1879.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



187 



the drouth. He saw but one field that looks decid- 

 edly bad. The clover sowed in March last looks 

 well, while that sowed In .May Is generally poorly 

 set. 



Henry Kurt/., of Mount Joy, said the late-planted 

 wheat in his section of the county looks very well, 

 while the early-planted, looks bushy and spotted, 

 beiiiff Injured by the fly. The young clover, sowed 

 last spring, is very poor, and some of it Is so bad that 

 It will have to be turned under to make room for 

 corn. Some tobacco has been sold in his neighbor- 

 hood. One crop at SO cents for wrappers, 15 for 

 seconds and 5 for flilers— equal to about 27 cents 

 round. He had heard of other sales at about the 

 same figures, and had scon a telegram to Capt. 

 Bricker, of Litiz, otTcring him for his crop 25, 10, 10 

 and 5, which offer, he heard, had been accepted. 



Joseph F. Witmer, of Paradise, said thai in his 

 neighborhood the fall wheat looked very well indeed. 

 A number of tobacco buyers had been in the neigh- 

 borhood and sales had been made as low as 17 and li, 

 and as high as 29 and 5, these prices being regarded 

 as very satisfactory by the growers. The young 

 clever, though rather backward, is improving. 



Wm. H. Brosius, of Drumore, said that in his 

 neighborhood the wheat, considering the dry weather, 

 looks very well. He saw but few fields well set in 

 clover. 



Henry M. Engle said that as far as lie had seen the 

 growing wheat looked very well ; he had seen none 

 that was seriously affected by the fly; he tliiiiks the 

 grain goes into winter quarters in remarkably good 

 condition. The young grass is not so well set ;is it 

 usually is, but it too looks pretty well, so that alto- 

 gether there la cause for congratulation. .\ friend 

 from the Cumberland valley told him that in some 

 sections of the valley the wheat looks so bad that il 

 is thought the farmers will not get as much grain as 

 they sowed. 



J. C. Linville, of Salisbury, said that in his neigh- 

 borhood the young clover had failed entirely. 

 High Farming. 



The question "What constitutes high fanning, and 

 will it pay?" was opened by Henry M . Engle, who 

 said the question was a hard one to answer." Amonir 

 eminent agriculturists there exists a great diversity 

 of opinion. Some say that high farming consists in 

 a heavy application of manures; others that high 

 farming consists in making the farm yield the best 

 paying crops. In this view tobacco growing in this 

 county may be regarded as high farming as it un- 

 doubtedly pays just now better than any other crop. 

 It should be remembered, however, that the tobacco 

 gets the best land, the best manure, the best cultiva 

 tlon and the most unremitting care; while the potato 

 patch in the adjoining field gels poorer soil, little or 

 no manure, is but slightly cultivated, and is rankly 

 overgrown with weeds. Where this state of affairs 

 exits there is no high farming. As a general rule he 

 would say there was high farming where everything 

 is neat and clean and all the crops well cultivated; 

 where buildings, fences, &c., are kept in good condi- 

 tion and where the farm products exceeded the farm 

 expenses. The highest farming that has come under 

 hlB observation was that of truck farming, where two 

 or three crops are grown in a single season on the 

 same ground and any one of the crops would pay cx- 

 expenses. In truck gardening he had known as 

 much as $2,000 worth of products to be taken from 

 a single acre. There is of course a system of high 

 farming that does not pay. This system may be 

 illustrated by the experience of Ucv. Henry Ward 

 Beecher, who when asked how he could afford to 

 pay *000 per acre for land and get such indifferent 

 crops, said he did it by putting a little more on the 

 land than he took off. This kind of high farming 

 may do for those who have a heavy bank accouiif, 

 and farm merely for show, but is not to be recciu 

 mended to farmers who expect to live from tin ir 

 farms. High farming should result in havingeviry 

 thing neat and tidy about the farm, in growing goeU 

 crops at less expense than they will yield in return, 

 save money to the farmer and leave the land in 

 better condition than it was. 



John C. Linvillo said there was a distinction to be 

 made between liiL;li r^uniinf; ;nid good farming. By 

 a prudent api)liraii.in ol liTlilizcrs and good cultiva- 

 tion, 40 bushels ol ulu^t |irr acre might be grown. 

 By extending §.;0 more per aiie .50 bushels might be 

 grown, but the extra ten bushels of wheat would not 

 pay for the extra $20 expended. He agreed with 

 Prof. Lowes, who classed that which will pay as 

 "good farming" and the extra exi;enditure8 that will 

 not pay as "high farming." 



Henry Kurtz would not class the trucker as a 

 farmer;" it might he very easy to do with an acre 

 what would be impracticable on a large farm. He 

 only called those farmers who followed a system of 

 rotation of crops, and the high farmer was he who 

 made these crops pay. He mentioned several eases 

 which he knew of tobacco farmers who rcufed land 

 at ?40 per acre and grew tobacco yielding $400 per 

 acre. This he regarded as high farming and good 

 farming. 



Casper Hiller said we have had much high and 

 profitable farming in Lancaster county. Thirty 

 years ago the townships south of Lancaster did not 

 yield half as much per acre as they do now. Men 



who were then tenants are now wealthy farmers, 

 owning one, two or half a dozen farms. They 

 farmed high, fertilized liberally, and had a regular 

 rotation of crops, thus constantly Improving the soil. 

 His idea was that no farming Is high farming that 

 does not pay. 



Mr. Brosius thought it would be dimcult to deter- 

 mine where common farming ends and high farming 

 begins. Good farming is that which Is made to pay 

 best by the exercise of good judgment, practice, ex- 

 perience and ol)6ervation, whether It be by a liberal 

 or economical use of fertilizers and other means. 

 High farming, as he understood it, was the greatest 

 possible amount, In bushels or pounds, from an acre, 

 without regard to what the cost might be. 



Dairy Farming. 



"Will dairy farming pay In Lancaster county)" 

 was the subject referred for an answer to John C. 

 Linv He. Ilesaid the solution of the question greatly 

 depended on the location of the farm, the condition 

 of the soil, and the water supply. The dairy busi- 

 ness has languished in Chester county, where they 

 have better facilities than we have. Our limestone 

 land is not well suited to dairying. He did not 

 believe it advisable to let cows run over land worth 

 $300 per acre, ifil could be put to more profitable 

 uses. He estimated that it would cost $40 per year 

 to feed a cow, and this, taken In connection with the 

 high prices of good cows, their liability to abortion 

 and other diseases, sometimes resulting fatally, 

 would outweigh the profits. In the southern part 

 of the county, win re the land was cheaper and the 

 [fras.'i better, dairying might pay: but even there it 

 will he found the great cimpetltion will come from 

 the Western states, where land is cheaper and where 

 by the concentration ofereat numbers of cows in a 

 single dairy butter can be made cheaper and better 

 thiin in small dairies. Some of the best dairymen of 

 Chesler county say they cannot make butter the 

 year round for less than 60 cents per pound. 



Henry M. Engle said there were places no more 

 eligibly located tlian some in Lancaster county where 

 the dairy business was profitable. It must be re- 

 membered that the dairy business embraced milk- 

 scllinL', butter-making and cheese-making. For 

 milk the bliort-horn cows are the best; for cheese the 

 .\yrshire, and for butter the Jerseys. Success de- 

 pends in getting the kind of cow best suited to the 

 several branehes. As to the cost of keeping cows It 

 had been demonstrated that it costs but little more 

 than half as much to keep them by the soiling sys- 

 tem — that is by stabling them and feeding them 

 green food in summer — as it costs to let them run at 

 large, while the yield of milk and butter will also be 



Levi S. Reist believed that dairying always pays 

 near large towns and cities if it was properly attend- 

 ed to. lie cited several cases of dairymen near Lan- 

 caster and Columbia who had become rich. 



In answer to a question Mr. Linville said that the 

 introduction of oleamargerine had not affected the 

 market for first-class butter, but that il had greatly 

 affected the market for low grades of butter. 

 Indeed the oleamargerine is preferable to much of 

 the low grade butter, and when good butter becomes 

 very cheap, oleamargerine cannot compete in price 

 with it, as il cannot be made for less than 15 cents 

 per pound. 



Stock Raising. 



"Is stock raising profitable ?" was the question re- 

 ferred for answer to M. D. Kendig. lie estimated 

 that a cow worth ^40 will have cost by the time she 

 comes into milking $.57.50; and he estimated her 

 yearly product in butler, milk, &e., at $62. To 

 raise a calf for beef would in three years, at which 

 time it «!iould weigh 1,300 pounds, cost the farmer 

 slii.si, ,11- :,<.. cents per pound. A western steer of 

 I 111 ,^ iiiH Hiight^pight be bought for 4 or 4' j cents 

 |M'r |i(Hii!ii . On thc^whole he thought stock raising 

 lunirolilal.lc. 



Joseph F. Witmer anAyHenry Kurtz thought that 

 stock raising might be miwV; profitable with proper 

 care, and gave some instanece in their own experi- 



Ephraim S. Hoover said that th;e raising of cattle 

 on our high priced tillable land would not pay but 

 that It would pay to raise them on low, unlillable 

 land, where there were rank grasses or on other 

 lands that were not tillable. 



State Agricultural Society. 



The secretary read a communication from the 

 secretary of the State agricultural society slating 

 that the term of membership of H. M. Engle was 

 almut to expire; that he had been an efficient and 

 useful member of the society and that it would be a 

 very satisfactory to the board to have him re-elected. 



On motion of Mr. Engle the matter was deferred 

 until next meeting. 



Secretary Witmer called attention to the fact that 

 the prizes awarded to Henry M. Engle and Casper 

 ! Hlllcr for their essays on wheat culture had never 

 been paid . 



It was ordered that the treasurer be directed to pay 

 them, and thereu;K)n Mr. Engle donated his prize to 

 ' the society. (Mr. Hiller was not present.) 

 I Israel L. Landis presented a number of very large 



chestnuts sent to him by Mr. Samuel Potter, of 

 .Montgomery county. They were four times as large 

 as the ordinary chestnut and equally rweet. 



H. M. Engle urged the Importance of introducing 

 this variety Into our county by grafting. He said 

 there was more money in it than in planting choice 

 fruit trees, while plenty of waste land on almost 

 every farm may be found snflal)le for its growth . 



John H. Landis exhibited some specimens of 

 Georgia cotton bolls. 



Business for Next Meeting. 



The following questions were adopted for discus- 

 sion at next meeting. 



"Which Is the belter farmer — he who makes the 

 most manure, or he who buys the most." Referred 

 to Eph. S. Hoover. 



"Does it pay to raise trees for fencing purposes?" 

 Referred to .M. D. Kendig. 



"Is there siifnclent evidence that 'ensilage' Is a 

 successful method of preserving food for stock?" 

 Referred to Joseph F. Witmer. 



"Does it pay to cut dried corn fodder for stock ?" 

 Referred to William II. Brosius. 



Adjourned. 



POULTRY ASSOCIATION. 



I'll. I 111 ill r I oiinty Poultry Society met stated- 

 ly III M ' 11 Monday mornlnir, December 1st, 

 ai Ii.mI ,. ■ 'II . j.irk-. 



Ill i! 11! - 11 i| ilie President, Rev. D. C. Tobias, 

 the rnoilinL' "^i" called to order by <i. A. Ciever, the 

 first Vice President. 



Members Present 



Ml f i;ii, ( ni ron. Brickervllle; David M. Bro- 

 s. V 1 I iM/D. .Martin, New Haven: W.J. 



Kill ! I " i 111: T. E. Evans, H. H. Tshudy, 



IVhi ~. I II I, i i 1/.; G. A.Geycr, J. H. Menaugh, 

 L. (.. Mill I 111, S|.iiiig Garden; Charleti E. LouL', 

 Jacob B. Lichty, Charles Lippold, John C. Biirrowes, 

 Jacob B. LoiiL', Joseph R. Trlssler, Fcrlinand 

 Sheatfer, Charles Eilcn, Amos Rinirwalt, Lancaster; 

 Joseph F. Witmer, Paradise; J. .M. Johnston, C. A. 

 Gast, Frank (ireist and Geo. W. Mason, Lancaster, 

 reporters. 



The Catalogue. 



Chas. E, Long suggested that all business except 

 such as pertained to the approaching cxhibitioo be 

 postponed. He re|K>rted that Mr. Lichty and him- 

 self had succeeded in getting .500 catalogues printed 

 without any expense to the society for printing or 

 mailing, the cost having been paid by inserting ad- 

 vcrtisements in the book. 



Election of New Members. 



Edwin Brackbill, Morris Bachman and John Ha- 

 gens, of Strasburir; E. II. Burkholder and Rudy 

 Frankhouser, of West Earl, were elected members of 

 the Society. 



Filling a Vacancy 



Joseph R. Trissler, W. J. Kufrolh and Henry 

 Wisslerwere nominated to fill the vacancy in the ex- 

 ecutive committee, caused by the icRlgnati'in of J. 

 H. .Miller. The two latter "named gcnlleincii de- 

 clined, and Mr. Trissler was unanimously elected. 

 Securing and Incubator. 



Secretary Lichty spoke of the importance of se- 

 curing an incubator for the approaching exhibition, 

 and stated that Mr. Reed had corres|)onded with a 

 number of firms manufacturing the machine, and 

 found that one could not be secured for exhibition 

 for less than ?25, and additional expense for ex- 

 pressagc, etc. 



Mr. Chas. E. Long read a letter from Mrs. Colin 

 Cameron, in which the proposition was made that if 

 the Society would purchase the "Eclipse" Incubator, 

 manufactured in Massachusetts, price $75, .Mr. 

 Cameron would take the incubator at $.50. Mr. 

 Long favored accepting Mrs. Cameron's proposition 

 and said as the time was short, the Society sliould 

 decide at once, "so that the machine could be secured, 

 and the ecgs placed in it, in order that the chicks 

 may be coming out during the exhiljition, 



Mr. Lichty thought the society should not hesitate 

 about getting the incubator, as he believed il would 

 prove of sufficient interest to draw enough people, 

 who otherwise would not visit the exhibition, to jiay 

 all expenses. 



Amos Ringwalt also favored getting I he incubator, 

 and said even if it didn't pay, a rich society like this 

 should not be afraid to incur §20 expense. 



Jacob B.Long offered to be one of a number lo 

 take $5 worth oflickels to insure the society that the 

 additional expense would be made up. 



T.F. Evans thought the society should not take 

 the money out of the treasury to pay the cost, and 

 argued that even If the members "did take the 

 amount in tickets, it would be the same thing as 

 paying the money out of the treasury. He doubted 

 the expediency of getting the incubator, and sug- 

 gested that the society wait until its next exhibition 

 to secure one. 



Charles E. Long called on members who were 

 willing to pay 32. .50 a piece out of their pockets to 

 cover additional expense, beyond that insured by 

 Mr. Cameron, to rise In their places. 



