THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



il7 



But it appears your "Amateur Farmer" (?) 

 takes especial jiaius to deny that of whicli he 

 is evidently quite as ignorant as myself. How 

 can we judge of that of which wo know 

 nothing ? He denies in toto the moon's effect 

 on terrestial matter, without knowing any 

 more of those planetary orbs than the rest of 

 us "ignorant farmers." 



He tells us he made some experiments, by 

 placing bricks on the ground, when the sign 

 was up, and again when the sign was down — 

 hut the moon would neither "raise tlicm up 

 nor press them down : but as the moon did 

 not notice tliem, of course he concluded, 

 did'nt do more than conlirm him in his unbe- 

 lief. He might as well have placed his bricks 

 on solid rocks. 



It is useless to try and explain such myste- 

 rious influences, at least to "Amateur," who 

 of course, "if convinced against his will, 

 would be of the same opinion still." 



However, with the editor's permission, I 

 will try and give some further remarks of 

 those whom he stigmatizes as the "ignorant, 

 as being" the only ones whose ignorance of 

 planetary laws, are believers in planetary in- 

 fluence. And asks, "can the believers in the 

 potency of the signs point to a single man 

 within the last hundred years, with enough 

 astronomical knowledge to calculate an eclipse, 

 or the rising or setting of the moon, who has 

 any belief in their theory?" 



In my last article 1 mentioned Prof. Man- 

 sill of Rock Island, 111., who is not only a be- 

 liever in planetary influence, but also pub- 

 lishes full explanations "of the faith|that is in 

 him." 



This gentleman is undoubtedly the peer of 

 any living astronomer. We judge him by his 

 abstruse calculations of the positions and con- 

 figurations of the various planets, and his 

 predictions of their influences on our earth, 

 by their many aspects of conjunctions, opposi- 

 tions, &c., each month in the year. But to 

 give only a brief statement of his predictions, 

 would fill our Lancaster Farmer. Another 

 celebrated astronomer, now no more, we may 

 refer to,Sir John Herschell, Astronomer Royal 

 of England, who during the present century 

 gave us a formula, which I have frequently 

 found to come true — that if the moon changes 

 at certain hours of the day or night, we may 

 look for rain or dry weather. Though its an 

 old saying, "all signs fail in dry weather." 



I my.self do not pretend to much astrono- 

 mical knowledge, and may probably be con- 

 ered by "amateur," asamoug the "ignorant." 

 However, I have calculated the rising and 

 setting of the moon, and its place among the 

 planets — with all lunar and solar eclipses 

 thirty years ahead, from 1821, and found the 

 elements of all others some twenty years fur- 

 ther; but had not the time to make the calcu- 

 lations of the latter. 



Amateur asks for ' 'a series of experiments, ' ' 

 to prove the planetary influences. My dear 

 sir, could we be assured of a life as long as is 

 attributed to Methuselah, or even of others 

 who did not think of getting married until 

 they were over one hundred years of age, 

 then we might no doubt make "experiments" 

 to astonish even the skeptic ! But life is too 

 short at the present time for such experi- 

 ments. 



The lame argument of "Amateur,"— that I 

 did not say of those two fences set on opposite 

 sides of the lane, as. the one staying up and 

 the other settling down— "that I did not say 

 if these fences were set in the morning or in 

 the evening." Now we farmers don't do such 

 jobs of setting 50 or a 100 panels of fences 

 either in the morning or evening; but it takes 

 several days work to do it— all day, and the 

 ground did not differ 12 feet apart I 



A majority of astronomers admit that the 

 tides in the ocean are caused by lunar and 

 solar attraction and repulsion and" driving the 

 water up stream against the current many 

 miles. 



There are "skeptics" on this subject as on 

 every other, but they do not attempt to give 

 any other theory that is at all plausible; even 

 our "amateur" fails to give us a reason why 



or what causes this powerful force, to drive 

 the water miles into the interior of the coun- 

 try, but he simply tells us that, because this 

 "force" does not raise the water in his "little 

 frog pond" knee-high, the moon can not raise 

 the water in the sea! However, all calcula- 

 tions for the ebb and flow of the tides are 

 based on the theory of the moon and sun's 

 influence. When these planets are in conjunc- 

 tion, there is high tide, and when in opi)osi- 

 tion, low tide; thus the truth of the planet's 

 "force" is verified. 



Then may we not justly infer that this 

 power or "force," acting on the water, through 

 the atmosphere, may also act, or cause tides, 

 •tor some "influence on or in the atmosi)here," 

 and as a consequence on all animal and vege- 

 table matter. Thus all animals and vegeta- 

 bles "live and have their being" constantly in 

 this air or atmosphere. Is it not a positive 

 proof, that all creation on the earth, vegeta- 

 ble and animal, are more or less affected by 

 this all-pervading air or element "force," or 

 planetary influence, probably electricity. 



As our friend "Amateur" lays such great 

 stress on Dr. Lardner's scientific attainments, 

 I will not pass him by, but fully acknowledge 

 that he was a well posted scientist. 



Some thirty years ago I heard him deliver 

 a lecture on "sound," in Philadelphia, and I 

 gained more information from that lecture 

 than I had known before as to the "waves" 

 of sound. But notwithstanding his great ac- 

 quirement in science, he made two grand 

 mistakes. One I noticed before, when he was 

 predicting "that steam could never be used 

 profitably to cross the ocean; and the other 

 mistake was, "that he ran away from London 

 to Paris in company with another man's wife, 

 and for which he got a severe cowhidingfrom 

 the woman's husband and her son. Thus it ap- 

 pears scientists are human and maymake "mis- 

 takes" as well as the ignorant. '"'Nuf ced." 



I might give many other instances of plan- 

 etary influence, hut leave this occult subject 

 for the present, only adding that from my 

 youth up to the present times have always been 

 "j4 seeker after truth.'''' 



Selections. 



ARTIFICIAL FERTILIZERS. 



The New Law Regulating Their Sale— Li- 

 cense Required to Sell Them — Costs of 

 Analyzing to be Paid by the 

 Manufacturers. 



§ 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of 

 Representativ.es of the Commonwealth of Penn- 

 sylvania in General Assembly met, and it is 

 hereby enacted by the authority of the same, 

 That every package of commercial fertilizer 

 sold, offered, or exposed for sale, for manurial 

 purposes within this Commonwealth, shall 

 have plainly stamped thereon the name of the 

 manufacturer, the net weight of its contents, 

 and an analysis stating the percentage therein 

 contained of nitrogen, or its equivalent in am- 

 monia in an available form, of potash soluble 

 in water, of soluble and reverted phosphoric 

 acid, and of insoluble phosphoric acid : Pro- 

 vided, That any commercial fertilizer sold, 

 offered, or exposed for sale, which shall 

 contain none of the above named constituents, 

 shall be exempt from the provisions of this 

 act. 



Amount of License to be Paid by Manufac- 

 turers. 



? 2. Every manufacturer or importer of 

 commercial fertilizers, as specified in section 

 one of this act, shall, on or before the first 

 day of August next ensuing, or before offer- 

 ing the same for sale in this Commonwealth, 

 file annually in the office of the Secretary of 

 the Commonwealth an affidavit stating the 

 amount of said fertilizer or fertilizers sold 

 within the State during the last preceding 

 year, and if said amount be one hundred tons 

 or less, he or they shall pay to the Treasurer 

 of the State the sum of ten dollars for each 

 and every such article of such commercial 

 fertilizer sold within the State during the last 



preceding year, and if said amount shall ex- 

 ceed one hundred tons, and be less thiin 

 five hundred tons, he or they shall pay the 

 sum of twenty dollars as aforesaid ; and if 

 said anioinit shall be five hundred tons or 

 more, he or they shall pay the sum of fifty 

 dollars as aforesaid. If such mainifacturer or 

 manufacturers or importers shall not have 

 made any sales within the Commonwealth 

 during tiie i)rcccding year, he or they shall 

 pay the sum of ten dollars as aforesaid. 

 Every such manufacturer or importer shall at 

 the Siime time file with the Secretary of the 

 Board of Agriculture a copy of the analysis 

 required by section one of this act, and shall 

 be entitled to receive from the Secretary of 

 the Commonwealth a certificate, which shall 

 be countersigned by the Secretary of the 

 Board of Agriculture, showing that the pro- 

 visions of this act have been complied with. 

 Penalties for Non-Compliance. 



? 3. Any jier.sons selling, offering, or ex- 

 posing for sale any commercial fertilizer 

 without the analysis required by section one 

 of this act, or with an analysis stating that it 

 contains a larger percentage of any one or 

 more of the above named constituents than is 

 contained therein, or for the sale of which all 

 the provisions of section two have not been 

 complied with, shall he deemed guilty of a 

 misdemeanor, and on conviction shall forfeit 

 a sum not less than twenty-five and not 

 exceeding one hundred dollars for the first 

 offence, and not less than two hundred dol- 

 lars for each subsequent offence, one-half of 

 which shall be for the use of the informer and 

 the remainder for the county in which the 

 conviction is secured : Prnvidfd, Said inform- 

 er be the purchaser and the goods be for his 

 own use. 



Who Shall Make the Analysis. 



? 4. It shall ))ethe duty of the Board of Ag- 

 riculture to analyze such specimens of com- 

 mercial fortilizprs as may be furnished by its 

 agents, .said samples to be accompanied with 

 proper proof, under oath or afllrmation, that 

 they were fairly drawn ; the fee for such anal- 

 ysis .shall be determined by the executive 

 committee of the Isoard, and be based upon a 

 fixed rate for each dotermination, shall in no 

 case exceed seventy-five per centum of the 

 usual price paid for such services, and shall 

 be payable from the Treasury of the Common- 

 wealth in the manner as now provided by law. 

 What is to be Done with the Money. 



? .'). The money paid into the treasury 

 under the provisions ot this act shall consti- 

 tute a special fund from which the cost of 

 such analyses shall be paid : Prm'ided, That 

 the total amount thus expended in any one 

 year shall in no case exceed the amount paid 

 into the treasury during the same year, and 

 that any moneys remaining in this special 

 fund at the end of the year shall be passed 

 into the general fund for the use of the State. 

 What is Meant by "Commercial Fertilizers." 



? 6. The temi "conmiercial fertilizers," as 

 u.sed in this act, shall be taken to mean any 

 and evci^y substance imported, manufactured, 

 prepared or sold for fertilizing or manuring 

 purposes, except barnyard manure, marl, 

 lime, and wood ashes, and not exempt by the 

 provisions of section one of this act. 



When the Law becomes Operative. 



?7. This act shall go into effect on and 

 after the first day of August, one thousand 

 eight hundred and seventy-nine. 



Approved— June 28, 1879, by Governor 

 Hoyt. ^^ 



TOBACCO CULTURE IN LANCASTER 

 , COUNTY. 

 Less than four hundred years ago tobacco 

 was imknown to the people of the Old World. 

 During this period no less than 800.000,000 of 

 people have learned to use it, and the annual 

 ]iroduction has reached the cnonnous amount 

 of 2,000,000,000 pounds. No other narcotic 

 is so universally used, and its production is 

 yearly increased to meet the growing con- 

 sumption. That an agricultural product not 



