1877.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



137 



Tliis extreme temiieratiire or actual tem- 

 perature ol" tlie atmosphere varies all tlu^ way 

 to ten, lifteeii, twenty or more degrees below 

 it. The point may he found" in the hottest 

 months hy pourinj; cold spriiiK water into a 

 dry and clear glass, and marking what degree 

 of cold is sullicient to produce a dew on the 

 outside of the glass; at other times frigorilic 

 saline solutions may be used. Independently 

 of the radiations of heat, etc., the action of 

 electricity .seems to be in a great measure con- 

 cerned in the production of molecularattraction 

 to form the phenomena of aqueous beads, like 

 pearls. Yet Mr. I'revost who has bestowed 

 a good deal of attention on this subject, dis- 

 believing the interference of electricity, ad- 

 vances tlie theory that its formation dcpeude 

 on the action of heat oidy; and explains his 

 reason thus : 1st. "The le.ss the temiieiature 

 of glass is elevated the more humidity it at- 

 tracts from the air." 2. "Metals attract it 

 very little." 3. "Gla.ss sensibly exercises its 

 action on the humidity of the air, at ;i dis- 

 tance, and notwithstanding tlie interposition 

 of dillerent bodies, such as plates of metal, 

 &c." 4. "Metals give to glass {as it were) 

 near which tliey are placed, the property of 

 more speedily attracting caloric from hot air, 

 and on the contrary, that of yielding it more 

 speedily to cold air. " My individual ojiinion 

 is that they lost sight of the oxygen in the 

 aiiueous vapor, being absoibed by metals, 

 both annulhng the heat and f/cc(r!cj7.(/— and 

 simply setting the hydrogen free; thus the 

 difference is readily accounted for between 

 metals or subjects liaving a greater allinity for 

 oxygen, and on do.se ins))ection of the diver- 

 sity of results, by adopting this latter view 

 all these seeming contradictions will vanish, is 

 my opinion. 



We may now glance at some singular phe- 

 nomena, besides those that occupied the 

 learned investigators, some of whicli have a 

 sanitary and otliers a horticultural relation. 



It is recorded in I'hi'osopliical Transactions 

 thilt in the year Ifi',).") there fell in Ireland, and 

 liarlicularly in the provinces of Leinster and 

 Monster, during a great jiart of the winter 

 and spring, a fatty substance, somewhat like 

 butter, instead of the usual dew, which, from 

 its color and consistency, the natives called 

 dtw-buUcr. It fell during tlie night on the 

 moorish low grounds, and was found in the 

 morning attached to the leaves of grass and 

 to the thatches of houses, &c, in tlie form of 

 pretty large lumps, and it is added that it 

 seldom fell twice in the same place. It liad 

 an offensive smell, like that of a church-yard ; 

 yet it lay upon the groulid a. fortnight before 

 it changed color, after which it dried up and 

 became black ; but it never bred worms nor 

 did it prove noxious to the cattle that fed in 

 the fields where it fell. During the same 

 winter some very stinking fogs were observed 

 in the same places when: the dcw-hxdkr fell. 

 During volcanic eniptions (17H.'{) a peculiar 

 clamminess was observed on the leaves of 

 trees, as if a dew of a glutinous nature had 

 been deposited from the atmosiihere. This 

 must-not be confounded with what is called 

 "Honey-dew," a sweet viscid liquor, found 

 sometimes in great abundance on the hazol, 

 lime, clra, etc., and on fruit trees. 



It is found that in some instances the dew 

 is a very compound substance, so that nothing 

 positive of its nature can be stated. In gravel- 

 pits, for instance, and in high, dry, and 

 healthy grounds of a large extent, there is 

 collected but a very smad quantity of this 

 vapor, and that almost entirely watery ; 

 whilst that which is collected about standing 

 waters, fens, marshes, and fat, bituminous 

 grounds, abounding with petrified llsh, and 

 other animals, is of quite a dillerent nature, 

 and very often pernicious to mankind and 

 vegetation. Chemists have found such differ- 

 ent results, that scarce any two are agreed 

 about them. Some dew that ha.s been collected 

 in a certaiti part of the earth, has afforded a 

 liquor, by distillation, which struck the colors 

 of the rambow upon glass, as notto be effaced 

 by friction, alkaline lixiviums, or aqua-regia ; 

 it also burnt like spirit of wine, etc. In short, 



we find the nature of dew differs surprisingly 

 with the different seasons of the year, and 

 the various successions of metors ; hence 

 spores, animalcides or the invisible eggs, 

 mingled therewith, may cause some of the 

 blights and diseases of vegetables and fruit.s — 

 often not under.stood whence or how they 

 arise. But, alas ! I must stop — without ex- 

 hausting the subject. — ./. Stanjkr. 



OUR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS. 



Proceedings of the Lancaster County Agri- 

 cultural and Horticultural Society. 



A very intpri'stinp: moptini^ of tlir I.anp.istor County 

 Agricultural and lloiliculliiial Society was licld in 

 their rooms in tlic CMty Hall on Monday, Sept. .Sd. 



The following mcnihcrs ami visitors were piespiit : 

 Calvin Cooper, Paradise, prpsiilent; .lohnson MiUor, 

 Warwick, secretary; Henry M. En,i;le, Marietta; 

 Levi W. Orotr, West Earl; )'. .S. Reist, Orei;on, .Man- 

 heim to\vnshl[); Levi W. firolT, Manheim; Jacob 

 Uollingcr, Warwick; Henry Kurtz, Mount Joy; Levi 

 Powuall, Sadslniry; .John C. Linvllle, .Sali.«lii'iry; ,M. 

 D. Kendiir, Manor; Prof. S. S. Kathvon, city; Hobcrl 

 Dysart, city; A. 8. Bard city; I.L. Landis, Manheim; 

 David G. Swarl/,,city; Casper Hiller,('onesto;;a; J. H. 

 Landip, Manor; .John B. ErI), StrashuiR; Joseidi F. 

 Witnicr, Paradise; Samuel L. Seldom ridije, Eptirala; 

 David Bender, West Earl; David W. UaneU, Bird-in- 

 Hand; Joseph Hupp, Karl; Joseph L, Witmcr, Para- 

 dise; Welister L. Hershey, East Heniptield; Samuel 

 Burliholdcr, Farmcr6ville;.Iohn 8cld<iniriil(,'C, Ephra- 

 ta; .John B. Heist, I'enn; Abraham Summy, Mari- 

 etta; John Miller, Oregon; John Huher, Warwick; 

 David Wolf, Millway; S. A. Hershey, Salunga; Ja- 

 cob Herr, Manor; (J. L. nunseckcr, Manheim; Heury 

 Erb, Manheim; Eph. S. Hoover, .Mauhcini; Elias 

 Hershey, I'aradise. 



Crop Reports. 



Reports of the condition of the crops being called 

 for, the president stated that hereafter sirii'tures on 

 the reports presented by aoy member would not lie 

 permitted. 



Mit.JoHN C. LINVII.I.B, of Salisbury, reported 

 that the wheat crop was gt>otl: corn pretty good; 

 grass not very gooil; oats a full crop; few peaches: 

 tobacco fair. 



11. M. Enoi,;:, of Marietta, said the drouth was 

 very great, but be could report wheat ipiite good; 

 corn not so promising; young clover liurning out; the 

 fruit ero[> ilwindling down; grajies pretty good. 

 The rainfall (or the month was the smallest for 

 years — being less than one inch. 



Henky Kiiktz, of Mount .Joy, reported the wheat 

 crop at a little more than one-half of an average 

 crop of •_'5 or 30 bushels; corn will not be a full crop; 

 grass looks pretty well, but the timothy has been 

 I)revented from starting by the drouth; tobacco in 

 some places looks very well and in other places very 

 [loor. 



I'ASPBR Hn.LEU, of Conestoga, had no report to 

 make; indeed he did not see any great advantage in 

 making crop reports, unless .some remedy can be of- 

 t'cvrxi to malie a bad crop better. 



Henkv M. Kngi.e, of Marietta, said the object of 

 these reports is to secure correct data on which to 

 base an estimate of the total crop of the county. lie 

 looked upon them as being very valuable. 



I'kesident Coopek said that- where Imd crops 

 were reported inquiry would be provoked to ascer- 

 tain the cause, and the cause, when found, might bo 

 removed, or its recurrence provided against. 



1'. S. Heist, of Oregon, Manheim township, said 

 the weather bad been very dry; but the erojts were 

 pretty good; corn would yield (JO bushels to the acre 

 — some fields much more — wheat does not thresh 

 out as well as it was snpposed it would before liar 

 vest; grapes are pretty good, but many of them are 

 dropping oir, owing to the drouth; tobacco is not as 

 promising as it was a month ago, but some of it is 

 nevertheless very tine, and a good i)ortion of it has 

 been cut oti; peaches are very scarce, but what there 

 are of them are very fine. Mr. Keist took occasion 

 to explain that when be said at the last meeting of 

 the society that from .5,000 to 10,000 mechanics and 

 laborers could find employment in the county, in 

 erecting tobacco sheds and harvesting the crops, he 

 did not mean to invite that number of workmen from 

 abroad, but to say that there was more of that kind 

 of work to be done in the county than that number 

 of workmen could do, and that if the army of tramps 

 with which the county is overrun were honest work- 

 men they might find work. He would not now in- I 

 \ito workingmen to come here from other places, j 

 and he had go written to several i)erson6 from whom | 

 he had received letters. He believed there had been 

 more hard work done within the past two weeks in 

 Lancaster county, by the men, women and children, 

 than ever before in the same length of time. The 

 grainbeingquickly di8iK)8ed of by the steam threshers, 

 and the ground being too dry to plow, the men had 

 had plenty of time to work on the tobacco sheds. | 



J.vcou BoiiLiNOEK, of Warwick, reported a full , 

 crop of corn; potatoes above an average crop; applee 



•carcc and Imperfect; no clovcrsced cut; young grass 

 fields look well, but weather very dry. 



.Mautin D. Kenuki, of Manor, reported the 

 growing crops withered by the drouth; wheat had 

 yiehled from twenty to Iwcnty-flve bushels [jor acre, 

 corn not much over half a crop; potatoes a good 

 crop; tobacco a fair average; fruit very scarce; 

 grapes don't ripen well. The raiafall for the past 

 month was only six-tenths of an inch. 



No Horticultural Exhibition. 



Li;vi S. Reist, from the commltti^e appointed to In- 

 quire into the expediency ofhaving a society exhibition 

 of fruits and vegetables this fall, reported that the 

 Northern market house company had kindly offered 

 the society the use of their market house for the pur- 

 pose of the exhibition, but owing to the scarcity and 

 imperfection of most kinds of fruits, and the late- 

 ness of the season, the committee deemed It Inexpe- 

 dient to hold an exhibition this Kcas(m, an<l so rc- 

 |)orled. The report was received and agreed to. 



Premiums for Best Crops. 



Henrt M. Enoi.b, from the committee appointed 

 to prciiare a list of premiums to bo awarded to mem- 

 bers of the society growing the best crops, presented 

 the following schedule of premiums : 



Kor the largest crop of corn on not less than one 

 acre, first premium, ?."); second largest crop, second 

 premium, ?4; third largest, third premium, ?.'i. 



Kor largest crop of potatoes, not less than half an 

 aero, first premium, $4; second premium, f:i; third 

 premium, 9-. 



For the best essay on the culture of wheat, $;!; sec- 

 ond best, ?;;; third best, ?1 . 



Kor best small fruits, ?:!; second best, $2; third 

 best, .?!. 



The conferring of the above awards to be discre- 

 tionary with the judges apiiointed to examine the ex- 

 hibits. 



Mu. Hii.i.ER asked whether the proposed premi- 

 ums would be awarded for crops grown this year. 



Mh. Enole answered that It was now of course 

 too late to award premiums for small fruits and 

 wheat, for these bad been gathered, but It was early 

 enough for corn and potatoes. 



Joseph L. Witmer, of Paradise, suggested that 

 a diploma from the society or a subscription to some 

 good agricultural journal would be more suitable 

 and more highly [irizcd than a money premium. 

 The Oxford society has adopted the system of award- 

 ing newspaper subscriptions instead of money pre- 

 miums. 



Hevry Kcrtz moved to amend the report of the 

 committee by awarding diplomas instead of money 

 premiums. 



Mr. Enoi.e said if diplomas were given the so- 

 ciety woulil have to have one engraved, and this 

 would take time and money ; while a newspaper 

 prize would cost as much as the n»)ney proposed to 

 Ije awarded. 



The amendment was withdrawn and the report of 

 the committee adopteil. 



Oleomargarine. 



A proposed act of Legislature regulating the 

 manufacture and sale of oleomargarine (bull fat 

 butter) was re.id by the secretary. It provides that 

 each package of the manufacturer shall be plainly 

 marked "olooinargarine," and fixes a i)enaltyof ?100 

 for ollering it for sale as dairy Imtter. 



John- C. Linvim.e moved that the proposed act be 

 approved by the society. 



I'ETER S. Reist favored the passage of the act, 

 but thought the penalty excessive. A person might 

 be imposed on and sell a few pounds of It without 

 knowing it. 



I'KESiDENT Cooper explained that the act pro- 

 vlilcd no penally against any one excei)t such as 

 '•knowingly" sold the oleomargarine as butter. It 

 is an act to protect our dairies and the people who 

 use dairy butter. It does not propose to prevent the 

 manufacture of oleomargarine, but only that it shall 

 bo sold for what It really is. • Let it stand on Its own 

 merits, and let those who like it buy It. As for him 

 self, be wants none of it. 



A vote was taken and the act was almost unani- 

 mously approved. 



An Act to Regulate the Manufacture and Sale 

 of Fertilizers. 



This act, which had been previously discussed and 

 |X)St|)oned, came up for further consideration. [Both 

 it and the act relating to oleomargarine have hereto- 

 fore been published In the Farrjier .] 



.Mr. Linville moved Its adoption. 



.Mr. 1. L. Landis thought there were some pro- 

 visions In the proposed act which had better be 

 omitted. It requires that the Ingredients used in the 

 manufacture of fertilizers shall ht made public. 

 Many of these fertilizers arc patented and the paten - 

 tecs cannot be compelled to make known the ingrcd'- 

 ents of the article manufactured by them. To do 

 so would be to render their patent valueless. 



Casper Hillek said the subject of artificial fer- 

 tilizers was one of vast importance to our farmers, 

 who were pushing farming to its highest state by the 

 use of fertilizers. High farming will cause the land 

 to deteriorate and t>ecome poor, unless wc can fall 



