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THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



Our Local Organizations. 



AGRICULTURAL AND HORTICUL- 

 TURAL SOCIETY. 



The Lancaster County Agriculrural and Horticul- 

 tural Society met Monilav afternoon, July 14th, in 

 their rooms, in the Ci'y Hall. 



The meetina: was called to order by the President, 

 Calvin Cooper. 



The followini; members and visitors were present: 

 Joseph F. Witmer, Paradise; Levi \V. GrotT, West 

 Earl; Dr.S. S. Kathvon, city; M. D.Kendis, Manor; 

 Simon P. Ehy, city; J. M. Johnston, city; F. R. Dif- 

 fenderfTer, city; C. A. Oast, city; W. VVltiriest, city; 

 J. C. Linville, Gap; Ambrose Poivnall, S.adsburj; 

 L S. Reist, Manhcim; A. P. McUvaine, Paradise; 

 Charles Hershev, Leaman Place; W. Johnson, Para- 

 dise; Henry ShiffLer, Bird-in-Hand: A. F. Hoetetter, 

 city; Peter S. Reist, Litiz; \V. H. Brosius, Drumore; 

 C. H. Hostetter, Eden; Johnson Miller, Warwick; 

 John H. Landis, Manor; Israel L. Landis, Manheim; 

 Henry Kurtz, Mount Joy; Jacob B. Garber, Colum- 

 bia. 



The minutes of the preceding meeting were read 

 and approved. 



Dr. S. S. Kathvon, chairman of the committee ap- 

 pointed at the last meeting to draft a constitution 

 and by-laws, made his report, which embodied the 

 new constitution and by-laws submitted by the com- 

 mittee for adoption. 



Mr. Witmer moved the adoption of the constitu- 

 tion and by-laws as a whole, which motion was 

 seconded by Mr. S. P. Eby. 



The constitution and by-laws were then unanimous- 

 ly adopted. 



Mr. Witmer said that since the society has been 

 organized it has been customary to take the minutes 

 from the newspaper reports, and asked whether, 

 since the society has been incorporated, it would be 

 necessary for the Secretary to write the report 



Mr. Ebv said that the only lawful record of the 

 society will be the report of the Secretary himself. 



Mr. Hostetter agreed with Mr. Eby, and suggest- 

 ed that the secretary might write his own report. 

 ' He might then place in another book the newspaper 

 reports. 



Mr. J. M. Johnston thought it was the duty of 

 the secretary to put down all the bufciness of the 

 meetings, omitting all speeches, debates, essays, etc. 

 He thought it unsafe to take newspaper reports, as 

 po two would be found alike. 



Mr. Reist reported the hay crop good, with about 

 three-fourths; wheat crop would average about three- 

 fourths; oats is also about three-fourths, and good; 

 the rye crop is about one-balf; apple crop about 

 one-half; pear crop will be full; peaches will also 

 have a full crop. 



Mr. Linville reported the crops is Salisbury to be 

 very good. Wheat and oats would be very short. 

 The fruit crop is very poor. Tobacco is very slow in 

 coming. The pasture is literally burnt up. 



Mr. Kendig, of Manor, reported the growing crops 

 to be looking very good. The wheat and hay crops 

 will be about three-fourths. Oats will be very light. 

 The fruit crop will be very poor. The rain fall' for 

 the present month so far was 1 2-10 inches. The 

 tobacco crop is good. 



Mr. Brosius, of Drumore, reported the crops in 

 that section to be very poor, but thought there would 

 be gathered about three-fourths. 



Mr. Miller, of Warwick, said the re^-orts so far 

 would suit his section. The prospects for a good 

 corn crop are fair. The wheat crop is not so good. 



Mr. Hostetter, from Eden, reported the grass and 

 hay to be fair, although the crop was light. The 

 kernels of the wheat were larger than last year, al- 

 though the quantity was smaller. The apple crop 

 would be very good. The season hasbeenaremaka- 

 bly dry one so far. Corn looks very well. He re- 

 ported good prospects for a fair crop in his section. 



Mr. Keist, of .Manheim, said he had about SOO 

 peach trees, and did not expect half a crop. He has 

 about SOO grape vines and they are promising. 



Mr. Cooper said, in answer to a question, that he 

 had experimented with Moule's winter wheat, and it 

 turned out pretty well, and he thought with early 

 Bowing it would do well. 



Mr. Grotr thought it would be a good wheat to in- 

 troduce ; he tried it last year and the heads are very 

 laree. 



Mr. Witmer sowed one package of the wheat, and 

 it has not yet ripened. It looks very promising, 

 however. In regard to crops he would report a poor 

 crop. The wheat is poor, although the quality is 

 better. The corn crop is very promising. Potatoes 

 are good. Tobacco is backward. 



Mr. Reist said he got one bushel of Clausen wheat, 

 and it turned out be. ter than the Foltz wheat, and 

 asked for information as to where it came from. 



Mr. GrofTsaid he did not know where it came 

 from. He sowed some for two years and it turned 

 out pretty well. He tried a small sample of white 

 wheat which did so well as to be almost remarkable. 

 It proved so satisfactory to some persons that some 

 one came in the night and cut a number of the heads. 



Mr. Hostetter thought the question of wheat was 

 Of Importance at the present time. He thought it 



was coming to be generally adopted that the Foltz 

 wheat should be discouraged as a milling wheat. 

 Lancaster county docs not hold a high place in the 

 (lour market, on account of this wheat. There was 

 a tendency among the millers to remodeling their 

 mills so as to more successfully compete with the 

 western millers. 



Mr. Brosius thought if the Foltz wheat was tried 

 for some years longer, it might become acclimated, 

 and thought it would br unjust to condemnjthe wheat 

 at the present time. He said we should build up the 

 wheat and make it better. 



Mr. Reist endorsed Mr. Brosius and said Foltz 

 wheat required very strong soil. He thought in a 

 few years it would become acclimated and prove as 

 good as any variety. 



Mr. Groff thought farmers should try to get the 

 kind of wheat which will produce the greatest num- 

 ber of bushels to the acre. 



Mr. Cooper thought the Foltz wheat was the best 

 wheat for this county. He thought it generally 

 turned out well, and if the millers could not make 

 good flour it was probably the fault of the machinery. 



Mr. I. L. Landis said he thought the defect in 

 Lancaster flour did not come so much from the wheat 

 as from the machinery for milling it. 



Mr. Witmer said the one great objection which the 

 millers had to the wheat was the small grain. The 

 miller could not get the same amount of flour out of 

 the Foltz wheat as from any other, on account of 

 containing more bran. 



Mr. Brosius always found the wheat to turn out 

 very well. 



Mr. Linville said the wheat did not contain enough 

 gluten. It was also too hard and brittle. He said 

 it was the most productive variety we have. It al- 

 ways turned out better than the Mediterranean vari- 

 ety. It is a hard wheat to thresh and hard to clean 

 when the season was dry. 



Mr. Reist said in reference to the Mediterranean 

 wheat, when it was first sowed it did not turn out 

 very well, but it afterwards did better, until now 

 there is none better in the country. 



Mr. Miller tried an expriment last j-ear. He mixed 

 Foltz and common red varieties together, and 

 found it to turn out remarkably well. 



.Mr. Kurtz said the Foltz wheat was very produc- 

 tive, but it is not a good flour wheat. He thought 

 the farmers could raffee more Amber wheat from the 

 acre than the Foltz variety. He said the Amber 

 wheat brings better prices than the white wheat. 



Mr. Hostetter said that although he was opposed 

 to the Foltz wheat, he would not be in favor of abol- 

 ishing it without a fair trial. He thought the mill- 

 ers should procure the dilferent qualities of flour 

 manufactured, and send them among the farmers, 

 with a description of the circumstances under which 

 the wheat was grown. They could then make their 

 selections. 



Mr. Witmer offered the following resolution,which 

 was adopted : 



Whereas, The Millers' Association condemns the 

 Foltz wheat and propose to discriminate in the price 

 paid to farmers; therefore. 



Resolved, That the millers of Lancaster county be 

 requested to contribute to this society for distribu- 

 tion samples for experiment of such wheat as they 

 desire to have cultivated. 



On motion, the discussion of the wheat question 

 closed . 



On motion, the regular order of business was dis- 

 pensed with, aud the society took up the discussion 

 of a county fair. 



Mr. Johnson .Miller said he was opposed to hold- 

 ing a fair at the Park Grounds on account of the 

 expense, and thought the society should try and pro- 

 cure the Northern .Market House. 



Mr Linville thought the time was not a good one 

 to hold the fair, as the crops were not good, and it 

 should therefore be abandoned. 



The question was discussed pro and con by a 

 number of the members, at the conclusion of which 

 Mr. Landis made a motion to reconsider the vote by 

 which the resolution authoizing the holdlog of a fair 

 had passed Carried. 



The question recurring on the original resolution, 

 it was carried to hold a fair at the Northen Market 

 House, if it can be obtained . 



A bill was presented by Dr. Rathvon for $2,50 for 

 binding the Lancaster Farmer. On motion it was 

 orderd paid. 



Mr. S. P. Eby presented a copy of an act passed 

 by the Legislature in reference to the planting of 

 trees along the roadside. 



Mr. Levi S. Reist presented some very flue speci- 

 mens of Earl Wilson blackberries, also Brandy wine, 

 Philadelphia, Herstine, and Reliance raspberries. He 

 also presented a prolific red berry, more valuable 

 than any other, for a name. 



The following questions were presented : 



"Is high farming a remedy for low prices?" Refer- 

 red to ^lr. Brosius. 



"What is the best method of sowing wheat or corn 

 stubbles ?" For general discussion. 



"Should the partridge be domesticated ?" Refer- 

 red to S. P. Eby, Esq. 



On motion, adjourned. 



[July, 



POULTRY ASSOCIATION. 



The Lancaster County Poultry Association met In 

 the rooms of the Agricultural and Horticultural 

 Society at half-past ten o'clock, Mondav morninE-. 

 July 7th. ^' 



The following members were present : William 

 Schoenberger, eity; John F. Reed, city; J.B.Lichty, 

 city; D. C. Tobias, Litiz; Amos Rmgwalt, city; 

 Henry Wissler, Columbia; Frank R. Diffenderffer, 

 city; J. M. Johnston, city; C. A. Gast, city; Charles 

 E. Long, city; H. H. Tsliudy, Litiz. 



The minutes of the preceding meeting were read 

 and approved. 



The following questions were offered for discussion 

 at the next meeting of the society: "Are some vari- 

 eties of fowls more subject to disease than ( thers, 

 and if so, why?" "What is the best variety of 

 ducks for the farmer's purpose. 



Messrs. Miller Fraim and J. Hay Brown, Lancas- 

 ter, were proposed for membership, and they were 

 elected. 



On the question, "Is it advisable to hold a poultry 

 show next winter ?" Mr. Ringwalt thought such an 

 exhibition would help the society along. He would 

 go into the movement heart and hand. 



Mr. Reed thought such a show would give the 

 members an opportunity of comparing their birds, 

 and be the means of improving their stock. It 

 would be expensive, but he thought it would pay In 

 the end. 



Mr. Ringwalt thought the expense would not be 

 very great. 



Mr. Lichty said the only question before the socie- 

 ty was the discussion of the advisability of holding 

 an exhibition, and thought a resolution should be 

 oflTered to that effect. 



Mr. Long thought, as the meeting was very small, 

 it would be advisable to postpone the question until 

 there was a larger attendance. The expense would 

 be much greater than the members had any idea of. 



Mr Tshudy was in favor of holding an exhibition 

 at the proper time, but did not think it would be ad- 

 visable to take any steps in the matter at such a 

 small meeting. He thought it would be beneficial 

 to hold such an exhibition, but thought the matter 

 should be postponed until the next meeting. 



Mr. Lichty did not agree with the gentlemen, but 

 thought a resolution to hold an exhibition could be 

 rescinded, if the cost would be found to be too great. 



Mr. Reed offered a resolution to the effect that the 

 society hold a poultry exhibition during the next 

 winter, and ordering the Executive Committee to in- 

 quire Into the cost aud report at the next meeting. 



The advisability of the step was further discussed 

 by Messrs. Long, Lichty aud Reed, after which the 

 resolution was carried. 



Mr. Lichty said the Executive Committee had 

 never been regularly organized, and thought it ad- 

 visable for the committee to hold an early meeting 

 and elect officers, and thought It would be bettei to 

 hold the meeting at Lititz, as most of the committee 

 resided in and about t.-iat place. 



"Should fowl fanciers breed more than one varie- 

 ty?" The discussion on this question was opened 

 by .\Ir. Ringwalt, who did not see the harm in breed- 

 ing many varieties. He thought they could be bred 

 to advantaige by colonizing. He has eight varieties, 

 but thought he could do better by keeping only three 

 varieties. He thought by haying a few varieties 

 more care could be given them than if he had many. 



Mr. Tshudy thought the question depends greatly 

 on the amount of room a man has for them. He 

 thought there was no doubt tha.t a number of varie- 

 ties would not receive the same attention that one or 

 two would. The most successful breeders have con- 

 fined their attention to only one breed. 



Mr. Lichty thought it would be advisable to make 

 an amendment to the by-laws, imposing a fine upon 

 those members to whom were referred questions for 

 discussion, and who did not attend to open the de- 

 bate, and offered the following : 



"Resolved, That the following section be added to 

 the by-laws of the association : 



"If any member to whom has been referred any 

 subject for discussion, and who accepts the same, 

 fails to be present at the meeting when the question 

 is to be discussed, or in case of his absence fails to 

 send a written essay on the subject, he shall be fined 

 one dollar." 



The question, '-'Are some varieties of fowls more 

 subject to disease than others, and if so, why?" was 

 referred to Mr. H.H. Tshudy for discussion next 

 meeting. 



On motion, the society adjourned to meet the first 

 Monday in August. 



LINN.«;AN SOCIETY. 

 The Linuasan Society held their stated meeting on 

 Saturday, June 28, President Rev. J. S. Stahr in the 

 chair. After the opening, the donations to the mu- 

 seum were found to consist of a fine specimen of a 

 "rattlesnake," the Crotalus dnrissus of Linnaeus, 

 also called C horridjts. This reptile came via ex- 

 press, alive, in a box covered with a wire screen, to 

 the address of Mr. Joseph Barnetts, the genial host 

 of the Cadwell House. It seems he is not partial to 

 such customers and declined to accommodate bis 



