56 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[April, 



A Model County Fair. 



At the great annual stock show of the Bay 

 District Agricultural Association, one of the 

 largest county societies, were brought together 

 the finest and purest-blooded Arabian steeds 

 and high-bred English race horses ; horses for 

 heavy draught, road, carriage and farm, as 

 well as for every other purpose for which that 

 noble animal may be used by man. Assem- 

 bled there were also the noble Durham, the 

 beautiful Devon, the milk-giving Ayrshire, the 

 cheese-making Holstein, and the fawn-like 

 and butter-producing Alderuey and Jersey 

 cows. The sheep were represented by the 

 French Merino, Spanish Merino, Silesian, 

 Cottswalds, Southdowns, and all the various 

 breeds in their crosses that may be found in 

 the world, while the swine department was 

 complete, so far as the quality of the animal 

 and purity of the blood is concerned. The 

 receipts of this society were about $27,000, 

 and disbursements about the same. 

 Some Liberal Premiums. 



As an example of the liberal premiums 

 paid in California, I will name a few of the 

 principal ones awarded by the Bay District 

 Association : 



For the beet Stallion of any age $100 



For the best Mare of any age 76 



AyrBhire Bull ..' 75 



Durham Bull 60 



Ayrshire. Durham and Devon Cowb 40 



Thoroughbi-ed Cattle 50 



Thoroughbred Buck 511 



Best Boar 36 



Spanish Merino Sheep 30 



Best exhibition of Poultry 20 



It is amazing what giant strides have been 

 made by California in agriculture in the short 

 period of thirty years under the stimulating 

 influence of agricultural societies. 



Wheat, Grapes, Wines, &c. 



Marvelous has been the production of grain, 

 the State having harvested in 1876, 30,000,000 

 bushels of wheat. Under her genial sun the 

 grape department will soon outrival Europe. 

 The State has now 00,000 acres of vineyards, 

 producing 10,000,000 gallons of wine annually, 

 besides vinegar, brandy, rasins and fresh 

 grapes, and has over $30,000,000 invested in 

 this industry. California is, perhaps, the only 

 country where wine, at its place of produc- 

 tion, is cheaper than milk. In 1869 a gallon of 

 ordinary wine brought thirty cents at Los 

 Angelos, while a gallon of milk cost fifty cents. 

 The wine is luscious and fruity. The commer- 

 cial varieties are the Chamjiagnes, Angelica, 

 Muscatel, Port, Sherry, Maderia, Tokay, Ca- 

 tawba, Hock Sparkling and Claret. The Pa- 

 cific coast will be the great wine producing 

 country on account of its climatic influence in 

 developing and ripening the fruit, and inas- 

 much as the fine wines can be sold west of the 

 Rocky Mountains at a profit, at $1.75 a gal- 

 lon, they will undoubtedly at these low prices 

 take the place of imported wines. 



\Wonderful Fruit Production. 



As an evidence of productiveness in the 

 fruit department of California, Mr. Broughten, 

 of the Santa Clara Valley, who is referred to 

 as one of the most successful fruit growers, for 

 his twelve-acre apple orchard was offered 

 $1,000 for the crop, the buyer proposing to 

 take the fruit ofi" the trees. His strawberry 

 field of twenty acres yielded him $0,400. The 

 fruit crop of the United States is estimated 

 by the government statistician at $140,000,000. 

 What a small portion of this crop is produced 

 by Old Berks ? It seems now, however, that 

 this county is awaking from her Rip Van 

 Winkle sleep, and will soon rank among the 

 fruit producing counties of Pennsvlvania, and 

 thereby add largely to her material wealth. 



Suggests Formation of Township Clubs. 



Farmers' clubs under regular organization 

 exist in California, meeting once a month for 

 the discussion of subjects appertaining to the 

 working of the farm and all other interests for 

 their welfare. It seems to me that such or- 

 ganizations should exist in Berks throughout 

 the diflerent townships,auxilliary to our county 

 society. Why should not the great State of 

 Pennsylvania follow the example of her sister 

 State, and set apart money for our societies 



throughout the Commonwealth ? Their effi- 

 ciency would be vastly augmented if the Legis- 

 lature wisely appropriated sufflcient money to 

 these societies to enable them to offer more 

 liberal premiums for the exhibition of the pro- 

 ductions of the farm and workshop, thereby 

 stimulating all industrial classes to greater 

 exertion. — Beading Times and Dispatch, March 

 %th, 1878. _ 



For The Ijancasteb Farmer. 



CELANDINE. 



( Chelidotiiuni Ma jus. — I^iiu) 



Chelidonium Majus, Lin. Also called Tetterwort, Swal- 

 low Weed, and in German, SheUkraut. 



This is an introduced plant, about which 

 there are some singular traditions among 

 Greek authors ; it is arranged in the Poppy 

 family. Papa veracecp.. Found growing along 

 fences and in uncultivated grounds, among 

 rubbish, near dwellings, formely cultivated. 

 It is readily known by its deep orange, yellow 

 juice exuding from the leaves aud stem when 

 broken ; the four yellow petals and the long 

 pods suggest the idea of a cruciferous plant, 

 but the two sepals becoming detached and 

 carried up by the flower on opening, and 

 numerous stamens, &c., at once shows its 

 affinity to the poppy family. The leaves are 

 pretty, green above, glancous underneath. 



lobed and n()tched,the?petuleshairy,the whole 

 plant IS brittle ; the juice acrid and bitter ; it 

 IS analogous to gamboge, both in composition 

 and properties, according to Dr. Thompson. 

 I have actually used it as such in coloring a 

 deep yellow on paper as a paint. Although 

 not used in regular practice it certainlv lias 

 the reputation of enjoying stimulating, aperi- 

 ent, diuretic, diobstruent and sudorific quali- 

 ties ; efficacious in removing obstructions of 

 the liver, in promoting expectoration, and in 

 cure of chronic cutaneous affections, such as 

 tetter. Outwardly it is used for sore eyes, to 

 dry up rheum, opaque specks of the cornea, 

 hence the common German name, SheUkraut, 

 a disease of the eyes called Schdl. So for ring- 

 worms and scurvey breaking out. Were I to 

 copy from Huflland's journal of 1813, Hildan 

 us, Ettmuller, Geoffroy, and others, all that 

 is claimed for this neglected weed, in the 

 cure of jaundice, scurvey, &c., but espe- 

 cially as an external application in healing 

 old and indolent ulcers, removing fungus 

 flesh, and giving healthy action to- the 

 torpid and indolent granulations, all could 

 attest the power of this juice. This is usually 

 called the Great Celandine ; the lesser celan- 

 dine is now called Bamencuhis ficaria. Six 

 species are described of this genus. Lin- 

 naeus comprehends the Chehdorium and Glau- 



cium (Prickly Poppy). It would be interesting 

 to trace the fluctuations of names and shifting 

 in classifying it satisfactorily. Turnford sepa- 

 rated them because they diiter in the number 

 of their cells. The only one then known to 

 him had but one cell, while the glancium had 

 two. But it happens that Glancium violaceum, 

 which cannot be separated from their G. 

 lutemn and pha;nicluni, which have only one 

 cell; thus Jussiew, Ventenat, Gfertner and Dr. 

 Smith di.scuss its true position and generic 

 character, lyro and con, which reveals this 

 fact, that in nature genera and species ap- 

 proximate each other through some cause of 

 hybridizing or climatic and local conditions, 

 so that classical arrangement of the vegetable 

 kingdom has been attempted on various syste- 

 matic plans, but whatever typical or funda- 

 mental basis may be laid, some things must be 

 admitted that do not accord in all particu- 

 lars, whether the artificial or natural system 

 is employed. Hence the study of botany has 

 its difficulties to overcome before the mind can 

 comprehend or recognize the plants described 

 without ocular demonstration and close in- 

 spection. 



' — ^ 



CLOTHES MOTHS. 



This name includes several distinct but 

 similar species of minute moths belonging to 

 the family Tineidm, which, in their larval ! 

 state, are very destructive to woolen goods, 

 fur, hair and similar sub.stances. Among them 

 may be mentioned the clothes moth {Tinea 

 vesiianclla), the carpet moth {Tinea tapetzella), 

 the fur moth (2'. pellionella), and the hair 

 moth ( Tinea crinella). These tineans have 

 slender bodies and lanceolate, deeplj' fringed 

 wings that expand six-tentlis or eight-tenths 

 ef an inch. The antenupe and palpi are short 

 and thread-like, and there is a thick orange or 

 brown tuft on the forehead. The colors range 

 from liuff to drab and dark gray. The eggs 

 are laid in May and June (the moth dying im- 

 mediately afterward), and hatch out in fifteen 

 days. Tiie young worms at once proceed to 

 work, gnawing the substances within their 

 reach and covering themselves with the frag- 

 ments, which they shape into hollow rolls and 

 line with silk. Tliese rolls are by some carried 

 on their backs as they move along, and by 

 others fastened to the substance they are feed- 

 ing upon ; and they are enlarged from time to 

 time by additions to the open extremities and 

 by portions let into the sides, which are split 

 open for this purpose. In such ambush the 

 worms carry on their work of destruction 

 through the summer ; rest, in seeming torpor, 

 during the winter ; and change to chrysalids 

 during early in the spring. They transform 

 again in twenty days and issue from their 

 shelter as winged moths, to fly about in the 

 evening till they have paired and are ready to 

 lay eggs. Then follows an invasion of dark 

 closets, chests and drawers, edges of carpets, 

 folds of curtains, and hanging garments, and 

 the foundation of a new colony is swiftly laid. 



The early days of June should herald vigor- 

 ous and exterminating warfare against these 

 subtle pests. Closets, wardrobes, all recep- 

 tacles for clothing, should be emptied and 

 laid open, their contents thoroughly exposed 

 to liglit and air, and well brushed, and shaken 

 before being replaced. In old bouses much 

 infested with moths, all cracks in floors, 

 wainscots, shelves or furniture should be 

 brushed over with spirits of turpentine. 

 Camphor or tobacco should be placed among 

 all garments, furs, plumes, &c., when laid 

 aside for the summer. To secure cloth linings 

 of carriages from the attacks of moths, sponge 

 them on both sides with a solution of corrosive 

 sublimate of mercury in alcohol, made just 

 strong enough not to leave a white mark on a 

 black feather. Moths may be killed by fumi- 

 gating the article containing them with to- 

 bacco or sulphur, or by putting it, if practi- 

 cable, into an oven heated to about 150 deg. 



Fall. 



^ 



Our subscribers will please consult the little 

 yellow label on the wrapper of their paper to 

 see how they stand. 



