1878.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



i05 



lloeiwj Wheat. — The rcasoningovtlio /'»•«(•- 

 tical Fanner is very coiiviiK;iiig, ami slnul in- 

 duce many farmers to experiment with first 

 oiiortunity. 



Value of Hen Manure. — Any farmer hu lets 

 this fertilizer go to wast, shiul eniigrat to 

 wher no fertilizer is ncded. 



I'mUrthuj C'nrn Field.-: frimi liirils. — Weliav 

 qnit pUuiting corn witliont a slit c.oting ov col 

 tar, and then roled in gypsum. We rest e.sy 

 sins adojiting tliis plan. The birds let it 

 severly alon after juding a fu stocks. Wire- 

 worms ar a grat nusaiis in som soils. If snt 

 wil driv them of, it is wel worth saving. 



J'rdtcctiiiij Tree.t Aijain.it Worms. — If ban- 

 daging wil driv them of it simd lie mado non 

 to every trc i)lanter. Many, no dout, wud 

 aply it. 



To Keep Cabhatje. — In order to liav coleslaw 

 in May, Major Freas recomeuils to ke)) it rit 

 sid up, insled ov the conion wa ov inverting 

 it when juit into winter (piarter.s. 



Is the Strineherrii W kolsome. — Thisquestion 

 is also from the (Terinantenun Tel.e(jra]ih, an- 

 sered partially in the negativ. We belev that 

 thos lui wil becom afected with pimpls and 

 boils from etingstrawberies wud beter contiue 

 eting them, as wel as plenty ov other fruts, 

 until ther systems asume a normal condition. 



Sucecss of on Exposed Orchard,. — This cas 

 sems to xpk)d the couion ide ov protection 

 necesary to orchards. We put it down as a 

 mooted iiuestion. 



Uses of the Lemon. — According to this articl 

 this frut has hitherto bin undervalud. If it 

 wil cur consumiition let it be mad non. Ther 

 wil lie no want ov cases to try. 



Cellars. — The articl under this hed, if closly 

 observed, wud prevent a vast amount ov sick- 

 ness and many deths. Can pepel not be edu- 

 cated to a uoleg ov the magazines ov misery 

 and deth beneth ther fet. 



IRdjits of Curculio. — If the litle turk does 

 his misehif at nit, it is hi tim we no it. Ilenc- 

 forth folo him with lanterns. — Ton llumhoU. 



For The Lancaster Farmer. 

 RANDOM THOUGHTS.— No. 2. 



Improper use of Paris Green. 



I see it recommended in some papers that 

 Paris Green be used to destroy insects on 

 house plants, with the instruction that it be 

 mixed with water, the idea being that it is 

 not so dangerous in this manner of application. 

 It is bad enough that we must u.se so power- 

 ful a poison in our fields, and it is little short 

 of insanity to use it in a dwelling. Time and 

 again have cases been brought forward of all 

 the members of a family becoming sick, 

 and on the cause being traced up, it had been 

 found to result from the wall paper which had 

 the green shades or figures printed with a 

 preparation of Paris tireen. If this poison, 

 when fastened to paper with oil or varnish has 

 so deleterious an effect, what must he the conse- 

 quence where it is used merely suspended in 

 water, the latter evaporating in a short time, 

 leaving the poison free to be wafted by every 

 little movement of the air from persons pass- 

 ing to and fro in the room. 



Poisons are useful in their place, but be 

 assured that Paris Green is not in its place 

 when used on house plants. 



A Time to Plant. 



Our present spring has brought many of our 

 pushing tillers of the soil to grief. We had 

 very line weather, summer weather in fact, in 

 April, and this so worked on the feelings of 

 those who want to be ahead of everybody else 

 with their work, that they put out tender 

 crops from three to four weeks before the 

 ordinary time. The result is that many 

 things, like sweet potatoes, peppers and the 

 like froze outright, while the more important 

 crop of corn has been coming up very irregu- 

 lar, and what is up of this early planting is 

 yellow and puny. 



While no crops should be delayed in their 

 putting out when the season is at hand, it 

 should be remembered that in all tender crops 

 there is no gain in putting them out before 



the time, but they are actually later in com- 

 ming to maturity. It is at all times better to 

 be a week or ten days late in corn, &c., than 

 .so nuieh too early. 



Those Fruit Eating Birds.* 



In the last few weeks I have read two arti- 

 cles, oiu^ against the cat-bird and the other 

 against the robin. 



Tlie first article was coiiie(l from Harper's 

 Mnijazinc into TllK l''.\l!MEi; for May, and 

 the commenls of tlu^ editor appended, who 

 has even a worse opinion of the bird than the 

 writer of the article cupu'd. ISoth ailniil liis 

 li(tler iioinls of singing, familiarity, &c., but 

 liom <ine he steals i berries and from the other 

 he steals Clinton grajies. 



We will admit that he does take some cher- 

 ries and grapes ; he will even take strawber- 

 ries and currants without asking your leave, 

 but if your cherry trees are of any size all the 

 cherries taken will hardly be missed, and of 

 the other fruits enough slxnild be raised both 

 for tiie bird and yourself, for if you (lestroye(l 

 these birds (the cat-liirds and robins,) insects 

 of all kinds would soon be so ]ilentiful around 

 (hvc^llings that y<iu would not have even a 

 taste of fruit. 



The "spring and breeding season" is not 

 tlie only time they are inscctiverous, for when 

 such fruit as they eat is a failure or out of 

 season then they certainly feed on insects, as 

 they must have something to eat, and I never 

 .saw them at seeds of any kind. 



AVhat is said in favor of the cat-bird can 

 also be spoken for the robin, even in a greater 

 degree, the (icrmnnlown Teleijruph to the con- 

 trary notwithstanding. According to this 

 journal it would seem as though the robin eats 

 very few insects, but lived principally on fruit. 

 In the fruit season the robin will ]irobably eat 

 fruit mostly, but be will at the .same time 

 hunt for insects, as I have repeatedly seen. 



When it is remembered how long a time the 

 so-called insectiverous birds are witli us each 

 year, and in what a short jieriod of that time 

 "there is any fruit rijie that these birds will 

 really eat, "we should have only words of com- 

 mendation for servants and friends that ap- 

 propriate a few tidbits for important services 

 rendered. 



Progressiveness. 



Von Ilumbolt does not seem to have a very 

 good opinion of the inogressiveness of the 

 majority of farmers. Now, it has to be con- 

 sidered that farming, like any other calling, 

 is usually followed to make money, or at least 

 what is called "a living," and most of those 

 following this business invest their own means 

 in it, and this itself usually makes a very 

 careful and conservative business man. As 

 long as farmers make money surely, though it 

 may be rather slowly, it is to their interest to 

 keel) on •" this way until they are certain that 

 there is some other crop or im|iroved variety 

 that pays better and just ascertain of returns. 

 .Just so soon as this line of iiolicy is ignored 

 just so soon has the farmer's business become 

 speculative, and then we will hear of as large 

 a percentage ot failures as there is among tlic 

 mercantile profession. 



We often hear of the " progressive ideas " 

 of the western farmers, and instances are 

 given of how many thousand acres in wheat 

 or corn this, that or the other "agriculturist" 

 has under way, and how much imitit there 

 has been in it. As a rule we are given long imd 

 glowing accounts of the successful ones only ; 

 tho.se liot successful, and whose failure drags 

 friends and accpiaintances along into bank- 

 ruptcy, are given a short paragraph, or no 

 notice at all ajipears, except at the court-house 

 of the comity that has had the honor of one 

 of tho "progressive" kind. 



Let me not be understood as meaning that 

 there was dishonesty in such cases as tlie lat- 

 ter, but as soon as a farmer gets outside of 

 the pale of conservatism, just so soon will the 

 chances of his failure be greatly multiplied. 



•This was wrltlrn Iwforp the Icsne of Jnne number of 

 TuK Fausikr. and rovers nbont tho flaino K''fii"»l ^^ ^he 

 editor's articl* in tlie numlwr nieution^d. By constant 

 hanimeriDK even a jiiece of cold iron will at length take the 

 deaircd ehai>e. 



While I liope that our farmei-s may be 

 wide-awake to take advaiilagt; of every iniple- 

 nieiil, or of every improved method of culture 

 that is surt^ to safely increase their prnlits, I 

 also iiopc that they may never be infected 

 with the fever of "progressiveness" as this 

 word is now usuallv understood, taken in 

 connection with farming. 



Mixing Varieties in Cultivation. 



I have never been very much in favor of 

 sowing ditferent kinds of wheat on llie stiine 

 gi oiukI, nor planting cm ii in the same manner. 



I think 1 saw a statt'inent a few years ago 

 of a man who was uniformly succcssfid in 

 getting Ids ears of corn tilled out, and he 

 a.scribed it to |ilanting two varieties, one 

 being .some two Weeks later in maturing. It 

 is wt^ll kunwn that some years tlie iinllen is 

 shed belbre the enils of the silk (the stigma) is 

 suliiciently ailvanced to be fertilized, or the 

 silk may have become too old when the pollen 

 was ready. In either case the result would 

 be "nubbins" and pfiinly filleil ears. The 

 idea was that by planting two varieties, blos- 

 sdining at dilt'erent times, the chances that 

 the silk and the pollen wniild be matured to- 

 gether, in jiart, at last, wnuld be greatly in- 

 creased. The argument looks very plausible, 

 and might inereast^ the average yearly yield. 



This season I had the fortune to see a field 

 that was sown to two varieties of wheal, 

 mixed about in eiiual proportions. The vari- 

 eties were " Improved Mediterranean " and 

 "Fultz." 



In the moister jiarts of the field the Medi- 

 terranean "tilered" most, and I suppose there 

 were twice as many heads of this variety as 

 of the Fultz; in the higher parts they seemed 

 about in eiiual proportion ; but right at the 

 brows of the elevations, the Mediterranean 

 was nearly a failure, there being but little 

 else than Fultz seen. 



In this case there was certainly a benefit in 

 mixing the two varieties, for wiierc one par- 

 tially failed, the other succeeded, anil thus 

 the average of the field was greatly increased. 



In fact, I hardly know what objection can 

 be urged against mixing varieties in the plant- 

 ing so long as they suit together, for it might 

 happen that a very robust or tall variety 

 might be mixed with a slower grower, and 

 the latter be choked by its more powerful 

 neighbor. 



In clover and the gra.sse.s, this practice is 

 universal, and the crop thereby increased, and 

 no doubt so soon as it is inteliigeiitly applied 

 to other crops, such crops will be surer and 

 the average yield greater, — .1. Ji. K. 



ENGLAND'S GREAT FARM. 



Important Results to the World of the Agri- 

 cultural Experiments at Rothamsted. 



[From the Special ('orresitonderil of the N. Y. World.] 



London, .Tune 11.— The experimental farm 

 of Rothain.steil has won a worltl-wide fame 

 from the great value anil long continuance of 

 the field experiments which liave been con- 

 ducted upon it. Having enjoyed the oppor- 

 tunity of a run over this remarkable projierty, 

 in comiiany with Messrs. Lawes and (iilbert, 

 whose names are synonymous with Uolham- 

 sted and agricultural jirogress for more tlian 

 forty years, the writer believes that a sum- 

 mary notice of the origin, plan and results of 

 these field experiments will be read with in- 

 terest by all intelligent persons in the I'nited 

 Stales, whether tliey arc iiersonally concerned 

 with agriculture or not. Of course our notice 

 must necessarily lie brief and very general of 

 a research which covers so great an extent of 

 time and many lliousiind carefully conducted 

 exi>erimeiils both in the field and the labora- 

 tory, and the literature of which is of itself 

 quite a lilirarv already, though but a small 

 part of the results have been published. To 

 an American the Ilothainsted Farm oilers 

 attractions aside fiom the interest which it 

 has won from the great research of which it is 

 the theatre. It is a great entailed estate of 

 over a thousand acres of excellent land in 

 Ilertford.shire (familiarly called Herts), 

 twenty-live miles from London, on the Mid- 



