104 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[ July, 



business, but it is also demoralizing in many, 

 many cases, and, except in very rare instances, 

 and for very essential uses, ought to be aban- 

 doned, as injurious to the interest of progi-es- 

 sive agriculture. — L. S. R., July 1, 1877. 



THOROUGHBRED SOUTHDOWNS.* 



•Soutlidowns are acknowledged the general 

 favorites for wool and mutton. They produce 

 the very best mutton. We do not deem it 

 necessary to dwell on this point, as Southdown 

 mutton is everywhere famous tiie world over. 

 Butchers pay higher prices for pure and 

 graded Southdown lambs than for any others. 

 In England they always bring a ]ienny a pound 

 more than any otlier lambs. Consequently, 

 blackfaced Southdown lambs always sell well. 

 In the Southdowns we have large hams and 

 shoulders, a prominent development of all the 

 valued parts, and the absence of horns, long 

 necks and large heads. Thus all waste parts 

 are small. A Southdown will dress more real 

 solid flesh than any common sheep. At eight 

 months' old they will dress from 7.5 to 100 

 pounds, and they can be brought into market 

 at any age, from that named to four years. 

 They will attain a weight of 17.5 to 200 pounds \ 

 at two years' old, and fatten readily at any 

 age. They will shear from 8 to 12 pounds of 

 superior wool annually. Farmers wh.o keep 

 sheep for mutton and wool will find that 

 Southdowns "fill the bill." 



A Southdown ram will make a wonderful 

 improvement in any flock of sheep, and will 

 enhance, veiy much, the value of the off- 

 spring. Wide-awake farmers cannot aftbrd 

 to neglect this important addition to their 

 .stock at so small a cost. Southdowns have 

 brown faces and legs, haunch well down, 

 small head, neck short and well set on, *= 

 forequarters broad and deep, back and loins 

 broad and straight, chest broad and ribs 

 well arched, limb.s short in proportion to 

 size of body, bone fine, face and forehead 

 covered with short hair, woo! thick and 

 soft, coming close to the face, ears thin 

 and eyes bright. They are docile and 

 thrive well. 



writing for ten. A higher rate works a for- 

 feiture of ten per cent. 



Kansas — Seven per cent. Parties may 

 agree for twelve. Usury forfeits the excesa 



Kentucky — Six per cent., but contracts may 

 be made in writing for ten. Usury forfeits 

 the whole interest charged. 



Maine — Six per cent. Parties may agree 

 in writing for any rate. 



Maryland — Six per cent. Usurious con- 

 tracts cannot be enforced for the excess above 

 the legal rate. 



Massachusetts — Six per cent., but parties 

 may agree for any rate in writing. 



Michigan — Seven per cent.. Parties may 

 contract for any rate not exceeding ten. 



Minnesota — Seven per cent. Parties may 

 contract in writing to pay as high as twelve; 

 but contract for higher rate is void, as to ex- 

 cess. 



Missoiui — Six per cent. Contract in writ- 

 ing may be made for ten. The penalty 

 for usury is forfeiture of the interest at ten 

 per cent. 



Nebraska — Ten per cent., or any rate on 

 express contract not greater than twelve. 

 Usiu-y prohibits the recovery of any interest 

 on the principal. 



New Plampshire — Six per cent. A higher 

 rate forfeits three times the excess to the per- 

 son aggrieved suing therefor. 



New .Jersey — Seven per cent. Usury for- 

 feits all interest and costs. 



New York — Seven per cent. Usury is a 



Wisconsin— Seven per cent. Parties may 

 contract in writing for ten. No interest can 

 be computed on interest. Usury forfeits all the 

 interest paid. 



Wyoming Territory— Twelve per cent. ; but 

 any rate may be agreed upon in writing. 



Dominion of Canada— Six .per cent.; but 

 parties may agree upon any rate. 



^ 



TOBACCO. 



LEGAL RATES OF INTEREST. 



Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, 

 Texas, California and South Carolina have ;\, j i 

 abohshed all usury laws, and give the people ^iJ 

 the right to contract for money as fully as 

 for food. 



The legal rate of interest in Alabama is s^ 

 8 per cent. On usurious contracts the priii- ^^ 

 oipal only can be recovered. 



Arkansas— Eate of interest six per cent., 

 but parties may contract for any rate not ex- 

 ceeding ten. Usm-y forfeits both interest and 

 principal. 



California— Ten per cent, after a debt be- 

 comes due, but parties may agree upon any 

 rate of interest whatever, simple to com- 

 pound. 



Connecticut — Seven per cent. Usury for- 

 feits interest taken in excess of legal rate. 



Colorado— Ten per cent, on money loaned. 



Dakota— Seven per cent. Parties may con- 

 tract for any rate not exceeding twelve. 

 Usury forfeits all the interest taken". ■ 



Delaware— Six per cent. Penalty for usury 

 — forfeits a sum equal to the amount lent. 



District of Columbia— Six per cent. Par- 

 • ties may stipulate in writing for ten. Usury 

 forfeits all the interest. 



Florida— Eight per cent. Usury laws re- 

 pealed. Money may be loaned at any rate. 



Georgia— Seven per cent. Parties may 

 contract for twelve. A hiaher rate than 

 twelve forfeits interest in excess. 



nhnois— Six per cent., but paities may 

 agree in writing for ten. Penalty for usury- 

 forfeits the entire interest. 



Indiana— Six per cent. Parties may agree 

 in writing for any rate not exceeding ten. 

 Beyond that rate is illegal as to excess only. 



Iowa— Six per cent. Parties may agree in 



"Photographed from W. Atlee Burpee's flock, now owned 

 by Eensou Si Burpee, Philadelphia. 



THOROUGHBRED SOUTHDOWNS. 



misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of one 

 thousand dollars or six months' imprisonment, 

 or both; and forfeits the principal, even in 

 the hands of third i)arties. 



Ohio— Six per cent, in all cases where there 

 is no contract. Eight per cent, on written 

 contract. 



Oregon— Ten per cent. Parties may agi-ee 

 in writing for twelve. 



Pennsylvania— Six per cent. Usurious in- 

 terest cannot be collected. If paid, it may be 

 recovered by suit therefor within six months. 



Rhode Island— Six per cent. Any rate may 

 be agreed upon in writing. 



South Carolina— Seven per cent. Usury 

 laws are abolished and parties may contract 

 without limit. Contracts must be made in 

 writing. 



Tennessee— Six per cent. Parties may con- 

 tract in writing for any rate not exceeding ten 

 per cent. 



Texas— Eight per cent. All usury laws 

 abolished by the new constitution. 



Vermont— Six per cent. Usury forfeits only 

 the excess. 



Utah Tenitory — Ten per cent. No usury 

 laws. Any rate may be agreed upon. 



Virginia— Six per cent. Lenders forfeit all 

 interest in case of usury. 



West Virginia— Six per cent. Excess can- 

 not be recovered if usury is pleaded. 



Washington Territory— Ten per cent. Any 

 rate agreed upon in writing is valid. 



A New Pest for Tobacco Growers. 

 The tobacco growers in this section have 

 found a new worm at the plants this season, 

 which is more troublesome than the cut-worm. 

 It is a little over half an incli long, of a brown- 

 ish hue, and does not operate like the cut- 

 worm. It commences underground just at 

 the top of the root, and bores into the centre, 

 and then eats out the heart of the stalk until 

 it reaches the top of the ground. The plant 

 thus hollowed out will remain green for -a 

 week or ten days before it begins to wilt, but 

 the presence of the worm can be detected by 

 the smallest leaf withering before it has long 

 been at the root. The plant once attacked 

 by this animal it liecomes worthless and 

 might as well he pulled up. Messrs. John 

 and CalviirSultzbach, who have three acres 

 in tobacco have had one-third of them de- 

 stroyed by this new jjest. It was supposed 

 that the growers had as much to contend with 

 hi the cut worm in the early stages of its 

 growth as they could handle, but this wke- 

 worm, as it is called, promises to give them 

 a good deal of trouble. 



[The foregoing we clip from the MaritUa 

 Times, and regret that the description of 

 the "new pest" is so very indiflerent and 

 indefinite. The matter is important, and 

 specimens ol the insect should be sent to an 

 entomologist. It would be some satisfac- 

 tion to know wiMt the bisect is, even if he 

 had no remedy against its destructions.] 



[In contrast with the above the tobacco 

 growers may take some consolation from 

 the following, which is offered for all it is 

 worth — nothing more and nothing less. 

 If it does not instruct it may amuse :J 

 Three Thousand Pounds to the Acre. 

 The following is clipped from the Hart- 

 ford Courant : The early writers on tobacco 

 were fond of extolling the rare virtues, re- 

 markable qualities, and peculiar kind of 

 soil required for this singular plant. Some 

 writers gave curious accounts of the size 

 of the weed, and in Lobel's " History 

 of Plants," printed at Antwerp (1576), 

 is a cut representing the weed as at- 

 taii,i,5g the height of our largest trees, 

 ^^'hile the leaves we should judge might 

 measure at least ten feet in length. Dr. Lie- 

 bault in his work entitled the "Country 

 Farm," (1600), in speaking of tobacco, says 

 that it " craveth a fat soil." Physicians wrote 

 of its wonderful curative powers — that it 

 could heal the sick, was a certain cure for the 

 gout, as well as very useful in colds and 

 fevers. Others still asserted that its use im- 

 proved one's manners. In Edward Sharp- 

 ham's comedy, " The Fleire, " (1515), one of 

 the characters (who is a fashionable smoker,) 

 says to another: "Before I took tobacco I 

 was an arrant ass, '2 and adds, "Faith, these 

 gentlemen have not long used my company, 

 yet you see how tobacco hath already refined 

 their spirits. " We have no desire to enroll 

 our name with that of either class alluded to. 

 yet the honest grower of the plant may think 

 so, after reading the title of this article. At 

 first thought it may be supposed that .3,000 

 pounds of leaf tobacco can not be grown on a 

 single acre of land, hut when the method 

 adopted is fully explained it can hardly be 

 doubted by even the most incredulous. Doubt- 

 less some at least who read this article have 

 grown 2,300 pounds, or even .3,500 pounds, of 

 tobacco to the acre, and we remember to have 

 read several years ago of a tobacco grower in 

 Massachusetts who raised- 2,600 pounds of 

 leaf tobacco on a single acre of ground. 

 These amounts are usually considered very 

 large, and when it is afiinned that one ton 



