66 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[May, 



Icing or Ice-rind is tlie best. Parsncps, thin 

 out, if ready. 



AVeeds, destroy as tliey appear, and hoe and 

 otherwise cultivate the advancing crops ; it is 

 needless to particularize each duty. Where 

 the interest and taste lead to gardening, 

 directions for every opcralrion are necessary to 

 but few. It is not, however, discreditable to 

 the character of many farmers who till their 

 own land, and should reap the reward of well- 

 cultivated gardens, that none but the simplest 

 vegetables may be found upon their tables, 

 and in too many instances that scanty supply 

 is the result of women's labor. 



We have in former issues recommended a 

 "Farmers' Kitchen-Garden," where nearly 

 all the preparation of the land may be done by 

 horse-power, and thus most ample supplies of 

 vegetables be obtained in all seasons without 

 hand labor or occupation of time, which may 

 not be readily spared from farm duties, and 

 the women of the household be relieved from 

 toiling to supply household wants. — LandretlVs 

 Rural Beyister. 



General Suggestions. 



There are two classes of acute observers — 

 those who see clearly through the profoundest 

 mysteries, and those who see mysteries in the 

 clearest and simplest things. Perhaps the 

 latter class is the most numerous. The in- 

 valid, whose diet consists of the richest and 

 most unwholesome viands, has been heard to 

 wonder at the strange ])rovidence which has 

 allotted to him painful days and sleepless 

 nights. The man who is not diligent in his 

 business meditates on the unfathomable de- 

 cree which has assigned him to a life of 

 poverty and disappointment. The proud 

 mother, who has exposed her delicate little 

 ones to the changeful weather with insuflicient 

 clothing, that white skin and dimples might 

 be admired, wonders at the incomprehensible 

 bereavement over which she mourns. But 

 these differences or conditions are due mainly 

 to a lack of some practical information on 

 subjects of the highest vital importance. 

 Most of the " mysteries" people puzzle them- 

 selves about would be dissolved by the study 

 of the plain principles of physiology and 

 phrenology. Children should be instructed in 

 the principles of anatomy, physiology and 

 hygiene, so that they will "be enabled early in 

 life to avoid the many agencies and occasions 

 of sickness and disease. It is every parent's 

 duty to see that children are set in the right 

 way for taking care of themselves in body as 

 well as in mind. 



Some of us are not in favor of eating oysters 

 and other shell-lish which are deemed by 

 epicures as now out of season. Suap-beans or 

 "German wax" make a better stew, accord- 

 ing to our notion, than any of the mollusks or 

 Crustacea. One who knows, says tliat tliey 

 are grand with green corn (succotash) .string 

 beans, or as a relish, with potatoes. They 

 are good with oatmeal cake, excellent with 

 rye and Indian bread. 



Set out plenty of tomato plants ; there is no 

 danger of having too many of them. — Phren. 

 Health Al. 



All of which is very good advice, and to the 

 point, although we think that the ailments 

 and afflictions alluded to do not occur so much 

 from a lack of knowledge as from obedience to 

 the principles inculcated by sound wisdom 

 and discretion. 



THE CAT-BIRD. 



One of our most famili.ir birds, and one which 

 BhouUl rauli in our affections along with the blue- 

 bird and robin, is the cat-bird. But unfortunately be 

 is the subject of very general prejudice, not merely 

 on account of his undeniable propensity to steal 

 cherries, but also because many persons dislike the 

 cat-like notes which be utters on certain occasions. 

 But if he is to be condemned to persecution on ac- 

 count of these failings, we must also consider that 

 he is worse than the robin and mocking-bird only 

 from his greater abundance ; and when we enlist our 

 thoughts in his favor and consider his confident 

 familiarity with us, his graceful form, playful man- 

 ners, and interesting song, we may readily forgive 

 all his shortcomings. Though distinguished by his 

 song, which, notwithstanding its frequent interrup- 

 HOBS by imitations, is eminently original in style, it 



is, however, his manners which commend him to our 

 notice. There is scarcely an orchard in the land, 

 from the Atlantic coast to the western base of the 

 Rocky Mountains, and from the Gulf of Mexico to 

 the Britsh Provinces, which is not enlivened by the 

 presence of one or more pairs of cat-birds ; and very 

 incomplete an American orchard would seem with- 

 out them. At all hours of the day his cheerful song 

 may be heard from among the green boughs of an 

 apple tree ; and when the heat of the midday sun 

 tells him that a bath would be refreshing, be comes 

 and splashes in the wash-basin at the back-door in 

 the most perfect civilized style. And then when we 

 return his familiarity, and, uninvited, intrude upon 

 his own household, wc cannot but admire the courage 

 with which he remonstrates and defemls his home. 

 And then, too, his trim, graceful form, plain but 

 neat dress, and bright, easy manner still further 

 tend to win our esteem. 



The song of the cat-bird is one which, though 

 vigorous and pleasing, we cannot ourselves admire, 

 though we admit our liability to error of judgments 

 as of other things, and may through bad taste do 

 him injustice. But in our assumed ofBce of critic it 

 is our duty to speak truthfully and plainly, and dis- 

 claiming any iutentiou of disparaging the qualities 

 or cultivation of his voice, we will proceed in the 

 performance of our task. His song has sufiBcient 

 vigor, for he is untiring in his efforts to please us ; 

 and it has strength enough, for he is ever ambitious 

 to make his voice conspicuous in the morning chorus ; 

 and we occasionally catch snatches of soft and sweet 

 notes, or he even now and then manages to execute 

 some very brilliant passage. But should the latter 

 be the case, he seems himself astonished, though 

 evidently well pleased, for he pauses as if awaiting 

 for and expecting applause. In his performance 

 there is too muchdeliberiition, and the general effect 

 is that he is merely practicing, during which he at 

 times gets tired of his own voice, and substitutes 

 other sounds which he has heard. These he imitates 

 with tolerable success, but we must say that the 

 squeal of a young pig, the squeaking of a hing, or 

 the squall of a cat— sounds which he affects more 

 than the notes of songsters— are a harsh interruption 

 to a song which might otherwise be pleasing. — 

 llarper's Magazine for May. 



It is not very easy to determine whether the 

 foregoing is an appreciation or a depreciation 

 of the character and qualities of the cat-bird. 

 But, perhaps, after all, it is about as much as 

 any one can say, pro and con, in regard to the 

 economies and social status of his cat-voiced 

 birdship ; only we think that, both positively 

 and negatively, the testimony might have 

 been more pronounced. We have heard cat- 

 birds mimicing the notes of other birds — es- 

 pecially towards an early summer evening, or 

 after a shower of rain — whose notes were only 

 a little inferior tothoseof the "mocking-bird." 

 If these mimicing efforts are admirable in a 

 mocking-bird, they are surely none the less so 

 in a cat-bird. But, leaving out his beneficial 

 and neutral qualities, the cat-bird is a positive 

 nuisance to those who cultivate the Delaware 

 and Clinton grapes. Insectivorous they cer- 

 tainly are in the sjsring and diu'ing the brood- 

 ing season, but somehow those broods, so 

 carefully reared on worms, grubs and insects, 

 are inoculated with a strong penchant for 

 fruit in the after part of summer and early 

 autumn, as we are able to unmistakably 

 testify ; and we make the record merely as a 

 historical fad, and without intending any- 

 thing prejudicial to the bird. 



Our residence is only five blocks from the 

 very centre of Lancaster city, and the street 

 is built up solidly for several blocks beyond 

 us ; and yet as long as we had Clinton grapes 

 on our premises, from the moment they began 

 to ripen until the crop was entirely exhausted, 

 our vines were daily visited by scores of cat- 

 birds, and so fastidious in their gastronomica! 

 tastes, too, that they were satisfied with no- 

 thing short of the very best berries on the 

 vines, and in this way they marred the beauty 

 and the quality of every cluster. It was no- 

 thing to the purpo.se that there were'plenty of 

 other grapes in close proximity ; but no, they 

 muat have the Clintons and Delawares, espe- 

 cially the former. They could not be friglit- 

 ened far away, neither, by "beating the 

 bush," nor the discharge of firearms; ^hey 

 would retire about six inches or more beyond 

 the limits of the enclosure, only to return as 

 soon as our back was turned. On one occa- 

 sion we were compelled to remove all the 

 grapes, even before all were fully ripe, for we 

 had fourteen cat-bird visitors daily. They 



perched themselves on trees in the neighbor- 

 hood and watclied the process. Afterwards 

 they returned to the vines, but when they 

 found them minus the grapes, such a sarcastic 

 and catlike wail of contempt no cat-birds ever 

 uttered beft)re, and then they left with undis- 

 guised disgust and never more returned— the 

 vines being subsequently exterminated. 



^ 



SOMETHING ABOUT EELS. 



Very few eels are ever caught that, when 

 opened, contain any eggs — even by old and 

 experienced fishermen — and hence it is often 

 asked : How do eels propagate ? And, indeed, 

 many people do not believe that they ever de- 

 velop eggs, but that they are propagated in 

 some manner unknown to science, and with- 

 out the intervention of eggs. We confess that 

 we never saw what we considered the well- 

 defined eggs of an eel until to-day (April 12), 

 although we had often been assured by com- 

 petent authority that they do produce eggs. 

 But we supposed that if ever we found them 

 we would find them very minute— something 

 like the spawn of an oyster. 



To-day, however, Mr. John Wohr, of 526 

 South Queen St., Lancaster, brought us an eel, 

 about afoot long, which he caught in the Little 

 Conestoga yesterday, and which contained 

 quite a number of eggs (fully 100), as large 

 and as i-ound as the eggs of the common shad. 

 These eggs are enveloped in a tubidar matrix, 

 adhering to the back-bone, and extending 

 from the liver nearly to the vent. These eggs 

 are not enveloped in a thin, transparent ovari- 

 an membrane, through which they can be 

 seen, as in other fishes, and also in fowls, but 

 in a tubular receptacle, with thick, opaque, 

 whitish muscular walls ; and hence we have 

 designated it the matrix, or an organ repre- 

 senting it. Further examination may develop 

 further fticts on the subject. Mr. W. had re- 

 moved the skin of the fish, and in disembowl- 

 ing it he made an accidental incision in the 

 matrix, and to his own astonishment exposed 

 the eggs, some of which he had broken open 

 in the operation. Some of these eggs are 

 translucent, and others are of tliat dark green- 

 ish color pecular to the eel, seemingly ap- 

 proaching incubation. Although this dis- 

 covery confirms an important fact, still it does 

 not determine whether the eel is really ovi- 

 parous, viviparous or ovovivijiarous ; that is, 

 whether the eggs are excluded, as in other 

 fishes, and hatch out afterwards, or whether 

 the young are excluded from the eggs within 

 the matrix, and brought forth alive. Their 

 appearance seems to imply the latter. 



Eels, it is well known, are generally migra- 

 tory in their habits, but differing from other 

 migratory fishes as to their seasons ; that is, 

 the young ascend the streams in the spring, 

 and'the adults descend the streams in the 

 fall, exactly the reverse of the habit of the 

 shad. This recalls an observation we made 

 in our boyhood, many years ago, and long 

 before we had read "Yarrel (or an/ other 

 author) or knew that such authorities were 

 in existence. On one occasion we ob.served 

 millions of young eels, varying in size from 

 two to three inches in length, ascending the 

 Susquehaiuia river; and it is well known that 

 millions of those fishes were caught in that 

 stretim, in fish-traps, as they descended it in 

 the fall ; and this was especially the case be- 

 fore the erection of the various dams, but it is 

 more or less the case even down to the present 

 time. The event itself is iudelibly impressed 

 upon our memory, but we cannot fix the date, 

 any father than that it was in the spring, 

 about the time boys usually "go fishing," and 

 therefore may have been some time during 

 the mouth of 'May, or early in June. We ob- 

 served tliem from tlie outer margin of a log 

 raft (the inner margin of wliich was "high and 

 dry," lying on the sandy beach), where the 

 water was about six inches deep and very 

 clear. As far out into the stream as our vision 

 could extend there was a vast multitude of 

 young eels, coming up over a ledge of rock on 

 the bottom of the stream, like an army of 

 .soldiers scaling the ramparts of a fort, and 

 they continued to come from about ten o'clock 



