22 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[ February, 



"and after fruiting are cut away altogetlier. By 

 this method we retain the best eyes for fruit- 

 ing, and at the same time secure well de- 

 veloped canes from the lower eyes by their 

 being trained upright. These are left to bear 

 some fruit, but as the bunches are usually in- 

 ferior to those from sound eyes, the thinning 

 out is done on these. By this course of train- 

 ing the fruiting wood can be kept low, the 

 same as by cutting to single eyes. 



It is well known that the tendency of growth 

 of vines is upward, and if not controlled by 

 pruning and pinching, where they have a 

 place to run up, the linest fruit will be near 

 the top. This has led, or rather misled mauy 

 to trim their vines high, but we must not for- 

 get that by this method they will be father 

 from the base of the vine each year, and 

 eventually be out of reach. The only method 

 by which vines can be kept to grow their crops 

 imiform, is to have their bearing eyes on a level , 

 as by the horizontal arm system, wlietherarms 

 are one or twenty feet ;from the ground. By 

 the following method the old arras can be re- 

 placed by new ones without losing a crop. 



Select early in the season two strong shoots 

 near the centre of the vine, and train them on 

 stakes as directed for second year, and keep 

 all the rest of the vine pinched back during 

 the summer, and, unless the vine is vigorous, 

 allow it to bear only a moderate or short 

 crop, which will cause the two canes at the 

 centre to make the stronger growth, so that 

 after fruiting the old ariiis can be cut away, 

 and the new canes tied to their place, and 

 managed as directed for third season. Thus 

 the vines can be renewed whenever necessary, 

 and with proper care may continue in bearing 

 indefmitely. 



I do not claim anything original in the 

 above method of trellising, which has been so 

 fully described by A. S. Fuller and others, 

 but what I do claim that is not found in the 

 books, is the cutting to two eyes for fruiting, 

 or if the second is not well developed, leave 

 the third and cut out the second, instead of 

 the first. Tills method invariably secures 

 better bearing wood and consequently finer 

 fruit. There are other methods Ijy which 

 grapes may be successfully grown, as on trel- 

 lises of three or four horizontal wires ; upon 

 these vines are commonly trained on the long 

 cane system, by which the best bearing eyes 

 are alwaj's secured, but, as above referred to, 

 the canes on the upper wire produce the best 

 fruit at the expense of 'those on the lower wire. 

 The renewal is also more difficult than upon 

 the horizontal arm system. In extensive vine- 

 yard culture stakes are generally resorted to, 

 being least expensive. Various methods of 

 training to stakes are also described, )3ut this 

 paper will not admit of details. 



One other method, however, is extensively 

 practiced, and backed up strongly by the 

 arguments, that nature does no pruning, and 

 therefore it is best not to prune at all, or very 

 little at most. This sounds very plausible, 

 but neither does nature plant her vines by 

 cuttings, and as we depart from nature at the 

 outset, there is no sound reason to go back 

 and ask her to finish the job which we have 

 begun in opposition to her system. 



We will admit that very fine grapes are 

 oftinies found on vines growing upon trees, 

 etc., left to their own way. I have seen such 

 and thought at one time it was the true 

 method for growing grapes ; but a few years 

 of observation dissipated all my faith in that 

 direction. I have settled down to the belief 

 in close pruning and systematic training for 

 all vines (ex(-ept the most rampan'j growers) 

 as tlie most reliable. As Mr. Fuller has well 

 said, the finest grapes, after all, are produced 

 uiion closely pruned and properly trained vines. 



Contributions. 



Liquid Manuke.— The liquid yieldings of 

 animals are worth more— good autliorities say 

 one-sixth more— pound for pound, tlian the 

 sohd excrements, and arc saved with greater 

 care by the best European farmers and garden- 

 ers. All the leaks in the stable are not in the 

 roof ; those often in the tloor are quite as objec- 

 tionable, and are cause of a great deal of waste. 



For The Lancastek Tarmek. 

 CATTLE OF LANCASTER COUNTY, OR 

 EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA. 



It is presumable that it is not known xwtii- 

 iivehj from what country cattle were first 

 shipped to America. Undoubtedly the first 

 settlers in New England brought their cattle 

 from Old England. It is also presumable that 

 their stock then was not as thoroughbred in 

 the same country as it is now ; and if it had 

 been they might have hesitated to ship the 

 best to a heathen land. Undoubtedly the 

 Dutch brought the first cattle to New York, 

 and the Quakers and Swedes the first to Penn- 

 sylvania. The first effort made to improve 

 stock in this country was in the vicinity of 

 Albany and New York cities, and perhaps 

 also in the vicinity of Philadelphia. During 

 the last century the wholesale merchants of 

 those cities, who possessed couiUiy residences, 

 began to improve their lands and farm stock, 

 as well as their farm dwellings. lu the first 

 place, I believe in good stock, and that the 

 highest state of improvement has only been 

 reached at great expense by some of the best 

 herdsmen of Europe, and this, too, many 

 years ago. While Lancaster county may be 

 said to stand at the head of agriculture, it 

 must be confessed that she is far behind other 

 countries in stock raising. It is Init fair to 

 infer that, with a little care and expense, we 

 might become as famous in cattle raising as 

 we have been in Conestoga horses. I believe 

 there is a great difference in the various breeds 

 of cattle to which we now have access, but 

 the best breeds have always been secured by 

 careful breeding from the best selections, both 

 of males and females. I have a good recollec- 

 tion of our Lancaster county breeds of cattle 

 for the last fifty years. They were always bet- 

 ter than the Maryland cattle, or those from 

 Western Pennsylvania. Fifty years ago I 

 used to visit a neighbor who had a large hay- 

 mow filled with soft meadow hay. Well do I 

 rememljcr rollicking in the soft, sweet-scented 

 meadow hay ; and also his beautiful herd of 

 black cattle, with their belts of snowy white, 

 their fine forms and large size, some of which 

 could have been made to weigh almost equal 

 to the Durhams at the present time. Might 

 they not have been sired from the Swiss or 

 the Holstein ? I feel sure, with proper care 

 in selection, always cliosiug the best blood, 

 that the county of Lancaster might produce 

 some of the best stock in the Union— fully as 

 good as any of our Alderneys, Devons, or 

 Durhams. A cattle fancier one time indidg- 

 ing in extravagant praises of tlie Ilolstefii 

 cattle, and what he could make of tliom, was 

 reminded that when a shephenl in Ilolstein 

 loses his crook in the meadow in tlie evening 

 he would find it in the morning grown over 

 with grass. This was to illustrate that you 

 might easily enough secure a good breed of 

 cattle, but good pasture could not be trans- 

 ferred with them. That matter must be pro- 

 vided by the purchaser. 



The reason our farmers pay so little atten- 

 tion to good stock is because they say "it 

 won't pay " to raise good stock, and anything 

 will do for a milk cow ; and any kind of calf 

 will do for the butchers' shambles. Neverthe- 

 less, a heavy cow would bring more money in 

 market, and would give as muoli or more inilk 

 than a small or light one. In 1843 a farmer, 

 in Upper Leacock township, had a home- 

 raised steer, from ordinary stock, that would 

 have made one of the heaviest steers ever 

 raised in Lancaster county, but it fell on the 

 ice, when it weighed nearly o,000 [lounds, and 

 had to be slaughtered prematurely. The Dur- 

 ham roans were first introduced into this 

 county by Mr. Jackson, who lived on Webb's 

 farm, near " AVitmer's Bridge," forty-five or 

 fifty yearsago. Frederick Hambright,wholived 

 north of Lancaster, procured some of Jack- 

 son's stock and raised a beautiful herd of roan 

 cows, but he was also a man that gave good 

 attention to his stock— everything relating to 

 them was done in the best manner, and he 



had always ready sale for them and got the 

 best prices — higher than his neighbors. From 

 that period forward there was more interest 

 taken in the improvement in the Lancaster 

 than there had ever been before. I beg leave 

 to repeat again, that although there is a differ- 

 ence — and a great dift'erence, too— in the 

 breeds of cattle, yet there is a great difl'erence 

 in our caring for them. The old saying still 

 holds good : "Well attended is half fed."— i. 

 S. Ji., Orcf/on, February, 1879. 



[Those people who allege that it will not 

 pay to raise good cattle may say the truth, 

 looking at the matter from their own indi- 

 vidual standpoint. It may not pay at the out- 

 set, for the reason .that it costs too high a 

 figure for the first subjects. It is, perhaps, 

 like a new kind of potatoes, wheat, corn, 

 pigs or poultry. But as the feed and labor 

 costs about the same, it would seem that a 

 good breed could be raised as easy as a bad one, 

 with better prospects of the future pay.] — Ed. 



FOR The Lancaster Farmer. 

 TEXAS CATTLE. 



Letter of General Samuel Houston, Describ- 

 ing Texas Cattle. 

 Galveston, Texas, Dec. 1, 1845. 

 "Doubtless no country on earth possesses 

 equal advantages with Texas as a stock 

 raising community. Stock here require no 

 feeding, either in summer or winter, and cost 

 no trouble nor expense, saving in marking and 

 branding. Stabling and salting are not ne- 

 cessary, as the saline licks are in every part of 

 the country, so that in fact, fattening cattle 

 does not cost a farmer anytliing. Our prai- 

 ries are clothed with the most nutritious 

 grasses, sufficient for countless herds. The 

 presence of blooded stock is especially wel- 

 come to me at this time, and I expect to cross 

 it with our Texas stock with good results. 

 The introduction of blooded stock, such as 

 Durhams. and better horses, I am satisfied, 

 would not result in more than one failure in 

 twenty experiments. The presuit stock of 

 cattle in Te;:as is a nrixture of Mexican and 

 cattle from the United States. They each 

 show a distinctness of character. The Mexi- 

 can, or Spani.sh, are not so heavy nor so com- 

 pact in build as those from the States, but 

 they are taller and more active, nor do they 

 weigh as well in proportion to appearance 

 wheii slaughtered as the American cattle. 

 They are more active than our cattle, with re- 

 markably long aud slim horns. The cows are 

 not such good milkers as ours. A cross of 

 the breed would be an improvement. When 

 the first colonists, under Stephen F. Austin, 

 arrived in Texas, they found herds of wild 

 cattle on the Brazos and its tributary streams. 

 There was no tradition of their origin, nor 

 has anything satisfactory on the subject yet 

 been aM/ci-lained. They have recededjas the 

 settlfinnits advanced, and are now above the 

 fiills of t lie IJniy.os and Little river. They are 

 of the brindle or reddish color, and are more 

 wild and dangerous when wounded than the 

 bufEalo. The males have occasionally attached 

 themselves to herds of tame cattle, and Iiave 

 become very gentle. Calves have been caught 

 and reared by settlers. The cross is said to 

 be an iiniirovement upon our common stock. 

 The males arc sometimes as heavy as our 

 Duiiiaiu half-breeds, and make excellent 

 working oxen. For years I have had a desire 

 to mix the pure Durham with the pure Texas. 

 Should I be fortunate in my efforts, I shall be 

 happy to assure you of tlie remits.— Samuel 

 Houston. 



It is thirty-four years since the above letter 

 was written", and Texas is still looked upon as 

 the great source from which tlie bulk of com- 

 merce in cattle is derived. This especially is 

 the case in reference to the immense number 

 of those that are slaughtered is concerned. 

 An almost constant stream of cattle for several 

 months in the year, are driven up from Texas 

 to the cattle depots in Kansas, Nebraska, 

 Colorado, :Missouri, Iowa and other Western 

 States ; from whence they are sold and dis- 

 tributed farther eastward, and when fattened 



