The Lancaster Farmer. 



Prof. S. 5. RATHVON, Editor. 



LANCASTER, PA., OCTOBER, -1876 



Vol. Vni. No. 10. 



PENNSYLVANIA FRUIT GROWERS' 

 SOCIETY. 



We do not speak oflicially or from any odl- 

 cial authority, Imt it lias been indieatcd to us 

 tliat tliP next'annu.arraoetinj; of tlie I'mnni/l- 

 vania Fruit Growrrs'' iS'oc/f(^ will lie held in (he 

 citv of I/mcaster, in the month of .January, 

 18t7. The day we have n^t le.arned, even if 

 it lias been detinitely determined upon, but no 

 doubt in due time proclamation thereof will 

 be made. Those who remember the iuterest- 

 ini; couvoeation of this association in our city 

 in January, 1^70, will be pleased In learn of this 

 exiH'cted event, embracini;. asil does, the nias- 

 nates among the hortieiilturists of our great 

 commonwealth; and welVeithat we but express 

 the sentiment of our people in thus beraldinp; 

 the welcome of it.s advent among us. This 

 society was organized at the Conper House, in 

 this city, about twenty years ago, and from 

 that period to the present one, it has been in- 

 creasing in iniportance, ])ractical aViilily, and 

 the general diffusion of horticultural knowl- 

 edge. 



^ 



PENNSYLVANIA FRUIT AT THE CEN- 

 TENNIAL. 



Up to the 2Sth of September the' display of 

 Pennsylvania fruit at the great Centennial 

 poniologieal demonstration was not very re- 

 markable for such a areat commonwealth — 

 indeed, it was, by comparison, rather inferior. 

 What it has been doing since that period may 

 he inferred from the fact that the officials 

 having it in charge, have been sending out 

 circulais tothediflerent counties, urging them 

 to come to the rescue in redeeming the char- 

 acter of the State; and it will be seen by the 

 proceedings of the October meet ing of our local 

 society, that this circumstance has created 

 quite a flutter among its members. Some 

 counties have done well, but most of them 

 have been backward or derelict. This is not 

 creditable, when we reflect that tlie great ex- 

 position is held within our own borders, and 

 that Canada. Kansas, Colorado, California and 

 other far-off .States, have done so handsomely 

 This was not because Pennsylvania had no 

 fruit to exhibit; for, what little she had on 

 exhibition at the time we refer to, the quality 

 compared favorably with any that was there. 

 Mr. Daniel Smeych, of Lanca.ster city, exhibi- 

 ted over thirty varieties of crapes, that were 

 not inferior to the best that were on exhibition 

 from any other locality. Indeed, his whole 

 exhibit, including jieaclies and pears, elicited 

 the commendations of connoisseurs, and wei-e 

 complimented by the pres«, and among them 

 such .journals as the New York Tr'hune. Mr. 

 Smeych 's collection went very far towards re- 

 deeming the character of Lancaster county at 

 least, and fully illustrated what miiiht liave 

 been done by both tlie county and the State. 

 had there been n.n-ill to do it. We admonished 

 our fruit-crowers against this apathy, tln'ough 

 the columns of The Farmek, more than a 

 year ago, and although we faintly anorehended 

 what has .since transpired, yet we did not think 

 it would be to the extent it has. The fact is, 

 too many of our peonle only aimed to be edi- 

 fied and amused with the wonderful sights or 

 the Centennial, without thinking much about 

 entertaining others by freely contributing to 

 the great show of fruit. 



In many of the departments our mechanics, 

 manufacturers and artizans in gen^ral, have 

 made creditable disjilays. both from tlie conntv 

 and the State, but somehow the "founders of 

 our civilization " have been remiss. This is 

 not so much from a lack of the necessary ma- 

 terial as it is from the inability to feel tliat 

 weight of individual res)>onsibility, without 

 which it is almost impossible to effect an out- 

 ward manifestation. In matters of this kind 



every man, in any way interested in it. should 

 feel as if its success depended entirely ni>on his 

 own individual elforls; ;ind where every man 

 is so influenced, there is no such contingency 

 as a failure. It is tlierefore to be hoiied thai 

 the committees appointed on the ■2d inst. will 

 be active and energetic in tin; discharge of 

 their duties, and th.at our fruit-growers will 

 heartily and handsomely respond. It is true, it 

 may incur a little more laboi- and expense than 

 exhibiting nearer home, but then the ncatsiim 

 must be taken into consideration— it is the 

 centennial anniversary of our national exist- 

 ence, an event that cannot occur again for a 

 hundred years. 



THE CENTENNIAL. 



Before the issue of the next number of Tiir, 

 F.VRMER, our great Exposition — the distin- 

 guishing characteristic of the nineteenth cen. 

 tury— will, officially, have been numbered with 

 the eveids of the past. True, it mav not all 

 be removed— indeed, the greater portion of i( 

 may be yet in place — Vnit its nffirkd existence 

 will be ended. Whether for good or evil, it 

 will be regarded as a grand event in American 

 history, and will furnish a theme that will last 

 an ace. and mav never be exhausted. Doubt- 

 less it will also be criticised — perhaps severelv 

 criticised — for, <rrand as it is. and was. it did 

 not reach nerfection. But critics will witlihold 

 their criticisms until their outward expression 

 cannot ex"rt an injurious effect upon the in- 

 terests of the show. Its most vulnerable parts, 

 no doubt, may be attributable more to defec- 

 tive head-work than to heart-work, and vet 

 before all is done, some rascalities may be de- 

 veloped and detected. Since rascalities iv'll 

 hr. imder merely human rule, it is best that 

 thev should be exposed, however they mav 

 tarnish a country's record. But, apart from 

 all the evil that can possibly accrue, it has 

 done and will have done an immense amount 

 of good. It will do more to establish relations 

 of amity and comity between diverse and re- 

 mote nations than anv system of diplomaev 

 that ever was concocted among men. It is a 

 great pitv that everv man and woman and 

 every child old enough to recognize its mean- 

 ing, eonld not have witnessed it. even for n 

 single dav. It would have constituted an epoch 

 in their davs never to he forgotten — an im- 

 nression never to be entirely erased — it is and 

 was so real, so tan^'ible. so void of mere spec- 

 ulation. T'le extrnordinnry demonstration oti 

 the osth of Sentember — Pennsylvania 's centen- 

 nial commemontion of her State ennstitntion 

 — wfls one tba*" nfver will be fnrnrotten by those 

 who witnessed it; a"d o-nes down to posterity 

 as the largest of the kind that has ever take" 

 nlace in the world. Nearly "r qn'te (hrep hun- 

 drp^l thonsn.Tirl neople rtnsserl tlirein'^b the tnrn- 

 «tilps on tha*- rta". nver two hundred and fiftv 

 thousand of whicb wore paid adni'«cinns. This 

 ^•psnH is nnnreeerlppfpfl \r\ fhp history of fVie 

 hidnstrial ex'msitions of the world, nod sbowo 

 linw prinn'nr tlip occasion was in the minds 

 ond henrts eif tbp nPAnlp. Whatever mav h" 

 file nlU'Tiatp financinl result of onr Centennial 

 -Rynnsilion. it cnnnot he eh arched to tbp nrtntl'>y 

 of ttie Tiennip. fnr H had been nreeerlerl nnd wn^ 

 C'lntinned thronch one nf the darkest financial 

 neriodc !n npr national histon'. and nianv'wer" 

 the splf-depial« ami neenniarv sliift«. that were 

 neeessarv to obtain t'^e meiPS to patronize it. 

 Tmong the masses of the peonle. Manv far 

 advanced in years essayed pedestrian ionrneys 

 of hnndrpdc of miles to witness the rrvaprl pi- 

 TPant of 'Fnirnimiiit Pnrl". and all were over- 

 whelmed with wonder at thebeantv. the vari- 

 ety, and the mTmitude of t'le show. These 

 impressions will he carried with them down to 

 the end of their davs. and together with the 

 written history of the event, will be trans- 



mitted to posterity. Many will .secure some 

 token of remembrance wiiile they visit the 

 Centenni;il Exposition, and tliese will becomo 

 heirlooms in the family from generation to 

 generation. Many jieoples and their produc- 

 tions of handicraft which heretofore had only 

 an ideal existence in their minds, will now 

 have assumed a realistic character, as tangible 

 as if they had visited a, foreign country or a 

 foreign^workshop. 



HOLLAND' PIPPIN. 



From the following, read at the late meet- 

 ing of the Lnnrnnter Cnvnt)/ A()riru'lurrtl nnd 

 II'irticuHural Sorietil, it will apjiear very pro- 

 bable that we h.ave in this city an apple tree 

 which \yas oritrinallv oneof those brought over 

 from Holland by Dutch eniii.'rants. many long 

 years ago. or was prooacrated from one of those 

 early (iroduct ions. We have had a knowledge 

 of the fruit f)f this tree for two or three years, 

 and have on several occasions submitted it to 

 some of our local pomologists. but without any 

 of them ventnrinu to give it a name; and a 

 distinct app''"ation we felt assured it was 

 worthy of in the apple world, .so that it might 

 l)e able to stand up an "'apple among apples." 

 For this reason, therefore, and the suirgestion.s 

 of a "veteran." we adopt the above name, by 

 which this fruit may be provisionally designa- 

 ted hereafter, and when it becomes manifest 

 that it has some other name, the peeessary cor- 

 rection can be made. When w-e reflect upon the 

 facts presepted to us everyday in worthless or 

 very inferior applesoffered forsale. wemay well 

 be surprised that this apnle has bepp so long peg- 

 Ipcted. and those inferior varieties cultivated 

 instead. This mav no doubt be attributable to 

 the circ\mistancp that for a lone series of years, 

 no knowledtre of it existed outside of the im- 

 mediate family who occupied the premises on 

 which it stands. But now. when active hor- 

 ticultural organizations exist amon? us. and 

 fniit-e'rowers are tnrn'nir their attention to 

 the better kinds of fruit — whether amopc the 

 e7r7 yarieties or the vi^r — it becomes manifest 

 that this "neclected" fruit should no lonrrer 

 h" "hidden under a hnsiiel or a bed," and for 

 that reason we feel instified in now making it 

 known as a centennial development. 



A Neglected Apple. 



"The acconipanving apple i.s from a tree 

 ■-'rowin'i'nnon the premises of -Mr. Henry Sener, 

 West Oranee street, in this citv. 



This tree was hr'incht here from fJprman- 

 town. Pa., ahont forty years a^o. and Mr. 

 Senpr informs me tint, so far as his reeolleetion 

 "xtends. it hears a faireron every year. Thave 

 tliorou^l'ly tested the frnif for two seasons, 



•>nd. whotlior "h-iked. boiled or stewed " in 



nies. dnm'ilinTS. fritters Or nlain sapeo. T have 

 Connd it far snnerior to ani- annlo o^ered in 

 <^his market, not even excepting the ".smoke- 

 bo-s"." 



T'<e fruit is in a condition for eiilinarv nse 

 all tbroiiTli the montbs of An^ust. Sentembpf 

 and Oeteb°r. and in fip latter montli it is a 

 "Ood patiniT annle. The tree is old and bol- 

 low. and nrobably will not snrvi ye manv veprs 

 and will no do.iht he fopnd worthy of nrona- 

 e"itMi" by biiddintr and rraftine-. and Mr. S. 

 will cheerfulb' snpnly any person wl^o m^'v 

 want them. Tl^e Iiranelies are drooninc. the 

 inrnrer nerfion of the fruit hanging on the out- 

 side exnosed to sun and air. 



It rinpns throun-h ''pntember and October. 

 T sept a sneeimen to Dr. Stavman. of T.paven- 

 worth. Kansas, who l^as nearly one thousand 

 varieties of the apple family described and 

 i'l'istrated. T also sent a sneeimen to Maior 

 Freas of the Orrniay^t^iryi 1 plpiirrifih. to ^diich 

 T have received the following reply, wbich re- 

 flects some light, if it is not conclusive : 



