1879.] 



The Tobacco Crop 

 of 1878 lias been secured under exceptionally 

 auspicious condilions of weather, the liriglit 

 days of S(>|itc>iiil)or favorins tlic icrowlli, while 

 the unusual (l.'l;iv cif seven' I'rn-i cnalileil tiie 

 plant to nuilnre tlioroMiihlv Ixlnre the knife 

 is applied. Of llie UviH'. I'nHlueiuu' States, 

 A'irsinia, Maryland, Conneetieut and .Mas.<;i- 

 cluiselts report an improvement in iiualitv. 

 Twelve Slates, repre.'^entin}; the bulk of the 

 total production of the eoimliw re|iiiil the 

 production compared with I i '. r I..1- 

 lows : Kentucky, GO ; Virgim:! , \li mri, 

 r>0 ; Tennessee, 53 ; Ohio, '.'n : M i \ lini, s) ; 

 Indiana, 83 ; North Carolina, s'.i; I'ennsyl- 

 vania, 80 ; Illinois, fiO ; Connecticut, 8(5 ; 

 Massachusetts, 9."). The conditions of 

 Fruit Growth 



during 1878 were <piite unfavorable. The 

 prape product of the Atlantic slope and Missis- 

 sippi Valley was very nineh reduced. Califor- 

 nia, however, reports a i;i-e;i(ly increased yield. 

 The apple crop shows an increased vield'in all 

 of the Xew Enqtle.nd Slates, Xi'W York, 

 Texas and the Paeilic States. In all other 

 States it shows a falling olf, Missouri report- 

 ing less than half of last year's crop. 



AMMONIA IN THE AIR. 



Dr. 1{. Anqrus Smith, who has done so much 

 for the chemistry of the air, lately read before 

 the Manchester Literary and Philosophical 

 Society a paper on the distribution of am- 

 monia, in which he describes the simplest 

 method yet proposed for determining the 

 amount of ammonia in the air. And, since 

 such ammonia may be taken as an index of 

 the amount of decayed mailer in any locality, 

 the hygienic inipurtanee of an ea.sy test for it 

 is not small. The availability of the proposed 

 test arises i'roni the circumstance that ammo- 

 nia is deposited from the air on every object 

 exposed thereto. " It you pick up a stone in 

 a city, and wash off the matter on its surface, 

 you will lin<l the matter to contain ammonia. 

 If you wash a eliair or a table or anything in 

 a room, you will lind ammonia in the wash- 

 ing. If you wash your hands you will fiud 

 the same, and your paper, your pen, your 

 tablecloth, and clothes all show ammonia, and 

 even the glass cover to an (UMiament has re- 

 tained some on its surface." In .short, am- 

 monia sticks to everytbiuL.', and can l)e readily 

 wa.shed off with pure water. Hence Dr. Smith 

 inferred that he might ~avc him-^rir nuicii of 

 the trouble he had been t ikiuLr in l;ilH,iious 

 washings of air to deleimine tlie iucmucc of 

 ammonia, and gain the desired end by testing 

 the superlicial deposits of ainnuinia wbicli 

 gathers on clean substances during ordinary 

 exposure. Accordingly be suspended sm.ail 

 glass flasks in various parts of his laboratory 

 and examined them daily, washing the outer 

 surfaces with pure water, and testing at once 

 for ammonia with the Xes.sler solution. Sub- 

 seipiently a great many observations were 

 made by" means of glasses exiio,sed to air in 

 door and out, where the air was foul. By 

 using glasses of definite size it was easy to 

 determine whetherammonia in the air was or 

 was not in e.xcess. In his laboratory experi- 

 ments in ammonia was observed when the 

 glasses had been exposed au hour and a half. 



Of the practical working of the test Dr. 

 Smith remarks that it musi not be forgotten 

 that the annnonia may be connected with or- 

 ganic matter ; and c(iiise<pieidly this mode of 

 inquiry is better suitid as a negative test to 

 show that ammonia is absent than to show 

 what is present. When ammonia is absent 

 wc may be sure that the air is not polluted 

 by decaying matter; when it is present 

 there is need of caution. Dr. Smith adds that 

 he hopes to make Ibis a ready popular test for 

 air, a test for sewer gasses, tor overcrowding, 

 for cleanliness of habitations, and even of fur- 

 niture, as well as for smoke and all the sources 

 of ammonia. Of course it must be used with 

 consideration and the conclusions must not be 

 drawn by an ignorant person. 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



27 



Our Local Organizations. 



Tlic Lancaster ('mimy Ai;rIciiUurul ami Horticul- 

 tural Society met en Mondiiy nfleriioon, February Uil, 

 in its room in llio C'ily Hall, and was called to order 

 by President t'o()])cr. The following members were 

 l)resent : Calvin Cooper, President, Hird-in-IIand ; 

 .Jos. V. Witnicr, Secretary, Paradise; Levi W. tirolf, 

 Treasurer, West Karl ; Dr. S. 8. Kathvoo, city ; 

 lleurv .M. Kngle, .Marietta; M. D. Kendlp, Manor ; 

 Levi S. Heist, Manljcini ; Peter S. Relst, LItiz; C. L. 

 Ilunseckcr, Manluitn ; W. H. Brosius, Drumoro; 

 ». Sineycli, city; C. M. IIoBtctter, Eden; Henry 

 Kurtz, Mount Joy; W. J. Kain-olli, West Earl; 1. 

 L. Laudis, Manheim ; Choc Ciir|Hiilor, city; .1. M. 

 Johnston, city; Casper llillor, CoucsloKa; Jacob 

 Bollinjicr, Manhcim ; Hcnrv llcrr, Wctl Henipfield ; 

 Geo. Mellvaino, ,S;ilisl>urv'; F.pli. 11. Hoover, Man- 

 hcim; F. K. Dillcndcrllor, cilv ; Jotinson Miller, 

 Warwick; S. H. Kslikni.in. Lcainan Place. 



Rev. J. Calder's Lecture on Agriculture. 



As announced by Henry M. Englc, at the last 

 meeting, Kev. James Calder, of the Pennsylvania 

 State College, situated at State College, Centre 

 county, was present and ready to deliver an address. 

 Tlie rules were suspended and he was invited to 

 begin his lecture, of which the following is a brief 

 sketch ; 



He used the word agriculture in a comprehensive 

 sense, embracing the farm, market garden, fruit 

 growing, horticulture and slocli growing. Agricul- 

 ture is a foundation industry and was man's first 

 labor. In every new country it is the first employ- 

 ment for man. Manufacturing nations depend on 

 agricultural ones, as England on America, India, etc. 

 Agriculture is the best employment in whieh to lay 

 the foundation of a substantial fortune, and In en- 

 larging on this point, the lecturer called special atten- 

 tion to the advantages of earning money instead of 

 inheriting it. When a boy earns a dollar by his own 

 labor he knows its cost and its worth. Give another 

 ten thousand dollars and unacquainted witli the 

 labor of earning it he spends it rapidly because he 

 knows not what it costs. Agriculture is peculiarly 

 free from risks. In many places our richest men 

 have all been overwhelmed. In the lumber tra''e, 

 the oil trade, everything is at a stuml-still. It is dif- 

 ferent with the farmer. He ton has iisl<s, but com- 

 pared with other profcssiuns liis risks are almost 

 nothing. 



His business is comparatively free from the tempta- 

 tions that assail nearly all others. All professions 

 have their chastisements ; tliey are for our own good, 

 but the trade of the farmer is comparatively exempt. 

 In Germany farmers live on small patches, and are 

 therefore brought together ofteuer than our farmers 

 are. Here our farmers own their lands, live on them 

 and are to some extent isolated, being thus not sub- 

 jected to so many temptations as other men. Farm- 

 ing brings men nearer their Maker. They see him 

 in the nature around them every hour, and are thus 

 brought into nearer communion with him. 

 Intensive Farming. ' 



Lancaster county farmers are peculiar. Their 

 farms are large but are well cultivated. In many 

 parts of the State men own large csiulcs, liumlrcds 

 of acres, but cultivate only a small iM.ni.ui. Tliey 

 skim and skim over it and do not iiiiicn.l luliivalion 

 in its higlier sense. Farmers ought le take no more 

 land than they can manage, but cultivate a little and 

 do it right. Countries that are densely populated 

 like China, have farms that are like our gardens. 

 Here a man may own 300 or HUO acres but he can 

 manage on by a small part of it. 



In Cliina, it is warmer than here, the climate being 

 about equal to that of Mobile. There they put wheat 

 in the ground in November and take it oil' in .March. 

 Then the rainy season conies, and they plant rice 

 which th -y cut in August. After the rice crop they 

 plant garden vegetables which are fully grown in 

 November, and are gathered In time to allow the 

 wheat to be planted. Thus they raise three crops in 

 one year. Of tourso the climate is warmer, and this 

 gives tbcm an advantage, bat a greater advantage is 

 their method of fertilization. They utilize every 

 scrap of manure procurable. Every animal that 

 dies, ashes and even then the night soil, which is 

 nearly all wasted in this country, is used, and the re- 

 sult is that the crops almost jump, tlicy grow so 

 rapidly. Their fertilization is of the most intensive 

 kind imaginable. There a man with a small piece of 

 ground can make money and plenty of it. 



Now, in this country we are too prodigal, too care- 

 less of the manure pile. In Minnesota he met a man 

 who tliought manure was a nuisance, and was glad 

 astiiaiii ran by his farm into which he could throw 

 it. He » ill learn his mistake soon enough and be 

 glad to utilize all the valuable manure he now 

 wastes. The intensive farmer is the man who cares 

 for every bit of fertilizer and uses it to advantage. 



Another advantage of intensive farming is that 

 farms become divided up into small sections and 

 thus more men are enabled to become freeholders 



and independent. What tends more to drive Inde- 

 pendence out of a man than to feel that his neighbor 

 is rich and will ri main so, while he will never be- 

 come independent I On the other hand, how is he 

 inspired if he feels that In ten years he can owji a 

 piece of ground. Now, the intensive system docs 

 this, and is therefore the best. In tlie South some 

 men owned whole counties, so to speak, while the 

 great m.ajority of the rest were mere mudsills. Wc 

 should endeavor to divide the ground up so that 

 every man could own properly. 



The Location of Farms— A Home Market. 



Experience has shown that It is belter for agricul- 

 ture to be near other interests : that It is belter for 

 the farmer to be near the manufacturer and the 

 common carrier near to railroads and canals, VVe 

 all know that the divine injuuclinn that It Is not 

 good for man to be alone, referred to his choosing a 

 male for life, but it applies equally In the all'airs of 

 business life. It is better for him to haVc other 

 business men near him. It is jKiBsihle for a man to 

 have a good farm, with everything on it necessary 

 for the use of the former ami yet to be unhappy. 

 Why? Because he is so far from his fellows that he 

 cannot have his products carried to them at a profit 

 to him. Years ago it was cheaper to burn corn In 

 the West than to transport the coal needed to make 

 fires. Just so with the farmer who is so unwise as 

 to think that he can farm with profit while the con- 

 sumer is lijOOO miles off in Europe. The heaviest por- 

 tion of the freight charges arc sure to fall upon the 

 producer. The nearer you bring the consumer and 

 the producer, tlic better for the latter. 



One advantage of this can easily be pointed out ; 

 a greater variety of crops can be raised. Wheat and 

 corn and potatoes can be kept for such a length of 

 time that they can be shipped for long distances. 

 But farmers make large protits from the growing of 

 strawberries, which are largely consumed. Now, if 

 a man lives a great distance' from the market the 

 culture of strawberries is not profitable. They are 

 ruined before he can get them to the market, and he 

 is shut out from these kinds of products. 



Another advantage from these products is the va- 

 riety of interest to the farmer's family. Suppose 

 one of his sons is peculiarly adapted to the care of 

 stock, and cares for no other branch of the farm. If 

 his father decides that no stock but what Is neces- 

 sary for farm use shall be raised his occupation is 

 gone. Another is adapted to the work of raising 

 fruit, but tliey are so far away from the market that 

 it is of no use to raise it. That boy has no work. 

 Don't put all your eggs In one basket. Don't raise 

 only one crop. 



Then, in growing for a home market, the farmer 

 better understands what is wanted than for a foreign 

 market. Suppose we try to raise here what is wanted 

 in Europe. We only know how to shape our actions 

 by the reports of newspapers, which are often false. 

 But at home we know exactly what is wanted and 

 can raise it witliout danger or loss. Then, how easy 

 it is to reach this market. We send our hands off in 

 a wairon, and in a few hours the sales are made and 

 the rcVcipls secure. 



Another important feature in producing for the 

 home market is, that it secures a greater variety of 

 fertilizers. If we send wheat to England what re- 

 turn do we get ? If we sell it at home we get a fer- 

 tilizer in return. 



Educated Farmers. 



Intelligence is necessary in farming. A great 

 many think that if there is any place for an unedu- 

 cated man it is on the farm. If any son is peculiarly 

 stupid, the father resolves to make him a farmer. 

 This is a mistake ; a slander. If any man intends to 

 be a farmer he should be Intelligent. He is the best 

 farmer who is best educated. Yet at the same time 

 wc must recognize the unwelcome truth that the 

 majority of farmers are not well educated. This i.s 

 easily explained in Ihs fact that farmers live out 

 from among their fellows, and consequently do not 

 have advantages of schooling. The most of the 

 country schools upon which the children of farmers 

 must depend for their education are poor ones. 

 Sometimes there are forty or fifty scholars and almost 

 as many classes with one teacher. Though that 

 teacher do the best she can, she cannot possibly 

 advance her pupils perceptibly lu the short term 

 allowed. And after four or five years of such school- 

 ing, the children are taken away. The farmer is not 

 to blame, it is rather a matter of sorrow. 



Now the farmer who has received an education, 

 and knows something about the rotation of crops. 



ments I Take the limo question, and the lecturer 

 told how an old farmer argueil for two days that 

 lime is a manure, but could not be made to under- 

 stand that it only prepared the plant food for the 

 plants. At length he was convinced by a simple 

 Illustration. He was shown a stove, and foo<I. If 

 he was hungry he could cat the food after it had 

 been cooked, but he could not eat the stove or the 

 raw food. 



Instruction can be gained by the perusal of agri- 

 cultural papers, by close attention to discussions at 

 meetings like this, and the farmer will be able to 



