1876.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



127 



I,EVI S. Kkist sniil Mint aftiTtliolrec wusi'Ut ilowii 

 niiii you (lid iii>t wisli tlir sproutBto irniw. ullyoii liud 

 to<li' was In I'oic a lioli- in 1 1m> Hlump and piil home 

 Bait in it. Tliis, \u- said, would kill its rrowlti. 



Mk. tiAKHKK liud tiiid tliis plan and found it 

 worlu'd like a tdiarni. 



" How lan wt- lust inipnivp the appeanince of our 

 farms," wastlie ne.\t suliic<-t taken up fordiscuseion. 

 Mk. Kkni>io was eallcd upon to uive Ids views. 

 lie said lie did noi know mueli aliout tlie sulijeet, as 

 lie liail j;iven it no tliou^'lit. lie believed, however, 

 that there was ^reat room lor improvinient of our 

 farms. In the lirst plai e, he would remove all briers 

 and ndibisli, and have the huildinus pill in L'ood re- 

 pair and vhilewashed. This would add mueh to the 

 a]ipearaii(e of the farm. Loiust trecB should be 

 planted alonir the lanes and roailsides. 



iMii. P'.Noi.K thouuht thai in addition to the above 

 remarks of Mr. Kendij;, a irood orehard ami orna- 

 mental trees, shrubs and lluwers, would add mueh 

 to the beautv ami value of tin- place. 



Mu. Mr('i)MSKY thou'.dit that every farm should 

 be made a model farm, siieli as Mr. Youna's or Mr. 

 I'eiper's. To be sueeessliil in iiiiproviiii; farms, much 

 depends on enllivalion, liabil.-- and taste. 



Mil. IldOVKH believed there eould be a great many 

 more model farms in this county if more interest 

 would be ti'keii in the matter. If a farmer can't 

 keep his farm in reiiairs, the sooner he sells it, the 

 liclter for liimsell and farm. Mueh could be added 

 to the ap\iearanee (if farms if the time spent inlonni;- 

 inir around shops ami stores were spent in making 

 repairs. 



Mi(. HosTFTTFU thought the mattcroftaste should 

 be jiropairatcd . Kvery summer he notices new tastes 

 in the selection ol llowers in the lawns, y.irdsiuid gar- 

 dens of this county, in some |ilaecs, in the course of 

 a few years, an entire revolution takes jilace. He 

 thougl'it that the boys and girls should he put to im- 

 proving the farms. " The father and mother are gen- 

 erally too busy and seldom get out as much as the 

 young folks, lind hence do not gcttoosi'ethc improve- 

 ments that are going on among their neighbors. The 

 bovs and girls in going around notice those things 

 m(ire readily, and if tlicy were humored a little more 

 and put to work they would add much to the beauty 

 and improvement of the farm. 



Mu. (iitoFK said that so many had spoken of the 

 improvements in beautifying the farms, would it not 

 be well for some to speak of improving the land "in- 

 side of the fences." 



Mii. BoLMNoER agreed with Mr. Groff. He said 

 he was tiorn and raised in Franklin county, and while 

 living there noticed the following: On one side of him 

 there lived lour old bachelors and two old maids. They 

 never paid any attention to improving their house or 

 yards, but put all their time and attention in improv- 

 ing the land by manuring and liming it, thus bringiug 

 it to a high stale of cultivation. In IHUO the farms of 

 these parties were worth i;3."i(l,(IUU. On thcother side 

 lived a man who devoted much of his time in beauti- 

 fying his buildings and in planting ornamental trees 

 and flowers. The result was that in a few years he 

 had to a|)point assignees, llis (experience was that it 

 was best to tirst cultivate the laud and afterwards 

 look to the flowers, etc. 



Peteu S. Heist referred at length to the line 

 farms of Horace Greeley, James Young, and Wm. 

 L. Pciper,and the Coleman estate, showing that, 

 although they were model farms, they would not 

 keep their owners, but that the owners had to keep 

 them. 



Mk. Enole Ixdievcd in the planting of fruits and 

 berries. They would not only prove beneflcial but 

 would add much beauty to the place. 



There being no further discussi(m, society, on mo- 

 tion, adjourned. 



The essayist for the next meeting will be Abram 

 F. Hoslelter. 



A nuinlier of apples and pears were presented for 

 inspection by Messrs. Engle, Cooper, Hoover and 

 Heist. 



A very fine bunch of Clawson s while wheat , grown 

 on the farm of Dr. E. B. Heir, Creswell, was pre- 

 sented by Martin D. Keiidig. The seed was received 

 by the doctor two years ago from the department at 

 Washington. 



reports are encouraging in nearly all portions of the 

 West and South. Cotton promises # good yield. 

 Fruit is abundant, rolatoes have nourished in spile 

 of the binr. When the Iresbels ol last year, swce|i- 

 ing away the crops in the fertile plains of Ihe Missis- 

 sippi vailey, are remembered, there is sulllcienl cause 

 for gratitude". In our own county, the droulh last 

 summer reduced the yield of hay and wheat fur be- 

 low the average. 



In ealeulating the efleets of good crops upou the 

 future liiiancial coiidilion of llic country. It la to Ik- 

 borne in mind that every bushel of grain, and every 

 pound of meat, and every ton (d' hay, and every bale 

 id' cotton produced, bevoiid our own wants. Is equal 

 to so niiieh gold in setiling the balance of trade. 



It looks now as if the Centennial year would be a 

 most productive one. In view of the depressed eoii- 

 diliiiii of business, this is a cheering prospect. Abun- 

 dant harvests must precede a revival of business. 

 ()ur agricultural iiidusl rics underlie all ol hers, and 

 to these we must lixdi for the solid foundations upon 

 wliieh to buihl up trade. The indications now are 

 that this great source of wealth will yield largely, 

 and be followed by a more aclive and healthy busi- 

 ncBS than we have had for several years. 



Western Crop Reports. 



From advices received by the Toledo liliidc. It a|>- 

 jicars that in Ohio, Indiana, .Michigan, and Illinois, 

 the wheat crop in nearly all the wheal -prodiicingdls- 

 tricts is nearly up to the average in cjuanlily, while 

 the (pialily is' superior to that of any former year. 

 Spring wiieat in Illinois has generally done very 

 badlyl The best reports for winter wheal came from 

 Michigan, where the harvest is especially good. The 

 corn crop promises very well everywhere. The acre- 

 age is much larger than ever before, and though 

 farmers were much di.'icburagcd early in the .season 

 by continued wet weather, which iirevented working 

 and drowned out the corn in low jilaecs, they believe 

 now that the crop will be enormous unless interfered 

 with by frost. The crop in Illinois, Indiana and part 

 of Michigan is nearly a total failure, and what grain 

 was grown is deflcieiit in (]uality. In Southeastern 

 Michigan and Northwestern Ohio the crop is unusually 

 good. The barley crop is up to the average. A large 

 (luantity of flaxseed was sown in some parts of Indi- 

 ana and Illinois, and has done well. There were less 

 potatoes planted than last year, tmt the crop will l>e 

 enormous. Hay, except in some parts of Michigan, 

 where rain has interfered with its cutting and curing, 

 has produced far beyond the croji of the previous 

 year. The (piality is very good, and it has been well 

 taken care of. The apple crop is very large every- 

 where. Only a jiartial crop of peaches will ripeu 

 widl. TakTii altogether, the farm products will ex- 

 ceed those of last year from thirty to lifly iiereentum. 



GENERAL MISCELLANY. 



Cheese. 

 The State of New York alone has now nearly 1,000 

 cheese manufactories, which use the milk of more 

 than 2."-U,000 cows, making therefrom S(l,n(IO,(Ulll 

 pounds of cheese, which is 1,0I1U pounds for every 

 three cows. The cheese luoduetion ol the wliide 

 United States is over •2.5II,I100,(hki pounds, of which 

 'Ji;,(illll,(100 are cxiiortcd. England scarcely exports 

 2.5,000,000, while little Holland, which used to be the 

 principal cheese producing country of the world, ex- 

 ports at present 00,0110,000 [lounds. 



The Crops in the East. 



The farmers in this section, and throughout the 



country, have reason to rejoice. The crops of wheat, 



hay and oats have been excellent in oaslern I'ennsyl- 



vaiiia. The corn lields show a splendid growth. The 



The Grasshoppers and the Birds. 



It was hoped that the grasslio]i|icr, from which the 

 Western farmers have sulhred so mueh in former 

 years, would not be heard from this ye.ir. But the 

 month of .luly, which teems with destructive as well 

 as creative energies, has brought him to the surface 

 again, and we hear of the old plagueof Egypt in the 

 new State of California. It is suggested by a con- 

 temporary that the (irangers eould not do belter than 

 takeii|i arms against the grasshoppers, and that they 

 might do this by considering the (lucstion of how far 

 birds should be protected by elfeetive laws for the 

 sake of their aid in suppressing insects. The natural 

 enemies of grasshoppers are (enumerated by a late 

 writer as moles, mice, hawks, and many small birds, 

 black crickets, and the long green grasshopiier, 

 which is usually taken for a vegetarian, swine and 

 turkeys. But flicre is no agent .so destriiclive of in- 

 sects as birds, and hence it is urged that the (irangers 

 should take uii the cause of these innocent and use- 

 ful creatures, who are constantly being slaughter*! 

 in the West and elsewhere by reckless and^ foolish 

 men and boys. The prairie chicken of the West, aud 

 even birds not used for IoimI, like the insect -devouring 

 crow and the tiny wren, which feed principally uiion 

 those who devour the fo(«l of man, ought to be 

 secured by adcfiuate legislation from those human 

 allies of tlie locusts, whose greatest ambition is to 

 kill everything in the feathered line which comes in 

 their way. Next to the preserval ion of forest trees, 

 which are so ruthlessly destroyed in .\iiieriiea, we 

 know nolhingof more Fcrious intcresMo agricultural 

 populations, and indeed to the whole country, than 

 the preservation of birds. 



Toads. 



Tliere is a very common prejudiceagain.st the toad. 

 By many he is hioked on with loathing and disgust. 

 He is regarded as an ugly, uncouth, and worthless 

 nuisance, that should be abated at sight. But this 

 prejudice is ill-founded and unjust, as Ihe toad is not 

 only harmh ss but (pdtc useful to farmers and gar- 

 deners. They slemld therefore be regarded as friends 

 instead of being treated as enemies. The eggs of the 

 load are usually laid in the water, but at times, when 

 this is not accessible, they are laid in damp, dark 

 places, and in such ease-s tliey do not pass through 

 the tadiiole stale. "■'""'■■ • 



live on vegetalile f(KHl, but as toads they live on in- 

 sects, spiders, \-c. Tliey are exceedingly well adapted 

 to catching Inscels, having u tongue of marveloua 

 const ruction. It Is (luite long and may be projeeKxl 

 stx orelghl Inches, the tipof it being so direeled as to 

 just reach llie object, and being covered with a viscid, 

 gummy siilislanee, that causes the iiiscet lo adherelo 

 It, it Isthns (pilckly conveyed lo tlie iiK.uth of Iho 

 toad and buried alive. The moveiheiils of the tongue 

 111 thus taking in a lly or a bug, are so rapid that they 

 cannot be followed by Ihe eye. The number of insects 

 that a toad will eal is almost incredible. A few of 

 them in a garden will keep It well rid of bugs, jilaiit 

 lice, .\:c. They generally siieiid Iheday lns<imedark, 

 seclinU'd b|kiI, often a hole under a b("I <u' el(Hl orlliu 

 side of a rock, and In the evening they come out and 

 hop ahoul In search of a supiHT of live Insects. They 

 may be Induced lo lake up their residence in the gar- 

 den by conllnlng Ihcin for two or three days lo Iho 

 place, when they will beromie (lulle well eoiilontcd. 

 A board laid abdul two inches from I lie ground Is just 

 the kind (da hiding place that suilslliem. Theyaru 

 long lived, being ofleii know n twelve lo sixleeiiycara 

 old, and It is said that one lived to be Ihirty-slx years 

 old. On account of their propensity for destroy lUK 

 InseelB, toads should be encourat'ed lo become iM>r- 

 manent residents of our lields ami ganlens.— 0/iio 

 Fttfmer. 



Improving the Land " Inside the Fences." 



Would you allow one of your readers (who wouhl 

 rather go lo bed without his sup|Kr, than without 

 reading your [laper.y lo express lis admiration of Iho 

 witty aiid ingenuous speech of Levi W. lirolf, es(|., 

 made on .Monday, llie .Slh insl., in the meeting of lliu 

 Lancaster County Agricultural and Ilorllcullural .So- 

 ciety. Those who will recolleel your able re|)ort. of 

 that meeting, and olliers who may take the trouble 

 to refer lo it, know that the subject discussed was 

 " How can we best improve the apiM'aranec of mir 

 farms ." Five dlll'ereiit members expressed their re- 

 spective opinions on ilie subject in regular succession, 

 all of whom seemed lo kxlk merely lo unpnMluclivo 

 ((Ualilies— buildings, fences, trees, shrubs, flowers, 

 ttc, as elements cssenlial tog<ating up a iikmIcI farm 

 — eiling Mr. Y(miig'8 and our disllnguishol towns- 

 man Wm. L. I'eiper's farms as examples. 



In response lo this series of S|)eecheB Mr. CrofTsald, 

 "that so many had spoken of the iniproveiiK ills in 

 beautifying the farms, would it not be well for some 

 to speak of imjiroving the land iiiKuh- of Hk fincft I " 

 In view of the grave imrKirtanee of the matter under 

 discussion, involving the very essential essence of 

 success on one side and failure on the other to Iho 

 farmers of our country, this speech takes place anion); 

 the w(M(ls siKikeu Htly and wisely inour pcri(Kl. 



While a proper regard for sullicicnt buildings, 

 fences, trees, shrul^hcry, llowers, \e., should not be 

 discouraged, nothing lends more to bankrupt Iho 

 farmer tlian llie use of money for ornainenl or show, 

 w hen Ihe " land inside the b'necs " Is clamoring for 

 lime, manure, or other lerlili/.ers, and the growing 

 crops stand as pitiful monunienls of the owner's folly. 

 Where farmers have large lots of b.ink st(Kk whose 

 dividends are kindly applied lo their pros|Kerlty by 

 fertilization and oriiamentalion, that is all right, hut 

 all fanners caiinol have such outside "ids, and siicli 

 as start out on the ornamcnlal, shnwy theory, will 

 certainly never come lo it by farming. Your reader 

 wouhl liack up .Mr. (iroH, and others who followed 

 him, in educating our farmers ill the science of eii- 

 rieliiug the soil lirst, last aud all the time. leaiicou- 

 ccivie no greater calamity lo iK'fall any man, than a 

 young farmer just slariing out in life, having his 

 iiead turned awav from his business— <-ulliviiling and 

 improving the soil in the old way— and trying to make 

 a living or make money by the [lolley of show or or- 

 nameiilation There is only one class of farmers that 

 make niomey by actual fanning, and those are the 

 ones that do business a liltle iu the old way.— iu«- 

 CMter Vitilij Kr/irinH, 



While iu the tadpole stale they 



DOMESTIC ECONOMY. 

 Keeping Milk and Butter in Cellars. 



Milk or butler may Iw kept in a cellar the l>oltom 

 of which has been grouteil, and with good results, if 

 proi>cr attention be given lo ventilation, dniinagv and 

 lemperature. When the gniund is not of a charac- 

 ter lo alford natural drainage, drains should belaid 

 so as to carrv olf alPheeumulatlons of water liable to 

 occur at anytime at the bottom of the cellar, and 

 this should" be done befon' grouting. By so doing, 

 dainpness fmm the Ihsir is avoided, as well as im 

 purities from stagnant water under the gniut. 

 milk is lo be kept in the cellar for the p«rix>se of 

 gelling the cream and for nutter-making, means 

 must lie taken lo have the lemiieraturc of the room 

 as low .IS sixlv degrees Kahrenheil. Unless some 

 one of the devices now in use for n'ducing Ihe milk 

 to a low temperatiire Ih.' employed, such as the large 

 nan system, where llowiug waler is carried under the 

 niilk,or where Ihc lee system and lis nKsllllcatlons 

 are adopted, there should iH-gfKid ventilation to carry 

 olf stale air or noxious gases, as milk absorbs laluls 

 that will prove injurious to the buMer. 



Wc have seen excellent results from milk cellars 



If 



