1877.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



id 



cloth, wrapped nroumi tlie tree in such a way as to 

 form a frood artificial shelter, and this is taken ofF 

 pi^riodieally and passed throni^h a elolhes' wrine:er, 

 which crushes the pupse. (.Not a saturated cloth 

 by any means, they like a dry jilacc.) There are 

 successive Inoods of these ''codlinKs," but not so 

 many as there appear to be. The lemales do not 

 deposit their e^i;s all at, the sanu' time, nor in the 

 same place; and, therefore, the same brood will be 

 found in ditl'erent staues of development. Surround- 

 ing circumstances will materially alter the normal 

 process of development, hence, we may tind the 

 worm in tlie apple sometimes in mid-winter, and we 

 may also find the moth emerijinir from the jiupa 

 long; before there is even a flower or leaf on an ajiple 

 tree. The temperature of the surrounding atmos- 

 phere, either out in the open air or in a warm cellar 

 or chamlier, will produce this ettect. These moths 

 often spin and pupate in bins, barrels and t)oxes 

 containing; apples, and I have seen them come forth 

 from such places, in the moth form, in the spring of 

 the year, or in early summer. 



It is not certain that they may easily be caught In 

 a sugar trap of any kind. I have never caught any 

 by such means. They belong to a family allied to 

 the house moths, many of which never partake of 

 food of any kind in the moth state. Some years ago, 

 Mr.Shaell'er,thcn president of the Pcnn.sylvania Hor- 

 ticultural Society, of Philadelphia, sent me about one 

 tfiousand of miscellaneous insects which he had 

 caught in wide-mouthed bottles containing sweetened 

 water, which he had hung on his trees, and out of the 

 whole number there were none that I could distinctly 

 recognize as a "coddling." There were various species 

 of flies, hornets, wasps, bees, yellow jackets, beetles, 

 lace wings and nocturnal moths ; but, I remarked at 

 the time, that there were no curculios, and only a 

 very few that might possibly have been coddlings, 

 but these were so completely washed with the liquid 

 that they could not be recognized. But the genera 

 Ari:tiay Aygtttis^ Xuctita, Sjtilot^otita and Any^opteryy 

 were well represented. I have known them, how- 

 ever, to hover around and dash against a brilliant 

 light, fended by a glass globe or chimney. The 

 remedy above alluded to is about as good as any in 

 use, although there are other forms of it. Anterior 

 to this, however, is gathering the fruit as fast as it 

 falls, and scalding it or feeding it to swine. 



The foregoing very brief and imperfect synopsis of 

 the Pennsylvania Fruil Cirowers' Society is taken 

 partly from the Practical Farmer, of Philadelphia, 

 and partly from the Examiner and Express, and the 

 InleUificncer, of Lancaster. Our journal was in a 

 state of "suspended animation" at the time, and 

 therelbre our intentions to publish the proceedings 

 in full could not possibly be carried into eflect. As 

 the proceedings will be published in book or pam- 

 phlet form, wcdo not deem it essential to publish any 

 morcof it inourpaper, except, perhaps, the essays, as 

 soon as we find space and opportunity to do 6o.-^Eu 



OUR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS. 



Proceedings of the Lancaster County Agri- 

 cultural and Horticultural Society. 



The regular meeting of the Lancaster County 

 Agricultural and Horticultural Society was held on 

 Monday afternoon, .Jan. 1st, in the Athenaeum rooms. 

 The following members were present : 



President Calvin Cooper, Secretary Alex. Harris; 

 P. S. Keist, Henry M. Engle, D. s! Smeych, S. P. 

 Eaby, Jacob Bollinger, \Vm. McComscy, Ephraim 

 Hoover, John C. Linville, Casper Hiller.I. L. Lan- 

 dis, J. B. Erb, .Martin Kendig, Prof. S. S. Rathvon, 

 E. K. Hershey, .John (iingrich, Elias Hershey, Levi 

 Pownall, Peter C.Hiller, J. Frank Landis, Christian 

 Espcnshade, Henry Buckwalter, .John Huber. 



No report was made by the committee on crops. 



John C. LiNvii,LB,read an essayon "Tobacco and 

 its abuses." He gave a history of the introduction 

 of tobacco into England ; of the unavailing eflbrts of 

 the king and others to prevent the spread of the use 

 of the weed; of the almost universal adoption and use 

 of it among moderns ; of the filth attending smoking 

 and chewing; of theelTect it has in blunting the finer 

 senses, and causing a taste for coarser food and more 

 stimulating drinks. He regarded it as a great curse, 

 causing the user a greater expense thau that for 

 food. Although it is the most profitable crop that 

 can be grow n in Lancaster county he discouraged its 

 cultivation and hoped there was a sulHcienlly high 

 sense of morals among our farmers to eventually 

 bring about its extirpation from the soil. It was 

 generally admitted that it exhausted the soil, and a 

 continuance of its growth would no doubt render 

 farm land almost worthless. He urged smokers and 

 chewers to give up the habit they had contracted as 

 tobacco was neither food, drink nor clothing. 



Mr. Pownall spoke of the excuse made by those 

 who use tobacco that when the habit is once acquired 

 it is almost impossible to discontinue it. He said he 

 had living with him an old colored woman, who had 

 used tobacco more than 40 years. She quit smoking 

 six years ago. He thought if she could reform so 

 sad a habit at her great age, that younger white men 

 could do the same. 



Mr. J. S. EitB knew that when the habit of using 

 tobacco was once ac((uired, it was very hard to break 

 otf. One of his own tenants had vainly tried to dis- 

 continue the use of if, and found it impossible to do 

 so without greatly alfecting his health. 



Mr. I. L. Landis, thought tobacco was like almost 

 everything else. It might be used advantageously or 

 it might be abused. It is the same way with food or 

 beverages — those who use them to excess suffer for 

 their indiscretion. He was interested in the growth 

 of tobacco because of its great commercial value to 

 the county. The revenue derived from its sale in 

 Ibis county exceeds that of any other crop. It tends 

 to keep the balance of trade in our favor. While 

 many other sections of the country were sulfering 

 fro[n stagnation of business, Lancaster county was 

 comparatively prosperous, and this prosperity was 

 largely owing to the value of the tobacco crop. 



Sir. KiiNino thought the Iiabit of chewing a very 

 disgusting one ; though he did not think moderate 

 smoking to be of any great harm. He raised tobacco 

 because he made money by it ; as soon as people 

 ceased buying it he wo\dd ceasing raising it. He be- 

 lieved the raising of tobacco impoverished the soil, 

 and that our farmers, unless they were careful, 

 might ruin their farms, as has been done in the 

 .^outh, though our farmers were much more practi- 

 cal and scientific in their farming than the Southern 

 planter, and the danger was therefore not so great. 



.Mr. Engle could not agree with .some of the 

 speakers. From a moral stand[)oint tobacco was an 

 evil and nothing but an evil, and from a moral stand- 

 point akme we should view all such matters. The 

 abuses of tobacco are patent to all, and he had never 

 yet been able to see any of its uses. It is a virulent 

 jjoison, and if a large dose will kill, a small one can 

 do no good. All will concede that the (irst chew or 

 smoke will m.ake a boy or man sick ; the appetite is 

 then in a normal condition, and that is the time at 

 which a person is most competent to judge of it. It 

 is only after the appetite has become perverted that 

 tobacco will be endured and finally craved. It bene- 

 fits nobody except the grower, manufacturer and 

 tralficker. But how many families have been brought 

 to want by the use of it, and how many others have 

 had their health impaired or mined ? As to the 

 argument that large revenues are derived from 

 tobacco, it may be replied that a still larger revenue 

 is derived from intoxicating liciuors, and yet there 

 are none that will advocate the manufacture and use 

 of these from a moral standpoint . 



Mr. LiNVlLLE said there could be no doubt that 

 tobacco growing exhausted the soil. He further 

 argued that chewers and smokers interfered with 

 the rights of others, particularly in halls, cars and 

 other indoor places. He said a railroad conductor 

 once attempted to put him in a smoking car, telling 

 him it was a first-class car, when, in reality, it was 

 not a first-class pig pen. 



Other members argued that tobacco exhausted 

 the soil, and the discussion was dropped. 



Mr. Enc;le stated that the rainfall for the past 

 month was i 1-lG inches. The lowest point of the 

 mercury was zero, the coldest average day lO'i de- 

 grees above zero, and the average temperature for 

 the month oO degrees above zero. 



The question of flesh vs. vegetable diet, postponed 

 from last meeting, was resumed. 



.Mr Ekb believed in meat-eating. He recited the 

 story of Cain and Abel, and referred to AbeTs sacri- 

 fices of animals as being acceptable, and Cain's veg- 

 etable sacrifices unacceptable to the Lord. 



Mr. Epn. Hoover said he was last month report- 

 ed as saying that he would banish pork from tlie 

 earth. What he meant to say was that he would 

 banish it from his own table. Ho would even quali- 

 fy this statement by saying a good word for well 

 made and well cooked sausage. He thought that 

 persons engaged in indoor work never needed nor 

 would be benefited by the use of pork as a part of 

 their food. 



Mr. I. L. Landis presented a sample of hickory 

 nuts of a superior quality grown on a farm in .Mau- 

 heim township. He asked members to take some of 

 the nuts and perhaps they could cultivate them. 

 The tree on which they grew was very prolific and 

 seldom failed to bear. 



Mr P. S. Heist presented seven different kinds of 

 grasshoppers, from Kansas; or rather grasshoijpers 

 in seven different states of development. 



Mr. E. K. Heksubt presented a gavel for the use 

 of the president. 



President Cooper read a short address, this meet- 

 ing being the last of the year for which he was elect- 

 ed. He recounted the .action of the society and the 

 general events of the Centennial year, so far as they 

 related to agriculture and horticulture. 



The address was received with applause, and Mr. 

 Engle followed with some further reiHarks, recom- 

 mending among other things that a course of lec- 

 tures be added to the proceedings of tlie society. 



A brief discussion took place as to the best day of 

 the week on which to hold the stated meetings of tlie 

 society and the best means of increasing the mem- 

 bership. 



Mr. Euu said as the Lancaster county Farmer was 

 about to be discontinued, he thought the society 

 should take some measures to have their proceed- 

 ings published. 



Mn. Heist proposed the appointment of a com- 

 mittee to wait upon Prof. Hathvon, editor, and Mr. 

 John .\ Hiestand, publisher of the Fauur, and ascer- 

 tain if some means cannot he devised to continue the 

 publication. He understood that the subscripton list 

 was about six hundred, and the publishers wanted 

 not less than a thousand to make it pay expenses. 



Mk. Kendio endorsed what .Mr. Heist had said. 



Mii. Exoi.E said he would obligate himself to re- 

 ceive fifteen new subscribers to the Farmer for 1877. 

 He would like to know how many others would labor 

 to secure subscribers. 



Pnor. Hatiivon' said that financially considered 

 he would not have cared if tin; Farmer had gone 

 down seven years ago. He had never received one 

 cent for his editorial services, but his local pride and 

 love of labor had induced him to stick to the work. 

 The late publishers had not made any money out of 

 the Farmer, but had continued to jxiblish it in hope 

 that it would pay hereafter. The present owner of 

 the Farmer was willing to continue the publication 

 if one thousand hona ./irfc subscribers were secured. 



Mn. EuY again urged the ap|Mjintmcnt of a com- 

 mittee to wait upon the publisher to see if the con- 

 tinuance of the publication could not be secured. 



Mn. Enole had no objection to the committee, but 

 thought the only way to accomplish the end in view 

 was to pour in upon the publisher new subscribers. 



Mk. Ek» suggested that this society guarantee 

 the publishers one thousand subscribers, and then go 

 to work and get them. 



Mn. Lan'dis, Pkof. Kathvon, Mr. Erb, Mb. 

 Pownall, Mk. Heist and several others spoke in 

 favor of sustaining the paper.' 



Mu. Hbist said that a person cannot judge of the 

 value of a paper by the number of subscribers it has. 

 The very worst paper in Pennsylvania, a papar whose 

 editor has no less thau twenty- five libel suits pending 

 against him, has a larger circulation in Lancaster 

 than any other paper in the stale. 



[This unexpected hit at the Philadelphia Timet 

 caused quite a titter among the members who did not 

 seem to share Mr. Heist's opinion of the merits of 

 of that great daily.] 



The motion of .Mr. Keist to appoint a committee to 

 wait upon the publishers of the Farmer and as- 

 certain if it cannot be continued, and if not, whether 

 some other publisher will not undertake its publi- 

 cation, was adopted, and the chair appointed Peter S., 

 Heist, I. S. Landis and H. M. Engle, said committee. 



The election of officers for the ensuing year being 

 in oriler, tlie society proceeded to make nominations. 



Mk. Engle moved that Calvin Cooper bo re- 

 elected by acclamation. 



Mr. Cooper hoped the motion would not be 

 pressed but that he would be excused, and some 

 other member chosen. 



Mk. Cooper was not excused, and was re-elected 

 by acclamation. 



A committee of five was appointed to select can- 

 didates for the other offices. 



The committee reported the following : 



Vice Presidents — Henry M. Engle, Levi S. Heist, 

 Israel L. Landis, Casper Hiller, Levi I'ownall. 



Hecording Secretary— Johnson Miller. 



Corresponding Secretary — Alexander Harris. 



Treasurer — Levi Groft'. 



Executive Committee — M. D. Kendig, Ephraim 

 Hoover, John C. Linville. 



Librarian — Simon P. Eby. 



Botanist — J Stautfer. 



Entomologist — S. S. Hathvon. 



The selections made by the committee were con- 

 firmed, and the gentlemen named unanimously 

 elected. 



President Cooper announced that the Pennsyl- 

 vania fru t growers' society would meet in the board 

 of trade rooms, this city, on the 17th of this month. 



Casper Hiller asked whether hickory nuts can 

 be propagated by grafts or buds. He knew they 

 would not grow true from the nut. He had never 

 had success in grafting. The chestnut tree, how- 

 ever, is very easily grafted. 



Mr. ExGLE had never tried grafting or budding, 

 but he h.ad heard of its being successfully done. He 

 read an article, cut from a newspaper, on the value 

 of the chestnut tree and the manner of transplanting 

 them. 



A bill of Jacob Heline, janitor, for J:i, ordered to 

 be paid ; also a bill from Alexander Harris for $12 

 for one year's services as recording secretary. 



As .Mr. S. P. Eby refused to receive any compensa- 

 tion for a very considerable amount of writing done 

 for the society by him, he was, on motion of Mr. 

 Engle, elected an honorary member of the society. 



Several specimens of apples presented by Henry 

 M. Engle and Jacob Bollinger were tested. 



H. .St. Engle, Jacob SlaulTer and Israel Landis 

 having contributed books to the library of the so- 

 ciety of greater value than $10, were in accordance 

 with the rules, elected life members. 



The following questions were proposed by Mr. M. 

 D. Kendig : 



What per cent profit of theii; market value, do our 

 farms pay ? 



Is any certain color of a cow indicative of superior 

 milking qualities ? Referred to II- M. Engle. 



