34 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[March, 



The very fact that the society has maintained 

 an active existence for more than a dozen 

 years without a charter, evinces that its ne- 

 cessity is recognized, and that being the case, 

 its incorporation is as legitimate a sequence 

 as a legal marriage between two who propose 

 to live together as man and wife. An or- 

 ganization unincorporated is always more or 

 less " a rope of sand," and carries with it an 

 idea of irresponsibility, and a tenure that is 

 temporary and uncertain. It is something 

 akin to the "Articles of Confederation" be- 

 fore the adoption of our National Constitu- 

 tion. Its powers are iudefluite and capricious. 

 It has not a single officer who can perform a 

 single act in its name, or who can be held re- 

 sponsible in any matter where its interests are 

 involved. It could not legally accept or hold 

 a gift or endowment of any kind as an organic 

 body ; and if it received such an endowment 

 it could not in its own name designate a 

 custodian of it ; or, if it should designate such 

 a trustee, he would be legally responsible to 

 no one for a faithful discharge of duty or a 

 surrender of said trust. 



If the society reasonably perseveres under 

 an act of incorporation, it will ultimately be- 

 come the sole representative of the agricul- 

 tural interests of Lancaster county, and it 

 ought to be fostered by the farming public. 

 No matter how many "farmers' clubs " there 

 may be— every township should have one — 

 there still ought to be a strong, compact and 

 well-appointed central organization as the 

 representative head of the county. Surely 

 ihe head cannot say to the hands or the feet, 

 "I have no need of thee," nor vice versa, but 

 all should co-operate in a harmonious union. 



BUY YOUR TREES AT HOME. 



Every season complaints are made that 

 certain foreign (foreign to the State or 

 county) tree agents have been canvassing the 

 county of Lancaster, and that in most in- 

 stances those who have patronized them have 

 discovered, too late, that the stock they have 

 purchased has proven inferior or worthless. 

 Even if the stock is genuine, it has been out 

 of the nursery so long, has suffered from 

 transportation so much, and comes to hand so 

 late that very little of it can be gotten to 

 grow, or thrive when it does grow. We by 

 no means desire to create prejudice against 

 foreign nursery stock, or unduly contract the 

 enterprise or energies of the farmer, but under 

 all circumstances, if he can get what he 

 wants, and at a fair price at home, he should 

 by all means encourage home nurseries. He 

 should buy his trees, vines, plants and other 

 nursery stock from his own neighbors, and espe- 

 cially from those nearest his own locality. This 

 seems reasonable,f or the stock is more fresh and 

 vigorous, and may be better adapted to his 

 own soil. Some of these agents carry with 

 them books, illustrated with fruits, vege- 

 tables and flowers, and their victims by trust- 

 ing salely to the recommendations of a beau- 

 tiful picture (just as if it was not as easy to 

 make a pretiy picture as an ugly one) are 

 often deceived. Others carry with them 

 handsome specimens of the fruit itself. Of 

 course they would not exhibit anything but 

 that which is handsome. It is very certain 

 that they can buy this fruit almost at any 

 time, but it is by no means certain that the 

 stock they sell will produce the kind of fruit 

 they exhibit in connection with it. We regret 

 that we are compelled to write in this strain, 

 but so many of our honest, hard-working 

 farmers have made complaints to us that we 

 can no longer forbear. There are foreign 

 nurserymen whose stock we have frequently 

 had occasion to commend in the columns of 

 this journal, whose "goods" are reliable, and 

 who would by no means attempt to palm off 

 on their customers any article in their line for 

 anything else than what it really is ; but if 

 the farmers of Lancaster county are unable 

 to discriminate between these and the 

 "sharpers"' of the trade — as a contemporary 

 remarks — may it not be because they do not 

 subscribe for and read The Lakcastbb 

 Farmer, or somek other reliable agricultural 



paper ? The following article is from a con- 

 temporary, published a few days ago : 

 A Grape Swindler. 



A swindler has lately been coming it over 

 some of the good citizens of the northern part 

 of the county by selling them grape vines at 

 big prices, which they described as perfectly 

 hardy and reliable, but which knowing ones 

 pronounced hot-house or California grown 

 varieties, and which of course are entirely 

 worthless in open air culture. They are very 

 indignant at the swindler, and are very anxious 

 to have the rascal exposed. But it is not 

 certain that exposure of such frauds would do 

 much good. If they had been readers of The 

 Lancaster Farmer they would long since 

 have learned to give no encouragement to 

 tree agents— to kick them oif the premises if 

 they cannot get rid of them in any other way. 



It is not pleasant to say it, but it is true, 

 that the people of Lancaster county are too 

 gullable. Only a few years ago a set of 

 sharpers from Ohio sold over $12,000 worth of 

 trees and plants in this county, and it is 

 questionable whether the whole stock to-day 

 is worth 1,200 cents. 



Eight on the heels of them came a Dr. B., 

 in kid gloves, having a dashing team, driving 

 day after day in style through the streets of 

 Lancaster, selling novelties (V) to our lawyers, 

 bankers, doctors, merchants, business men(?). 

 What guarantee have these men that the stuff 

 delivered to them is worth anything ? Would 

 not Lancaster county be a good field for some 

 sharper to sell yellow verbenas and blue roses V 



THE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY AS A 

 SCHOOL. 



There seems to be no lack of speakers on 

 the subjects that come up for discussion every 

 month in the meetings of our local Agricul- 

 tural and Horticultural Society, and we are 

 quite glad to see it. It shows that the mem- 

 bers have something to talk about, and when 

 this is the case men will soon learn to talk. 

 Talking is a habit formed like any other 

 habit, and to acquire that habit it is necessary 

 to frequently indulge in talking. Of course, 

 it does not follow that a man who does not 

 talk, or cannot talk, therefore knows nothing. 

 The gift of free, eloquent and elegant talking 

 is not possessed by all, and even among those 

 who can talk, it is not possessed in the same 

 degree. Many of our most distinguished 

 statesmen and heroes were indifferent talkers. 

 But many possess that peculiar talent in 

 whom it remains latent until an opportunity 

 is presented to bring it out. The organiza- 

 tion of our local society has done much to 

 bring out our farmers, not only as talkers but 

 also as writers. We venture to say that it 

 has been a school which has done more to 

 bring them forward intellectually, and to en- 

 courage their literary tastes and abilities than 

 any other school to which they ever have had 

 access. When our society was first organized, 

 some twelve years ago or more, there were 

 but few in it who possessed the gift of fluent 

 talking, and those few were not all practical 

 talkers, but there has been a very perceptible 

 change since then. They are not only able 

 and willing to talk, but they talk practically 

 and to the point, and are not afraid to advance 

 views and opinions based on their own ex- 

 periences before the higher and more learned 

 dignitaries of the land. And why not '? If 

 they knoiu a thing from visible and tangible 

 experience, why should they be deterred from 

 proclaiming it because some theory only par- 

 tially demonstrated, or perhaps entirely im- 

 practicable is in conflict with it ? Truth is 

 truth, no matter from what source it emanates. 

 Does anybody suppose that the spirit of Chris- 

 tianity is less potent because it was first appre- 

 hended and enunciated by the humble fisher- 

 men of Galilee ? Does anybody suppose that 

 their teachings were less truthful and less effica- 

 cious because not exercised according to the 

 philologj' of the Sanhedrim ? Man does not 

 make truth. He is only the medium through 

 which truth is manifested, and the less per- 

 verted and impractical the medium is the 

 purer and more potent the truth. 



MONTHLY REMINDERS. 



In the Middle States spring has arrived ac- 

 cording to the calendar, but the experienced 

 gardener is not to be caught by arbitrary 

 terms ; and though March and the almanac 

 may indicate spring, frost and storm, and bit- 

 ing whids caution him to care and patience. 

 He will wait the progress of the month and 

 bide his time. If the temperature prove mild 

 let him proceed as indicated below ; other- 

 wise, delay until more favorable weather. 



Artichokes dress ; plant. Asparagus sow ; 

 plant the Colossal roots. Beets— Extra Early, 

 Philadelphia Turnip and Early Blood Turnip- 

 sow. Cabbage sow in a sheltered place, if not 

 already in a hot-bed. Test our new varieties — • 

 the Wakefield, Early Market and Bloomsdale 

 Brunswick. Carrots, Early Horn, sow. Cauli- 

 flowers — attend to those under glass. Celery 

 sow. Cress sow. Composts prepare. Dung 

 prepare for later hot-beds. Horse Radish 

 plant. Hot-beds make ; also force. Lettuce 

 sow ; prick out. Mushroom-beds attend to. 

 Mustard sow. Onions put out as sets — those 

 known as "Philadelphia Buttons" much the 

 best. Parsnips sow — the Sugar is the best. 

 Peas — Laudreths' Extra Early and Early 

 Frame— sow. Also, McLean's Advancer and 

 McLean's Little Gem, which we commend 

 with confidence. Potatoes, Early, plant. The 

 Early Goodrich continues to secure admirers, 

 but the Early Rose will distance it ; it is ad- 

 mirable in every respect. Radish— the Long 

 Scarlet and Red and White Turnip — sow. 

 The "Strap-Leaved Long Scarlet," an im- 

 provement on the old Long Scarlet we recom- 

 mend. Rhubarb sow ; plant roots. Sage sow ; 

 plant. Tomato sow in hot-bed. Turnips, 

 Strap-Leaved Early Dutch, sow ; but gener- 

 ally be it observed,' so far north as Philadel- 

 phia, ■ these directions will apply better to 

 April than March. — LandretlVs Rural Reg. 



GROUNDHOG METEOROLOGY. 



Better be a living groundhog than a dead 

 hero. We noticed in the local press but a 

 single allusion to the recurrence of the ever- 

 glorious 8th of January, and that was briefly 

 " The Battle of New Orleans." But the 2d 

 of February, or Candlemas, outside of the 

 church, is almost certain to be annually ven- 

 tilated, m its relations to the groundhog and 

 his weather prognostications. We are only 

 apprehensive that he will eventually eclipse 

 the 22d, the anniversary of the natal day of 

 " Columbia's greatest glory." 



How can we attach any significance to the 

 actions of the groundhog on the 2d day of 

 February, so long as we are in ignorance of 

 what he really does on that day ? The old 

 saw on this subject is to this effect : "If the 

 goundhog comes out of his hole on the morn- 

 ing of the 2d day of February, and sees his 

 shadow, he will go back and continue his 

 winter sleep for six weeks longer," during 

 which time we will have severe winter weather. 

 But if he does not see his shadow, he will re- 

 main out of his hole, and we shall have an 

 early and warm spring. This whole prophetic 

 superstructure seems to be based upon the 

 little ambiguous conjunction )/, and that if is 

 founded upon an error in regard to the habits 

 of the groundhog. The groundhog or " Mar- 

 mot " {Arctomys monax) is a hibernating ro- 

 dent, and goes into a semi-hibernating sleep 

 as early as October, and does not come out of 

 it until April, during which time he eats 

 nothing— or, if he ats at all, it is that which 

 he himself had provided the previous season, 

 and therefore there is no necessity for him to 

 come out of his winter burrow. 



On such a day as the 2d of February, 1879, 

 was, no hibernating animal would have power 

 to come forth, even if he had the will to do 

 so, and hence they might as well be left out 

 of the question in weather prognostications ; 

 leaving those to be built upon other more 

 plausible data. We might just as truthfi^lly 

 saj', "If the humming-bird comes up from 

 the South on the 2d of February and finds the 

 morning-glory in bloom, it will go back and 

 not return again for six months." A swal- 

 low would be just as likely to meet a ground- 



