1878. 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



Ui 



F. Tollinpor : That is the case with white wheat 

 generally. Flour made from wliite wiieat looks nice, 

 bnt it ilrics too last. It is lietter mixed with red. 



C. S. (Jatehell : Is (liore any danger of drilling In 

 too mueh bone with wheat? 



Day Wood thought .500 pounds to the acre safe. 



E. n. Haines: No danger witli any reasonable 

 amount. 



Wni. M. Way : TOO pounds to the acre, applied in 

 the hill, will sometimes injure corn. 300 pounds per 

 acre would be safe for wheat. 



Joslah lirown : liOO pounds per acre safe. 



Alfred Wood knew of (iOO pounds per acre being 

 applied last fall. It had done well. 



Wm. King : Will bees eut and eat grapes ? 



Wm. M. Way : Bees have no apparatue for cutting. 

 Don't believe they can do it. 



Wni. King stated that the grapes on three of liis 

 vines were destroyed by beesSxnd wasps. The gr'apes 

 had not burst ; they liad been punctured, if not by 

 t!ie bees by something else. 



Montillion Brown : Do bees manufacture honey or 

 only eolleet it 3 



C. S. (iatehell: According to the report of the Bee- 

 Keepers' Association tliey manufacture it. If they 

 are fed on molasses they till their cells with it, where 

 it is manufactured into honey. 



E. H. Haines: If they merely eolleet it there 

 would lie a great many kinds of honey in one hive. 

 It is scarcely possible that every llower produces the 

 same kind of honey. 



Wm. M . Way : Naturalists think that they manu- 

 facture it, but in the body of the bee. Afterwards 

 it is deposited in the cell. It is as much an animal 

 production as milk. 



C. S. Gatchell : The substance that affects the 

 change is in tlie wax. 



Jos. K. Blackburn: Do they gather honey from 

 poisonous flowers ? 



Wm. M. Way: If the flowers is poisonous it does 

 not follow that the honey is also poisonous. The 

 object of the honey is to attract bees and Hies in or- 

 der that the pollen may be carried from the stami- 

 date to the pistillate flower. It is not likely that na- 

 ture, after making such provision, would poison the 

 honey. 



Rebecca D. King asked, by request of an outsider, 

 "Does it take longer to churn a large amount of 

 cream than a smaller quantity, the churn being in 

 proportion to the quantity?" Nothing positive was 

 given in answer, but the general opinion was that it 

 would take about the same time. One member, 

 however, stated that a large churn required more 

 empty space in proportion to its size than a smaller 

 one. 



Criticising the Farm of the Hostess. 



After partaking of a substantial dinner, the club 

 took a look at the farm, live stock, ifec., after which 

 criticisms were given as follows : 



Day Wood : "The barn is well filled ; corn not very 

 good, a general complaint; stocl^, as far as seen, 

 tolerably good. 



E. H. Haines : The corn is neighbor-like ; the hogs 

 would be better running in the orchard than in the 

 pen. [Henry has a prejudice against hog houses. — 

 Kei'.] Tbmgs around tlie house look neat and clean. 



F. Tollinger : The farm is well managed, consid- 

 ering that it is done by a woman. She has the farm 

 "and house both to attend to. 



S. L. Gregg frequently passes the place. It looks 

 well, not only now, but at all times. 



Rachel B. (iatchel bad been admiring theyard ever 

 since she came. A well-kept yard looks better with- 

 out flowers than a badly kept one with flowers. 



The hostess next read from The New Era " Thu 

 Tree Agent." Several mcnd)ers thought it mueh 

 like the reality, though a little overdrawn. 



Day Wood read an article from the report of the 

 fifth annual convention of the National Butter, 

 Cheese and Egg Association, advocating the factory 

 system, which must succeed the individual dairy. It 

 does not pay to make poor liutter. With the factory 

 system we can have better buildings and api)aratus 

 than individuals can afford. IIavi!ig these, butter can 

 be made with which oleomargarine cannot comi)ete. 



Mary A. King read" The Pilot on the River," from 

 The yew Era. 



Irene Tollinger read an essay entitled " Advice to 

 a young housekeeper," whicli was very favorably 

 criticised by the elub. Carrie Blackburn recited 

 "The old home," after which the question adopted 

 at last meeting for discussion was taken up, viz.: 



KesolKfd, Tliat women will do more to make home 

 pleasant than man. 



The discussion of this subject occupied some time, 

 but consisted pjincipally in 6harp-shof)ting between 

 the male and female mcmljcrs, without bringing 

 forth anything of general interest. 



Lizzie Wood, Mary \ King, C. S. Gatchell and E. 

 H. Haines, were appointed to read selections oressays 

 at the next meeting. 



The following question was adopted for considera- 

 tion at next meeting : "Do the [jhasesofthe moon 

 influence the changes of the weather, or have the 

 signs of the zodiac any influence over vegetable or 

 animal life?" 



Adjourned to meet at Josiah Brown's on the fifth 

 of October next. 



LINN/EAN SOCIETY. 



This society held their stated meeting on Satuiday, 

 August 31, 1878; President, Kcv. J. 8. Stahr, in the 

 chair. The attendance was small. Dues were paiii in 

 and the mijuites of jirevious meeting were approved. 



Donations to the Museum 

 were examined and I'ound to consist of shells, such 

 as bivalves, one of a Midiola jilicula, united to an 

 (htrca Viriiiiiianu, by rigid tufts of hlack-tilers from 

 whieli was growing the common "Rock-weed," Fu- 

 ens Nodoxus. In another the fibrous ligaments were 

 connected to a species of Algae, jicrhaps I'lealu/isima, 

 or "sea-cabbage." Another sectned like a minute 

 rush. This adhesion of st^a-wecds to shells it by no 

 means rare, but not the less curious ; no doubt the 

 animals spin their thread to the plants for anchorage 

 to hold il in [ilace, and it gets dislodged by the waves 

 with the plants attached, as is the case with the 

 Mi/tiliix ediilix, often found in clusters, the better to 

 resist the action of the waves. Clams and I'ectens 

 seem the most abundant. Also "mermaids purses," 

 the egg receptacles of the dor/shark, or dog-fish 

 musteliix canix, per .5. S. Rathvon taken on the beach 

 at Atlantic City. 



A species of lizard, " Tropedolepug undulaUix^^' 

 taken by Mr. S. S. Spencer below Ocean Beach, N. 

 J., in an old wreck lying on shore. Three varieties 

 of sun-lish, by Mr. Willig, from the Conestoga — 

 Poinotix I'ulgarix and J', ciilexbei. Also a shiinng, 

 smooth flat iish, called " Silver-fish," taken at Re- 

 lioboth Bay, State of Delaware. It isthe " Arijyrcus 

 Voi/icr,^^ and Itelongs to the family Seo?iibrUhe. This 

 is as thin as a pan-cake, and nearly as round, hence 

 differs mueh in form from the mackerel, but still 

 has the I'amily characteristics ; donated by Geo. F. 

 Rathvon. Bottle of Larv:p of the " Handmaid Moth," 

 (Uatana niinixlra) ; bottle of mixed insects, cap- 

 tured in New .Icrsey ; one bottle of sundry sorts cap- 

 tured on the banks of the Conestoga, on tlie 24th of 

 August. Leaves of the pitcher plant or, rather 

 Hunter's cup, Sarracenia purpurea, per Rev. Mr. 

 Pennybecker, of Elizabethtown, found in the Cone- 

 wago hills or springy places. 



A Singular Growth 

 of an apple tree, two branches interlocked or grown 

 together both from the main branch ; one descending 

 is tii'mly grown to and united to an ascending branch, 

 forming a bow of a continuous piece about four feet 

 in length, and four inches apart, per Mr. Henry Eck- 

 ert. A mineral called the "Amazon stone" of Pike's 

 Peak, Col., (orthoclose) S. S. R. per Dr. Foote, of 

 Philadelphia. "Mushroom coral," Fnngia, and a 

 brown colored specimen of rock-salt, box of fossil 

 crinoids from Bloomtield, Perry county. Pa., per 

 Mrs. McBride. A remarkable fungus, Geostcr htj- 

 f/rometrieux, like a pufl'-ball on a star-shaped flat- 

 spreading base of thick cartilaginous pointed lobes ; 

 per Wm. B. Fahnestock, M. D., found common in 

 South Carolina. The president stated that Mrs.Ker- 

 foot had offered to donate a collection of minerals be- 

 hjnging to Dr. Kerfoot. A vote of thanks was passed 

 for her offer, which is gratefully accepted. 

 Books and Papers, Literary and Historical. 



Two volumncs K. K. & Q. Penn Geological Sur- 

 vey. Report Penn Fire and Marine Insurance, 1877, 

 from .Mr. Steinmetz. Report Superintendent of Pub- 

 lic Inst(,uction, 1877, Prof. B.F. Shaub; Catalogue 

 of Shells, Ac., per A. E. Foot; Lancaster Fakmeu 

 lor August, 1878, and sundry circulars and book cat- 

 alogues — 3 envelopes containing 31 clippings. A 

 pamphlet containing the sermon preached by Joseph 

 Hutchins, D. D., on the opening of Franklin college, 

 July 17, 17h7, in the Lutheran charchof the borough 

 of Lancaster, Pa., preceded by an address to the 

 Germans and their descendants of said borough. 

 Also tax lists or duplicates — Mount Joy township, 

 1782, Lancaster borough, 1779, Manheim township, 

 1771, and the returns from Lebanon county tor 17.5S, 

 [icr David .McN. Stautl'cr ; a lac simile of the New 

 England Chronicle Ibr November 30, 177.5; i>er C. A. 

 Ileinitsh. 



Papers Read. 



S. S. Rathvon, a descriptive catalogue of the dona- 

 tions, No. .5(10. Mrs. Zell read extractsof a botanical 

 work by R. Bradly, Professor at Cambridge Uuivar- 

 sity,1727, to show tlie advance of the science, No. 501. 

 Miscellaneous. 



Rev. Dr. Burnham was proposed and unanimously 

 elected a corresponding member. 



The chairman of the committee on removal report- 

 ed that the billsof lumber, glass, i)aint and carpenter 

 work on the extension and addition of cases and other 

 incidental expenses amounted to §233.(1.5. Scmie is 

 yet to collect, which, when paid in, will nearly liqui- 

 date the- same. 



On motion, a eonimittee was appointed to label 

 the various subjects in the museum. The president 

 appointed the Ibllowing members : S. S. Rathvon, J. 

 Stautfer, J. B. Kcvinski, Rev. Mr. Dubbs, Dr. Baker, 

 W. L. Gill ; and by acclamation the president. Rev. 

 J. S. Stahr, was added. The labeling to be attended 

 to as soon as possible, to put the museum in condi- 

 tion for the public. 



After some comments and interchange of views on 

 the various topics of seientiflc miscellany, the meet- 

 ing adjourned to Saturday, September 28, 1878, 



AGRICULTURAL. 



The Pennsylvania Crops. 

 Thomas J. Edge, Secretary Pi'nnsylvania Board of 

 Agriculture, makes the following report for tho 

 month of July. From the average July returns of 

 300 olllcial rcjiorts of this board, it would seem that 

 our crops for 187K may be estimated as follows, an 

 average crop being rated at 100 : 



The average of each crop, as compared with that 

 of the same crop of 1S77, the latter taken at 100, is 

 as follows : 



Wheat, 

 Rye, - 

 Barley, 

 Oats, - 



117 



107 



95 



103 



Hay, - 



Corn, 



Potatoes, 



98 

 111 



100 



The average crop of 1878, as compared with tho 

 average of the past ten years, is as follows : 

 Wheat, - - - 117 Hay, - - . 110 

 Rye, - - - KHiCorn, - - - 110 



Barley, - - - 104 Potatoes, - - 109 

 Oats, - - - 107l 



The average wheat crop of the State being about 

 1.5,7.50,000 bushels, we nia.y place that of 1878 at 

 18,760,00(1, with chanees in favor of a decrease to 

 1S,.500,0(IO under the flnal test of the half bushel. 

 The increased acreage, when compared with that of 

 the past ten years, is largely due to the fact that in 

 the oil and lumber eoiiiilics the Btagiiatinn of busi- 

 ness has Ibreed men into agricultural pursuits. Thus, 

 in comparison with the jiast ten years, Warren re- 

 ports double the area in with wheat ; Potter reports 

 two and one-half the average area of the past ten 

 years, and Cameron one and three-quarter times. 



Seeding for Pasture. 



New pastures may be produced most speedily by 

 preparing the ground as early as practicable in 

 spring (by ploughing, harrowing, etc.,) so as to give 

 a fine, smooth, mellow surface to the soil, and then 

 sow the grass seed aloni^, or without the intervention 

 of any grain crop. If the soil is rich, ami the grass 

 gets an early start, it will make a go(.d growth early 

 in summer but it may not be advisable to turn in 

 animals on the young jilants before mid-summer, and 

 then only when the ground is hard and dry. Clover 

 and timothy may be sown together, or clover iind 

 orchard grass, except in such localities as orchard 

 grass does not succeed well in. This grass must be 

 kept grazed rather short or it will become hard and 

 unpalatable, and is objected to on this account by 

 some good I'armers who wish to allow their pastures 

 to m.ake a licavy growth. If it is intended to allow 

 the pasture to remain several years, and the soil is 

 rich with a good deal of vegetable matter, a portion 

 of Kentucky blue grass may be mixed with the 

 grass seed. In order to secure a good dense pasture, 

 sow three or four times as much seed as is done in 

 common practice. 



British Exports to the United States. 



A statement showing the exports of tlK- jirineipal 

 articles of British and Irish i)roduets and manufac- 

 tures from the United Kingdom to the I'liited States 

 for the seven months ending July 31, ls78, as com- 

 pared with the corresponding period of 1877, has 

 been prepared at the Bureau of Statistics. The de- 

 crease in some of the articles is quite noticeable as 

 favorable to the industries of this country. For in- 

 stance, cotton piece goods liave decreased from 42,- 

 25<l,(100 to 25,8.;^, 000 yards, or nearly 39 percent.; 

 linen piece goods from h3,309,000 to 4.5,910,0(10 yards, 

 or 13J^ per cent.; silk broadslufls from 10 ',4.84 to 

 135,794 yards, or 34'.; percent. A favorable in- 

 crease is in the number of empty grain bags sent 

 hither this year, which number 447,000, against 

 248,000 tor the same lime last year, iniiieatiiig an 

 increased movement of srrain outward. Wtirstcd 

 stuffs have increased slightly, while the ipianlity of 

 wool sent has decreased from 958,281 to 280,078 

 pounds, equal to 70 per cent. 



Agricultural Products of England and France. 

 The agricultural returns of Great Britain show a 

 small increase in wheat and barley and a decrease in 

 oats. The acreage of wheat has increased .50,000. 

 Estimating Ireland at a slight increase, the total 

 acreage of wheat in the riilted Kingdom is 3,400,000. 

 The new crop is fully up to the average, and better 

 than for some years. It will yield 11, .500, 000 quar- 

 ters, leaving 13,0;)0,000 quarters to be drawn from 

 abroad. The French wheat crop is believed to be 

 below the average, and the French will be buyers 

 instead of sellc^rs. The present jiriees will probably 

 be maintained, or, perhaps, be sliglitly Increased, 

 but there will lie no scarcity. The potato crop will 

 be aliout the same as last year. Young cattle have 

 increased 4O,.50O and lambs 263,000. 



