1877.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



173 



|8 Ciifurhitn, which sonir authorities say is (iorivcd 

 from its form, hclns a resuml.laiicc to a vessel, of a 

 similar name ami form, used by chemists In their 

 laboratories: and it is, probably, a variety of the 

 Bpeeles prp^irXhe Latin name, of a "ifoiinl . I iinili- 

 kin" or "punkin," are eonsiilurcii corruptions ol 

 i)0»t;<i<>«, iwmpon, or pcpun, which have their root in 

 ' • iiv thanks to vou, sir, for your 



pcpo. 



Kcitin-ating 



ceii«ro"ss>''t. a"'l 'o """ ni»-"''»'i'8 "•" *'''^ society for 

 their patient attention, I brinsr my remarks to a close, 

 with my best wishes for the prosperiiy of you all. 

 Great Corn Crop. 



V. K. WiTMKR called attention to the immense 

 corn crop raised by Hiram Ksbeiishadc, of East Lam- 

 peter, his Held averaKinK I— bushels to the acre. 



A resolution that no patent article be exhibilea, or 

 Its merits discussed before the society, was laid on 

 the table. 



Report of Fruit Committee. 



The fruit committee made the following report, 

 which was adopted : , t i 



Very tine specimen of Bellcilower apples, Joseph 

 K. Witmer, of I'arailise. 



Seven varieties of apples, and also some very flue 

 specimens of potatoes grown in three and a half 

 months, ]-evi W. (irolf, of West Earl townshiii. 



Mu. Smev',-11 exhibited Northern Spy, a tine speci- 

 men of ajiplcs of fair quality, for a name, (.'lairgeau 

 (very fine,) another pear for a name, and loiia 

 grapes. , . , 



Mk. John Hubbr, of Warwick, specimen of 

 llovey pear— CHtting of same for distribution. 



Jacob B. Gauber, West Hempticld, Sweitzcr 

 apple (very tine.) ..,.,, 



Caspkk llii.i.i;K,ofConestoKa township, exhibited 

 a very line speeimeu of persimmon, introduced by 

 Mrs. Kodgcrs, of Lancaster city. 



An apple of masnilicent dimensions and appear- 

 ance was abso shown by Garrett H. Everts, of East 

 King street, on whose premises it grew. The tree 

 bears a good crop, and has done so for the last ten 

 years ■ less this year, however, than formerly. The 

 owner would liKe a name for it. The family call it a 

 " winter rambo." ' 



IsKAEL L. LxNDis exhibited fine cliineapms for 

 distribution among members. 



. Henkv Kvktz, of Mount Joy, champion squash, 



81J;' inches in circumference and :iO inches high, 



weight 13;; pounds. „ 



Ephrai.m S.Hoover, 



M. D. KENDtCi, 



Committee. 

 Adjourned. 



TOBACCO GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 



The Lancaster County Tobacco Growers' .Vssocia- 

 tion met in the rooms of the Linna-an Society, this 

 city, on Monday, October loth. The attendance was 

 not so large as usual, nor were the proceedings 

 marked with as much si)irit as on some former oc- 

 casions. 



Members Present. 



The following racmhers and visitors were present ; 

 M. D. Kendig, Manor, President ; I. L. LaiidiP,Man- 

 heim, Secretary pro teiu ; Henry Kurtz, .Mount Joy ; 

 Sylvciitcr Kennedy, Salisbury ; Henry Shitl'ncr, Upper 

 Leacock ; W. L. Hershey, East Hcmpfield ; Stephen 

 Grissinger, Rapho: A. P. Mcllvaine, Salisbury; J. 

 M. Johnston, city; John L. Landis, Manor; A. H. 

 Ycager, East Lampeter ; Ellwood Gricst, city; John 

 H. Beiler, East Lampeter: C. L. Huuseckcr, Man- 

 heim ; W. D. Hoar, Salisbury ; A. H. Summy, Man- 

 helm ; Frank K. DitTeuderffer, city; Clare Carpen- 

 ter, city. 



The reading of the minutes was dispensed with. 



Crop Reports. 

 Mr. Kennedy, of Salisbury, said the crop in his 

 section seemed to be curing satisf;ici(irily and would 

 soon be ready to strip; some of it had been stripped al- 

 ready ; the weather lately had been very favorable 

 for curing, and be expected the crop to turn out un- 

 usually well. 



Henry KrtHTZ, of Mount Joy, said the tobacco 

 generally is drying nicely, though he knows of some 

 the leaves of which are mouldy from live to eight 

 inches. This bad been cut iu an unfavorable time 

 and hung too close. As a general thing the crop is 

 good ; some of it is reaily for stripping, but he was 

 not in favor of early stripping. 



Mb. W. L. Heksuey, of East Ilcmptii-ld, said the 

 tobacco in the sheds in his ncigliborhood is curing 

 nicely, and some of it has been already stripped. 

 There is still on hand a good deal of last year's to- 

 bacco. Some local buyers have recently sold outtheu- 

 stock at satisfactorv tiguree. 



Mr. I. L. Landis, of Manheim, knew of some 

 local buyers who had disposed of their stock at a 

 good advance. He agreed with what had been said 

 by others relative to the new crop. 



Stripping Tobacco. 



The question, postponed from last meeting, "How 

 long after stripping should tobacco be cased?" was 

 taken up for discussion. 



Mb. Sylvester Kenmedt, of Salisbury, said be 



had proposed the question because It is well known 

 that it is miicli easier to ease tobacco Immediately 

 after strippimr than to defer casing it until sometlinc 

 afterwards, but Is it as safe * Is the tobacco not more 

 liatilc to mould ; If It can bo cased with safely a 

 great deal of lalmr might be saved by doing it at 

 once. He thought It might be well to ca«t it at once 

 —not for the purimse of selling and sending it 

 away— but to keep It in the liest possible condition. 

 He wouhl like to hear what more experienced tobacco 

 growers thought of it. 



Mu. A. H. Yeaobk, of East Lampeter, thought if 

 the tobacco was permitteil to hang until it had dried 

 suIMcicntly It might safely be eased as soon as 

 stripped. 



Ml!. Henry Siiiffner, of Upper Leacock, said 

 whenever tobacco Is ready to strip it is ready to case. 

 In answer to a question, he said when the stem is 

 green it is not tit to case, nor is it lit to strip. 



.Mu. Kennedy thought that If the leaf was dry 

 enough to break, it might be stripped even if the 

 buts were green. There was an impression among 

 tobacco men that tobacco was lighter in weight im- 

 mediately after drying than it was a month or two 

 afterwards. He w<iuld like to know if this were so, 

 and whether there would be increased weight by 

 letting it hang. g^^ 



Mr Kt'RTZ said it would not increase mlPight by 

 hanging. He agreed with those who said that if it 

 was"iiol lit to case it was not lit to strip. But far- 

 mers pressed for time might strip when the stock is 

 green and bale the tobacco and rank it with the huts 

 outward. In this way it will dry rapidly and so(]n 

 be tit for casing. Tobacco after being stripped will 

 gain in weight aud sweat better if placed In deep 

 cellars. 



Mr. I. L. Landis said the question was a very 

 important one, and now is the time to discuss it. 

 Wc should get all the information we can and make 

 the best use of it. He hoped members would not be 

 backward in expressing their views. 



Mr. Kurtz said that owing to the warm weather 

 we have had the tobacco is curing earlier this year 

 than ill former years. While much of it appears to 

 be lit to strip, he thought it would be better to let it 

 hang until the weather gets cold. If stripped and 

 ranked in warm weather it will sweat, and dealers 

 will not pay much for it. 



Mu. Kennedy said " wc must make hay while 

 the sun shines." It is only once in a while that the 

 weather is fit for stripping tobacco. It is therefore 

 necessary to make good use of proper weather, even 

 if the steins are a little green. They can be dried in 

 the bales as suggested by .Mr. Kurtz. 



On motion the subject was again postponed for 

 discussion at next meeting. 



New Members. 

 Messrs. Stephen Grissinger, of Rapho, and A. P. 

 Mcllvaine, of Salisbury, were elected members of the 

 society. 



Referred Questions. 

 " What proportion or per cent, of a farm can be 

 planted in tobacco and keep up the farm in good 

 condition?" , , „ . 



This ([uestion, which had been referred to Presi- 

 dent Kendig, was answered in a brief paper wliich he 

 read, the purport being that while much deiicndcd 

 on the character of the soil, an average of eight or 

 ten per cent, of a Lancaster county farm might be 

 put into tobacco without exhausting the soil. 



"Into how many grades should tobacco be stripped 

 to make it most marketable ;" 



Mu. Kurtz said he never made more than two 

 „,.aile6— wrappers and fillers- and he thought he 



sold to as good advantage as his neighbors, who made 

 three or tour grades. It might be well for those who 

 have indilTercnt or uneven crops to make several 

 grades, and give their crops as good an appearance 

 as possilile, but two was enough for him. ' 



MR.SuiFFNERsaid the number of grade9 desirable 

 depended on the condition of the crop. If a crop is 

 first-rate two grades may be enough, but it is often 

 well to make three or more. It should be assorted 

 into as many grades as there are varieties of leaves. 

 He assorts his crop very carefully, not only as to 

 quality, but as to length and color also. Soincliody 

 must make a thorough assortment of the leaf, and 

 the farmer, if he knows how, had belter do it than 

 have the purchaser to do it. We should at all times 

 be ready for a buvcr, and if our tobacco is well as- 

 sorted the purcluiser can see at a glance what we 

 have for sale. The assorting should be done so con- 

 scientiously that any hand taken at random will be 

 a fair samiilc of the grade from which it Is taken. 



President Kendu; agreed with Mr. Shillner. 

 He believed that iu assorted tobacco leaves of iliffer- 

 cnt length, shade and quality should be laid in dif- 

 ferent "piles, and that every hand should contain 

 leaves of the same length, shade and quality. II 

 there be leaves of the same length but of dilTcrent 

 quality, make separate hands of them : and If there 

 be leaves of the same quality but of ditrerent length 

 make separate hands of them also. Then the buyer 

 can see at a glance what he is getting, and even if 

 the crop is a bad one it will look all the belter by 



Shlffner and Kendig. What the grower leaves un- 

 done In this respect the dealers have to pay fordoing. 

 They want grades to treble A, double A, and single 

 A, aud they will pay more for tobacco thus assorted 

 than for that which they have to. assort themselves. 

 There is a wide margin between the extremes of 

 jirlces, and the careful grower, availing himself of 

 the knowledge of this fact, will place his Itibacco in 

 the best marketable sliape, and reap the advantage 

 of doing so. 



Phesiiiknt Kbndio suggcetcd that the standard 

 of grades In vogue among packers might prolltably 

 be adopted by growers. 



A Visiting Committee. 

 Mr. Hknrv SiiiFFNER moved the appointment 

 by the President of a committee of live members, 

 whose duly it should be to visit and examine the 

 farms of some of the i)rlnclpal tobacco growers ; as- 

 certain their inodeof culllvatlng and curing tobacco; 

 examine the sheds, the ino<le of hanging, the size 

 and quality of the leaf, ainl gather other interesting 

 facts and report to the society. 



M«. Landis thought much good would result 

 from the labors of such a committee, if It faithfully 

 performed its dutv. He heartily favored the motion. 

 .Mebprs. Kurtz and IIkusii'ev also favored the 

 appointment of the committee, and a thorough re- 

 port from thcin. 



Mu. Siiifener'b motion was agreed to, and the 

 following committee ap|ioiiHed : Henry Shlfliier, Up- 

 per Leacock: Henry Kurtz, Mount Joy; Henry 

 Myers, East Hem|ifleUl ; Sylvester Kennedy, Salis- 

 bury ; Jacob M. Fruntz, Lancaster Iwp. 



More About Stripping Tobbacco. 



The queston of stripping tobacco was resumed. 



Mu. A. H. Yeauer did not favor early stripping ; 



he had last year stripped a part of his crop early, and 



after it had sweat he noticed that the leaf was very 



tender. 



.Mr. Kurtz said it Is reasonable to expect tobacco 

 to sweat if stripped when the weather Is warm, and 

 if it sweats it frequently spoils. There uee<l be no 

 hurry in getting it off the [joh-s ; the buyers are not 

 really for it yet ; let it hang until cold weather sets 

 in. He made reference to some experiments made 



l,y !\i,.. , of York, who had sown the seed 



oi" Cuba tobacco some years ago and raised the first 

 year, leaves about 8 inches in length. By careful cul- 

 livation, from j'car to year, he hail increased the size 

 of the leaves to 36 inches in length. The tobacco Is 

 very line and silky, but not so dark in color as our 

 Lancaster tobacco. 



President Kendio would not strip his tobacco 

 early enough to cause it to sweat. He thought a 

 good test to determine when it was dry enough to 

 strip, is when the leaf, at its junction with the stalk, 

 is dry and breaks off easily. 



Mr. Hershey said a good test was not to strip at 

 all until the ground has been well frozen. 



Mr. SniFFNER said if it has been cut off early it 

 may be stripped in November. It won't sweat after 

 that time. 



Mr. Kennedy said that last winter there were 

 only a few days in which the weather was tit to strip 

 tobacco. If we put it off until the ground is frozen 

 we may not have an opportunity to si rip It till spring, 

 and then it will not be reaily for the buyers when 

 they come round. He would strip early if the 

 weather were favorable. 



Pay Up. 

 The President suggested that this being the be- 

 ginning of the society year, it would be a good time 

 tor meinbers to pay their dues, as the treasury was 

 badly in need of funds. 



A iiumberof members "stepped up to the captain 6 

 office" and settled. 



FaH P. owing, 

 Mr. W. L. IIeusiiev propounded the following 

 question for discussion at next meeting : 

 "Is fall plowing .idvisable for tobacco?" 

 There being no further business the society ad- 

 journed. 



THE LINN.ffi;AN SOCIETY. 



bein- properly assorted. lit, of Hentz, a pair of thousand legs, fuv-iafia for- 



Mb. I. L. Lanuis agreed entirely with Messrs. [ ceps ; young of the 17-year locust, tuada beptein 



A stated meeting of the LiniKcan Society was held 

 Saturday, October L7th, 1877, President, J. S. Stahr, 

 In the chair. After the oi)enlng dul les were attended 

 to, the additions to the museum were examined, and 

 consisted of a fine mounted lish hawk, (Osprcy) 

 VainlioH cavoUneimn, shot on the second of this 

 month by Mr. Brubakcr, of Lampeter township. A 

 flue mounted paroquet, or parakeet, from the West 

 Indies, TrUliogloxsHK piikUIhs, from J. -M. West- 

 haefVer. A large sized mounted gar pike, Lcpiilonleim 

 o«sf K.S taken below I'ort Ue|)Oslt, SuBquehanna river, 

 brought to this city by Joseph Baer and mounted by 

 George Flick ; specimens In alcohol. .\ large-sized 

 grasshopper, ,4<:/ii/iwi'i Aiiiciie<tiiiim. The " wheel- 

 bug," Hvdurinx iioiviiariiin, jier J. M. Wcsthaclfer. 

 Snout beetle, Liinx concai'i/n, egg of the garden slug, 

 ..r snail, \kt Professor Dubbs. The " » alking-slick 

 insect," Speclvim or lately called Diaphoniira. 

 of those large, pretty yellow spiders, (Jbi'/ioua r/r, 



One 



acil- 



