124 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[ August, 



against it) anrt what each amount of grain took from 

 the ea'rth, or in other words, how much each ex- 

 hausted the soil. The average price of wheat is 

 about one dollar. To get back the g25 charged 

 against the acre of ground, therefore, required a 

 product of twenty-five bushels. So, too, of corn, of 

 which the average price is about fifty cents per 

 bushel ; this requires you to grow fifty bushels to 

 get out the ?-'.5 charged against the acre of corn. Of 

 oats, seventy-five bushels must be raised to sell at the 

 average price of thirty-three and one-third cents, to 

 bring up the value of the crop to the 12.5. 



Elements Drawn from the Soil. 



Having laid down this proposition be proceeded to 

 state that a close analysis shows these three cereals 

 abstract from the soil the following fertilizers or con- 

 stituents in the proportions annexed in pounds and 

 fractions of a pound : 



TABLE SHOWING THE COMPARATIVE AMOUNT OF 



THE SEVERAL ELEMENTS DRAWN 



FROM THE SOIL. 



From this it is seen that to grow an amount of corn 

 that will be of the same money value as the tweuty- 

 five bushels of wheat nearly double the amount of 

 plant food is taken from the soil ; to grow an equiva- 

 lent amount of oats takes from the soil just four 

 times as much of the chemical constituents as for 

 the same money value of wheat ; in other words, 

 oats are just four times as exhausting as wheat, and 

 two and a half times as exhausting as corn. 



He recommended the farmers to petition the 

 Legislature to pass a law requiring all artificial 

 fertilizers to have their constituent parts openly an- 

 nounced. In this way farmers can get just what 

 they want. I'hosphoric acid is the prime agent in 

 agriculture. Nitrogen comes next in importance, 

 not In its natural condition, but in the form of 

 ammonia, which is obtained by its mixture with 

 hydrogen. Potash is simply vegetable ashes. No 

 crop, either potatoes or tobacco, can be raised with- 

 out potash. How did the potash get into the soil? 

 Either by burning or the decomposition of vegetable 

 matter. 2.5 bushels of wheat take up only 9-10 of 

 a pound of soda, but oats requires over nine pounils ; 

 therefore oats requires salt, while wheat land does 

 not. He spoke of the improper application of lime ; 

 much of it might as well be tlirown into the street as 

 put on some crops. Wheat requires but 1.4 pounds, 

 corn 1, while oats needs 10.1, showini; clearly that 

 lime does best wlieu put on oats; wheat and corn 

 hardly need it. There is a vast diflerence in lime ; 

 ordinary limestone can be easily tested ; a drop of 

 nitric or sulphuric put on the crude limestone will 

 eiTervesce and show a large ])crcenta2:e of lime. 

 Lime is a manure but a poor fertilizer ; its chief use 

 is to eomminuate — to break up the particles of soil 

 and make them available for plant food. Lime is 

 only profitable when it acts on vegetable matter. 

 When a]i|ilied to corn stubble, there is nothing for it 

 to act upon, and therefore the lime is virtually lost. 

 The soil on an acre plowed one foot deep weighs two 

 thousand tons. Nearly all soils contain an abun- 

 dance of lime; therefore it Is almost a useless waste 

 of money to lime so often and so heavily. The lec- 

 turer here asked whether the amount of mineral 

 matter drawn from the soil if added to the soil would 

 give the first named number of bushels? By no 

 means ; they must be mixed with the two thousand 

 tons of soil, and then the mixture will give you your 

 crops ; because, besides what the crops abstract 

 there is still left more than a thousand fold as much 

 of the same substances in the acre of soil. One 

 thousand pounds of grass turned down and thor- 

 oughly decomposed will produce a thousand pounds 

 of corn or wheat. If the straw off an acre is returned 

 to the soil again it will give twice as much phos- 

 phoric acid as was abstracted by the crop of wheat. 

 Cotton meal will go further to restore soil to fertility 

 than anything else, because it contains more of the 

 necessary fertilizing elements than anything else. 



The reason why the soil of the Southern States has 

 become so poor and unproductive is because they 

 have grown and grown their great staple, cotton — 

 the most exhaustini; of all crops — until there is vir- 

 tually nothing left in their soil. If they were to re- 

 turn the cotton meal abundantly they could keep up 

 the fertility ; but they do not do so. In the absence 



of cotton meal our next best substitute is the vines 

 of the common pea, plowed under. They are nearly 

 as good as cotton meal, are cheap, and decidedly the 

 best vegetable fertilizer at our farmers' command. 

 Grass, straw and pea vines are the three great ele- 

 ments our farmers have to restore their exhausted 

 acres. 



The average production of wheat in this State is 

 only 13 -i-lO bushels per acre. Special culture will 

 produce 40, 50 and 70 bushels ; formerly it averaged 

 more than now. This is because we export millions 

 of bushels of grain, and thus one source of fertilizing 

 the soil is taken from us. We no longer use up the 

 flour or feed and all the bran on the farm. In 1872 

 he began wheat culture. The cultivation of wheat 

 at the experimental farm has not proved profitable; 

 in some soils this may be so, but on stiff clay soils 

 wheat culture is just as profitable as corn culture, 

 and lie was amply prepared to prove it. His brother 

 raised four successive profitable wheat crops from 

 the same ground, while the fifth crop was a com- 

 plete failure. The potash had been used up and 

 failure was the result. He called attention to the 

 irregularity of grain when sown by the common 

 drill. The straw is of all lengths; this should be 

 remedied. In sowing wheat the drill should run 

 north and south instead of east and west. Another 

 advantage by this system of cultivation is that more 

 soil is covered by the grain and the latter has more 

 food to draw on. It is also more easily lifted out by 

 frosts by the common method. By the new method 

 this is not so easily done. He believes that we must 

 adopt new methods or quit wheat-growing altogether. 

 Specimens of cultivated wheat were shown, which 

 were very fine. The straw was thick and upright, 

 not having lodged in the least, although the variety 

 of wheat was noted for its soft straw. He put aa 

 effectual disclaimer on the charge that in measuring 

 wheat ground on which large crops have been raised 

 by him, only that covered by the grain was measured, 

 and the bare places not ; all is measured and the 

 result is based on the entire area. 



Professor Heiges also answered a number of ques- 

 tions as to the comparative merits of plowing down 

 green grasses. Clover does most good when plowed 

 under half dry instead of green. Kye and buck- 

 wheat may also be plowed under with profit. In 

 answer to the question, whether buckwheat plowed 

 under makes a good manure, he said no ; it grows 

 too fast, and alf vegetables that grow with great 

 rapidity contain a great deal of water — are in fact 

 nearly all water. It would be almost as beneficial to 

 plow under a heavy rain shower as a rank, green 

 growth of buckwheat. A great many other ques- 

 tions were answered by the learned professor, who 

 seemed to have all the information called for at his 

 tongue's end. No brief and imperfect synopsis like 

 this can give a fair idea of what the lecture was. It 

 will be published in full in the Farmer's Friend in 

 its issue of August 29. 



On motion, a vote of thanks was tendered by the 

 society to the Professor for the instruction given by 

 his lecture. 



New Business. 



Daniel Smeych moved that the society hold a fruit 

 exhibition during the coming fall, which was carried. 



H. M. Engle was anxious to have the sense of the 

 society as to what the prospects are for an exhibition. 

 He feared we would make a poor show ; of pears we 

 have a good showing, but of apples and grapes we 

 have very few. 



Casper Hiller was almost afraid we are no longer 

 a fruit growing county. We have fruit, but it is not 

 good. A hail storm came along and hit almost 

 every apple. Once he had a pear orchard of one 

 hundred trees, but hardly one has escaped the 

 blight ; he almost feared to go into such a project. 



Mr. Smeych remarked, why can't the farmers 

 bring their wheat, corn and potatoes as well as fruit ? 



Tlie vote at this point was reconsidered and lost. 



H. M. Engle moved the Committee on Nomencla- 

 ture take up and report on the fruits on exhibition. 



A fiowering plant was shown, which was ])ro- 

 nounced the ox-eyed daisy, and it was recommended 

 that it be pulled up anil destroyed as often as it made 

 its appearance. It was a great pest when once it 

 was well established on a farm. See page 115. 

 Business for Next Meeting. 



" The proper preparation of the ground for a wheat 

 crop." To be answered by John (3. Linville. 



" What is the best time to cut corn?" Keferred to 

 E. Hoover. 



Notes of a Western Trip. 



On motion. Major Frueauff, of Columbia, was in- 

 vited to tell what he saw of agriculture during a 

 recent trip to the West. He described some very 

 tall corn. Farmers out there all needed hands to 

 harvest their crops ; the lowest wages paid were 

 ?1..50and up to ¥2..50. He saw more idle men in 

 Kentucky than anywhere else; they look(!d like 

 politicians. Busiuess seemed better there than here. 

 All seem to be earning something. The West is 

 progressing, undoubtedly. At Massillon, Ohio, wheat 

 was selling at eighty-five cents per bushel. He says 

 the bad crops in Minnesota are discredited by many ; 

 it looks like a dodge to keep up prices. The damage 

 by rain and sua has undoubtedly been overrated. 



Samples of wheat were shown, grown by Mr. 

 Fordney, near this city, which produced 41 bushels to 

 the acre by the old method of culture. It was very 

 fine. tA sample of rye raised on the farm of J. Myers 

 was also shown. 'There were 4,700 grains, all the 

 product of a single grain, which produced 82 sepa- 

 rate beads. 



Some very handsome fruit was exhibited: H. M. 

 Engle bad the Oft, Bloodgood, Kirtland, Rostizer 

 and Osband's Summer, all genuine. Daniel Smeych, 

 pears. Manning's Elizabeth; apples. All Summer; 

 peaches, Hale's early ; all genuine. 



John Brady, seedling pear, beautiful and good ; 

 would be worthy of a trial. 



Two bunches of grapes were shown by Mr. Smeych, 

 Allen's hybrid ; these grew on the same vine not a 

 foot apart : one was fully ripe and the other would 

 not have been for weeks. The reason for the differ. 

 enee was that the ripe raceme hung in his hot house 

 and the other in the open air. 



On motion, a bill of expenses was ordered to be 

 paid. 



There being no further business before the society, 

 a motion to adjourn was carried. 



I 



TOBACCO GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 



The Lancaster County Tobacco Growers' Society 

 met in the room of the Agricultural Society on Mon- 

 day afternoon, .luly 15th, at 2 o'clock, the following 

 members being jiresent: Messrs. M.D Kendig, Presi- 

 dent, Manor : Webster L. Hershcy, Secretary, East 

 Hempfield ; Wash. L. Hershey, Chickies; J. Hoff- 

 man Hershey, East Hempfield ; John Brady, Millers- 

 ville ; Henry Shiffner, Upper Leacock ; Sylvester 

 Kennedy, Salisbury; J. >!, Johnston, city; Adam 

 H. Herr, Witmer ; Frank K. Diffenderfter, city; 

 Clare Carpenter, city ; A. C. Mcllvain, Salisbury. 



Messrs. Webster L. Hershey, Henry Shiffner and 

 John Brady were appointed a committee to prepare 

 business for the meeting. 



Reports on Crops. 



Crop reports being called for, Sylvester Kennedy, 

 of Salisbury, reported that in his section the grow- 

 ing crop had suffered considerably from the cut- 

 worm, but that its ravages bad about ended. A long 

 spell of dry weather had also tended to prevent an 

 early setting out of the plants, and had retarded 

 their growth ; but latterly the weather has been 

 more favorable and the plants are doing well. The 

 green-worm or born-worm has not yet done much 

 damage, and the moths from which it comes. are not 

 numerous. The acres planted in tobacco in his 

 neighborhood this year is not much more than one- 

 half as many as were planted last year ; but farmers 

 seem determined to bestow more care on the crop 

 and raise a better article than they have heretofore 

 raised, as they have learned that buyers seek only a 

 good article and are willing to pay a good price for it. 

 Nearly all the 1877 crop has passed out of the hands 

 of the irrowers. 



Washington L. Hershey, of Chickies, reported 

 that the crop in his neighborhood was well startcil 

 and promised to yield well. The cutworm had not 

 much interfered with the young plants, and the 

 green-worm has not as yet done much damage. 

 There is yet some 1876 and 1877 tobacco in first 

 hands in the township, some of it being yet in bulk. 



J. Hoffman Hershey, of Hohrerstown, said the 

 new crop looks well ; some of it has already been 

 topped ; in many places it is growing irregular, 

 owing to replanting. Some of the pLants, on ac- 

 count of unfavorable weather, did not get a start for 

 nearly four weeks, but they are now doing well. 

 There had been some trouble with the cut-worm, but 

 that was about over. The green-worm has put in an 

 appearance, but has not yet done much harm. The 

 acreage is perhaps a little less in East Hempfield 

 than it was last year, but he has no certain means of 

 knowing. There will be more care taken in putting 

 up the tobacco this year than last. The last year's 

 crop has been nearly all sold. 



Henry Shiffner, of Upper Leacock, said the crop 

 in that township looks very well, though it is just 

 now sutl'ering for want of rain. A good deal of the 

 tobacco has been already topped, and a little of it 

 has been cut off. He knew of one farmer who cut 

 his tobacco on Thursday last, and it appeared to be 

 fit to cut. The cut-worm was very biid in some 

 patches, and the replanting had given the patches a 

 very irregular growth, some of the plants being 

 almost mature while others had just commenced to 

 grow. The average in U|)per Leacock is nearly one- 

 third less than last year. The old tobacco (last year's 

 crop) has been nearly all disposed of. 



John Brady, of .Mjllersville, could not positively 

 say whether there was more or less tobacco planted 

 this year than last. The eut-worm had been bother- 

 some and destroyed many plants, and the replanting 

 bail given some fields a very uneven appearance. 

 None of the tobacco had been topped, nor would it 

 be ready to top for two weeks yet. 



Webster L. Hershey said that in the northern part 

 of East Hempfield the tobacco was very backward- 

 was very far from being ready to top— much less to 

 cut off. Much of the crop is just fairly coniing on, 

 and will not be ready to top for some time yet. The 

 crops of 1870 and 1877 have been nearly all bought up. 



