1876.] 



THE LANCASTEFLJARMER. 



-143 



GENERAL MISCELLANY. 



Apples at the Centennial. 



Among llie npooial fpsitiin-s of tlu' p:ist few weeks 

 at tlie great Centenniiil Kxposilion were the eollee- 

 tioii of iipiiles from Iowa, Mieliiganuml Australia. 

 The interest centred espeeially in the latter, as eoni- 

 pareii with Ameriean fruit, anil some valuat)Ie h's- 

 Bons liave heeii derived from tliem l)y those wlio ex- 

 amined them eritieally. The inlluenees wliieh elimate, 

 soil or other eoiiditions liave on altering the appear- 

 anee and (|uality of the fruit, never had a better 

 illustration. In taking tlie run of the Miehigan and 

 lowii apples for instanee, eollected as those of eaeh 

 state were from many dill'erent growers, there were 

 often several plates Hf llie same kinil. Sometimes 

 the kinds would average smaller, or have some peeu- 

 linrily from one state than were noted in another, 

 and then again in other varieties the same peeuliari- 

 tles noted in the others would favor the other state. 

 For instanee the Ben Davis, an Illinois apple, we be- 

 lieve was in every ease snuiller in the Illinois eollee- 

 tion than in the iowa one, though in neither was its 

 exeelleni'e equal to its reputation. 



A striking feature of these western apples was their 

 brilliant coloring. Most of the varieties were of the 

 very higliest ehitraeler in Ibis respect, much uodoubl 

 owing to the varieties selected or rather saved to this 

 late period of the apple season, but yet not wholly, 

 for even such a tame looking variety as we generally 

 see it, the Khode Island (ireeuing, had a rosy tint 

 on it. 



When we came to the Australian apples the ab- 

 sence of this color was remarkable. Out of nearly 

 one hundred kinds 2xbibitcii there was not one with 

 a blush on its cheek equal to that on a simple Rhode 

 Island (Ireeuing from Michigan. Some few bad a 

 slight glimmer. Northern 8py, for instance, was a 

 good deal bronzed, and a curious old English kind, 

 know as Norfolk Beatin, might have been as dark as 

 the Black Detroit, if grown in a country like ours. 

 The prevailing tint was of a deep orange, this run- 

 ning more or less through all the kinds. As showing 

 the growing close relationship between America and 

 Australia, it was pleasant to note that the greatest 

 numlicr of these apples were American kinds. The 

 balance were of kinds often named in the list of 

 Europeans, very few seeming to be varieties of their 

 own, as far as we may judge I'rom the names, most 

 of them being familiar to those who study our poiuo- 

 logical literature. The fruits were two months on 

 the road, wrapped in cotton on the way, and though 

 some had fallen by the wayside, the whole came in 

 excelleut condition, considering all things. 



The more the Centennial Exbibiliou progresses tho 

 more the advantages become apparent. Even in such 

 asnuill matter as this fruit exhibition, thousands of 

 people saw what they never knew before— the capa- 

 city of the two young states, Iowa and Michigan, tor 

 raising beautiful fruit, while Australia, almost to us 

 an unknown country, told us at once by her deeds 

 that besides the good sheep raising country she is be- 

 ginning to be known, also, in fruit-culture, so far at 

 least as the king of fruits, the apple, is eoueerned, 

 she can oiler as good advantages to all who may be 

 disposed to look on that I'act as an inducement to 

 settle within her borderB. — G'er/nantniim Teleyraph. 



Improvement of Potatoes. 



An article in the lievue Ilortirolc translated and 

 published in the Fanner (Eng.) eoutains some iKiints 

 worthy of attention by our American farmers, as the 

 sanieprinciples which govern the growth of this tuber 

 in Europe are also potent here. When we want to 

 regenerate any particular kind of potato, or still 

 more, to prevent its degeneration, it is of the first 

 importance to make a judicious selection of parent 

 plants. Several means may be adopted to this end. 

 For example, the choice of the largest possible tubers, 

 which represent well the marked features'of the 

 variety, since the too frequeut setting of small tubers 

 tends to deterioration. Another plan is to choose the 

 seed, when digging up the crop, from the well-fur- 

 nished roots, and select the tubers which are most 

 typical of the special variety under treatment. 



The shape of the tuber need not be too much con- 

 sidered. Some jjeople imagine that tubers which 

 ditler from the usual shape of the kind to which they 

 belong, are of necessity degenerate specimens, but 

 this is an error. Tubers may be not exactly of the 

 shape characteristic of the variety, and yet produce 

 well-shaped potatoes in the following year. As a rule 

 the shape of the varous kind of potatoes ditl'crs ac- 

 coRlinir to the nature of the soil in which they are 

 cultivated. For example, it is generally su|)i)06ed 

 that the " Marjoulin " ought to be long and narrow ; 

 nevertheless, some light sandy soils produce it in a 

 swollen, and sometimes even rounded form, though 

 It turns out long and narrow if grown in stilf soil. 



It Is a general physiogical fact, common to almost 

 all plants, and specially marked in the ease of the 

 potato, that if they are planted early every year their 

 precocity increases, whilst by reversing the course of 

 action the contrary etTeet is produced and tbcy tend 

 to become later in attaining full growth. The same 

 result api>ears if wc plant successively in a cold soil. 

 In this case they become later in arriving at maturity, 



while the contrary happens if we select a warm 

 ground. Again, it is almost certain that if we take 

 the lirsl buds that aredevclo|ied on a potato for plant- 

 ing, the crop will be earlier than if we planted with 

 the second buds, or still more with those of a third 

 germination. It results from all this, that amougsl 

 the various precautions to bi' taken in atti'inpting to 

 maintain or even improve any variety of |iotato, a 

 judicious choice of tubers for planting is of especial 

 im|iortanee. 



The employment of seeds, i)roperly Bo-ealled, 

 might also perhaps be resorted to, sonii'times advan- 

 tageously so. But how often must we not sow befori' 

 we get good types, and good varieties as a result? 

 Still, nolwitbstaniling its uncertainty, this method 

 should not be neglected. It is generally believed that 

 certain kinds of potatoi's, sncb as the " .MarjoiUin," 

 neither llower run to seed. This again is and error. 

 All potatoes will llower and yield seed when they are 

 verv stronglv manured and in a conilition of exuber- 

 ant." vegetation : Init it is none the h-ss true that there 

 are some varieties whose natural strength leads them 

 to llower and seed more freely Hian others. 



Ignorance in Farming. 



One of the greatest drawbacks to successful farm- 

 ing is the presence of the unknown quantity— igno- 

 rance of the exact condition of things, in value, weight 

 and measure, eonceriMug our products. We often 

 produce at a loss. An account with each crop would 

 decide the niatler. If, .•vftcr a few trials, it costs more 

 to proiluce than a crop will sell for, its cultivation 

 should be abandoned. Many continue to produce from 

 year to year at a loss, simply from the want of a little 

 calculation. The unknown ipiantity in weight and 

 measure subjects us to great loss in buying and sell- 

 ing. A stack of hay came to my notice recently. The 

 scHer estimated that it would weigh a ton and a half. 

 The buyer preferred to buy by weight. It wciglicil 

 1 ,8.50 pounds— ipiile a ditlerence in favor of the buyer. 

 There is no doubt that a great deal of hay clianges 

 hands every year on a basis no nearer the truth than 

 this. Loss' enough is soon made in this way to put 

 in and maintain a hay-scale, even in a small ncigb- 

 borliood. The same "thing is true in regard to live 

 stock. Dealers can judge much more accurately than 

 farmers, and are much less liable to be cheated. 

 Farmers arc much more liable to fail in buying than 

 in selling. Ifwcpay too much in buying, it makes 

 an up-hill business all the way through. This is one 

 great cause wbv many fail to make anything in feed- 

 ing and handlii'ig stock. From considerable experi- 

 ence in weighing stock for others, I have found that 

 the greater part fall short in weight from tlie estimate 

 of the owners; some come very I'ar short. Not more 

 than live per cent, exceeds the estimates. Horses 

 estimated at 1,100 pounds generally weigh about 

 1,000. Loads of hay called a ton quite often weigh 

 only 1,200 or 1, .500 pounds. Those who estimate the 

 number of tons by the number of loads are often very 

 much deceived, and in selling tl#nk they have been 

 cheateil, because the scales failed to show as much as 

 they expected. Weighing will remedy this. The 

 pound avoirdupois is a known quantity; after a.scer- 

 taining the exact number, we are in a condition to go 

 forward without making mistakes in our calculations. 

 Another unknown quantity is in failure to know 

 the number of acres under cidlivation. A farm 

 which had been taken up when the country was new, 

 and occupied by five successive generations of the 

 same family, had a twenty-acre lot. On the death 

 of the first member of the family, the farm was sold. 

 The twenty-acre lot contained but fourteen acn^s by 

 actual measurement. Here were five generations of 

 heroic workers deceived in the amount of work actu- 

 ally done, all the while supposing tliat they were cul- 

 tivating six acres more than there really was. If the 

 yield came up to what the increased acreage should 

 "produce, it did not matter so mmdi. But the proba- 

 bility is that they were as far from the truth in the 

 yield as in the acreage. 1 once bought a tract of salt 

 "marsh said to contain six acres. The surveyor made 

 less than four acres, much to the disgust of the 

 seller and the detriment of the reputation of persons 

 who had gained a local notoriety for big days' work 

 done thereon. Traditional " big days' work " often 

 owe their existence more to some errors in calcula- 

 tion than to the amount of work really done. There 

 is uncertainty enough attending the busini'Ss of farm- 

 ing, from unfavorable seasons, and causes over which 

 we have no control, without lieing subjected to loss in 

 those we can remedy. We sutler loss from buying 

 and paying for what we do not get; l)y selling what 

 we do not gitt pay for, and in many other ways in 

 which the unknown quantity atlecls us unfavorably. 

 We stiould enileavor, where it is in our power, to 

 eliminate it from our business.- Cor. t'ountry Ucn- 

 tUman. 



Draining Orchards. 



Apple orchards on heavy soils or wet sub-soils are 

 often injured in growth and in crops. Draining by 

 ruinnng ditches midway lietween the rows will do 

 them much good. As" the operation must cut off 

 many of the small roots it should be performed in 

 spriiig, twf'ore the buds open ; if left till the trees 

 are in leaf it will more or less cheek their growth. 



Iron and Gold. 



It is a peculiarity of gold that, from the moment 

 of Its discovery to the day of its destruction, its in- 

 trinsic value eamiot be increased. It will sell for as 

 much in the dust or nugget as when coined Into the 

 sovereign. Experience has proved that every dollar 

 of gold coined costs its dollar in gold to mine. Not 

 so with iron. Iron eontimies to increase in value at 

 every stage of development or manipulation ; from 

 tlic unattractive earthy ores, till It pulsates with tlie 

 seconds of time, as it measures out the limits of the 

 glorious orl) of dav. (iold is indestructible. No 

 acid, gas, heat or I'lild all'ects its (|ualily or disturbs 

 its purity. It is regarded as the monarch among 

 metals. It Is more ductile than any other, and is the 

 only irietal free from oxygen— chemically free and 

 pui'e. Iron Is the servant of all. Its steel arms, its 

 iron ribs and its revolving feet carry us obediently to 

 the uttermost parts of the earth; it nurses um in our 

 days of sickness; it protects us in the bourof danger. 

 Iriin has greater affinity for oxygen than any other 

 metal, and is never fouinl ebcinically free or pure, 

 (iold always has an aristocratii: shine. It is the min- 

 eral snob, typical of pomp, pride, riches, laziness, In- 

 dolciH'i^ and extravagance'. It is piled idly in the 

 bank or coiniting room. It is the ornament (jf the 

 belle and the servant, the prinec' and the peasant, 

 th(^ palace and the play-house, the temple and the 

 tenement. It is courted alike by both fools and phi- 

 losophers, though "all is not goM that glitters." 

 Iron is the bone and sinew <if the land; it only shines 

 when work or worth is demanded. The friction of 

 enterprise, industry and duty keeps it bright. It 

 builds our houses. It saws and ilraws, and smooths 

 and grooves, ami sows and mows, and faitlifully 

 serves both king and commoner without a lilusfi of 

 shame, or a bruise of resentment. It is the general 

 benefactor of mankind, a true gift of Cod. Iron and 

 gold cannot Ije fused or united; their elements are 

 antagonistic. Iron is the oidy metal that will de- 

 stroy gold. You may plate iron witli gold, but the 

 oxvgen will in time, with its devouring rust, creep 

 through and eat offthi' glitter of the gold, mar its 

 face and scar its beauty. Humainty, aye, even the 

 soul is lrec|Uetilly bartered for the golden bubble, but 

 never for iron. Iron is the lowest and cheapest of 

 metals, yet it can rise highest in the scale of intrinsic 

 merit. Wheti wrought to its biirbest value it is worth 

 treble its weight in gold, (iold, the purest of ores, 

 may sink to the meanest service of man. Hold is im- 

 perial, exclusive, desi>otic and scarce. Iron is do- 

 mestic, cosmopolitan, abundant, (iold is regarded 

 as the standard which fixes values. Iron produces 

 the values so fixed, whether by the plow, or the 

 press, the mine or the mill, the ship or the steam 

 car; iron demonstrates its utility, its producing power. 

 Cities have t)ecn ransomed with gold, but empires 

 have been built up by iron. Gold clings to tlie few, 

 but iron is the possession and the blessing of the 

 many. — .V. 1'. MerctiiUilc Journal. 



Christian Laconics. 



We cannot be too thankful for small mercies, but 

 we may be too much troubled ab(ml small miscriet. — 

 1 Thess. V. 18; Luke x. 41. 



It is backward anil doiimmard with the wicked— it is 

 onward and upward with the righteous.— Job xvli. 9; 

 Matt. vii. l:i. 



Grace and glory are inseparably joined — he that 

 gets the one may be certain of the other .—I's. Ixxxiv. 

 11. 



Sin forgiven is peace restored. — Matt. ix. 2. 



Satan promises what he never gives— io»(in<7 pleas- 

 ure! and gives what he never promises— ewriasiirai; 

 pain. — (ien. ill. 4. 



Worth and not wealth is a nation's safety— Prov. 

 xiv. i>4. 



When love is warmest praise is loudest — the heart 

 helps the tongue. — Luke i. M'l, 47. 



What can grace not do > lor it raised up saints even 

 in Ciesar's huuselwlU. — I'hil. iv. 22. 



One may be sincere without being safe.— Prov. xvl. 

 2.5. 



There will not lie a tear in heaven— there will not 

 be a smile in hell ; there will be no wcepini/ in the 

 former, iiud uolliini; but loecpiug in the latter. — Rev. 

 xxi. 4 ; Luke xiii. 28. 



He that would commune tnuch with Goil, must 

 commune little with the world.— James iv. 4. 



Forbidden pleasures, tliough loved at first, are 

 loatUed at last. — 2 Sam. xiii. l-'). ^ 



Though we must never be weary of the Lord s 

 work, the sooner we weary of Satan's the better. — 

 — (ial. vi. U ; Peter iv. li. 



To be blessed with happiness we must be beautified 

 with holiness. — Ps. cxix. 1. 



None can enter by the heavenly gate ofjuwe who do 

 not enter l>y the narrow gale Wow.— Luke xiii. 24. 



Humility is a grace not merely ornamental, but es- 

 sential—not what matj be in the Clirlstian, but what 

 must be. — 1 Pet. V. !>, (>. 



To Use Hen Manure. 



Manure from the poultry -house is best mixed with 

 six or eight times its bulk of loam. It can then be 

 safely applied to any crop or seed. 



