1S76.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



i83 



it is not ;i little siirpiising tliiit he continui's 

 to bj so miicli an object of aiiniinitioii, and 

 sutli an indispensable article of fond. My 

 own observations of hogs slaugthercd dining 

 a period of forty years has convinced me thai 

 not one in twenty is free from a diseased 

 liver. The exemption of the Jews from 

 scrofula, is by good authorily attributed to 

 their disuse of the greasy animal. This fact 

 alone bIiouUI be sullicient to very greatly 

 curtail its use, if not cause its entire disuse as 

 food. The corn required to fallen a hog will 

 furnish more than twice the amount of nutri- 

 tious food, (without tlie scrofula, measles or 

 tricbinaj, ) than the average of bogs will after 

 being slaughtered. 



The analyses of the ablest ciiemists show 

 that all the cereals and leguminous products 

 contain generally from two to tiiree times the 

 amount of nutriment that the besl Hesh meats 

 do. Facts are on record of men performing 

 most active muhcular labor upon a strictly 

 fruit diet. The exemption from e|iidemics 

 and diseases generally is especially claimed by 

 vesietarians. The Society known as " Bible 

 Christians," of whom quite a number reside 

 in Philadelphia, embraces in its creed total 

 abstinence, not only from intoxicating drinks, 

 but also fiom tobacco and tlesh diet. Its 

 pastor, Rev. Dr. Metcalf, in answer to an in- 

 quiry replied, that when the yellow fever 

 raged in Philadelphia, not one of their mem- 

 bers was taken with the epidemic, although a 

 large proportion of them lived in its midst. 

 He at the same time reported that one of their 

 members was considered the strongest man in 

 Philadelphia. 



The plea that man must have animal food 

 in cold weather and in cold climates proves 

 simply that he can consume it with more im- 

 punity than he can in a high temperature, 

 not that he cannot live and flourish without 

 it. England being in a high latitude, it 

 wonld necessarily follow that its people must 

 have a large proportion of llesh. C\it here 

 we find a tlourisliing vegetarian society, em- 

 bracing men and women of quite advanced 

 ages and above ordinary intelligence, who are 

 enjoying health to a greater extent than the 

 average of any other class in the kingdom. 

 During the Crimean war, captured Ru.ssiau 

 soldiers were found to have in their haver.sacks 

 rye bread, with a few other simple articles of 

 food, but no meat. The French and English 

 surgeons expressed the surprise at their speedy 

 recovery from wounds wliich were considered 

 fatal to their own soldiers. 



According to some of our home savans it 

 would hardly be possible for man to fully 

 develop in these cold regions without flesh ; 

 yet more robust soldiers than Russia has 

 turned out are nowhere to be found. The 

 testimony in favor of the vegetarian diet is 

 really inexhaustible, hut time and space for- 

 l.'id its extension. Whether we view the sub- 

 ject from a Mosaic, or from a Darwinian 

 standpoint, is it not reasonable, that as man 

 approaches liis maker his carnivorous propen- 

 sities are necessarily weaker, for we can 

 hardly imagine a flesh-eating being above man. 



The Psalmist in n ference to the manna 

 given to the Israelites in the wilderness says, 

 " God gave them of the corn of Heaven " and 

 " Man did eat Angel's fond." Whatever the 

 food maybe, if any, of a higher order of beings, 

 it is conclusive that it was not the carcasses 

 of dead animals. Do we not all iigree that it 

 is man's prerogative as well as duty to lift 

 himself as far as possible above the gi-ovelings 

 of the Carnivora ? Think of .slaughter houses 

 among a high order of beings. Contrast our 

 present with the feelings of earlier years, 

 when yet tender, how our sympathies were 

 excited, how our pleadings were given, and oft 

 times our tears flowed in behalf of .I.e victim 

 about to be killed, whether a pig, a calf, a 

 lamb, or a fowl. But like the criminal, as 

 We advance our finer feelings become blunted 

 until we can behold with complacence the 

 very acts at which we formerly shuddered. Is 

 it not passing strange that our appetites will 

 get the better of us, that we can become so 

 hardened as to gloat over the remains of the 



very victim that we formerly so deeply pitied 'i 

 A more pleasant recollection is when our ap- 

 petites were more nearly normal, (although 

 born from parents with perverted appetites) 

 when tho.se luscious fruits, so beautiful to the 

 eye, so tempting to our natin-al appetites, 

 made such pleasing impressions as to -get the 

 advantage of our better nature, to cause our 

 hand to reach the fruit, forbidden only be- 

 cause it was not ours. 



Bui whether ours by right or otherwise, oh 

 how delicious those berries to our then un- 

 perverted appetites, those cherries, peaches, 

 plums, pears, or apples, even when only half 

 ripe they seemed to till an aching voidi 



How many of us have lost that keen relish 

 for nature's most lu.scious productions, iind 

 have instead acquired appetites that lianker 

 after things that were once so reimlsive to us, 

 things against which our finest sensibilities at 

 first revolted, but have now established a kind 

 of second nature upon which We labor .so hard 

 to base our dietetic nature. The testimony 

 and reason in favor of vegetarian diet is really 

 inexhaustible, but time and space forbid its 

 extension. Alay I not claim to have made 

 Some impression worthy of your consideration? 

 May I not invite your "serious attentions to 

 this matter, for the benefit of yourselves and 



posterity? 



^ 



For The Lanovstkr Fabmeh. 

 FODDER— CORN, AND THE CONCLU- 

 SIONS ARRIVED AT. 



Within the last few years fanners have been 

 trying dill'erent plans to increase the supply 

 of winter food for their cattle, as the usual 

 crops of hay and corn-fodder are not enough 

 to keep the increasing number of cattle kept 



Various corps, such as jjeas, oats, &c., are 

 cultivated for dry fodder, but for this section 

 of country corn has been preferred on account 

 of the quantity of fodder produced and the 

 short time it takes to bring it to a size fit for 

 cutting. The corn is usually sowed in rows 

 8 feet to 3^ feet apart, using from two to three 

 bushels of corn to the acre. 



For some years a great many hay fields 

 have not had any clover, on account of the 

 freezing out of the latter, and as most farmiMs 

 sow only timothy and clover, they W'ere dis- 

 ai)pointed in a second-crop (after-math,) and 

 many of them plowed the sod as soon after 

 haying as possible, and sowed it to cnrn. 

 Many of them have done so under the impres- 

 sion "that merely taking off the fodder is not 

 hard on the land, believing that the grain part 

 of a crop is what exhausts the soil mostl3'. 



An instance showing what effect the raising 

 of fodder-corn has on the soil, came under our 

 observation during this and the preceding 

 summer. A field laid down to timothy and 

 clover failed in the latter, and it was deter- 

 minded to plow under the timothy stubble as 

 soon as the hay was off, but a severe drought 

 setting in, the field could not be plowed until 

 about the middle of July, anil as it was con- 

 sidered nearly too late, only a part was planted, 

 which produced about 1^ tons per acre of the 

 very best fodder-corn. According to the 

 opinion of some this would not have been a 

 serious draft on the soil, as there was no grain 

 produced, the greater part of the fodder not 

 iiaving even panicles, but the effect on the 

 crop the present season was very marked. 

 The whole field was put into corn, and where 

 the fodder-corn was not raised a large crop of 

 corn was taken off. the stalks also being very 

 tall and stout ; where the fodder-corn was 

 raised the staks were of good size, but low in 

 comparison with other parts of the field, and 

 the yield of shelled corn at least 20 bushels 

 less per acre. 



The amount of the more important fertiliz- 

 ing materials that wou'd have been taken 

 from the soil by 20 bushels of corn, are about 

 as follows : phosphoric acid 6 lbs. ; potash 3} 

 ft)s. ; nitrogen \~\ lbs. The 3000 pounds of 

 fodder-corn removed about the foUowins 

 amounts : phosjihoric acid 11 J tbs. ; potash ."iO 

 tbs. ; nitrogen ITj lbs. It will thus be seen 

 that the cro)) of fodder-corn removed much 

 more of phosphoric acid aud potash, and about 



three-fourths as much nitri)gen as the 20 

 bushels of corn would have taken. The com- 

 mercial value of the above fertilizing materials 

 removed, is about $3.25 more in the case of 

 the fodder-corn crop, but this was probably 

 very heavly balanced by less stalks aud leaves 

 on the corn crop. 



In a pecuniary point of view the result was 

 a failure. The fodder was considered worth 

 Sl.J.OO per ton, or $22.50 per acre ; the cost 

 of seed, cultivation, curing, &c., $10.00, 

 which would have left a balance of $12.50 ; 

 but the 20 bushels of corn the present season 

 would have .sold for 810.00, and the amount of 

 corn-fodder was probably worth less the S2.50 

 this season than if no fodder-corn had been 

 raised. Had the manure that was made by 

 feeding the latter been applied this spring on 

 the corn ground, I have uo doubt the result 

 would have been satisfactory in every way. 



From the above we draw the following con- 

 clusions : 



1. That with the exception of nitrogen a 

 crop of fodder-corn removed more fertilizing 

 materials than an ordinary crop of corn. 



2. That on ordinary to medium good soils, 

 only absolute necessity should drive a farmer 

 to raise a fodder-corn crop on the above plan. 



3. That the manure made from such fodder 

 must be returned in season for the next crop to 

 insure a full yield in the latter case. — A. B. K. 



For TiiK Lancabteh Farukm. 

 WHAT SHALL WE EAT. 

 There is nothing unclean of itself, but to 

 him that estecmeth anything to be unclean, 

 to hi)n it is unclean. One believeth that he 

 may eat all things, &c., but another alloweth 

 it not. Let not him that eatelh despise him 

 that eateth not, and let not him whiclv eateth 

 not judge him that eateth. Circumstances 

 alter cases, and persons are governed to a 

 great extent by what is to be had that is cat- 

 able. As Christ said, ''Eat such things as 

 are set before you," &c. ; " Behold, all things 

 arc clean unto you," &c. ; and Paul says, 

 '■ For neither if we eat meat are we the better, 

 neither if we eat not are we the worse ; what- 

 soever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking 

 no question, for the earth is the Lord's, and 

 the fullness thereof. If any bid you to a feiist, 

 and ye be disposed to go, whatsoever is set 

 before you, eat, asking no question. And there 

 came a voice to Peter saying. Rise, Peter, 

 kill and eat. But Peter said. Not so. Lord, 

 for I have never eaten anything that is com- 

 mon or unclean. And the voice spake unto 

 him again the second time, ''What God hath 

 cleansed, that call not thou common," <&c. 

 Now, I allow that it would be better for many 

 persons if they would eat less animal and 

 more fruit as food. But there is a large class 

 of people that cannot have the fruit all the 

 time, and must depend upon animal food to 

 give strength and "stick to the ribs," as we 

 sometimes say. But then we should try to 

 have our animals as free from disease as pos- 

 sible. There is no need of our hogs being 

 nearly all scrofulous and diseased in their 

 livers, &c. They can be kept as pure f>s any 

 other animals, if properly cared for. Now, 

 we read of some commanding to abstain from 

 meats, which God hath created to be received 

 with thanksgiving of them which believe and 

 know the truth. For every creature of God 

 is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be 

 received with thanksgiving. — John B. Erh, 



Lime Valley. 



^ 



ROOM FOR MORE SHEEP. 

 Last year we paid foreign countries fifty 

 millions of dollars for woolen goods and eleven 

 millions of dollars for manufactured goods. 

 When we have in the country twelve million 

 more sheep than we have now, we shall only 

 produce tlie wool we used ; and yet there is 

 no country on earth where shee]) could be raised 

 so profitably as in the United States. But we 

 are coming every year nearer to supplying our 

 own markets with the wool they demand. In 

 1875 the wool clip of the country was nearly 

 200.000.000 pounds, while in 1800 it was only 

 65,000,000. 



