64 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[April, 



growth, and which go into their winter hiber- 

 nation immature, and finish their develop- 

 ment the following spring. During the cold 

 weather they are in a state of suspended ani- 

 mation, but are capapble of being revived at 

 any moment of supervening heat, and during 

 such periods they will come forth and feed — if 

 they can find anything to feed upon — no mat- 

 ter what particular mouth it may be in. We 

 have known cateri)illars and cut-worms to do 

 the same thing in mid-winter. To-day the 

 thermometer was nearly down to zero (March 

 10) and "hoppers" quiet." 



/. W. M. Adams Hxpress Office. The large 

 Spider you found in llie Express wagon, from 

 which you were delivering IJaltimore oysters, 

 seems to be a species of Dolomedes, although 

 it differs from any figured or described by 

 Prof. Hentz, whose work on spiders is all to 

 which we liave access. Prof. Hentz considered 

 it allied to Lijcosa, the genus which contains 

 the famous "Tarantulas." It is represented 

 as a wanderer, biding under stones, and some- 

 times diving under water. The mother 

 spiders of this genus construct an orbicular 

 cocoon, which contains her eggs or young, 

 and which is usually attached to the posterior 

 portion of her body, or is carried on her back, 

 and which she often bravely defends. We 

 have allied species in Pennsylvania, but we 

 have seen none so large as this, which was 

 likely brought from Maryland in a cargo of 

 oysters. It is a very handsome specimen. 



ANNUAL ADDRESS.* 



To the vieinhers of the Lancaster County Ag- 

 ricultural and Horticultural Society — Gentle- 

 men : As has been the custom of my prede- 

 cessors, it becomes my duty to address you, at 

 this, the last meeting of the year to which I 

 was elected as your Chairman. The duty I 

 assure you is not a pleasant one to me. It is not 

 my forte to speak in public, nor to make an 

 address, therefore I trust you will accept thefew 

 remarks I shall make, with due allowance for 

 my inexperience. 



Our society has passed through another year 

 of its history, the many valualale hints, and 

 the observations and experiments so freely 

 given by the practical men enrolled, have been 

 sought and digested by others, who as yet have 

 not taken interest in the public good, to join 

 our roll, and assist us in disseminating Agri- 

 cultural and Horticultural knowledge. Our 

 existence as a society now is only due to a few 

 who have labored earnestly and well for the 

 perpetuation of our little band of workers. Let 

 the unbiased judgment of those who have 

 observed the records, pass upon our merits or 

 demerits. 



The year just closed is one long to be re- 

 membered as the great Centennial of our na- 

 tion. Is it not a fitting time at this, the open- 

 ing of the new, to look back upon the past, 

 with thankful hearts to an all-ruling Provi- 

 dence, for the bounteous provisions of his 

 goodness, for tbe great success of our country 

 as a nation, for the peace existing between us 

 and all other nations, for the bountiful crops 

 that have VAcssed the labor of the husband- 

 man, and encourage us to renewed energy in 

 pursuing our respective callings. 



The great success of our country as a nation 

 has struck wonder and admiration in the 

 hearts of many foreigners who have visited us 

 the season just passed, seen the great show at 

 Philadelphia, and were amazed at its 

 magnitude. It becornes us as Americans to 

 begin now anew, as the great anniversary has 

 but just passed intobistory ; and we have just 

 ushered in the new 5 ear, like the new-born 

 haVje in its mother's arms, unable to foretell its 

 destiny. Therefore, let us start afresli on the 

 broad track of honor and integrity, that our 

 posterity may revere in memory dear the 

 foundation laid for the next National Jubilee. 



I have the pleasure of congratulating you 

 through the information of Mr. H. M. Engle, 

 and the research o£ Simon P. Eby, esq., the 



"Head before the "Lancaster County Agricultural and 

 Horticultural Society," January 1st, 1877, by the President, 

 Calvin Cooper. 



discovery of an Act of Assembly, granting an 

 annuity from the county in amount equal to 

 the annual contributions to the society, pro- 

 vided the sum does not exceed one hundred 

 dollars. The necessary papers having been 

 prepared by Mr. Eby, and filed in the Com- 

 missioners' Office, the sum of thirty-two dol- 

 lars was realized, that being the amount 

 voluntarily contributed the past year. Since 

 we have some accessions to our treasury from 

 the county, it seems to me some action might 

 he taken by this society, by which the greatest 

 good may result to Agriculture and Horti- 

 culture, for instance, the aualyzation of soils 

 and fertilizers, with a view to supply the cx- 

 liausted field, with ingredients necessary for 

 certain crops. The examination of seed, to 

 discover, if possible, its freshness and puritj', 

 and prevent the sale of millet and other un- 

 desirable, and even mineral matter, in clover 

 and othei- seeds, offered by unprincipled 

 dealers, who are ever ready to take the ad- 

 vantage of the unwary, as the fine crops of 

 " fox-tail" and other fall grasses give abun- 

 dant testimony of the adulteration. Science 

 is one of the farmer's most valuable servants, 

 and is ever ready to do detective service for 

 the watchful luusbandman. By a statement 

 from the State of Connecticut, a fertilizer 

 was sold for $55 per ton ; the analyzation at 

 the State Experimental Station proved it to 

 be nearly one-half sand, and to have a com- 

 mercial value of S8 per ton. 



In the same journal I see that detective busi- 

 ness is carried on to discover false and impure 

 seeds. Numerous and ingenious adulterations 

 liave been found in the common seeds sold to 

 farmers. Among them have been found old 

 seeds that have lost their power of germinat- 

 ing, seeds of useless and injurious plants, and 

 pieces of quartz rock, ground, colored and 

 sifted, to imitate genuine seeds. 



Can the soil withstand the persistent tillage 

 as followed in our section, and not become 

 exhausted ? The falling oft' and irregular 

 crops of wheat and other cereals, have been a 

 source of anxiety to the farmer. The consu- 

 mer, too, begins to enquire from whence come 

 the supply to satisfy the hunger of a rapidly 

 increasing population. Many cast a wistfiil 

 look over the blasted field and wonder why 

 we are not blessed with a yield as of vore. 

 Let science answer. I therefore recommend 

 for your consideration the appointment of a 

 committee with authority to take such action 

 as may secure and result in the greatest good 

 to the community. 



There is also much room for improving the 

 common "slip-shod" way of wintering stock. 

 The thin, gaunt form, with hair on end, and 

 back elevated 15 or 20 degrees above its natu- 

 ral level, ever on the outlook for some luscious 

 bit to gratify the craving appetite created by 

 the piercing blasts of our northeastern winter 

 storms, remind us there is something wanted 

 to compete with the well-rounded form and 

 sleek, glossy coats of the herds of our modern 

 fiirmers and stock breeder of the day, who, 

 with his improved labor-saving machinery, 

 cuts, steams and uses such means as scientific 

 experiments and observation have convinced 

 him are as necessary to prepare and cook 

 food for his stock as for himself. And in the 

 spring, after having wintered 20 to 30 per 

 cent, more stock from the same number of 

 acres, than his old fogy neighbor, and hay to 

 sell besides, while "slip-shod" has been saving 

 all winter, and in the end has to buy to keep 

 his hungry herd from starving. 



In Horticulture we have the gratifying in- 

 dications that the many enemies to our fruits 

 are gradually diminishing, and encouraged us 

 to hope, by the vigilant protection of all in- 

 sectivorous birds, that we may, ere long, 

 I)luck bountiful crops of luscious fruits from 

 our own vineyards and orchards, and furnish 

 a supply for the incoming demands of a rap- 

 idly increasing population. The well-filled 

 orchards of a))i)les and peaches give the dis- 

 heartened fruit grower such encouragement as 

 to hope for abundant remuneration for, the 

 labor and money expended on his fruit garden. 

 Had it not been for the great storm from the 



east last fall, our markets now would be sup- 

 lilied with luscious home grown apples. Even 

 plums and gages, that have so long been 

 strangers on our markets, are beginning to 

 make their appearance on the stall to tempt 

 the palate of all lovers of the delicious pulp 

 that underlies the skin of a well ripened 

 " Green Gage," or a Washington Plum. The 

 little hard-shelled "curculio," with its crooked 

 proboscis, (the great destroyer of all smooth- 

 skinned fruits) is slowly disappearing from our 

 midst, and I trust, ere long, will be among 

 the things that were. 



The revised constitution and by-laws, re- 

 commended by j'our committee and adopted 

 by the society, otter a broad platform for use- 

 fulness, which, I trust, the members will em- 

 brace, and create an organization that every 

 on« interested in Agriculture, Horticulture 

 and Floriculture will feel that they cannot 

 afford to be absent. I find, as your chairman 

 for the last year, that, at times, there is a 

 great want of interest in the proceedings. A 

 little more promtness on your part in disposing 

 of the different topics under consideration 

 would greatly assist in making the meetings 

 both interesting and instructive, and facilitate 

 the chair in carrying out the routine, laid down 

 by the rules of order, with the dispatch that 

 is' always advisable in public meetings. 

 Another matter I will take the lil)erty of 

 calling your attention to here is the habit of 

 some of the members of waiting to be called 

 on to express their views on the various sub- 

 jects under discussion. I find it impossible 

 to iiifuse spirit or life in a meeting while there 

 is a tendency to withhold opinions and obser- 

 vations ; and a little more free expres- 

 sion would ofttimes bring about a spirited 

 and instructive debate. 



In conclusion allow me to return my kind- 

 est acknowledgments for the courtesy and 

 respect you have shown me during our meet- 

 ings, and, if aught has been done or said on 

 my part to wound the feelings of any one, I 

 humbly ask pardon. Hoping you will believe 

 that it has been my endeavor to be impar- 

 tial in my rulings of all subjects under my 

 control, and ever cherishing the very best 

 interests -of the society and its memliers, I 

 have the pleasure of wishing you a very happy 

 new year. Most respectfully submitted. — Cal- 

 vin Cooper. 



[An apology is certainly due from some 

 one, that the foregoing excellent annual ad- 

 dress of the worthy President of the Ayricul- 

 tural and Horticultural Society should have 

 met with such an unjustifiable delay in its pub- 

 lication ; but, the fact is, that, notwithstand- 

 ing our frequent inquiries about it, it was not 

 placed into our possession until the 26th ulti- 

 mo, ten days subsequent to the issue of the 

 March number of The FAESiEn, whereas it 

 should have api)eared in our January number. 

 Without indulging for a moment in any kind 

 of censure, and willing to regard it as a mere 

 act of inadvertence, we cheerfully do the next 

 best thing, by inserting it in our April num- 

 ber, and in making this explanatory record, as 

 the only compensation we can make for a de- 

 reliction that was entirely beyond our control. 



—Ed.] 



^ 



For The Lancaster Farmer. 

 LARGE OR SMALL POTATOES.' 



The oldest business in the world is farming. 

 Exactly how old it is, it would be unwise to 

 say in these daj's when geologists are settling 

 and unsettling things regulary every 

 twelvemonth. But even they let us go back 

 over 5,000 years, and that is sufficient for the 

 purposes of any argument. Agriculture is a 

 science as truly as chemistry, astronomy or 

 mathematics ; and as more good, common 

 sense individuals have been at work on it than 

 on all the rest put together half a dozen times 

 over, we have a right to expect that it ought 

 to be so systematized and understood, that 

 its canons and princiiiles should rest on such 

 sure and immovable foundations, that acqui- 

 esence therein should be universal and not 

 excepti(mal. In the wide world of Art and 

 Literature, we recognize certain unchangeable 



