dl6 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[August, 



cholera, yet in the above case tverything looked clci.n 

 and ripht, ae the farnirr said, save that he had a 

 ttoek of duiks that wire constantly making their 

 drinking water filthy. Tours truly, J. W. 



Makietta, Aug. 7, 1ST6. 



Inquirie.s liave fnqiiently bepn made of us 

 in leiif'rcnee to clikken cliolera, and a remedj' 

 for its aliattineiit oj- cure; Ijut, as we have 

 never beeii in the "eliickeii business," we ad- 

 diessed a nute of iii(|uiry to one who lias had 

 much exiierience in tiiat field of culture, and 

 above we fiive his rejOj-. It will be jjerceived 

 that there is very little of a positive character 

 in it, but nejiatively it may suggest something 

 useful, and is entirely in harmony with the 

 sanitaiy conditions recommended by thehigli- 

 est authorities in reference to cholera among 

 human beings, namely : general and particu- 

 lar chmilhKss, and wholesome food and drink. 

 We value it more tlian if we had rushed into 

 print with some half digested cure not worth 

 the paper on which it has been written. Bet- 

 ter " wait-abit," we may yet see. 



THE CENTENNIAL HEAT 



The T emperature for the Last Half Century. 



The following table shows the maximum, 

 minimum and mean temperature of the months 



of June and July for tvery year since 1S25, 

 compiled from the records of the Pennsylvania 

 Hospital, Philadelphia: 



June. July. 



Max. Min. Mean. Max. Min. Mean. 



182.5 98 5.5 7.5 100 63 79.32 



1826 96 .59 74 95 59 73 



1827 88 .50 71 9.5 59 76 



1828... 94 62 77 95 60 75 



1829 90 62 73 94 64 75 



1830 92 62 73 97 66 79.50 



1831 94 58 77 94 60 78 



1833 91 .53 71 90 67 74 



1833 80 57 71.33 86 68 71 



1834 93 .58 69 95 67 79 



1835 89 .51 71 90 64 76 



1836 91 51 66 92 65 73 



1837 85 55 69 87 63 74 



1838 87 53..50 73.94 59 94 78.81 



1839 85 46 66.28 88 .57..';0 75.20 



1840 88 48 69.36 91 .58 73.92 



1841 93 53 73 94 56 74.95 



1843... 89 45 68.03 93 .59 75.80 



1843 89 40 71 97 .57 74.40 



1.844.... 90 .52 69,,50 82.90 67.46 75.16 



1845.... 95 46 71 ..50 96 55 76 



1846 80 .53 68.71 97 56 74.65 



1847 93 .50 70..53 92.50 57 76.44 



1848 96 .52 73.43 91 .59 74.82 



1849 97 .53 73..50 95 59 74.66 



18.50 90 .52 71.93 91 61 77.36 



18.51 93 50 70.40 92 60 76.82 



18.53 94 .53 71.78 93 64 77.04 



18.53 94 .53 73.77 91 63 75..50 



18,54 96 51 71.86 98 64 78.83 



1855 95 53 70.19 95 60 7S..50 



18.56 98 48 74.44 98 64 79.86 



18.57 89 63 69.53 SO .54 74.96 



18.5S 94 54 75.19 60 60 78.11 



18.59 94 43 69.14 94 55 75 



1860 93 57 72.38 94 59 76.49 



1861 89.!^0 53 72..55 93..58 58 . 75 63 



I8li3 87..50 50 (i9.14 93..50 .57 75.23 



1863 .... 91 55 68.67 90..50 64 77.75 



1864.... 99 .54..50 73 93..50 60 76.08 



18(;5....93 04 76.73 96 00..50 77.83 



1866 95 .57 73.02 99.35 63 80.37 



1867 88..50 53 72.19 92..^0 63 76.48 



1868 90 54..50 71.99 98 69 80.94 



1869 92 54 73.62 97.50 63 76..54 



1870 95..50 61 77.31 97 61 80.61 



1871 90..50 60 74.51 97 00 76.68 



1872.... 94 fiS 76.38 98 69 82.30 



1873 95 51 74.09 96.50 63 79.46 



1874 97..50 .55 75..53 94 64 78.4.8 



1875 94..50 53 73 91.50 60 75..50 



1876 99..50 55 76.60 103 69 80.57 



On July iif), 182.5, the thermometer at the 

 Pennsylvania Hospital marked 100 degrees, 

 •since which time it has not risen to lOU during 

 either June or July until this 187G, when the 

 maximum tenii)erature on the 'id was 101 de- 

 grees; 8th, lOo degrees; 9th, 102 degrees, and 

 10th, 100 degrees. 



June, 182(5.— Mean temperature, 74, and "in 

 consequence of the great heat and dryness of 

 the last month and the early jiart of this, all 

 the crojis are in a state of great forwardness. 

 So early as the 1.5ili of the month the greater 

 part of the rye and wheat was tit for harvest- 

 ing. " 



The following table gives the maximum and 

 minimum ttrnjierature, and also the tempera- 

 ture iit ii o'clock a. m. for each day of the 

 montli of July, 1S70, also taken from tlie 

 Pennsylvania Ilospital record: 



JUL 



1- 

 2" 

 3" 

 4.. 



5 . 



6 • 



7 • 

 8- 

 9- 



10 • 



11 ■ 

 13- 

 l:! . 

 14 . 

 15. 

 16. 

 17 

 18 . 

 19. 

 20. 



ei . 



33 . 

 2:5 . 

 34. 



. 98 

 .101 

 . 95 

 . 99 



30. 



n. 



. 93 

 . 94 

 .103 



103 



100 

 9.S 

 . 98 

 . 93 

 . 94 

 . 96 

 . 93 

 91 



• OIK 



. 94 



98 

 . 88 

 . 86 

 . 86 

 . 79 

 . SO 

 . 83 

 . 87 

 . 93 

 . 88 

 . 70 

 . 71 



MIN. 



70 . 



76 . 



761^. 



71 ■ 



71 . 



73 . 



69 . 



73 . 



^K- 



73 . 



71 . 



76 



72 



, 74 



71 



69 



71 



73 



, 76 



, 70 



, 70 



66 



59 



, .59 



59 



60 



63 



, 65 



65 



62 



.....81 

 ...8.51^ 

 ... 86 

 ... 86 

 .. 83 

 ...77M 

 ...80 

 .. 85 



.87^ 

 ...83 

 ...83 

 ...83 

 ...86 

 ...80 

 ... 84 

 ...79 

 .. 81 

 ...81 

 . . 83 

 . . 87 

 . . 79 

 ...75 

 ...70 

 ...69 

 .. 70 

 .. 70 

 ...71 

 ...77 

 ...76 

 ...70 

 ....65 



The mean temperature for the month of 

 July, according to the above table, was80..'i72 

 degrees. Since 182.5 there have been only five 

 years in which the mean temperature of the 

 month of July reached as high as 80 degrees, 

 viz., 180G, when the mean temperature of July 

 was 80.37 degrees ; 1868, when it was 60.94 

 degrees ; 1870 when it was 80.01 degrees ; 

 1872, when it was82.:30 degrees, and 1876, (the 

 present year,) when it was 80.572 degrees. The 

 early part of last month was very hot, and the 

 mean temperature for the first 14 days was 

 82.215 degrees. This high average was re- 

 duced, however, by the large quantity of cool 

 and ])lea.fant weather since that time; so that 

 notwithstanding the two weeks of intensely 

 hot weather early in the month, the average 

 of heat was higher in 18(i8, 1870 and 1872 dur- 

 ing July than it was during July of this year. 



Meteorological Diary at Philadelphia, for July, 

 1776. 



Very unfortunately our thermomctrical re- 

 cord of a hundred years ago comes suddenly to 

 a close by the loss of a leaf, and anxious as we 

 were to place the result in comparison with 

 the extraordinary temperature of the same 

 month ill 187(), we are compelled to forego it. 

 Our readers, however, may be able to make 

 some approximation to the average temiiera- 

 ture of the nidiith, l>y the imperfect or partial 

 record we give below: 



It will bo seen that even so far as it goes, no 

 observations are recorded of the 1st, 2d, 7th, 

 8th, 16th, 17th and 18th of the month, what- 

 ever the lost record may have been. 



The average terajjerature of the twelve diiys 

 given, was a fraction less than 65, which 

 probably wotdd have been the average of the 

 whole month, had the record not been muti- 

 lated. 



From this it will be perceived that pur fore- 

 fathers must have had, comparatively, a cool 

 time, in ultimating the birth of the nation ; 

 and as the matter had been hanging in doubt 

 as to whether the "man child" would come 

 forth living or "still-born," who can tell now 

 what efl'ect such a "heated term " as we had 

 in July, 1876. might have had upon the event ? 

 There is a difference of at least 15 degrees on 

 the monthly average, and therefore the month 

 of Jidy, 1776, so far as temperature is con- 

 cerned, must have been delightfully pleasant 

 and agreeable. 



It often has transpired that important events 

 or enterprises have been defeated or failed 

 through some incidental circumstance of a 

 trivial character in itself — such, for instance, 

 as a swollen stream, a drifting snow-bank, a 

 broken telegraph wire, a late train, a hungry 

 chief, or maternal pleadings, and these inci- 

 dents may also, in some cases, contribute to a 

 success. 



Had the silent pleadings of Washington's 

 mother not prevailed, he might have become 

 a sea captain, and never have been the "Fir.st 

 in peace, first in war, and first in the hearts 

 of his fellow-countrymen." Napoleon was 

 defeated and utterly overthrowni at Waterloo 

 by heavy rains, and the failure of Grouchy in 

 "coming to time." So also it might have 

 been in reference to the "glory of America." 



ADVANCE OF THE PEAR-BLIGHT. 



We made a note of the fact recently that the viru- 

 lent form of firc-hlight, long the dread of pear cul- 

 tivators in other regions, had at length made its ap- 

 pearance here. We now see by our exchange papers 

 that it has manifested its dire presence in many phaces 

 from New England south to Virginia, in sections where 

 it had never heen known, or known hut slightly before. 

 The cause of this sudden incursion is not very clear. 

 It is, however, a matter of interest to note the singu- 

 laropinioiis which prevail in regard to its appearance ; 

 and liow remarkable it is that any intelligent person 

 should hold such opinions in view of the facts before 

 them. 



First one says it is "lightning." Now we have had 

 lightning since the world began, and certainly since 

 the first pear, perhaps two hundred years .ago at least, 

 was set out in Germantown. It is rather late in the day 

 for lightning to commence to play such pranks. And 

 then there is this curious fact : if we cut out ever.y 

 particle of diseased wood that we can see, we may 

 cut out more next week ; and so on through the 

 whole season after the blight has once begun. It is 

 absurd to look to lightning to produce a continuous 

 effect like this. 



Then there are those who fancy the trouble eomes 

 from the effect of the " frost" either on unripe wood, 

 or in some other way. But as in the lightning case, 

 why should the frost remain quiet till the year of our 

 Lord 1S7K before rising to this mighty work ? But 

 irrespective of this, any one who looks can sec that it 

 is not imripe wood, unsound wood, weak wood, or 

 any wood deficient in vitality, but often the soundest 

 and best tli at is attacked . 



And then there are others who are sure that it is 

 some lack of important' elements in the soil, or some 

 disease at the roots that has extended to the tree, and 

 produced the fatal results. But my practical fruit- 

 grower knows that anything that affects the roots af- 

 fects the whole tree. Even a borer in the collar of an 

 apple tree makes that tree have yellow leaves in every 

 part of it. There is not any part but js more orlcss in- 

 Huenced by what may happen to the roots. But a tree 

 affected with fire lilight is often in perfect health. 

 Evtryoiie who is familiar with fruit trees knows at a 

 glance what perfect health is, and he can say posi- 

 tively that in a vast number of cases a blight struck 

 pearls in perfect health. And then the upper part of a 

 pair tree will be destroyed, though all below is good 

 and sound. 



Now we may not be able to say what the cause of 

 pear-blight is ; but from what we have said it is 

 clear I hat it is not any general cause that woidd affect 

 the whole tree. It must he local ; that is, a cause 

 which operates on the parts destroyed and nowhere 

 else. We may not yet see to the bottom of the trouble, 

 but surely it Is a gain to see this far. 

 Fire-Blight. 



This dire malady, the great foe to pear-culture, has 

 singularly enough let Germantown out of its travels 

 to a great extent in the past. There may have been 

 isolated and insignificant cases, but the pear as a 

 general thing has been among the healthiest of trees. 

 In surrounding districts there have been cases of 

 serious trouble. To the northeast of Philadelphia, 

 as well lis on the west, there have been serious visits 

 of the enemy ; but even there it has been in a meas- 

 ure desultory, and season after season of perfect 

 health have followed seasons of serious attacks. 



This season, however, the fire-blight has made its 



