1S76.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER, 



105 



ADAMSTOWN AND BILLINGFELT. 



The l)oroiij,'li iiC Aclamstown ami tlu' ii:iiue of lion. 

 Kcaius BilliniiMt: iirc irifioparablc, for tlio liitdT is so 

 i(kn( illcl witli tworytliin!; U'luliui; to Ik'ni'lit the foriii- 

 or that llio borousrli could not'Kcll i:ct. aloiij; without 

 him. An Adanistown corieHjKindriit ol" the Ivi'adini;- 

 l^tijlf iSiiys tliis of till' man : llr ohu.s a farm id. 

 Adatiiflowii, anil an Kiii/U n'|)inii'r inliavirwcd Idni 

 on the. .sutijct't, of mamifactnri' and farming, in rcli'r- 

 fUi'o' to ruicmployi-d Uit^or. He said : 

 * TIuTC ftTOl(«>niany persons drponiliiii; uj>on inanii- 

 fact urine fstatilislinmnls for a livini;. Tlu' pcoplo 

 onirld tolii'dislrilMited rnori' lhroii(;lioni ilic coiint.ry, 

 Ibllowiiij; tarminL',and lluTt'WonId li*pliiily cd' worl* 

 for all. AI'Ut twi'iity-livo yi'ar.s of cxpcrii'ni'i', 1 limt 

 that tho nioi<t. rcononuial and idoasant way to earn 

 a livelihood Is to attend to the enl'ivalion of Mie soil. 

 Make il ri<'li, llioii;;li it lu- Imt oni- acre, ami tin' pro- 

 duet you cannot sell at inarlvef , uhc yolirbell'. I^ooli 

 ivt the crops of Schabtiaii jMJller and tlu; Ke^ar luolh- 

 cr.s, of Adanistowu, and you can sec wind a small 

 farm can produce. All of us uiust suhsist. upon 

 the cultivation of tlie soil, whatever wc may be cn- 

 i^aijed in. 



Our farms are tioI. on an averaije one-tenth as pro- 

 ductive as they coulil be unule. The richer I ho soil 

 thueasicrthc furnnui; and tlio less liability lodroutli. 

 As a ^,'euenil thiuf; tlie fiirm.s are too lari;c. I.arne 

 tracts ouf;ht to be divided into small parcels, and this 

 would lie the moans of distributin;; labor and place 

 our money in more s^'ueral circulation. There is 

 money cnoui;h but the manufaeturini,^ cst.atilishments 

 cither cannot f,'el it cir they do no( want it, as it dues 

 not pay during; these linies to run mauufaclorics. 

 Show mu an industrious nniii who owns but one acre 

 of jjround and he can borrow money. Show mc a 

 nnin who works in a factory and is idle half the year, 

 and he can get no crcdil . If 10(1 ai're farms were 

 divided into ten acre tracts, and the soil brought to a 

 high .state of cidtivation, the 100 acres so divided 

 would sustain ten families instead of only one, as now. 



The al)Ove are tlif .soiitiiiii'iil.s of a man nt' 

 iiitt'lligence iiiul exiieficiiee, ami it sct'ius to 

 us, not less of reason :iml common sense. As 

 to /(Vf, there are niiUions in the eoinitry lliat 

 are as able to jmliie as \\i' are, if they will btit 

 curb their iiuimlses and think soberly on the 

 subject. These experiences \vonkl be more 

 heeiled if the commimily could ij;et the better 

 of its prejudices aiul separate the man from the 

 subject, and base their opinions on the real 

 merits of the ease. While we believe ilr. 13. 

 is fully competent to advise in the promises, 

 yet we fear there are many who feci disposed 

 to hoot at such advice, only because "they like 

 not the man." The entire country is sadly 

 realizing at this moment the baneful results of 

 deserting the farms ;ind depeuding upon the 

 ofllces anil the shops. And even those who 

 do not, or who do not intend to de.sert the farm 

 would do well to study his suggestions in 

 reference to smaller farm.s, and a higher and 

 more thorough state of cnlture. What a pity 

 it is that we cannot get men to think and act 

 upon these things while they arc young and in 

 the prime of life. What homes and comforts 

 miglit be carved out for tlie gratification of 

 enervated and advancing age. 



STRAWBERRIES. 



Strawberries are giving place to rasiibcrries, and 

 the latter arc now begiiuiing to come into market. 

 Blackberries are also appearing iu small quantities. 

 The strawberry season has beeu a little longer than 

 last year, and has been of some profit to the growers. 

 There have gone into the market from the Delaware 

 Peuinsula, over the Delaware Railro.ad, about 4,710,- 

 000 quarts of strawberries since the opening of the 

 season on May 'M. In the transiioilafion of these 

 berries three daily trains were reqinreJ the greater 

 part of the season. Of car loads there. were about 

 785, of w-hich 5.52 were consigned to Jersey City, 35 

 to Boston, and 1!)S to Philadelphia, the latter being 

 estimated. The others arc otllcial. Reduced to 

 (|uart6, the quantities delivered to these cities were : 

 To .Jersey City, :i,ai3,000 ; to Boston, 210,000 ; to 

 Philadelphia, 1,1SS,000. New York was also largely 

 supplied by the Old Dondnion Sleaniship Company 

 from Lewes, which carrieil probalily not less tJian 

 1,1100,000 quarts, giving 5,7 10,000 ([uarls as the entire 

 marketable product of the peninsqia, exclusive of 

 the quantities sold in the local markets. Seven cents 

 per quart is thought to be a fair average of the prices 

 obtained, and if we deduct from this foiu- cents as 

 the estimated cost of the cultivaticm and marketing 

 of the crop, we have left a margui of three cents as 

 the net profit to the growers. Applying this figure 

 to the quantity fihip])ed, we have as the net profit of 

 the strawberry yield for the .season now closing 81"',- 

 SOO. In other words, the strawlierries have tirought 

 to the peninsula farmers this quantity of money, the 

 cflect of which has been perceptibly felt iu all the 



rural districts, as the crop was abuudaut OT(try^')i(i^ 

 — ]Vihnitu/tiHt Co)innf:rciaL 



We clip the following from a cotoniioraiy 

 journal just lo faintly ilhistrale to the fruit 

 gruwers of Lauea.sler county the. '-money" 

 there lutiy be it) striiwbovrics, if they Mver oon- 

 <le<endH to cultivate tliom in mass. 



^V^• call atleidiofi to tlie subji'et from tll« 

 fiu;l that in a life of more llian tlire*;-sci)re 

 yiiaiB, wii have never known a sea.son lo p:uis 

 ill Lancaster county, iu which tlirre was any- 

 thing hki^ half elioiigh of sliawlierrie.'S. 



We. heard a iirarlical <'ultiviitor of stiaw- 

 beiiins once declare tliat he could lai.-^e a.s 

 many of thej<(^ berries, "Iitishel for bushel," 

 oil the same i|iiaiitity of ground, ;us any oilier 

 man could potatoes." N'ow why don't we have 

 more strawberries in Lancaster county V 



If the same liberality tuid labor was 1h'- 

 stowed upon them that is upon the toliaeco 

 crop, we would have the berries in abundiince, 

 and need not IVar there will be no dcm;iiid. 



FAIRY RINGS "IN PASTURES GREEN." 



The allention of \Ir. C. B. (irubb wa.s reeciiUy 

 ^vrrcstcd by what he considereil a great natural 

 curiosity in the hiwn in the rear of his mansion. It 

 coiisisled id' a distinct brownish ring, averaging 

 about four inches ill width, and about eight feitt in 

 diameter. The grass within the ring was fresh, 

 healthy and of a lively grc^cn color, whih^ the portion 

 outside, the ring retains its normal color. The atten- 

 tion of our botanist, Mr. .Taeob Stantl'er, having been 

 called to it, hi' at once pronounced it a " Kairy Ming," 

 the term by which these phenomena are jiopularly 

 known, and of which our most popular seiciilific 

 dictionary (Brando iV Cox) thus speaks : 



Faikv Kinc;s : The green circles or parts of circles 

 •sometimes seen iu pastures. They are [noduecd by 

 certain fungi, chiefly species of Aijiiriiiix, in this 

 way : A paich of spawn spreads in every direction, 

 and produces at its edge a crop of its pari.ieular fun- 

 gus ; the spawn exhausts the inner iKwLioii ofsoil, so 

 that the spawn llicre dies, but the crop of fungi 

 meanwhile perishes, and supplies a rich manure to 

 the grass, which in conBcquence becomes of a vivid 

 green. Tlie spawn progresses outwards, and theiiro- 

 ccss of exhaustion and renewal goes on, so that the 

 ring increases in diameter year after year, till it is 

 sometimes several yards across. Af/aricus orcadix, 

 f/amboxnn and arDentis, are some of the principal spe- 

 cies which give rise to these mysterious-looking rings. 

 The reader is then referred to a jiaper on tlie suli- 

 ject by Dr. WoUaston, in the Philosophical Transac- 

 tions for 1.S07, p. Vi'-i. This jiaper is found in sub- 

 stance iu Rues' Encyclopedia, with that of articles 

 and opinions from Drs. Priestly, Price, Withering ami 

 others — adding another fungus to the list — that of 

 Lyeuperdon bovisH, as the most common. This latter, 

 Mr. Stauffer informs us he saw in a field some fifteen 

 years ago. He further writes us : 



"We have here what seems to me to be quite a 

 diilereut species. It istrue, it comes close to the 

 Lycopcrdoi pratcnsc figiu'ed in London's Encyclo- 

 pedia. Of this genus he says : 'Sporangium globose, 

 Pcridium single, membraneous, scaly, with warts or 

 soft spines, bursting irregularly at tlie apex, and con- 

 taining a mass of sporulcs and filaments.' Of the 

 species be says : 'white, soft, hemispherical, sulises- 

 sile, somewhat smooth, warts scattered.' These, we 

 are told, are roundish tuber-liko plants, when ripe 

 exploding and smiting the sporules in the form of 

 smoke, whence country people call the species ' pull- 

 balls.' In order to describe this in Mr. Griibb's 

 yard, to the naked eye, the blades of grass consti- 

 tuting the fungoid ring arc thickly incrusted with 

 minute granular bodies variously conglomerated or 

 scattered. These I found on tl|e leaves of adaudnliim 

 plant, as also on the oxalis or other plants growing 

 in the circle of the ring. These granules, under the 

 lens, arc found globula-oval, oblong nml moniliforni, 

 like beads strung tOL'efher — In short, there seems to 

 be no special oitler in their arrangement or form. 

 Solitary ones look to mc like spores on t he front of 

 fern leuvcs, externally whitish, rough, of a kind of 

 indusium, which oi>cns centrally, and exposes the 

 minute sporulcs. They ajipear to be sessile, and 

 would he taken at first sight for the egg of an uisect. 

 " Those 1 witnessed before were in the soil, the in- 

 ner fresh grass leaving a st«rile 6])aee of four inches 

 or more wide of the decaying fungi to form or con- 

 stitulc the ring. In this case the ring is distinguished 

 by the parasitic invasion of the fungus upon the 

 blades of grass to form the circle. Subsequently Mr. 

 (irubb showed an irregular segment of a circle in- 

 fested in like manner, perhaps ten feet from the 

 main circle. We want more Information upon this 

 subject. I find no account that accords with the 

 facts in this case. I shall be pleased to hear of other 

 circles of tliLs nature." 



We have on sevenil occasions witnessed 

 these '' i'jiiry Kings," and among the rest the 

 one alluded to iu the abov(3 — which wc have 



tjikeu fi-om Die DuUij Jijpitss — but in uo iiv 

 stance have we cKimiined tlium u« uiiuutvly 

 it-s wu did thoopo oil Mr. (irubb's pr,emi.seB 

 the lucseiit seaxoii, .mil which has been sulV 

 (ieieutl)' described iu the foregouijf by Air. 

 Stauffer. We luivo tin .speciiil theory to ollel' 

 for llui cause uf the |i)i(iiioineiia, but the 

 Iheorie* .suggested by oll>»;rs do not seem lo 

 lie entirely sntiisfticLory, nor yet cover tU(; 

 wliolegrouud. 



TIkhi' rings are altribuled lo ii raiiid fliii- 

 goiil gidwll), wliieli is no doubt the lact, ac- 

 cording to the iiesl oliservtilioiis made; hilL 

 why th(*y .ihoiild tilways ap|i(iar in circles, iu 

 not so cliuu" ill all of them. In speaking of 

 Fungi in general, Kink .says: " 'J'licse sub- 

 sbiuces soiiietiiiK's grow in a singular iiiantatr, 

 a remarkable instance of whicli is furnisheil 

 in the Fiiinj liiiiijn, which are found chiefly 

 upon iJie downs, and which ar<' eircles per- 

 fectly legular wlieu Ihe surface is uiiifonil, 

 but vanish when they come to graveJ or 

 niarsh. ()ii lho.se rings an iiiniimenib|e airay 

 of fungi spring up in the latter end of sum- 

 mer! When the fungi are in progress the 

 grass withers and the ring has the a|ipe4irancu 

 of being trodden with invisible feet ; liencu 

 its name. 'J'he dislinction, howt^ver, is <iiily 

 temporary, for by the tiuK^ that the riatt of 

 the grass is withered that In the path becomes 

 green and vigorous, and a new circle is forintnl 

 next season immediately outside. When two 

 rings meet they do not cross each other, but 

 unite, and gradmilly lieeoine an oval ; but if a 

 circle be interrnpti'd by any Fiiiall ol)Ht;ude, 

 such as a tree or a stone, it will unite tigaiii 

 ou tb(! other side. These rinijs are formed by 

 various species of mushrooms, and alsobywune 

 of the Li/cupunhm.'i, or pull-balls; but the '-(/((.se 

 of the circular formation has not lieeii .satis- 

 factorily explained. It Would .seem that tlio 

 ground which has produei^d one crop of fungi 

 is not immediately fit for the proiliiction of 

 miother, and thus the annual .sowing is out- 

 ward. It also appears tlitit th(J decayed mat- 

 ter of the fungi is favor;d)lc to the gra.ss by 

 which it is succeeded." This explanation 

 seems to cover one circle which we saw many 

 years ;igo, the gra.ss within which, nearly up 

 to the edge of the circle, was much greener 

 and more luxuriant than that outside of il. 

 Hut this does not ajiiictir to account for tht; 

 circle on Mr. Cirubb's Liwn. This appeared 

 in earlij suinnier, under the shade of a hirge 

 tree, ;ind none of the fungi spring up from the 

 ground. They arc parasitic, on tlie tops of the 

 grasses and other phints in their courae ; and 

 iilthoiigh the cir(-le is from eight to ti-ii feet in 

 diameter, if we understand the matter rightly, 

 it.s presence was not noticed until the jireseiii 

 sca.son. The gKWS within the circW. is very 

 hcidthy looking, but, except the presence of 

 the fungi, not much more so tbau that iiuiuc- 

 diately in the circle. — Ed. n 



Fit THK r.ANCASTKIi FaUMKB. 



ON BEE CULTURE. 



I have often .seen it asserted that Italian 

 Ihu'S are more profitable than the coiunio'il 

 black bees, and the reason generally given is 

 that the former, on accoimt of their larger 

 size, are able to gather- honey from red clover. 

 This is all taken on the supposition that the 

 larger bee has a larger probo.seis, and can 

 therefore reach downi the tube of the ll()rels of 

 which a head of clover i.s composed. This 

 reaching down the tulieof red clover may be 

 the case in second crop, (after-math 1 where th(3 

 florets are cpiitc short in comparison \\it\\ Iho 

 first crop, tint I do not believe there ever was 

 a honey In^e, Italian or other, that could Viaeli 

 down the tulx', to where the nectar is sfoii'd in 

 the first crop of red clover. If you olfcune 

 bees on white or on alsike clover, you will see 

 it on the outside of the liejid. reaching down 

 the tube, and only a part of the hea«l buried 

 out of sight. In thi.s case it certainly reaches 

 down the tube. 



I often had my suspicion of the way Ihts 

 gathered honey from red clover, but always 

 put it aside and thought that people that 

 made honey-bees and honey their Imsinetw, 



