108 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[July, 



THE CENTENNIAL LIVE STOCK ■ 

 DISPLAY. 



'The' Bureitti 'of Agriculture, lutevnr.tional 

 Exhibition, is receiving iipiilicationA for the 

 •alignments of stalls for the tlisplay of lioirsfeB, 

 neat cattle, sheep and swine. The live stock 

 show will be inade in serial ordei-, coinmenciug 

 witli horses, Sept. 1st to 14th ; dogs, Sept. 4th 

 to8th; neat cattle, Sept. 21st taOct. 4th; sheep 

 and swine, Oct. ICith to If^th ; poultry, Oct! 

 27th to Nov. (ith. No charge will be made' as 

 entry fee, nor for the use of the stalls, which 

 will be of first-class character in all respects. 

 The stock 3ard is of sufficient area to allow 

 the cfmstruction of 7t)0 bo.x stalls for horses, 

 each fourteen feet square, tliese to be al'tcV- 

 ward divided for cattle by longitudinal parti- 

 tions into 1,400 stalls, each seven by foiu'teen; 

 allot aniiilc elevation and security. The stock 

 yard is immediately alungside of tlie tmek of 

 tlie Pennsylvania railroad, which, by its con- 

 nections, is able to transport animals from 

 almost any part of the TJnion direct to the 

 Exposition grounds. 



The stock yard Mill be thoroughly well 

 watered and lighted bj' gas, and under the 

 (•onstant charge of a company of Centemiial 

 guards. All the piimiinent transportation 

 companies agree to return free of freights, 

 animals sent for exhibition upon which full 

 rates were paid in the first instance. Exhibi- 

 tors or their agents will be required to assume 

 the entire charge of horses, neat cattle, sheep 

 and swine, and be alone responsible, although 

 the Commission will do all in its power to 

 jirovide for the comfort and safety of tlie aui- 

 miils. Attendants upon stock may sleep in 

 the stalls, oi' can find ample room at tlie 

 numerous hotels in the immediate vicinity. 

 Hay and straw will be furnished by the Cen- 

 tennial Commission free of charge. 



Koots and grains will be sold at the depots 

 upon the ground in the stock yard, the prices 

 charged being simjily those of actual cost, the 

 attendaut.s upon the stock drawing the daily 

 su)>plies upon coupon tickets, ^vhicll will be 

 sold from the office and furnished to the at- 

 tendants by their employers. 



Each Ijreed of well established character in 

 the various families of live stock, will consti- 

 tute a distinct class, under which awards will 

 be made as provided for in classifications. 



Though it is not proposed by the officers of 

 the Bureau of Agriculture to have competir 

 tion between immature animals, still young 

 animals may be stalled with their dams, that 

 the transmission of valuable qualities may be 

 seen. Breeders are particularly requested to 

 ' make exhibition of succeeding generations of 

 animals iu direct genealog}'. 



Single animals and herds entered for com- 

 petition iu any class must be the bona fide 

 property of the individual in whose name they 

 are entered. This rule does not, however, 

 prevent State Centennial Boards and Associa- 

 tions from entering for display fiocks and 

 herds made up from the stocks of various 

 owners. 



Every animal In its class, as to breed, sex 

 and age, possessing points of excellence will be 

 reiiorted upon moie or less fully according to 

 its inherent and comparative merit. Exhibi- 

 tors whose stock receives the commendation 

 of the judges will be presented with adiploma, 

 specifying the tjqiical featiu'es of each animal, 

 and supplementary to thediploma will be given 

 the uniform bronze medal of the connnission. 

 Of more value tha-n either the diiiloma or medal 

 will be the special report over the signatures 

 of the judges, presented to each exhibitor of 

 meritorious animals, stating fully the reasons 

 why they awarded him a diploma and a medal; 

 thus a feature will Ijo developed never before 

 attempted. 



The judges on each class will also make a 

 general report ui)on the chaj-acteristics of each 

 breed, especial reference being made to ani- 

 mals exhibited of superlative merit. Those 

 reports will be emlwdied with the rejmrts of 

 judges on the other groups, and be higldy val- 

 uable fin- i-cference in the future. Numbers 

 alone \v ill distinguish an imalsiu the show yard, 

 preceding the inspection by the judges ; after- 



ward full opportunity will, be given to exhibi- 

 tors to dispki}^ their cards and trophies. i ) 



Animals may be sold at private or public 

 sale during the exhibition, and within the 

 yard, but no animal ^\ill be allowed to be re- 

 moved priorto/lhe everdng of the closiug day. 



Special premiums frotn societies or individu- 

 als must be awarded through the hands of the 

 Centennial Commission. 



During the season of the display of eattle, 

 opportunity will be given, if desired, to exhibit 

 the butter characteristics of the various milk- 

 ing breeds. Churns can be readily had and a 

 room secured for the exhibition of the pro- 

 cesses of butter-making, and the qualities pro- 

 duced. 



During the dis))lay of .sheep a room will be 

 provi<le(l for the exhibition of fleeee.s, to which 

 it is trusted breeders will not fail to conti-ilmte. 

 Classification lists and entry forms will lie for- 

 warded on application to the Bureau of Agri- 

 culture, C'entenninl Conuiussion. 



Eivbrnm will closo ou the first day4»£ August. 

 nx' ' jort '- 'n 'd- I'/ ^ i. . Ki\i-/ ''.r,v ■ <\\< 



CROP RETURNS FOR JUNE. 



The returns to tlie Department of Agricul- 

 ture for .iune, indicate that Micliigan alone, 

 of the entire Northern States that grow win- 

 ter wheat, will come ; up to an average. The 

 crop on the ground is generally thrilly, bitt 

 the injury done by the winter makes it thiq. 

 New York averagcjs about 18 l.ielow good con- 

 dition. The average iu rennsylvaiiia is 9:), 

 Delaware stands 10.') ; Maryland 108 ; Virginia 

 112; North Caroliua 104"; Georgia 10 below 

 average — rust being the cause,- Alabama 12 

 below; jNIissinsippi -2^) below ; Arkansas 27 be- 

 low, all from the sanie. cause, rust. In Texas 

 the rustjri'.d the lly l»'ing,s the condition down 

 to 21 Ijelow average. AVest Vii'ginia raises G 

 pe)' cent, above average ; Kentucky, from dry 

 we;itlier, falls S below. Ohio and Indiana 

 stand GO, and Illinois SS. Missouri falls 2 per 

 cent. beloAV average ; Kansas reports extraor- 

 dinarily good c<ni(litiou, many coimtic^s run- 

 uing from 110 to 200. The average for the 

 State is 108, and for Nebraska 110. California 

 runs a little below average ; Oregon x'eports 

 104. The average condition for the entire 

 country is 87. 



Si'KiNCi Wheat. — The States reporting a 

 decrease of acreage, compared with the pre- 

 vious crop, are Vermont, per cent. ; New 

 York, 13 ; Kentucky, 15 ; lllinofs, 12-; Wiscon- 

 sin, 5 ; Iowa, 11 ; .Kansas, 4, and Oregon, .3. 

 The .States reporting an increase are Pennsyl- 

 vania and Nebraska, 4 percent.; Texas (which 

 reported au increase of 21 per cent, last year) 

 and Ohio, 10 ; Arkansas, 7 ; Michigan, .j ; In- 

 diana and Minnesota, 10 ; Missoiu-i, 12; and 

 California, (j. In the latter State, there being 

 no distinct dividing line between winter and 

 spring wheat, the variations in acreage arq 

 affected by a somewhat capricious classifica- 

 tion. The returns indicate about the same 

 acreage as last year. 



Among the Eastern and Middle States the 

 condition is lowest in New York, being 94 ; 

 it is 100 in Maine, Connecticut and Pomisyl- 

 vania: In the Northwest, while it is 1 per 

 cent, alaove in, Wisconsin and Minnesota, it 

 falls 3 per cent, below iu Iowa. The reduc- 

 tion is ascribed mainly to drouth, though rav- 

 ages of grasshoppers are spe<,'ilied in one 

 county. Missouri falls 8 per cent, below ; 

 Kansas raises to 08, and Nebraska to ItiO. 



Oats. — The entire acreage is slightly in- 

 creased over last year. The condition is above 

 average in the New England States, average 

 Pa., a little lielow in N. Y. and N. J., average 

 in Mich., above average iu States west of the 

 Mississippi, except Ark., Mo. and Oregon, lo 

 percent, below in Ky., about 7 per cent, be- 

 low (Hi .south Atlantic coast, and about aver- 

 age in W. Va., and the States iu the Ohio 

 Valley, except Ky. Texas reports a yield of 

 about 40 bushels per acre. 



Destructive insects, with a few excep- 

 tions, have not been as abundant this season 

 asnsnal. Has the intense, licat anything to 

 do with it V 



FARMERS AND THE CENTENNIAL. 



"Thejfarme^" who fitils tf) visit the Centennial 

 Exiibsition, in Fairuuount Park, will miss the 

 opportunity of his life'. On no other occaslbii 

 during his life, be lie young or old, will he 

 again have the chance of seeing so many 

 things collected together to interest and in- 

 struct him, as in this wofiderful aggregation 

 of the world's progi'ess. It is not unusual for 

 the casual visitor to look at almost everything 

 there except Agricultural llall, the impression 

 being that there is nothing there to interest 

 anyliody but farmers. Tliis is a great mistake. 

 The interior of the building itself is a spectacle 

 of lieauty, worth ten times the jirice of admission 

 to see, while among the exiiibits there is some- 

 thing to interest everybody. Tliese are made 

 up not only of all kinds of" the most improved 

 agricultural implements, but there may be 

 seen al most everything which grows and almost 

 everything which is manufactured from the 

 products of the earth. Thlis, every kind of 

 grain, all the brands of fiour, and every variety 

 of biead and bis(;uit made from it,' may ha 

 studied. Some of these displays are aeiu'iosi- 

 U' to the novice, The di.splii.ys of pickles even, 

 aie a wonder. And S(H)n through every de- 

 partment. Any person can spend a day |)ro- 

 fitably in this wnndei'ful collection, and the 

 farmer can here find subjects for a week's 

 study. Then the Kansas and Colorado build- 

 ing contains the most complete exhibit of the 

 resources of Kansas and t'olorado made by 

 a.ny State, though what is to be Seen in the 

 Arkansas anil other buildings is well worth a 

 visit. The Pomologieal Annex, near Agri- 

 cultural Hall, will be a great show when {.lie 

 fruit season arrives, and the butter and cheese 

 exhiliit, near by, in a special Imilding eretited 

 by the Dairymen's Association, is already au 

 ol.*ject of great interest to those who wlsli to 

 study tliis important industry. Nor should 

 the farmer fail to visit the Carriage Annex to 

 the Main Building, the Wagon Annex to Ag- 

 ricultural Hall, and the Shoe and Leather 

 building, south of Machinery Hall. In all 

 these he will find a thousand objects to interest 

 and expand the mind. We trust that no 

 reader of The Farmer will faU to see the 

 great exliibition. 



OUR PARIS LETTER. 



Farming on the Continent of Europe. 



CorreBpoiidence of Tiite IiAifCAgT^n Farmer. ' *' 



'■■"■■ Paris, .June l.tSr^l'" 



There is no subject in continental ferming receiving 

 so miicli profoiui'l attention as the fattenltig' of ntU 

 mats, iuvolvinsj as it tlous directly their lireedina: auil 

 ro:>iiii<!;. Iu tiie case of beef fat, it can be converted 

 into iHiirijarinc, whieli resembles butter in one par- 

 ticular, tliat of appearance. The fat of mutton is not 

 at all relished by the consumer, and yet it is to produce 

 a superabundance of fat, that, oil cake and meals, so 

 rich in nitroifen, and so costly, too, are extensively 

 patronized. There is not a little truth in the remark, 

 that it is for the benefit of the took.^that this exces- 

 sive fat is manufactured ; she jnsists on the fattest 

 joints at the butcher's, to enjoy the better the fattest 

 perquisites. It has been shown that the more a sheep, 

 for example, is fat, that is, surjiasses the rational 

 mean averase,the lessitrepayS'tMBlimcnts required 

 to produce that excessive obeiiity, and which, be it 

 observed in passing, is the most onerous of the whole 

 process. It is held then to be more profitable to pro- 

 duce two sbetqi, ordinarily fattened, than one — a 

 phenomenon of fat. The same principle applies to 

 Ijreedinij; reproduction is injured, and jicrhaps a race 

 Ijeeomcs degenerated when tlie male is obese. Barn- 

 dour Ibwls are not reproduced by first enclosing the 

 cock in a coop and tattctiing him with the expedition of 

 a Strasburg goose. French fanners ontyijia: stock up 

 fur fatteuiiiif, devote about ten days to a preliminary 

 gradual increase of rations, which are distributed 

 four times per day in sunnncr 'and three iu winter. 

 As uiut'h ol' our contentment in this life depends ou 

 the stomach, so with farm animals ; punctuality 

 in serving meals, and no short commons, will be 

 Ibuud to best promote repose and sli^ep, two grand 

 agents in the jirocess of fatteuiui;'. The litter ought 

 t() be renewed every morning* and the bed made tor 

 the nii.'ht. A dark, rattiei- than a well-lighted shed, 

 is preferable, having a temperature noli disagreeably 

 high, and an atmosphere humid rather than dry. 

 Some, to secure the latter, water the alleys of the 

 shed pending warm weather. 



Prof. Sanson, the leading zooteehuist in this coun- 

 try, after au exhaustive examination of the question, 

 concludes' that the puljlic health runs no danger by 



