136 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[ September, 



BOILING EGGS. 



Tliere is an ol)jection to tlie common way of 

 boiling eggs which people do not nnderstand. 

 It is this : Tlie white under tliree minutes' 

 rapid cooking becomes tough and indigestible, 

 while the yolk is yet soft. When properly 

 cooked, eggs are done evenly through like any 

 other food. This result may lie obtained liy 

 putting the eggs into a dish with a cover, as a 

 tin pail, and then pouring upon them boiling 

 water, two (juarts or more to a dozen eggs, 

 and cover and set them away from the stove 

 for fifteen minutes. The heat of the water 

 cooks the eggs slowly and evenly and sufficient- 

 ly, and to a jelly-like consistency, leaving the 

 centre or yolk harder than the white, and tlie 

 egg tastes as much richer and nicer as a fresh 

 egg is nicer than a stale egg, and no person 

 \vill want to eat them boiled after trying this 

 method once. — Boston Transcrijjt. 



It affords us pleasure to indorse the above 

 fully, emiihatically, and unqualifiedly, after an 

 experience of nearly a year, i)racticed almost 

 daily. Whatever may be said, or whatever 

 may be the fact, in regard to "hard boiled 

 eggs," or "soft boiled eggs," as healthy or un- 

 healthy diet, we are prepared to say that the 

 difference is immensely in favor of the mode 

 given by the Transcrijjt, when compared with 

 anj' other mode of cooking eggs that we know 

 of. The French, among their one hundred and 

 twelve different ways of cooking an egg, may 

 have a better way tlian the above, but we ques- 

 tion whether they liave a simpler, cheaper, 

 sweeter, or more healthful way — but, try it, 

 and then judge for yourselves; try it honestly 

 and thoroughly, as you would to attain heaven. 



HOW TO TEST FUNGI. 



The following is said to be an infallible test 

 for knowing the qualities of mushrooms : 



" Before peeling the mushrooms, pass a gold 

 ring backwards and forwards over the skin. 

 Should the bruise thus caused turn yellow or 

 orange-colored, it is poisonous ; but otherwise 

 it is quite safe. Every married woman has a 

 gold ring to test the mushroom thus ; or a 

 sovereign ruljbed on it will liave the desired 

 effect." — PcnpWs Friend. 



Would some of our experienced fungiologists 

 say if there be any truth in the above test, 

 and if so, any other metal will answer as well 

 as gold ? If an accurate test, it cannot lie too 

 widely known ; and if erroneous, the sooner 

 it is confuted the better. — /. P. Soulter, in 

 Science Gossip. 



It seems to us that the above miglit be a 

 better test of the (luality of the gold than of 

 the mushroom. At any rate, we would pre- 

 fer a more distinguished authority than " it is 

 said" before we could be led to eat mush- 

 rooms bearing this test alone, especially if they 

 were entire strangers to us. Still, we repro- 

 duce this because of its simplicity, and be- 

 cause a test of some kind is very much desired ; 

 for there are so many fine things of the mush- 

 room kind which me meet every time we visit 

 the wooded portion of the country, that it is 

 difficult to realize they should all be rank 

 poisons. In every fifty specimens of these it 

 will be found that some animal has been eat- 

 ing portions of them — mainly insects — and on 

 a recent ramble we found a "Box-turtle" 

 {Cistudd ckiK-sa) in the very act of feeding on 

 a fine large specimen, which, although good- 

 looking enough, we would not have trusted as 

 edible. This species (an Aoariois) had a fine 

 flavor, was pale bluish tinged above and white 

 beneath ; about three inches in diameter and 

 tolerably abundant. " A sure test " for these 

 fungi is the one thing now most needed in re- 

 gard to these singular jjlants. 



FINE PEACHES. 

 We cannot refi'ain from making our acknowl- 

 edgments to Mr. .Toseph Siunson and Mr. Lewis 

 H. Fisher for the receipt of large, fragrant and 

 luscious Susquehanna Peaches; those from the 

 former weighing 11^ ounces, and from the 

 latter lOi. If there are any finer peaches thai> 

 these grown in Lancaster city or county they 

 have not come suhstantiedly under our editorial 

 supervision. 



For The Lancaster Farmer. 

 CLIMATOLOGY. 



This is a subject that has arrested the atten- 

 tion of scientific men of late years in all jiarts 

 of (he country, and it certainly demands the 

 fullest investigation by men engaged in agri- 

 cultural pursuits. It is of very great import- 

 ance to an agricultural people to occupy a 

 country, the climate of winch is well adapted 

 for the raising of certain crops. The knowledge 

 therefore of the mean temperature and tiie 

 quantity of rain which falls in different parts 

 of an extensive country is of great practical 

 importance to its inhabitants, not only in re- 

 gard to agriculture, but also with reference to 

 navigation, devastating floods, driving of ma- 

 chinery, supply of water to cities, etc. 



Few' districts, says Professor Rogers, of the 

 United States, or indeed of the world, are more 

 favorably circumstanced as to rain than Penn- 

 sylvania. Lying within the belt of non- 

 periodic rains, it is lilessed with a sinrjidatly 

 equable distribution of moisture throiighmtt the 

 year, the State is seldom visited by a drought, 

 and if any do occur, take place in the latter half 

 of the summer. These dry periods do not ap- 

 pear more frequent than once in four or five 

 years, and rarely so severe as those which visit 

 the West and other parts of the country. It 

 is in like manner comparatively exempt from 

 protracted and flooding rains. " The rains take 

 the form of light rain storms of one or two days' 

 duration and of intermitting showers, and 

 these excepting during the occasional summer 

 and autunni droughts are spread with remark- 

 able impartiality over the .'<everal seasons, and 

 over all the several months of the year. 



At Philadelphia, the annual average of rain- 

 fall is about 42 inches; at Carlisle 34 inches, 

 and at Pittsliurgh ■\~} inches. It would seem 

 to imply that the mountain rains of Pennsyl- 

 vania are derived, to a considerable amount, 

 from the far removed Gulf of Mexico, the 

 southwest wind from which has parted with a 

 large share of its moisture on its journey, while 

 the Atlantic slope, or seaboard receives an ad- 

 ditional supply from the more loml winds of the 

 ocean. At Philadelphia during a period of 18 

 years, the fall of rain and snow was one year 

 35 inches, and in another .5-3, and at Pittsburgh 

 during the sameyears it was one year 2.5 inches, 

 while in another year it was 47. It is seen in 

 the Central States of the Union, that in some 

 years less than half the average quantity of 

 water falls, and in others nearly double" the 

 average quantity. 



The annual average rain fall upon every 

 square mile of the Mississippi valley is about 

 40 inches ; and in England about 35 inches, 

 including 5 inches of dew, and for the whole 

 globe about 34 inches. The mean annual 

 quantity of rain is greatest at the eipiator, 

 and decreases gradually as we approach the 

 poles. Thus, at Calcutta the annual quantity 

 of rain-fall is 81 inches, and at St. Petersburg, 

 in Russia, it is only 16. !More rain falls in 

 mountainous countries than in plains. Among 

 the Andes it is .said to rain almost ])erpetually, 

 while in Egypt it hardly ever rains at all. 



The highest part of North America lies be- 

 tween the 40th and oOtli degree of north lati- 

 tude. The great rivers originate there. It is 

 covered with immense forests and abounds 

 with large swamps and morasses, which render 

 it incapable of receiving any great degree of 

 heat, hence the rigor of winter is severe. 



There is in the northern hemisphere more 

 land, less sea, more fresh water, and more 

 atmospheric air than there is in the .southern. 

 About two-thirds of all the fresh water on the 

 surface of the earth is contained in the great 

 American lakes. The Pacific feeds the clouds 

 with vapor, and the rains feed the Atlantic 

 with rivers. The Gulf Stream in the Atlantic, 

 and the Mozambique current in the Pacific, 

 are rivers in the ocean. The infiuence of the 

 Gulf Stream upon the climate is very great. 

 Tables of the quantity of rain-fall at various 

 places in the States of the American Union 

 indicate no signs that the seasons on an aver- 

 age for a series of years have changed ; nor 

 that the winters are colder and the smnmers 

 hotter and drier than formerly. In 1813, at 



Norway, in the State of Maine, 9A feet of snow 

 fell; in 1831 S) feet, and in 1845 9i feet. Prov- 

 idence, Rhode Island, had 30 inches of rain- 

 fall in 1835, and in 1848 40^ inches. In 1858 

 Florida produced 70 inches of rain, Maine 42, 

 Mount .loy. Pa., 44, Philadelphia 30, Sacra- 

 mento, Cal., 17, and Westfield, Mass., 43 

 inches. From a table of the Smithsonian In- 

 stitution for twelve months, ending in June 

 18G8, it appears no rain fell in C^aTifornia in 

 •Inly, .\iigust, Seiitemlier, Novemlier, Decem- 

 ber, February and March. Twenty-one inches 

 fell in the month of May, and the balance of 

 the months ^ inches ; totiil, 20^ inches, at 

 three places of observation. Penna., durino- 

 the same time, at 25 places of observation" 

 produced nearly 44 inches; Ohio, at 10 places, 

 40|, and Florida, at three places, 50 inches. 

 At Ejihrata, Lancaster county. Pa., during 

 the year 1870, the amount of rain-fall was 

 nearly 42 inches, distributed with considerable 

 uniformity through the several months of the 

 year. 



Very many writers entertain the opinion 

 that our winters are colder and our summers 

 hotter and drier than formerly, and the 

 streams smaller than fifty years ago and that 

 the clearing off of a our forests diminishes the 

 volume of water in our streams. 



The winter of 1780 was the coldest winter 

 known in Philadelphia until 1855, 18.56 and 

 1857. The winter of 1835 was very cold, and 

 the earth covered with an abundance of snow, 

 and the winter of 1875, with but little snow 

 or rain. 



The winter of 1828 was very wet and mild, 

 and the winter f)f 1842, fi^rmers plowing with 

 their coats off every month in the winter ; no 

 ice and very little snow. The winter of 1851 

 was also very mild, and the winter of 1876, 

 which we all remember very well, was snow- 

 less and iceless in these parts, and to a con- 

 siderable extent over our country. The last 

 six months of 1874 and the fir.st six of 1875 

 were veiy dry ; wells and streams failed ; 

 waters lower in our mill streams than for 

 forty years, in this .section of country, and the 

 winter intensely cold. The winters of 1783 

 and 1784 were nearly as intensely cold as that 

 of 1780, and by referring to the severely cold 

 or mild winters, that it rarely happens in a 

 period of a century that we have a long suc- 

 cession of very cold winters or mild "ones; 

 that they change about to give us a taste of 

 each ; and on an average our winters are not 

 any colder than they were a hundred years 

 ago, or the summers any hotter. 



And the same ecpiitablu law seems to pre- 

 vail in its effects upon the state of the quanti- 

 ty of rainfall, snow, dew, fog, mist, wind and 

 storms. The prevailing opinion that our 

 forests are too unsparingly swept off by the 

 woodman's ax, i.s well enough ; but that our 

 princiiial streams have lost in the volume of 

 water in a century is not so clear or so well 

 sustained. 



Having been born on the west bank of the 

 Conestoga, and having spent my boyhood 

 along this beautiful winding stream, and 

 recollecting all about it for a h.alf a century, 

 I hope I will be pardoned for giving my im- 

 pressions of the vagaries of this valuable 

 stream, which furnishes an abundance of pure 

 water for the clever inhabitants of the city of 

 Lancaster. In the winter of 1822 tliere was a 

 great fiood, doing much damage. In 1850 

 there were tiwo tremendous floods in the latter 

 half of the summer, sweeiiing away bridges, 

 croiis and fences. In 1809, in the fall, there 

 was .another great flood, exceeding in de- 

 structiveness any flood remembered by the 

 oldest inlial:)itant or tradition, sweeping away 

 corn, bridges, saw-mills, etc. .Since then the 

 stream has not at any time been unusually 

 swollen. In the fall and winter of 1874-5 the 

 Conestoga was lower for a longer continued 

 time tlian for fi)rty years, owing to the dry 

 v/eatlier in the fall ,and winter. During a 

 period of forty years it does not appear that 

 this stream has decreased in volume on an 

 average, taking a series of years together. 

 According to tradition and the recollection of 

 its oldest inhabitants, it was more frequently 



