70 



THE LANCASTER 'FARMER. 



[May, 



Indian in tlie far west, has there alsofnruished 

 fuel for tlie civilized settler — "grass of the 

 field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast 

 into the oven" — a gift which, if he makes full 

 proof of it, will be sufficient for all his needs. 



Straw and old prairie grass have been 

 thought as useless as grave stones after the 

 resurrection. But the recent utilizing of 

 them is in keeping with the spirit of the age — 

 with developing patent Hour best suited to 

 human uses from that part of wheat which 

 had been the food of hogs, and with planing 

 mills so contrived that they feed their boilers 

 with their own shavings. Indeed, it surpasses 

 all witty inventions in its line, unless it be the 

 proposal, just now started, for turning even 

 tramps to account, by clapi)ing them into the 

 regular army, and sending them among In- 

 dians to scalp,or to be scalped, no matter which. 



Many Nebraska Yankees were made happy 

 last winter, thanks to the Mennonite stove. 

 More will be next winter. That household 

 blessing to an outsider seems capable of little 

 improvement. Bnt the Yankee will improve 

 it, for he has improved everything else he has 

 borrowed — everything from watches to steam 

 engines, ships, and even religion. In fact, his 

 betterments in the last article are said to be 

 as manifold 



" As If religion were intemJed 

 .For DOthiiis: else but to he mended." 

 Thus Yankee cuteness may render tlie Rus- 

 sian stove simpler, smaller, cheaper — of better 

 material — of more elegant design — of more 

 economical combustion. But as now used by 

 Nebraska Mennonites, it is worthy of all ac- 

 ceptation liy every prairie pioneer. A Hiber- 

 nian, hearing of a stove that would save half 

 his wood, said he would buy two and save the 

 whole. The save-all that he was after, he 



would have found in a Mennonite grass-burner. 



^ 



For The Lanoasteb Farmer. 

 PROROGATING BY NATURAL SELEC- 

 TION. 



There is a great deal published in The 

 Farmer about grafting fruit trees, and also 

 how to plant, prune and cultivate trees, and 

 especially so in the March number, and I am 

 in perfect agreement with them, so far as they 

 go, but it seems to me that none of them 

 commenced at the bottom of the foundation. 

 I will try to give a hint of my ideas on the 

 subject if I can. We all are aware that trees 

 are started from a seed. We will take the 

 apple as an instance. When I was a boy we 

 used to go to the cider mill of a neighbor to 

 make our cider. A nurseryman lived close 

 by, and he usually visited the mill with a 

 sieve, to sieve the seeds out of the pomace, 

 and probablj' that is the way that most nur- 

 serymen get their seed ; and in that way they 

 get all kinds of seed, and generally of the 

 poorest fruit, for tlie poorest fruit is always 

 made into cider. But to my mind, this is not 

 the right way. If we select any kind of grain 

 .seed, we always select the very best, and why 

 not the same in fruit ? 



I prefer to select seed from good, nice, large 

 apples, and from such trees as are hardy and 

 vigorous growers. Plant such seed, and on 

 the stock raised from it graft with scions from 

 equally vigorous trees. For early apples the 

 seed from early apples should be planted ; for 

 fall, the seed from fall apples, and for hard or 

 late keeping apples, the seed from the same. 

 For sweet apples ])lant the seed from sweet 

 apples, and tliey will be sweeter when they 

 are grafted on a sweet stalk than on a soiir 

 one. I would advise farmers and plantei's to 

 raise their own trees and start them in this 

 manner. There are some medium-sized 

 apples — and even small apjiles — that are very 

 good, and that we don't like to be without. 

 If these are grafted on stock raised from the 

 Jarger varieties, we may expect larger fruit 

 thau usual. This is natural ; if we want to 

 raise large horses, we must not only have a 

 large horse, but we must have both the horse 

 and the mare large, and why not the same 

 with the apple, or any other kind of fruit ? 



Wc often hear ])eople who have bought 

 apple trees complain that tliey were not what 

 tlxey were recommended to be. About twenty- 



three years ago I went to a nursery to get 

 some apple trees for my father. Amonjj them 

 were two trees that they called "Spoonhower, " 

 and the apples from them were almost worth- 

 less. Altliough the trees had been grafted I 

 don't think tliey had been grafted with that 

 fruit. 



Now, another thing, some apple trees are 

 from nature slow growers ; I would plant none 

 of them. For instance, the Rambo is a slow 

 grower, but I woidd not forget or ignore it on 

 that account, as Mr. L. S. R. did in the 

 March number of The Farmer, page 42. I 

 would plant a vigorous grower of a late winter 

 apiile, either wild or grafted, and let it grow 

 about ten years, and then graft the Rambo on 

 its limbs, and in lifteen years from planting it 

 will produce as much fruit as two trees that 

 are planted Rambo in the beginning. The 

 same with other fruits. 



Tliese remarks may not prove satisfactory, 

 and these results may not be realized fully on 

 the first trial. I often hear people say, if they 

 plant small potatoes they get just as nice pota- 

 toes as when they plant large ones ; but if we 

 try the thing ariglit we will soon perceive the 

 difference. If we plant small potatoes in one 

 row and large ones in another, side by side, 

 there will be little difference, if any, the first 

 year. But if we plant small potatoes, year 

 after year, they will gradually degenerate, 

 and we can raise no nice large potatoes after 

 •sevei'al yeai's of this kind of culture, and I 

 have no doidit it will be the same with fruit. 



[The above involves a rational application 

 of the system of "natural selection;" but it 

 is not pretended thereby that an apple will be 

 ultimately changed to a pear or quince ; a 

 cherry to a plum or peach ; or a common 

 potato to a sweet potato or a yam ; but that 

 by always selecting the best seeds, each va- 

 riety will be improved in quality. — Ed. 



The most pressing work is now almost over, 

 for a short time at least. Now is a good time 

 to prepare for hay -making and harvest. Get 

 out the mower and reaper, the hay-tedder and 

 the rake on the threshing floor or some other 

 convenient place to put everything in order ; 

 tighten up the bolts, and'see that everything 

 is properly adjusted and repaired. This can 

 be done on rainy days with every implement. 

 If new implements are needed, purchase them 

 in time. Clean out the barn, put up the hay- 

 hook. Get all things ready as far as possible. 

 Just before hay-making is generally a busy 

 time. In cultivating the corn, if the machines 

 are not looked after until they are wanted to 

 go to the fields, it sometimes takes a whole 

 day before we can get them successfully in 

 motion, and much valuable time is lost. 

 Also, have a lot of bolts on hand of difl'erent 

 sizes. If anything breaks it can often be .soon 

 mended with a few bolts. If hay or grain is 

 intended to be stacked, haul the rails needed 

 for the foundation to the places where they 

 will cause no delay wlien hay or grain is ready 

 to be hauled away. — /. Gr. , Warmick. 



[These things are all very essential, although 

 they may seem to be small affairs. It is 

 "procrastination" in these matters which 

 always proves such a "thief of time," and ar- 

 rests the progress of the most skillful labors. 

 Progress involves the activity of every kind of 

 farm labor; and it is often wfse to give heed to 

 that "stitch in time which saves nine." — Ed.] 



For The Lancaster Farmer. 

 AROUND THE FARM.— No. 8. 



Caterpillars. 

 From present indications our fruit and 

 ornamental trees will be denuded extensively 

 of their foliage by the caterpillars this sum- 

 mer. Every reflecting mind will at once de- 

 termine what to do, but as there are some 

 minds that are not reflecting a little caution 

 may lienetit them. Every man, woman and' 

 child should at once wage a vigorous war of 

 extermination against them, not stopping 

 short of complete annihilation, for by this 

 means only will our trees be saved. They may 

 not be as numerous in other parts of the 

 county as in this (Manor twp.,) but if they are, 



.shade trees in August will be as scarce as 

 politicians after ISIay 25th. The remedy most 

 easily applied is burning. Take an old tin • 

 funnel or fruit can, fasten to a pole, and put 

 therein cotton saturated with coal oil, set fire 

 to this and hold it under the nest long enough 

 to completely destroy it. This is the best way 

 1 know beside hand jiicking, though a severe 

 remedy to the caterpillar. But on the princi- 

 ple of "half a loaf better than no bread," so 

 is a severe remedy better than none at all. 

 Propagating Gardens. 



Few persons can be more fond of a ramble 

 through the country, peeping "around the 

 farm" of others of my fellow-farmers, to see 

 their methods of "running the business." I 

 can always learn something new, as no two 

 farmers run a farm exactly alike. 



A few days ago I took such a ramble 

 amongst the farmers and found much to 

 commend, but also some things to condemn. 

 I am a great lover of flowers and ornamental 

 foliage iilants, and I think they should be cul- 

 tivated to a considerable, extent. In my 

 rambles I met several farmers whose tastes 

 also run in that direction, but I think they 

 overdo the business and make regular propa- 

 gating gardens of their farms. For instance, 

 one ifriend raises large quantities of the 

 *Co)n-oh-ulus arvensis. As he does not sell 

 any plants; he raises merely for show ! Along 

 the fence he also has large beds of Saponuria 

 officinnlis. With extra success he cultivates 

 the Clrshim arvense, a very beautiful plant, 

 with fragrant pinkLsh blossoms. As the plant 

 is armed with spines it is not likely to be mo- 

 lested by either man or beast, and on that ac- 

 count is a desirable (?) field plant. It is readily 

 propagated by seeds and by extensions of the 

 root. He also has one field in the "Lancaster 

 County Century plant, ' ' the Verbascimi thapsus, 

 with its long spike of beautiful yellow flowers. 



Another farmer I saw cultivating the Sam- 

 huetis canadensis, a shrub six or eight feet 

 high with beautiful foliage. He says it thrives 

 best along the fences, and is readily propo- 

 gated by pieces of root. He has a great de- 

 mand for the stems from boys for pop-guns 

 and whistles. Close by, also, along the fences 

 he cultivates the Lappa major, raising seeds 

 for next year ; this is an introduced European 

 plant, and has large tropical looking leaves. 

 It is perfectly hardy, will grow in any rich 

 soil, and the full-grown heads are often used 

 to decorate the tails of cows and horses. On 

 another farm I noticed preparations going on 

 for a full supply of seed for next year's gratui- 

 tous distribution among neighboring farmers of 

 the Rumex crf'.spws, the beautiful broad-leaved 

 Plantago major. AscJeinas, Syriaca, Taraxacum, 

 Polygonum Malva mtundifolia, Triticum 

 repiiif, Linum vulgare, Hypericum perforatum 

 and also the Ambrosia artcmisiafoUa to seed 

 after the wheat is cut. In my homeward 

 journey I came across a gardener that had 

 complete success in growing the Porlulacca 

 oZeracca ,■ some call it " pussley. " He culti- 

 vates it as a pot herb in spring. Nearly all 

 these plants will flourish along fences and 

 stone walls and odd corners of the fields, are 

 all easily raised, and save a heap of trouble to 

 the cultivator. But I seriously doubt if it 

 pays a man to devote more of his farm than a 

 good-sized lawn to floral embellishment. 



If the farmers referred to above, continue to 

 raise these plants they will, in a few years, be 

 so common as to lie vulgar, and we advise 

 them to cultivate more sparingly. They give 

 a certain wild, "free and easy " look to a 

 place which is ornamental, if your taste runs 

 in that direction. — Ruralist, Creswell, Pa. • 



*Perliaps it would be wolf to explain to my non- 

 bntanii'al readers what is meant by the above names 

 in ItalU:-;. The C'anpohnilus is the common bind weed, 

 too dillicult to destroy; Saponaria, Bouncing Bet; 

 Cirsium, Canada Thistle ; Verbascum, Mullein ; 

 kambticus. Elder; Lappa, Burdock; Humex, the 

 docks ami sorrels ; Plantaqo, plantains ; Asctepias, 

 milkweck ; Taraxacum, Dandelion ; Pohjgomim, 

 Smart Weed ; .Uali'a, Mallow ; I'l-Uicum, Couch 

 Grass; Hypericum, St. John's Wort; Ambrosia, 

 Kae: Weed ; Portulacca, Purslane ; Sinum vulgare, 

 Toad Flax. After reading this note no doubt you 

 will understand the above. 



