1878.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



57 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



Salishuhv, N. C, March 25, 1878. 



Editor Lan-castkr Kahmer : I am soiiv to eay 

 that thus fur in 1S7.S I have not licen able to send 

 jou more subscribers to your most valualile journal. 

 All who have taken it here before, say it is a good 

 paper and that they do not like to be without it, hut 

 that financial matters are so close that tliey are 

 compelled to renew only now, at least this is the 

 case with me. I have, however, not only been en- 

 deavoring to jret former subscribers to renew, hut I 

 have also been trying to get new ones. The Kahmkk 

 is always a weleonie visitor to our liousehohi ; all 

 read it with much pleasure, and derive mueli useful 

 Information from its columns. Being " to the manor 

 born," I feel interested in its growth and its special 

 welfare, althougli far away from you, the greatest 

 county in the United States as we verily believe. 

 We cannot see wljy the people of your great State, 

 and esiiccially of your greater county, do not put 

 their shoulders to the wheel with all tlieir "might 

 and main." Intellectually, morally and (inaneially 

 I sec no valid reason ibr excuse. I expect soon to 

 write ag.ain, if the great I nyn permits, and to speak 

 of things " past, present and future." — Yours truly, 

 M.B. 



We th.ank our correspondent and his friends 

 for their kindly sentiments, which are only 

 echoes of the same encouraging character 

 which we receive from many localities abroad. 

 "Why our own citizens do not " put their 

 shoulders to the wheel" is, perhaps, because 

 "a prophet hath honor, save in his own coun- 

 try and among his own kin," just as it has 

 always been, and probably always will be, for 

 a very long time yet to come. If The Far- 

 JiER was scHsa«io»ai— double-headed and 

 double-leaded— and was issued in New York, 

 Philadelphia, Chicago or Cincinnati, with an 

 imposing premium list and showy pictures, 

 no doubt twenty oi thirty thousand could 

 easily be sold in the country, and perhaps six 

 or seven thousand in the county. We do 

 not, however, find fault with any one on this 

 score, but desire to let all act " in freedom 

 according to reason." If they adjudge us 

 unworthy we must submit to their verdict. 

 We have now three bound volumes lying be- 

 fore us, and they constitute a mass of solid 

 local reading matter, of which we are not at 

 all ashamed, although with double the num- 

 ber of our subscribers, we could give them a 

 ournal one hundred per cent, better, and the 

 chief aim of our ambition is to make it so. — 

 Ed. 



For The Lancaster Farmkr. 

 AROUND THE FARM.— No. 7. 

 I would like to call the attention of the 

 farmers of our land to a little gnat that at 

 this season of the year is troublesome to the 

 horses. By examining the horse's ears you 

 will find quite a colony sucking blood from 

 the inner surface. This seems to me is the 

 most annoying of all the enemies of the horse, 

 and I appeal to all horse owners to save him 

 from their attack. Hy greasing tlie inside of 

 the ear with a rag dipped in sperm oil or lard 

 the trouble can be obviated, and I liope 

 humanity has not yet died out to such an 

 extent in our county as to leave the poor 

 horse suffer wlien such easy means are at 

 hand to prevent it. 



Trailing Arbutus. 

 (Epigfa lirpens.) 



This plant is one of the prettiest, as well as 

 most fragrant, of our sju-ing flowering plants, 

 and if tliose who do not know it will go in 

 March or early April to some wooded hillside, 

 where nestled among the fallen leaves, they 

 will find a treasure worth the seeking. The 

 plant is common in our county, generally 

 preferring a sandy .soil, though often found in 

 rocky woods. It is a little evergreen shrub, 

 trailing on the ground, as its name Epigea 

 expresses. The flowers vary in color from 

 pure white to a rich rose, and as to fragrance 

 they are not e(iualed liy any of our wild 

 flowers, ilany have removed it to the gar- 

 den, where, with ordinary treatment, it is 

 sure to die, and some books state that it can- 

 not be cultivated, but this is not so. By 

 studying the natural habits of this favorite, 

 and by giving it the treatment suited to their 

 needs, the plant grow. The trouble with 

 all transplanters is they remove it at the 



wrong time, generally in the si)ring, which is 

 the time it is putting fortli its eflbrts to pro- 

 duce (lowers, and hasn't time to attend to the 

 growing business! It sliotdd be taken up in 

 autumn with a good ball of earth around the 

 roots anil transferred to a bed prepared with 

 leaf mold and plenty of sand, and over the 

 whole put a thick cf)veringof leaves ; in spring 

 remove l)art of the leaves, and your i]laiit will 

 grow on as if in its native liaunts. Caie imist 

 be had to plant it in a deeply-shaded nook in 

 the lawn. 



Anotlier beautiful spring flower might he 

 noticed at this time, the Jfrjiaticii trilnha, 

 which also is known by the common name of 

 Liverwort. It is also an evergreen, often 

 pushing its violet flowers tip aside of a linger- 

 ing snowbank in early spring. The most im- 

 portant charat^teristic is that it lias no carolla, 

 tlie sepals of tlie calyx being colored instead. 

 It improves by cultivation, as all jilants will. 

 Two years ago I transplanted one from the 

 woods to the lawn, and this spring it lias u])- 

 wards of two dozen blooms. By planting a 

 variety of wild plants in a bed in the yard 

 they will, witliout further treatment, cxcejit 

 occasional manuring, come up every sjiring 

 with their early flowers. In some future num- 

 ber I shall name a choice selection for the 

 lawn. — liuralist, Creswcll, April 8th, 1878. 



For The Lancaster Farmer. 

 REVU OF MARCH NUMBER. 



Best Time to Sow Clorerseed. — We, with the 

 editor, think it Strang that this question is 

 stil unsetled. Ar farmers not ))rogresive ? 



Philadelphia Poudreite. — Wonder if it is 

 beter titan other fertilisers ov the sam sort. 



Notice Extraordinary. — We wud giv a smal 

 song for the nutmeg grater, but not haf ov 

 won for the "smoker's pet." For coloring 

 buter ther is nothing equal to a gud cow 

 properly fed. 



Kitchen Garden Calender for Marcli sems to 

 be a month behind, but as we ar having 

 March weather in April, som ov the directions 

 wil aply very wel now. 



Pennsylvania State Board of Agricnlture. — 

 The list ov prominent names shud constitute 

 it, not simiily a board, but a solid plank in 

 the agricultural platform ov our stat. 



A2}ollo. — If ther wermorsuch noble stalions 

 in the country, we mite sun ink for an im- 

 proved rac of horses, jirovidcd our farmers 

 lern to no that it can not be don with any old 

 scrub ov a mar. 



Honey Bees and Fruit Once Again. — It sems 

 the riters ov bes hav not devoured ech other 

 yet. Tha mit swarm by this fin wether, but 

 we fear tha hav no queen. 



Commercial Fertilizers. — Tliis bisnes is get- 

 ing into beter shap. Farmers ma expect sun 

 to no what tha ar bying as manure. 



Bepm-t of Fruit Committee. — The comite has 

 not given planters much choic, but the eror 

 is generaly on the other sid. Either the 

 comite or the printer niised the mark on 

 rasbcrries in recommending Branchwine and 

 Drobittle. We trust it was the printer. 



Vinegar from Sngarbeets. — When we get a 

 suply of vinegar and sugar from bets, the 

 aple bisnes will bo curtailed and theanexation 

 of Cuba not required. 



Bromi Leghorns ar jirety birds, but 840 for 

 one cockerel luks rather .step. We don't 

 under.stand points, l)ut he brot nerly 'tOc. a 

 point, which fanciers can figur for themselves. 



Tobacco Farming. — The riter ov this articl 

 sems to understanid his bisnes, if he practices 

 what he preches. 



California Potato Cricket. — We trust he wil 

 not get this sid the Rocky motmtains. 



Visiting Committee. — 11. K. has made quit 

 a detur among tobaco groers, wonder wether 

 he registered at ech plac. 



Manures and Soil Fertilizers^by J. I. Carter. 

 — This gentlenun's reputation as an experi- 

 menter maks his cssa of grat valu to farmers. 

 So far as we hav red it titer is very little to be 

 criticised on it. We can tel beter when we 

 rech the conclusion. 



Pennsylrania Apples for Export. — We belev 

 with the riter, that our stat shud gro aples 



enuf for hom consumpshimi befor we speculat 



on exporting. 



(i rafting. —.1. B. leavs the wel troden path 

 and yet clams to be successful in grafting. 

 Ther ar many ntlier customs in wich it wud 

 l)e saf to leav tlie old ruts. 



More About Horned Oinls. — Wonder wether 

 tha ar related to the won that <'merges from 

 Lane aster wons a wek. If tha ar tha must be 

 a grat anoyance to many. 



Block Hcllibore. — Wonder if its aplication 

 wud hav the sam effect nn bipeds whicli get 

 reling siiels, if it wer ajilied in the same wa 

 that a frond aplied it to .1. S.'s pig. If so, it 

 mite du a grat del ov gud. 



Times and Seasons. — J. C. gives som pud 

 advis to farmers, but in ca.«es wher he be- 

 coms mnustrnk tha wil not al hav fatli. lie 

 fers that s<im wil laf, but he sas, beter laf 

 than cri. We spos he wil alow us to laf a 

 litle at som ov his doctrin. He lays grat stres 

 on rising and seting of the num. lie sas ots 

 son in the rising wi! not logo as rodily as wen 

 son in the siting. We think part wil logo, 

 whil som wil not, as the soil ma vary, re- 

 gardles of the mun. Supos we so ots in won 

 sin and haro it in the olher, it wud bafl it so 

 that il wud not no wittier to go up or down. 

 Ferhai)s it would refus to gro at al. He refers 

 to a ruf wher som ov the shingles turned up, 

 evidently from being i)ut on in the rising sin. 

 lie eonii)ars them to lired of chikens that hav 

 ther fethoi's turned the rong wa, but forgot to 

 sa that tha w^er hatched in rong sin ov the 

 mun. 



Fricits — What Varieties to Oroto. — L. S. R. 

 has switched of from the frut comite. but we 

 don't no tliat he has improved the list. He 

 aded another shepnos ov wich our stat had 

 had a ful stiply. 



Around the Fftrj/i.-This articl of "'Ruralist" 

 is excelent. We liud no flaw, only wo wud 

 lik to tech him Fonetic, to wich he sems 

 somwat inclind. 



T/te Tobacco Firer. — J. G. whispers sharply 

 into the ers ov tobaco groers ho ma hav som 

 conshens, but he may as wel ]irech to the 

 Gentiles so long as it pas betor than other 

 crops. He nmst not forget that even jiius 

 men's coushenses ar governed by dolars and 

 cents, and so long as the Milenium is in the 

 futur we must mak up our minds to inhal at 

 tims some ov the obnoxious fumes wich som 

 of our freuds chus to i)uf into our faces. 



Firlilizrrs and Manures. — A. B. K. has evi- 

 dently given this question a mor thoro con- 

 sideration than farmers generally do. It wud 

 be a long si rid in the ilirei-lion ov jirogres, if 

 tha inider.stud betertlie natur of ther soils and 

 manurs, and also tlie quantetes required to 

 produc certan crops. Tha wud not grop so 

 much in the dark. — ]'on Hombold. 



For The Lancaster Fahmeh. 

 QUESTIONS SUGGESTED IN CONVER- 

 SATIONS ON FERTILIZERS. 



Are the plant-food materials, nitrogen, 

 )ihosphoric acid and potash the only ones 

 really necessary to plant growth V 



The statement usually so made has refer- 

 ence only to the ingredients usually purchased 

 in fertilizers. 



Besides those mentioned, lime, masrnesia 

 and sulphuric acid are necessary in considerable 

 quantities; .soda is also considered neces.sary 

 by some, but its necessity denied bv others. 

 Most of the just mentioned ingredients are 

 alw-aysiire.sent in all tilled .soils and are nsnally 

 replaced in nearly sutliejent quantity in the 

 manures and fertilizers that maj' be ai)plied. 



Where can these materials be found when 

 neces.sary ? 



Lime is contained in considerable quanti- 

 ties in bones, all ])hospliales and superphates, 

 in guano, ashes, plaster and manure. The 

 heavy applicat ions of lime are not necessitated 

 from its removal by crops, as two bushids of 

 quick lime would more than replace the quan- 

 tity removed. .lohiiston says, that when a|)- 

 plied ill liiriro quanties as ipiick lime it eats 

 chemiially by neutralizing acids, decomposing 

 noxious compounds, changing the inert vege- 

 table matter in the soil, so as to render it use- 



