The Lancaster Farmer. 



Prof. S. S. RATHVON, Editor. 



LANCASTER, PA., FEBRUARY, 1878. 



Vol. Z. No. 2. 



CLUBBING. 

 We ofler The Fahmhh, clubbed witli other 

 first-class publications, at the following; prices : 

 rhrenoloi/ical Jonrnal and Farmer - §:! 00, $\i.!>0 

 Ha-Q)cr's Monthly and Kaumer - - - 5.00, 4 00 

 Jfarpir's llVc/rfy and Farmer - - - 5.00, 4.00 

 Harper's JSa,-iir a.ndF\Uiimi . - - - 5.00, 4.00 

 i/«-aW 0/ //oi/^A and Farmer - - - 2.00, 1.50 

 A'ational Live .Sloek Journal and Farmer 3.00, 2.50 

 Mount Joy Herald ami V\HMER - - 2.50, 1.75 

 Friemh Journal and Farmek - - - 3.50, 3.00 



Tlie first cokunn indicates tlie regular 

 prices of the two journals respectively, and 

 the second column the club rates if the two 

 are ordered together. 



SPECIAL PREMIUMS FOR 1878. 



Club Rates— No. i. 

 To any one, within the county of Lancas- 

 ter, sending us a club o( five new subscribers, 

 accompanied by four dollars, we will send five 

 copes of The Farjier, to any address, for 

 one year, from the lirst of January next, and 

 two copies of "Jenkins' Art of Propagation," 

 a beautiful octavo of 32 pages, and 25 tine 

 embellishments, which sells readily at .50 cents 

 jier copy. To any one out of the county, for 

 five dollars, five copies and two books. 



No. 2. 



For SIX subscribers, accompanied hy five dol- 

 lars, we will send six copies of The Farmer, 

 as above, and one copy of the "Life of 

 Charles Dickens," by Mrs. Hanaford, or 

 "Driven to Sea," by Mrs. Coupples, or "The 

 Presidents and tlieir Administrations," or 

 "The Declaration of Independence." These 

 are royal 12 mo. volumes of about 400 pages, 

 hand-somely illustrated, and sell for $1.50. 

 No. 3, 



For ten subscribers, and ten dollars, ten 

 copies, as above, and one box of "Kunkel's 

 Celebrated Perfumes." These boxes contain 

 six bottles of pertume, the regular retail price 

 of which is one dollar per bottle, or "The 

 Century of Independence," price .$2.. 50— very 

 'desirable premiums for local lady canvassers. 

 No. 4. 



For //teen subscribers, and fifteen dollars, 

 we will send sixteen copies of The Farmer 

 and a SIO.OO order on Peter Henderson, good 

 for ttcentij-four choiee flowering green-house 

 pl(L}its, twenty packages of flower seeds, and, 

 twenty packages of vegetable seeds. Peter Hen- 

 derson is known all m'er tlie Union, and there- 

 fore nothing need be said about the quality of 

 his goods. 



No. 5. 



For twenty subscribers, and eighteen dollars, 

 twenty copies of The Farmer, and one copy 

 of "Science in Story," consisting of a series 

 oi five illustrated square 12 mo. volumes of 

 2.32 pages each (1160 images). Please see our 

 literary columns fir a more full description of 

 this desirable series. 



No. 5. 



For twenty-five subscribers, and twenty-four 

 dollars, twcnly-livc copies of The Farmer 

 and one of "Peck's Celebrated Atomizers," 

 worth fflO.OO at least. This is the best ma- 

 chine ever invented for throwing liquid solu- 

 tions and decoctions on insect-infested plants. 

 For an illustrated description of this machine 

 see the May (1870) number of The Farmer, 

 page 09. 



To clubs made up beyond the borders of 

 Lancaster county the cash amount required 

 will be greater, proportioned to the dilierence 

 in published terms, as to home and foreign 

 subscriptions. Our canvassers cau make tliese 



calculations upon the basis of our lirst propo- 

 sition. 



We are making arrangements for additional 

 inducements to subscribers, whi('h, if accom- 

 plished, will become manifest in future 

 numbers. We also intend to increase our 

 numlier of desirable illustrations forlBVS, and 

 add other embellishments, as fast as our 

 means will allow, and we respectfully ask the 

 public to help us make The Lan(;aster 

 FAit.MER a credit to the "great county," and 

 the people among whom it is located. Our 

 tenth volume should be the crowning volume 

 of the series — so we desire. 



CORRECTION. 



We would respectfully call the attention of 

 our wheat-growing readers to a typographical 

 error which crept into j\Ir. Grolf's "Improve- 

 ment in wheat culture," in our November 

 number, 1877. On page 104, second column, 

 and line twenty-four, from the bottom, the 

 figures should be 61 bushels instead of "31," 

 as there printed. This is inqwrtant under the 

 circumstances, and ought to be corrected. 



DRIVING AWAY RATS. 



Dr. T. C. Smith has made an important 

 discovery — how to rid a building of rats. 

 First, he caught a rodent alive. Next, he 

 poured carbolic acid over him, and then sent 

 him adrift.. His relations and acquaintances 

 didn't admire the fragrant odor, and concluded 

 to leave the premises for mon; favorable 

 quarters. Not a rat was afterwards seen 

 about the place. "Try it on." We believe 

 coal oil would have the same effect. The 

 remedy is cheap and simple. 



We would respectfully call the attention of 

 our readers to the card of Messrs. George 

 Stinton" & Co., art jiublishers, Portland, 

 Maine, in the advertising columns of this 

 number of our journal. Also, to those of 

 Messrs. True & Co. and Messrs. Ilallett & 

 Co., in the same column. These are all first- 

 class publishing houses, and the agencies for 

 their publications are th(? most lucrative and 

 desirable of any in the Union ; and as they 

 employ none but honest and capable agents, 

 the coinnmnity can place the utmost confidence 



in them. 



^ 



THE WEATHER. 



Up to the end of January the season was 

 unusually mild, although we cannot say that it 

 was unparalleled in the previous history of the 

 country, for we nevertheless h.ad two or 

 three pretty "cold snajis," during one of 

 which the Conestoga and the Susquehana 

 w-ere closed with ice, and afforded a slmrl and 

 brisk ice harvest. But in December mosipiitoes 

 were abundant, and in some i>laces ;niiioyin^ : 

 iK'csescaiied from their hives and "swarmed," 

 and snakes and salamaiulers were active and 

 came forth from their winter quarters. In 

 .lanuary the dandelions and the vinlels 

 bloomed ; the cabbage butterlly was abroad, 

 and iirasshoppers "leaped for joy." During 

 November, December and .January many 

 beetles {Aiihodians) were on the wing, and in 

 some places the fruit buds seemed ready to 

 burst open— but winter reigns now. 



HOME EXPRESSIONS. 



L'AXCAsrER Far.mer. — The January num- 

 ber is received. As it appears so it is, a neat, 

 clean, solid journal, furnishing a great deal of 

 I)ractical information and interesting reading. 

 It has of our best jiractical farmers among its 

 contributors, and its editor, Prof S. S. Kath- 

 von, is scarcely excelled in the knowledge of 

 plants and insects, and their habits. In the 

 bauds of such aa editor, suiTOuiided aud as- 



sisted by the farmers of the best cultivated 

 country in the I'nion, The Far.mer is, proba- 

 bly, the most practical agricultural journal in 

 .\merica. Let us, hen^ at home, not be guilty 

 of that crime which left a i)rophet not without 

 honor, "save in his own country." Let every 

 farmer in the cimnty, and in surrounding 

 counties, not only subscribe for The Farmer 

 and pay for it, but induce friends in other 

 places to do so, and make its worth known. 

 Uemember we will furnish the Herald and 

 The Farmer one year for $2.00, paid in ad- 

 vance. — Ml. Joy Herald. 



TirELAXOA.STER Farmer has just entered 

 upon it.s tenth volume, and asks for a more 

 liberal support than it has received in the 

 past. The Farmer is one of the best, most 

 practical, interesting and valuable agricultural 

 journals that we know of, and wc can heartily 

 commend it to all who arc interested in farm- 

 ing, horticulture, stock raising, and similar 

 pursuits, and in particular do we think that 

 every fanner, fruit-grower and stock raiser in 

 this and adjoining counties should be a regu- 

 lar reader of The Far.mer, as a large portion 

 of its contents have bearing upon the wants 

 and interests of this section of country. Let 

 our people resolve to encourage this valuable 

 home journal, and thus help to make it still 

 more valuable and interesting. Subscription 

 price, $1.00 a year to persons in the county, 

 and .$1.25 to those outside of this county. 

 Linnaeus Rathvon, publisher, Lancaster, Pa. — 

 New Holland. Clarion. 



[Wc doff our "beaver" to friends Iloffer, 

 and l{anck & Sandoe; may tlie good news be 

 ILralded tliroughout the land, with a Clarion 

 sound, until every nook is reached by The 

 Faiuier.] 



FEBRUARY— KITCHEN-GARDEN 

 CALENDAR. 



7)1 the Middle States, frost usually prevents 

 out-door efforts in the way of gardening. 

 Next month, however, will bring its labors, 

 and we can now only prepare to forward them. 

 It is presumed all iiers(ins in whose hands' this 

 numlier of our journal is likely to fall, are 

 [irovided with that cheap and simple means 

 of enjoyment, a hot-bed, for forwarding tender 

 vegetables. We do n<it mean the more ex- 

 pensive structure under which delicacies are 

 provided ready for the table, but a plain box, 

 of suitable size and ligure, with .sash and shut- 

 ter to fit, under which ]\]nni^ of cabbage, tomato, 

 eeig-)ilanl, Ac, may be raised in anticipation of 

 spring, and on iUs arrival, to be transplanted 

 to the open air. If there be one who has still 

 a garden unfurnished with what we have just 

 described, let him lake our word for it he will, 

 on trial, thank us for urging its immediate 

 provision. No country family can half enjoy 

 the comforts within reach who are un|irovided 

 with such a structure. A glance at one in 

 use will give the necessary information .as to 

 the construction. Towards the close of this 

 month (if the weather be very severe, it may 

 bi' prudent to defer it awhile,) the seeds of the 

 plants just named may be planted under 

 glass ; watch them lest they sutler by frost, 

 or, as is not unfrequcntly Hie ease, from want 

 of sutlicieiit air as the weather becomes milder, 

 when they will need iiicrensed water. If the 

 remarks under the head of January are re- 

 ferred to, perhaps something may be found 

 which will apply with equal force to the pres- 

 ent month. We can only speak in general 

 terms of the work which may be advantage- 

 ously done now, jireparatory to the active 

 season which isapiiroaching. The thoughtful 

 man will study out llie subject for him.self, 

 and leave nothing undone which may expedite 

 the varied and pressing labors of spring. If 

 tools aud implements are likely to be needed, 



