1877.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



167 



Fanu-yaril manure of tho best quality that 

 can be .selected, wlien scattered over tlje sur- 

 faee of a (ield, inerelj at a convenient time, 

 or vvitliinit due rej;ard to the .selection of the 

 proper season, or when it is demanded by the 

 crop, will be likely to l)e mostly wasted. 



In order that it may be expected to serve 

 its most useful purposes it must be brought 

 into such relations to the soil which it is de- 

 sijjned to improve, that the ammonia wliich it 

 contains m;iy be stonil up for the use of the 

 crop, and imi)arted to it tor its i;rowth. 



Ammonia, which is the fertihzer in which 

 resides the chief value of farm-yard manure, is 

 extremely volatile, and is readily home away 

 m the atuiosphi're, especially when projjcr 

 plans are not adopted for stoiin-j it up, or for 

 its preservation from wa.ste until it can be ap- 

 propriated to flie u.se of thecro)! in its growth. 



For this luu'po.se tlie materials of some soils 

 are often the most ajipropriate and economi- 

 cal ; and they are often the only means that 

 are required tor this purpose. Annnonia 

 being nuieh lighter than the atmosphere, there 

 nnist needs be some natural or arlilicial 

 method for retaining it; and in such a way as 

 will leave it in Uie proper relations to the 

 plant or crop, so that it may Ih' readily used 

 by it in its growth. 



No material of eonnnou soils is as well 

 adapted to the performance of this otiice as 

 clay ; and when dry it is among the best of 

 substances for this pMrpt)se. 



Guano, much more tlian farm-yard manure, 

 is likely to be greatly impaired in its utility, 

 or much of it is wasted, whenever these 

 conditions are not properly regarded, for it is 

 naturally accomiianied by no substance which 

 is capable of acting as a retainer of annnonia. 



Whenever this fertilizer is scattere<l over 

 the surface of a field its uses as a lualerial for 

 contributing to the grow-th of a crop is likely 

 to be greatly impaired, or mostly wasted; and 

 this on account of loss of the annnonia, on ac- 

 count of the preseuceof which is itschief value. 



While it is indispensable that these precau- 

 tions for the retention of the annnonia which 

 farm-yard manure and guano contain should 

 be regarded, it is almost e(inally important 

 that the}- should not be covered so deep as to 

 prevent the liberation of this article. Still, 

 whenever thus covered too deep to serve the 

 present uses of a crop, it may be brought into 

 such relations to a future crop, as to serve 

 some useful purpose, for the ammonia has not 

 been borne away, as is the case when placed 

 upon the surface. 



LANCASTER COUNTY TOBACCO. 



What an Author Has to Say About It. 



Under the title of "Tobacco — from the seed 

 to the warehouse" — Dr. B. Hush Sonseny, of 

 Chaml)crsburg, is about to issue a book," and 

 the' Rf pnsitory of that place culls the following 

 chapter from advanced sheets : 



Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. 



This comity is acknowledured generally to 

 be the "Banner" tobacco district of the United 

 States. No other equal area of land produces 

 as many jwunds i)er annum, of a .standard 

 excellent quality, commanding the highest 

 possible i)rices for nat ive grades, of any grown 

 in this country, and bringing a revenue to the 

 producers larger than that of any tobacco 

 county in Americ'a. This tobacco, as a com- 

 mercial product, stands high and is much 

 sought after, because of its uniform good 

 .qualities as a wrapper, being fine, large and 

 of a beautiful dark color, all qualities much in 

 demand for the production of a fine cigar. 

 Another marked characteristic of the Lascas- 

 ter county tobacco, as a crop, is the large 

 amount which is yielded per acre. Lancas- 

 terians are synonymous with good farmcr.s, 

 and in this crop they seem to have "set" 

 themselves to outstrip the world, and thus far 

 they have done so, indeed. Each one seems 

 to vie with his neighbor in a friendly compe- 

 tition as to which can produce the greatest 

 yield per acre, which grow the largest leaf, 

 which cure the most satisfactory crop and ob- 

 tain the largest returns for his product. >[any 

 and great— yes, man-elous in the extreme, are 



some of the stories told relative to the yield 

 per acre — so great as to lead one to suppose 

 that Lancaster acres must certainly be of 

 somewhat more extended area than our arith- 

 metics ordinarily teach us. Be this as it may, 

 however, there is a snlliciiiicy of truth over- 

 lying all error as to render the subject inter- 

 esting and even wonderful to the general or 

 old time grower of the weed. In agricultural 

 interests generally the farmers of Lancaster 

 come as near perfection in their skillful 

 manipulation of the soil as any community of 

 the kind in this country, expending their labor 

 in the most economical and intelligent man- 

 ner possilile, so as to insure lucrative returns. 

 It is not then to Ije wondered at that upon 

 introilucing toliacco as a luoduct, they should 

 bring to bear niion its culture the same energy, 

 intelligeiui; and skill which characterized 

 llicm in other pursuits, and which soon placed 

 them in the foremost rank as cultivators of 

 th(i weed. 



It is on this account that I shall present in 

 a rather extended manner the various methods 

 of cultivating and handling the weed as pur- 

 sued by the husbandmen of tliat fertile district. 

 In the main, their methods are much the 

 sanie as those I have given as my own practi- 

 cal experience; indeed wecan all do well "an' 

 we follow them." In all their work, whether 

 it be the preparation of the soil, the working 

 of the seed beds, transplanting the young 

 plants, cultivating, cutting and curing it anil 

 sliiiiping to market, all is done with a care and 

 thoroughness from beginning to end which 

 stamps them masters of the tield and high art- 

 ists of their laborious but honorable calling. 



^ • " 



HORTICULTURE AND EDUCATION." 

 " 'Tis ediicatiou forms the common mind. 

 Just as the twig is bent the tree's inelined." 



Pomology is my hobby, and shall be my 

 theme on this occasion ; but I can hardly 

 forego the opportunity of referring to the re- 

 si)onsibilities of teachers and directcn-s. Next 

 to our recollections of home, are the recollec- 

 tions of our early school days. How vividly 

 events which have tran.spired at school ri.se 

 up before us ofttimes. Those events, whether 

 for good or evil, have made impressions which 

 have ever been almost beyond our control. 

 In fact, they have become implanted to such 

 a degree as to make them part of us. How 

 m.any of us have, or rather, how few of us 

 have not some pleasing incident which trans- 

 pired at school, to rise up before us occasion- 

 alljf, and which causes us to feel almost as 

 happy as at the time when it occurred. On 

 the other hand, how few of us, whose memory 

 is not visited frequently with the recollections 

 of events that befell us at school, and which 

 cause remorse with each visitation. Or, 'per- 

 haps, we have been wronged by the teacher, or 

 by a school-mate, which when the incident 

 looms up before ns, (unless we have become 

 reconciled,) we feel the same demoniac spirit 

 of revenge that we did when it occurred. 



Many a sad tragedy has been witnessed which 

 had its origiti at school. Tho position of 

 teacher is, therefore, one of vast responsi- 

 bility. To bear the guilty feeling of having 

 caused the ruin of a single jinpil mn.st be a 

 pandemonium indeed. On the other hand, the 

 pleasant recollections of haying turned re- 

 fractory scholars into the path of virlue is 

 glory enough for tlielabor and worry it ofttimes 

 requires. The actions of directors have also 

 an important bearing upon the future welfare 

 of scholars under their charge. A single de- 

 cision in the case of a pupil may either make 

 or ruin him or her. 



Impartiality must be the watchword of di- 

 rectors as well as of the teacher. Directors 

 liave not discharged their duties without fur- 

 nishing appropriate school buildings, furni- 

 ture, books, teachers' salaries, &c. This, of 

 course, requires a bracing tip against fault- 

 finding taxpayers. But better embrace the 

 consideration that posterity will hold yon in 

 dear remembrance than fear the croakings of 

 old fogies who have no children to educate, 

 llore extensive school grounds are also neces- 



'Read before a ecbool meeting by H. M. Eugle. 



sary requirements. The planting and orna- 

 menting of the same is also a matter that de- 

 serves .serious attention. The plea tliat trees 

 will be destroyed, or will not be cared for, is 

 too shallow a plea for the neglect of a matter 

 so important. Apply all the available means 

 at your Command that will elevate while you 

 educate. Ornamental trees, shrubs and (low- 

 ers are more potent educators in their way 

 than many are willing to admit. The young of 

 the female sex almost naturally grow into the 

 admiration of the beautiful in nature, (iive 

 Iheiu an opportunity and they will soon have 

 their little gardens and plant them with tlow'- 

 ers, &c., and will attend to th('m as certainly 

 as their li'.ssons. The little Lids, being of a 

 more rip and tear disiwsition, will have .some 

 of their erndeness worn off by coming in con- 

 tact with the gardening opcratious of the 

 former. 



The ornamental department should be in- 

 directly considered the property of the school. 



Here botany would present itself as a branch 

 necessary to be introduced into our common 

 schools, the study of which would have a 

 moralizing tendency that would result in a 

 va.st amount of good. May we not trust that 

 the day is not far distant when fruit trees can 

 be grown on the school grounds, and their 

 products left undisturbed, to be gathered by 

 the rightful owners — the scholars. We have 

 accounts of countries where fruit trees are 

 planted on the roadside by-tlie property hold- 

 ers adjoining, and that ])assers-by are not 

 inevented from taking and eating all they 

 want. If any fruit is reserved by the owner, 

 it is only necessary to tie a straw-band around 

 the tree, and the fruit will be perfectly safe. 

 This is a custom worthy of emulation and 

 imitation. To attempt such a thing amonw 

 us with the present state of society, would 

 certainly prove a failure ; not that society is 

 not fully as good here as in the countries 

 alluded to, but it is not educated to such a 

 standard. Were the condition of society 

 such that would warrant the i)lanting of fruit 

 trees, as stated, mauy of the roadsides would 

 soon be set with fruit trees of all kinds. This 

 would be a state of things that would benefit 

 all, and no doubt all would like to .see it. The 

 (piestion is, simply, how or where shall we 

 eommeiue ? I answer, on the school grounds. 

 Such an .arrangement would be more particu- 

 larly for the benefit of such children who.se 

 parents are renters from year to year, and 

 who have no inducements to planting fruit 

 had they disposition to do so. The latter 

 class of jiarents and children are those mostly 

 disjiosed to iiilfer frnit.s, and are le.ss cen.sur- 

 able than public ojiinion will admit. 



Tlie love of fruit has ever been so strongly 

 implanted into man's nature, (and woman's 

 too,) that to be altogether deprived of it 

 proves sad neglect somewhere. In addition 

 to the love of fruit implanted into man is its 

 good effect tqion him, physically, mentally 

 and morally. Is there not. therefore, crimi- 

 nal neglect somewhere ? While so large a 

 number are continually in want of it, it would 

 be a trilling expense to each district to try the 

 ex)>eriment. 



Let all that is on the school grounds 

 be iilaced under the charge of the teacher, 

 who should, of course, not be ignorant of the 

 necessary care thereof. Let him api)ly the 

 same regulations and discipline to school 

 property outside the house as within, consider 

 the pilfering of the fruits one of the gre-atest 

 of school olTences. When the crop is ripe let 

 the whole school be present at gathering and 

 dividing. Such would be one of^ the greatest 

 harvest homes that could possibly be devised 

 for the benefit of a school. 



The most stringent laws should then be 

 pa.ssed against outside thieves for the jirotec- 

 tion of .school property. A small amount 

 expended in carpenters' tools to each school- 

 house would .so develop the raeehanieal genius 

 of our youths that it would tell upon the rising 

 and coming generation. 



Such are a few thoughts and reflections that 

 have imiiressed me, and which might lie ex- 

 tended indefinitely. 



