12 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[ January, 



Minnicli, Spring Grove; Colin Cameron, Brickerville; 

 John F. Evans, Lltitz; William Siioenbercer, Lan- 

 caster; H. H. Tshudy, Lititz; Joshua H. Ilabbaker, 

 Spring Garden; F. R. Diffenderffer, Lancaster; J. 

 M. Johnston, Lancaster; John F. Reed, Lancaster, 

 were present. 



The meeting was organized by calling Rev. D. C. 

 Tobias to act as chairman, and John F. Reed to act 

 as secretary. 



The chairman stated the object was to form a 

 poultry society. An informal meeting was held at 

 Lititz some time ago, which resulted in the determi- 

 nation to call a meeting in this city. About all that 

 It is designed to do is to elect the proper officers and 

 committees, and to draft a set of by-laws. He 

 thought men should be selected who have heretofore 

 shown an interest in the subject. Men sometimes 

 are willing to accept such positions, but give little 

 attention to the matter afterwards. 



H. H. Tshudy approved the idea of having a com- 

 mittee on by-laws and a constitution, but he saw no 

 use in the other committee. Men who have the 

 organization at heart are the ones who should be 

 chosen. 



Colin Cameron said it was not a pleasant task to 

 get up and say that man was not acceptable ; if two 

 "sets of officers were proposed there would be a choice 

 to select from. 



11. H. Tshudy, of Lititz, remarked this was a pre- 

 liminary meeting towards effecting a permanent 

 organization. Perhaps we ought not to elect officers 

 to-day. It might be left to a"committee. He asked 

 for an expression of opinion. 



Chas. E. Long agreed with Mr. Tshudy. He 



favored a committee of five to select and propose 



permanent officers for the government of the society. 



Colin Cameron thought several committees should 



be appointed ; one to name officers. 



Chas. E. Long thought that the two committees 

 would give us more suitable officers. The two com- 

 mittees could not fail to propose acceptable men. 



Colin Camergn proposed that two committees of 

 three persons each be appointed to propose the names 

 of permanent officers, and one of three to propose 

 by-laws. Carried. 



VV. J. Katfroth suggested the committee meets 

 to-day a week to attend to the duties assigned to 

 them. 



Chas. E. Long concurred in the last suggestion. 

 The chairman thought the time should be ex- 

 tended to a later period on account of the holidays. 



Mr. Tshudy favored the views of the chairman. 



The present is a very busy time for almost every one. 



Colin Cameron suggested a permanent meeting 



day be fixed, and tlie first Monday in every month 



be the time. 



Charles E. Long moved the second Monday in 

 January be appointed as the regular meeting day. 



Colin Cameron offered an amendment to Mr. Long's 

 motion, that the society meets on the first Monday 

 of each month at 10:30 a. m. Carried. 



Tlie chairman appointed the following committees: 

 Ou organization and by-laws, Charles E. Long, 

 Frank R. Diffenderffer and J. B. Lichty ; first com- 

 mittee on selection of officers, H. H. Tshudy, Colin 

 Cameron, Jacob A. Buch ; second committee on 

 selection of officers, William Schoenberger, J. M. 

 Johnston and John F. Reed. 



It was moved the next meeting be held at the 

 Cooper House, Lancaster. 

 A motion to adjourn was made and carried. 



January Meeting. 

 The adjourned meeting of the proposed Poultry 

 Association of Lancaster County was held on Mon- 

 day morning, January 6th, at the Cooper House, 

 Rev. D. C. Tobias in the chair. The role was called 

 and the following members were present : 



Tobias D. Martin, New Haven ; Frank B. Buch, 

 Litiz; Rev. D. C. Tobias, Litiz ; J. N. Buch, Litiz ; 

 G. A. Geper, Spring Garden ; Charles E. Long, Lan- 

 caster ; Colin Cameron, Brickcrville ; Wm. Schoen- 

 berger, city ; 11. H. Tshudy, Litiz ; F. R. Diffenderf- 

 fer, city ; J. F. Reed, city; Clair Carpenter, city ; J. 

 B. Lichty, city ; W. J. Kafroth, West Earl ; M. D. 

 Keudig, Manor; Jos. F. Witmer, Paradise. 



The minutes were then read and adopted. The 

 following new names were then proposed for mem- 

 bership; John C. Barnes, city; Charles Lippold, city; 

 O. F. Heubener, Litiz ; Frank Howell, city; M. K. 

 Brubakar, Laudisville ; David Brosey, Manheim ; R. 

 T. Robinson, city; Amos Ringwalt, city; A. H. 

 Shreiner, Manheim ; Milton Ruth, city ; Martin L. 

 Grider, Mount Joy ; J. H. Miller, Spring Garden; 

 Samuel E. Stauffer, Adamstown; J. A. Stober, Schoe- 

 ueck ; John E. Schum, city. 



Chas. E. Long, Chairman of the Committee to 

 prepare a Constitution and By-Laws, then read the 

 rules drawn up by the committee, and recommended 

 them to the society for their adoption. 



On motion of H. H. Tshudy, the report was 

 received.. 



On motion, the constitution and by-laws were then 

 read separately, by sections, for adoption by the 

 society. These are of the usual character that govern 

 similar societies, and are therefore not reproduced 

 here. 



Tlie two committees on nominations of officers re- 

 ported two sets of names for officers of the society, 



after which the following compromise ticket was 

 oiTered : 



For President, Rev. D. C. Tobias, Litiz ; First Vice 

 President, G. A. Geyer, Spring Garden ; Second Vice 

 President, W. J. Kafroth, West Eari ; Recording Sec- 

 retary, J. B. Lichty, city ; Corresponding Sec'y, Colin 

 Cameron, Brickcrville ; Treasurer, T. Frank Evans, 

 Litiz; Executive Committee, II. H. Tshudy, Litiz; 

 Chas. E. Long, Lancaster ; T. D. Martin, New 

 Haven; Jacob Miller, Spring Garden; and A. H. 

 Shriner, Manheim, who were then elected by accla- 

 mation as the officers of the society for the present 

 year. 



On motion the members then came forward and 

 paid their initiation fee of $1 each. 



On motion of Chas. E. Long, the recording secre- 

 tary was authorized and instructed to have postal 

 cards printed and distributed, requesting parties to 

 join the society. Agreed to. 



On motion, the society then visited the rooms of 

 the Agricultural Society, and after inspecting them 

 accepted the terms offered by the latter organization 

 for holding the regular monthly meetings there, at a 

 cost of seventy-five cents per month. 



There being no further business the society then 

 adjourned. 



LINN/EAN SOCIETY. 



The society met on Saturday afternoon, December 

 J8th. The donations to the museum were quite ex- 

 tensive and interesting. They consisted, 1st, of a 

 fine well-mounted setter dog, of large size, from Mr. 

 George Flick, taxidermist, of this city ; 2d, a female 

 specimen of the opossum (Didelphis Virgihiana), 

 captured near Quarryville and donated by Mr. R. C. 

 Edwards, also well mounted by Mr. Flick for the 

 society; .3rd, a beautiful specimen of the goldfinch, 

 or as the Germans calls it, "Thistle Finch," Fi'in- 

 piUa carduella, presented by Mr. Charles Lippold, 

 bird fancier, of this city ; 4th, two specimens of the 

 golden carp, (Cyprinus Auratus,) that had died for 

 want of oxygen in too small an aquarium, per Mrs. 

 Rathvon ; several species of Salamanders, Plethodon 

 (salamandra) enjthronota, and Plethodon glulinosus, 

 from Rapho township, on the farm of Mr. Washing- 

 ton L. Hershey, found under stones, &c., per Dr. 

 Rathvon ; a bottle containing four snakes and a 

 species of "Salamanders," (genus, Amblstoina,) per 

 Mr. S. Landis, received by him about ten years ago, 

 said to have been captured in South America. The 

 chairman on Herpetology and Ichthyology, -Mr. J. 

 Staufi'er, reports that one differs but little from our 

 native species, the ring-necked snake, (Diadop/dx 

 punctata) ; another agrees with our well-known 

 species, Storeria Dkaii, a small reddish-brown snake, 

 having several series of small round dorsal spots ; 

 the other two snakes in the bottle are of the same 

 species, and are not found in Pennsylvania, and may 

 prove to be true Lamprosoma Occipitalc of Dr. Hal- 

 lowell, and the species figured and so named in the 

 United Stales and Mexico railroad report should be 

 called Lamprosoma Annulatmn. Mr. S. has written 

 to Professor Baird, of the Smithsonian Institution, 

 for correction or confirmation of his views, giving a 

 drawing of the reptile and form, &c., of the cepha- 

 letic plates, scales, &c. A large circular leaf, fully 

 twenty-two inches in diameter, of the Nelumbiuiii 

 (the Ceylonese name is jVfiMnifto). The iV. luteum, 

 or "water chinquepin," is related to "Lotus, or 

 Sacred Bean of India," very closely. This leaf was 

 donated by S. T. Davis, M.D., of this city, who re- 

 ceived it among roots, seed-pods, &c., sent to him 

 from the West to associate with his water lilies 

 growing so finely in a pond in his yard on Prince 

 street. The leaf was pasted on stifi' paper by Mr. 

 Stauffer, it being rather dry to handle and too large 

 for the herbarium. A bunch of "scouring rush"— 

 EiptUetum hi/emale— per S. S. Rathvon. 



Mr. W. P. Bolton had a plant of the composite 

 family, desiring to have its name. It is the Cacatia 

 Articulata, also called "Candle Cactus," from the 

 Cape of Good Hope, in 1775; considered a green- 

 house evergreen. 



Mr. F. W. Beates, of Londonderry twp., Dauphin CO., 

 donated forty arrow-heads and spear-heads found on 

 hia farm during the last year, turned up by the plow. 

 This afl'ords food for reflection upon the past. Mr. 

 Henry Becbtold, of this city, donated a fine large 

 specimen of dark-brown mnber, from Mifflin county. 

 Pa.; on trial it proved to be equal to the best in the 

 market. Mr. Washington L. Hershey donated three 

 specimens of that peculiar "algea floreseeut" mark- 

 ings, known as the Dctidritic limestone, from a 

 quarry on his farm. 



Historical Relics. 

 Mr. David M. Stauffer donated eleven specimens, 

 mostly historical or war relies : No. 1, an old-fash- 

 ioned cartridge box, full of fragments of missies, 

 collected on the battle field of Antietam, im.i, and 

 four others from Harper's Ferry ; No. 2, portion of 

 brass rack from the rebel iron-clad Tennessee, Mobile, 

 1865 ; No. 3, shell fragments, with those of No. 1 ; 

 No. 4, a portion of a thick cotton rope from the 

 rebel ram Manassas, destroyed in the attack on New 

 Orleans ; No. 6, a portion of a chandelier from the 

 burnt State house. Baton Rouge, La., 1863; No. 7, 

 an old fashioned bayonet scabbard, from Antietam 



battle field ; No. 8, a sugar planter's knife, used as a . 

 cutlass on the Rebel ram "Missouri," Red river, 1864; 

 No. 9, the veritable Whitworth steel missle, fired 

 into the United States iron-clad "Essex," Bayou 

 Sera, Louisiana, 1864; No. 10, a United States Navy 

 shaving box. No. 5, a cutlass holder, made out of 

 very thick cotton dritling, used by the rebel seaman. 

 No. 6 marks an old city lard-lamp for two ificks 

 among the deposit. 



Additions to the Library. 

 Part II. April and September, 1S7S, of the Pro- 

 ceedings of the Academy oi Natural Science, Phila- 

 delphia ; copy of The Lancastuu Fakmer for De- 

 cember,1878; quite a number of catalogues of scien- 

 tific and miscellaneous books and papers published. 

 On motion of Mrs. Zell, Miss M. Gill, of this city, 

 was elected a correspondent. 



Papers Read. 

 Dr. S. S. Rathvon read a descriptive memorandum 

 (No. 506) of many of the things deposited, and also 

 notes on his visit to Mr. W. L. Hershey, who occupies 

 the farm on which the doctor spent seven months, 

 fifty years ago, in bis boyhood, of course. He notes 

 the changes, as also some portions highly interesting 

 to the liotanist, having been invited to make a birth- 

 day visit December 1.5, 1878, to Mr. Hershey. It was 

 there the doctor collected the scouring rush, and he 

 enumerates the ferns, &c., found on a hillside at this 

 late season— many things new to him in the botani- 

 cal line ; the paper in reading vividly brought to 

 recollection the finding of rare plants, new to the 

 writer, (then twenty years or more ago,) in that 

 same locality, while resident of Mt. Joy, and never 

 since met with in other localities. 



J. Stauffer read an illustrated paper (No. 507) on 

 the bottle af Reptilia, deposited and donated by Mr. 

 Geori-e S. Lanlis. Tlie Curators' Report for 1878 

 was then read (No. 508) by Dr. Rathvon. The do- 

 nations to the museum during the year may be 

 briefly stated thus : Three mammals, seven birds, 

 two bird's nests and five eggs, seventeen fishes, ten 

 reptiles, six crustaceans, twenty shells, nineteen 

 fossils, and of various kinds of insects, 500 speci- 

 mens ; SiO minerals, fifteen coins, eighteen historical 

 relics, ten old documents, thirty-two old maps, 4-20 

 historical clippings, fifteen volumes of books, thirty- 

 eight pamphlets, besides a large number of cata- 

 logues, circulars and papers; seventeen original 

 papers read. Few as the active members are in 

 number, they work under all the drawbacks and 

 feel thankful for the many things sent to them. 

 Mr. J. Staufter read a letter in reply to one of inquiry 

 respecting the fish donated by Mr. Sheetz, of Safe 

 Harbor, and which Mr. S. reported as the Amia 

 Calva at a former meeting. Tarlton II. Bean, M. D., 

 now associated with Prof. S. F. Baird, of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, Washington, D. C, says in the 

 letter referred to : " From the drawing sent there is no 

 doubt about the identification of the species, inas- 

 much as LinniEus name of Calva carries in its train 

 twelve synonyms," (these are enumerated,) and he 

 concludes, "that no satisfactory account of its coast 

 rant'e further north on the Atlantic was known than 

 the rivers in the Carolinas." This establishes its 

 northern extent to the Susquehanna river, and is 

 therefore of interest. This shows how men who are 

 not scientific can place into the hands of those who 

 are much valuable information appreciated by the 

 lovers of science and research, and is desirable that 

 they be encouraged in so doing. 



Report on Stock Subscriptions. 

 The report of the Treasurer was read, and although 

 the dues paid in amounted only to $34.14, with the 

 old balance of $10.64, the current expenses were all 

 paid, leaving a balance of ?9.44. But the heavy 

 extra expense of ?3i3.65 was incurred, and stock 

 sold to the amount of §206, leaving the association 

 in debt $18.21. Considering the amount of addi- 

 tional cases added to those removed from the Athe- 

 nfeum, the society has no cause of complaint, and 

 looks hopefully forward to an increase of members 

 and means. 



Election of Officers. 

 This being the day of election, and no ambitious 

 aspirants laying claim to rotation in office, a motion 

 was made and seconded that the old board be re- 

 elected. The only change made was that of Assist- 

 ant Recording Secretary. The ballot being cast, re- 

 sulted in the election of Rev. J. Stahr, President; 

 Rev. J. H. Dubbs and Prof. J. R. Baker, Vice Presi- 

 dents ; J. Stauffer, Recording Secretary; W. P. 

 Bolton, Assistant Recording Secretary; Rev. D. 

 Geissinger, Corresponding Secretary ; Dr. S. S. 

 Rathvon, Treasurer; Mrs. L. A. Zell, Librarian; 

 Messrs. C. A. Heinitsh, S. S. Rathvon and W. P. 

 Bolton, Curators. After some scientific miscellany 

 and propositions discussed, the society adjourned, 

 well pleased with the session held in the well-warmed 

 second floor of the Library rooms of the Y. M. C. A. 



Felling TnEES.-Mr. Gladstone, the distinguished 

 statesman, as our own Horace Greely was, is fond of 

 the axe. He has been giving a correspondent some 

 leaves from his note-book . He considers Yew the most 

 dlflicult tree to fell; next come Beech and Ash; Oak, 

 though very hard, fells well ; but the easiestof all is 

 Spanish C\\eiin\A.— Gardeners' Monthly. 



