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TH^E LANCASTER FARMER. 



[ December, 



pletely enclosed, and is, perhaps, the deepest 

 of the lunar marcs. Its area is 78,000 square 

 miles. Its general tint is a gray mixed, with 

 an inmiistakable tinge of green, especially 

 under high illumination. The verdant hue is 

 seen to best advantage for several days before 

 and after the moon is full. 



These and other color changes on the face 

 of the moon — as, for instance, the darkening 

 of the great ring plain of Plato, with increas- 

 ing light, and like changes in certain long, 

 winding lunar valleys — led Beer and Madler 

 to suggest that they would indicate vegeta- 

 tion, were vegetation possible on the surface 

 of the moon. But having accepted Bessel's 

 conclusion that there could be neither air nor 

 water on the lunar surface, and consequently 

 no life, those much respected selenographers 

 coidd not entertain the hypothesis of lunar 

 vegetation, however strong the evidence might 

 seem. 



But Bessel's opinion is inconsistent, not only 

 with the conditions on which he based his cal- 

 culations, but also with the results of more re- 

 cent .studies of the state of the moon's surface. 

 .So far from being an airless,,waterleRS desert, 

 a changeless mass of dead matter, like so much 

 volcanic scoria, the moon is now known to 

 have an atmosphere of considerable volume 

 and density, to present abundant evidence of 

 physical activity and change, and to have in 

 all probability water enough to make life 

 easily possible on its surface. The moon is 

 dying, but very far from dead. Being so 

 much smaller than the earth, it has run its 

 course more rapidly, but is t>till a good way 

 ofi from that goal of ultimate deadness to 

 which .so many astronomers have theoretically 

 assigned it. There is not the slightest ade- 

 quate evidence of the popular view, and " its 

 truth would be admitted by no astronomer 

 who had deviated sufficient attention to selen- 

 ography to enable him to thoroughly realize 

 the probable present condition of the moon." 



Such being the ca.se, the hypothesis that the 

 moon's green plains derive their color from 

 vegetation seems to be impossible or absurd. 

 The evidence is not of a character to justify a 

 positive assertion that the mythical man in 

 the moon may have abundant pasturage for 

 his cattle ; but his case ceases to be absolutely 

 hopeless when a thoroughgoiug selenographer 

 can say, as Xeison does, that the moon may 

 possess an atmosphere that must be regarded 

 as fully capable of sustaining various forms of 

 vegetation of even an advanced type ; that it 

 does not appear how it can justly be questioned 

 that the lunar surface in favorable positions 

 may yet retain a sufficiency of moisture to 

 support vegetation of many kinds, and that, 

 in a very considerable portion of the entire 

 surface of the moon, the temperature would 

 not vary sufficiently to materially affect the 

 existence of vegetable hfe. — Scientific Ameri- 

 can. 



SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE, 



The report on commercial fertilizers, by 

 Professor P. Collier, member of the scientific 

 commission of the United States to the Inter- 

 national Exhibition at Vienna in 1873, has 

 appeared in the form of a pamphlet of sixty- 

 seven pages, and is replete with interesting 

 matter. It gives a large number of statistics 

 concerning the trade in fertilizers in Europe 

 and America, their sources, character, value 

 and cost. 



The report of Professor Collier coincides 

 fully with the common experience in Europe 

 and in this country in showing that there is a 

 grear deal of fraud in commercial fertilizers ; 

 that at the same time the bulk of what is in 

 the market is good, and that the only method 

 to prevent frauds, enable the farmer to make 

 sure of getting reliable wares, and at the same 

 time to improve the general quality of the 

 wares, as sold, rests in control systems based 

 on chemical analysis. 



The fertilizer control system introduced in 

 Connecticut by the State experiment station 

 is working very satisfactorily. A considerable 

 number of low-grade and fraudulent fertil- 

 izers have baen examined, and their character 



exposed. One article, forinstance, which had 

 been sold for $55 per ton, a discount from the 

 regular price of $60 per ton being made "to 

 introduce the article," proved to be nearly 

 one-half sand, and to have a commercial value 

 of about S8 per ton. Several parties who had 

 bought and tried the article, on learning the 

 result of the analysis, refused payment, a con- 

 siderable sum of money being tlius saved to 

 the victims of the fraud. Arrangements are 

 made whereby responsible fdealers sell their 

 goods under supervision of the station, guar- 

 anteeing their composition, and holding them 

 at all times subject to examination by the sta- 

 tion. Purchasers have also the privilege of 

 having the fertilizers they buy analyzed at the 

 station at small cost or for nothing. 



The important question as to the form of 

 nitrogen most suitable for the nutrition of 

 plants has been studied by Lchmann, who 

 has lately experimented with buckwheat, 

 maize, and tobacco, supplying nitrogen in 

 some cases in the form of nitrates, and in 

 others, in the form of ammonia salts. He 

 concludes that some plants require ammonia 

 in their first period of vegetation, and nitric 

 acid in the second, but that ammonia may, 

 by oxidation in the soil, produce the nitric 

 acid needed. 



Of the many new ways in which science 

 has of late come to be applied to agriculture, 

 one of the most interesting, as well as mo.st 

 useful, is in the investigation of seeds. In 

 1869 Dr. Nobbe, director of the agricultural 

 experiment station at Tharand, in Saxony, 

 commenced the study of seeds in common 

 use in Germany, and founded the first "seed 

 control station." How much of good has 

 come from this may be inferred from the fact 

 that during the seven years that have since 

 elapsed over 4,000 samples of seeds have 

 been examined at Tharand; that adulterations 

 have been discovered, most ingenious in 

 character, harmful in effect, and remarkable 

 in amount, so much so as to work a by no 

 means inconsiderable injury to the agricul- 

 ture of the country ; and that some twenty- 

 seed control stations have been established in 

 Germany, while others have been either 

 founded or projected in Denmark, Austria, 

 Hungary, Holland, Belgium and Italy. 

 Among the adulterations found are old seeds 

 that have lost their power of germinating 

 seeds of either useless or noxious plants, 

 sometimes killed and sometimes fresh, and 

 even pieces of quartz rock, ground, sifted 

 and colored to imitate genuine seeds. — Bar- 

 per''s Magazine. 



OUR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS. 



Proceedings of the Lancaster County Agri- 

 cultural and Horticultural Society. 



The regular monthly meetine: of the Agricultural 

 and Horticultural Society, of Lancaster county, was 

 held in the Athasneum rooms on Monday afternoon, 

 Dec. 4, President Cooper in the chair. 



The following; members were present: Messrs. 

 Calvin Cooper, Henry M. Engle, Martin D. Kendig, 

 Johnson Miller, Wm. McComsey, S. S. Rathvnn, 

 Jacob Bollinger, J. Frank Landis, Webster Hershey, 

 C. L. Hunsecker, Mr. Hershey, John C. Linvilie, E. 

 S. Hoover, D. W. Swartz, Peter S. Reist, Levi S. 

 Keist, John Buckwalter, Simon Eby, John B. Erb. 



The committee appointed to revise the Constitution 

 and By-Laws of the Society, reported that they had 

 finished the work assigned them, so'far as related to 

 the Constitution. On motion the Constitution was 

 read by sections, and after a few corrections, was 

 adopted. The committee was continued to revise the 

 By-Laws, to report at some subsequent meeting. 



The report of crops being next in order, Johnson 

 Miller said that the grain looks rather poor in his 

 section. Yellow patches showed that the Hessian 

 fly had made its appearance. 



Messrs. Enqle and Kendig stated that no ma- 

 terial change was noticed in the appearance of the 

 crops since the last meeting. Both these gentlemen 

 report the amount of rain fall during the last month 

 at about 4 inches. 



Several other members from various sections of the 

 county, reported the appearance of the Hessian fly in 

 the wheat, and that the early sown wheat was the 

 principal source of attack. 



H. M. Engle read an essay on "Vegetable vs. 

 Animal Diet." He did not expect to convert or con- 

 vince any person that they could get along without 

 tlie use of flesh diet. Matters are generally Judged 



and decided upon custom and habit rather than real 

 merit. Man, in his primeval state, subsisted simply 

 on fruits, and he remained a vegetable eater until 

 after the deluge, at which time he reached a greater 

 age than has ever since been attained. After the 

 flood, man commenced to eat flesh, and his life was 

 shortened. Flesh eating has prevailed to a certain 

 extent in some nations ever since, but when com- 

 pared with those nations who do not resort to flesh 

 meats, the preponderance is in favor of the latter, 

 lie referred to Moses and the children of Israel • how 

 they would have rather died by the flesh pots of 

 Egypt than from hunger in the wilderness, but they 

 were saved by food sent them in the shape of manna 

 and quails. They could have been sustained by the 

 manna, but they clamored after flesh, in conse- 

 quence of which a plague visited them and multi- 

 tudes died with the flesh of the quails in their teeth. 

 The case of Daniel and his Jewish companions, who 

 lived on a vegetable diet for three years, was in- 

 stanced, as also other Biblical references. Men 

 eminent for learning and longevity, who abstained en- 

 tirely from flesh diet were mentioned, as well as many 

 quotations from vegetable authors in support of a 

 vegetable diet, one of which stated that over one-half 

 of the inhabitants of the earth, either from necessity 

 or choice, subsisted on vegetables. The ancient 

 Greeks, Athenians and Syrians, never ate flesh, and 

 the hundreds of millions of Southern Asia live en- 

 tirely on the fruits of the earth. The Komans also 

 preferred vegetable food. He could not understand 

 what appetite first induced man to taste of a dead 

 carcass. Every philosopher, from Pythagoras to 

 Franklin, had given this testimony in favor of a vege- 

 table diet. According to natural laws, health and 

 longevity are the lot of man, and he is under the 

 most solemn obligation to his God, his church and 

 the world not to injure or shorten it. The idea that 

 we must partake of stimulating food and drink to 

 produce strength is erroneous, and we could now no 

 more induce a laboring man to believe that he could 

 do just as great a day's labor without the use of meat 

 as we could convince, forty years ago, our harvest 

 hands of their ability to do a day's work without 

 their due allowance of whisky. Harvest hands do 

 more and better work now than under the whisky 

 regime. The essayist thought the positive testimony 

 as to the ability of men and women in all ages and 

 climes to accomplish any amount of necessary labor 

 without the use of flesh diet, was enough to convince 

 the most skeptical. He would not have it said that 

 all flesh food was unhealthy, but claimed that the 

 vegetable kingdom yielded enough food, which was 

 best adapted to man's nature and well being, and 

 which would not excite our carniverous propensities. 

 The dangerous use of swine flesh was severely com- 

 mented upon, and after stating that the testimony in 

 favor of a vegetarian diet was really inexhaustible, 

 he closed by inviting the serious consideration of all 

 to the subject, as it benefited them as well as their 

 posterity. 



John B. Erb believed that circumstances often 

 alter cases. A great many persons eat what they 

 have, and never think of what they should eat. 

 Several scriptural quotations were referred to, such as 

 when Christ said "eat such thinge as are set before 

 you," and the voice saying to Peter, "rise, kill and 

 eat." He believed in the eating of flesh, as many 

 persons were so situated that they could not have 

 vegetables all the time. If animals are properly 

 cared for, they can be kept free of disease. 



C. L. HcNSECKER believed in the remarks made 

 by Mr. Erb, and spoke at some length in favor of a 

 flesh diet. He thought there was nothing so good as 

 a nice piece of beefsteak or turkey, and when they are 

 on the table they will tempt any one to eat — even a 

 vegetarian . 



Ephraim Hoover thought experience should teach 

 one what he ought to eat. He sided to a great ex- 

 tent with the essayist, and yet he believed there were 

 some persons — those who are compelled to do out 

 door work almost constantly — who could not do with- 

 out animal food. He did not believe in the eating of 

 swine flesh, and said if he had the power he would 

 banish it entirely from the earth. 



Simon P. Ebt did not agree altogether with the 

 essayist. He did not think that the people of the 

 temperate zone could do without animal food, as in 

 winter seasons they needed something, like clothing, 

 to warm them up, and the only remedy in this case, 

 he believed, was animal food. The men who rule 

 the universe are sustained by a mixed diet. The 

 great trouble is the majority of people do not know 

 when to stop eating. 



W.M. MrCoMSET said the fact that three-fourths 

 of mankind die under twenty-one years of age, In- 

 vests the subject of diet, now under discussion, with 

 interest and importance, as we may, perhaps, through 

 the investigation, Icaru'something of the causes which 

 lead to the eifi'ly death of so large a proportion of 

 the human family. Whilst he was not sufficiently 

 skilled in science to tell the precise effect of particu- 

 lar kinds of food upon the human system, or its in- 

 fluence upon our mental, moral and physical develop- 

 ment, he did not believe it was owing so much to the 

 kind of food we eat, but rather to ignorance of the 

 science of human physiology, and violations of the 

 laws of health, which caused their great mortality. 



