .\s a manure it suits well light sandy soils, and can 

 also he stratified witli farm-yard manure. It Bells at 

 the rate of fr. H to .'i the cubic yard. The vegetable 

 refuse is the used tan, the residue of [lowered oak 

 liark; it is an excellent absorbent, equal to whealeu 

 or oaten straw, and is best employed as bedding for 

 stock. The odor of tan is due to all llie laiiuie aeld 

 not having been absorbed, as well as to the produc- 

 tion of other acids during the steeping of the hides ; 

 urine contains most ammonia when fresh, and the 

 rapidity with which tan loses its acid i>lor when em- 

 ployed as bedding, is a proof of its eflleaey for fixing 

 that alkali. 



I'iiie iilaiitatlons are being attacked by a very de- 

 structive insect, the lojiliyri:; near Antwerp over 300 

 acres of pine trees have been so destroyed. The 

 cocoons pass the winter in the moss at the roots of 

 the trees, beeoining iH'rfect insects in April ; the 

 insects then breed rapidly; the female dies after de- 

 positing her eggs and the tly itself does not live lio- 

 yond thirty days. Theegsrs arede|Kisited in the incis- 

 ion made by a saw-like augar jHissessed by the insect, 

 hi the Uiniritudinal section of the needle leaf, and hi 

 groups of six or eiirht ; the worms in due time ap|icar 

 and gnaw the leaf upwanls, anil only the one-half of 

 it. .\ young wiirni will consume thus three of the 

 spines in a day and an adult as maiiyjis twelve. The 

 trees 111 st attacked are those of a sickly and dwarfish 

 nature, growing on [loor soils and on the outskirts of 

 the wood. There is no elfeelual remedy against this 

 pest, save to shake the caterpillars from the trees and 

 then deslroy Iheiii. 



The new Kossin kidney bean is hiirhly 6|K>ken of, 

 and its |irolifie yield niakes it an invaluable addilioii 

 to the farm irarden prisluee; il is white, easily cul- 

 tivated, requires a friable soil and watering if the 

 I limate be dry. It runs as high as twenty feel and 

 is covered with [xids fnim the base to the summit ; it 

 can be sown from the end of March till the close of 

 June. If the [lods are allowed to ri|HU tin' beans are 

 so tender as to be cooked w itlioul dilliculty. 



The farmers are commencing to lie uneasy at the 

 rapid draining of the eounlry of the splendid I'ereli- 

 eron horses, mostly to London and not a few to the 

 States. France promises to be exhausted of this 

 breed, as Belgium has been of her draUL'ht animals. 

 On the other hand F'raiae is largely ex|«»rting her 

 famous Uurliam Charlerris hulls to tierinauy and 

 Normand-Berksliire pigs to Italy, (ierniaiiy also la 

 inclined to purchase her crossed uierlnos. 



