1880. 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



149 



beliind the earliest varieties, Early Beatrice 

 coming between. 



The season being iniusually early, we picked 

 the tirst ripe specimens from Cumberland on 

 June •24th, and marketed the flrst bushel June 

 20th, and to-day, .luly 23d, we pick the last 

 Wilder, Louise and Rivers, while Hale's will 

 barely be ripe by August 1st. The other new 

 early sorts which are growing on our grounds, 

 and which we expect to fruit in a year or two 

 at most, are E. Canada, Early Hose, Ilyne's 

 Surprise, Ashby's Early, Baker's Early, 

 Brice's Early, Early Lydia, Nectar, (iov. 

 CJarland, Waterloo, and McKain's Early, all 

 having globose glands, except Early Lydia, 

 which is glandlesf, and Waterloo, wliicli has 

 reniform glands. 1 make this distinction tliat 

 they may be recognized, as the glandless 

 varieties' are invariably weaker growers, and 

 the leaves and young wood are more or less 

 subject to mildew on some soils during some 

 seasons. We are indebted to Mr. T. V. 

 Munson, of Denison, Texas, and to Mr. 

 Ilyues, of West Plains, Missouri, for most of 

 the aforenamed varieties which have not yet 

 fruited. Mr. Munson has probably the largest 

 collection of quite early peaches in the coun- 

 try, which he is testing with the view of 

 making public the results of his experience. 

 In an article published in the Denison Daily 

 News of June -iOth, 1880, he says, "the 

 present season has been a peculiar one, re- 

 tarding the maturity ot the extra early varie- 

 ties, while the later came on in unusual sea- 

 sou. This has thrown the ripening of nearly 

 all varieties up to Hale's Early, into a heap. 

 It has been noticed, too, that the old, well- 

 established trees have ripened fruit much 

 earlier, and of larger size, than young trees of 

 the same variety. " Our experience this season 

 is that they were unusually early, and will 

 leave, apparently, a larger gap between the 

 quite early and" later ones than at any pre- 

 vious season since these quite early peaches 

 have been fruiting. 



Some of our friends who have fruited 

 AVilder, reported it as filling the season be- 

 tween the quite early kinds and Hale's, but 

 with us it invariably ripened as early as 

 Alexander and Amsden, but continued its 

 crop a little longer. Bower's Early and 

 Amsden on the same tree showed the latter 

 to be several days earlier. In our orchard 

 cif several hundred trees, about 75 were in 

 full fruiting, many being entirely overloaded. 

 The crop was unusually tine, high colored, 

 and with the exception of a few trees, quite 

 free from rot, while Hale's not yet ripe is 

 rotting considerably. I am not sanguine that 

 these early kinds will continue exempt from 

 rot, but may we not reasonably hope that 

 some of them will V All these early kinds 

 thus far fruited are, like Hale's, half clings, 

 and no doubt, seedlings from it, except Rivers 

 seedlings, which are of a different class, and 

 which we shall discard, Beatrice being too 

 small and the others too tender for market. 



New early varieties are still being intro- 

 duced, and we shall continue to collect and 

 test them as fast as we can, in order to prove, 

 if possible, which is the earliest peach. 

 Meanwhile, we look forward for a freestone 

 as large and fine as "Mountain Rose," and 

 as early as the earliest. — H. M. Enyle. 



HINTS FOR OCTOBER WORK 



Top-Dressing. 

 Bone dust or "taukings," or some fertilizer 

 in which the nitrogen is not in the form of 

 ammonia, and not soluble, is the best for late 

 autumn application to grass or grain. Such 

 a manure has some immediate effect, yet is 

 not washed away in solution by heavy rains, 

 but shows its potency in the spring. 



Weeds in Grass Land 

 may be very easily seen and destroyed this 

 month by the use of the "spud," a br.,ad 

 chisel blade attached to a handle like that of 

 a spade or long-handled shovel, having a spur 

 upon it for the foot to aid iu thrusting it into 

 the ground. A boy with au instrument of 



this kind can rapidly clear grass land of but- 

 tercup.s, daisies, and a multitude of other 

 biennial and perennial weeds. 

 Potatoes. 

 The sooner they are dug now the better. 

 It is best to keep them awhile either in pro- 

 tected heaps in the Held, or on some unused 

 floor. They throw off mueli moisture witliiu 

 a few days, and will heat if in large heaps or 

 too deep in the bins. When thoroughly dry 

 they may be placed in secure pits or in the 

 cellar. Potatoes are injured at once by frost, 

 and gradually by sunliglit, or even t)y diffused 

 light. They should, therefore, b(^ kept from 

 the light as much as possible, and decayed 

 ones carefully culled out before they are put 

 away. 



Roots 



are now making their best growth. Moder- 

 ately warm days and cold nights seem to have 

 a great effect upon them. As the lime for 

 heavy frosts approaches secure tlie mangels 

 and sugar-beets. Tup by rublnng the leavi« 

 off, not by cutting, as the wound often starts 

 decay, which spoils the beet. Carrots secure 

 attention next after the heels, and turnii)s 

 next, leaving the Swedish turnips longest. 

 Always protect piles of roots against frost by 

 some covering. Turnips will survive severe 

 freezing, but they are never so good for 

 feeding. 



Corn Fodder, 



by which we mean the stalks after husking 

 (not the leaves of the corn merely stripped 

 off), should be bound in bundles, probably 

 best done with willow withes, and stooked up 

 so as to shed rain. Large stooks, well set and 

 firmly bound, may be left in the held until 

 needed for feeding, without injury to the fod- 

 der. In fact it is often brighter and better 

 when treated in this way tha]i iu any other. 

 In stacks, or in sheds, it is likely to heat and 

 mould, unless it can be more thoroughly dried 

 than we can be sure of having it. 



Fodder Corn, 

 which, of course, was cut before the first frost, 

 or much of its value was lost, should lie han- 

 dled much in the same way. As soon as the 

 stalks are sufficiently dry, and the weather so 

 cool that danger from moulding is past, put 

 it u]) in small bundles, and set these together 

 in large stooks in the field, bound securely at 

 the top. 



Plowing for Spring Crops. 



This may be done at any time now, where 

 the soil is not too light, and not likely to 

 wash during the winter. The ground should 

 be left rough to be subjected to the fullest 

 action of the weather, freezing, tliawing, 

 wetting, drying, etc. Should a crop of weeds 

 come up it will very likely pay to plow and 

 harrow again. 



Ridge Plowinij 

 of stiff clays is often of great benefit. It is 

 done by turning the furrows two and two to- 

 gether, so as to leave the land uniformly 

 ridged. The ridges must run up and down the 

 slopes ; otherwise, in heavy rains, water will 

 be held by the ridges until it breaks through 

 somewliere, when there will be danger of a 

 "wash-out." Tills system of winter fallowing 

 involves plowing again in the spring, but 

 shows its good effects in the crops. 

 Water. 



If pure water does not tlow at the barn 

 look into means for securing it. Barnyard 

 wells are convenient, but often dangerous to 

 the health, if not of animals, certainly of 

 men, who may drink at them. If the water 

 from some spring can be led to the house or 

 barn by all means bring it down. Use plain 

 iron pipes or enamelled ones— not "galvan- 

 ized" pipes. Zinc is a slow poison, but not 

 quite so bad as lead. A well on higher ground 

 will often furnish fiowing water, conducted 

 by a siphon, at the level of the buildings. Xo 

 well should be dug at a less distance than 300 

 feet from a barnyard, cesspool, or privy vault. 

 Buildings. 



This month offers the most favorable time 

 usually for the painting and repair of farm 



buildings, and putting them in order for the 

 winter. A great part of this work may be 

 well done duruig this mouth by the farmer 

 and his boys. 



GOVERNOR HOYTS SPEECH AT THE 

 OPENING OF THE STATE FAIR. 



Owing to the rain on Monday the attend- 

 ance at the formal opening of the Stale Fair 

 in the Permanent Exhibition buildings, Phila- 

 delphia, was not as large as expected, though 

 there was still a fiiir showing of visitors. 

 Speaking of the Pennsylvania ^a^me^3 Grover- 

 uor Iloyt in his address said : 



And while I might look about me and 

 safely say your day of triumph has come — 

 curtly declare the State Fair formally 

 open. I wish to add a word or two which I 

 shall take occasion U) say whenever I find a 

 little knot of our good friends "the Grangers," 

 together, if they will listen. That third of 

 the people of Peinisylvania who are upon 

 their arms are best off ; the most happy and 

 most independent third of all our population; 

 best off in the value of their land, which, if 

 high, are high because they will bring their 

 price in the market ; best off in the steady 

 Compensating return fc^r their labor; free 

 from the commercial disa.sters of other call- 

 ings ; free from the mental worry of other 

 pursuits, and vastly more free than any cla*s 

 from the visitation of the Sherifl'. There are 

 gentlemen who constantly bemoan the farm- 

 er's situation ; the high prices of land, which 

 constitute his capital in trade ; the low prices 

 of some of the produt'ts grown in the We.st, 

 and the low rates of freights at which the 

 railroads deliver them at our seaboard and 

 thence by ships to the consumers in Euroi)e. 

 But, sir, the Pennsylvania farmer is still the 

 master of the situation. He is here with his 

 wife and children, in command of every 

 physical and moral resource which the highest 

 civilization can give. His life is no longer a 

 struggle for Itare existence — he is really in 

 the enjoyment of luxuries. Everywhere see 

 their beautiful homes, their great filled barns, 

 their trimmed hedges and white fences, their 

 bright patches of flowers. Consider their 

 social privileges — among friends and kin- 

 dred — their schools and churches, the'lbooks 

 and newspapers^all in their daily reach and 

 daily enjoyment. Our population increases, 

 but our square miles does not, and I su|)po8o 

 some of us must "go West." The .sturdy 

 householder raises a half dozen children, but 

 not a half dozen ferm.s, and some must leave 

 the old roof-tree. But my advice to 

 as many as can, is to continue to cast their 

 lines in this good old State. The Pennsylva- 

 ni;i farmer will not lose his supremacy. Possi- 

 lily, for the present, sonie of our Western 

 farmers can raise wheat and beef chetiper 

 than we. I do not regret it. But this cannot 

 continue long. The yearly value of their 

 acres is rapidly decreasing. They must do 

 what we must do— put back on the land some 

 of that which we yearly take off. We have 

 been doing it for a hundred years, and our 

 great problem is, how best to fertilize our 

 lands, how to regenerate and make good the 

 waste. Our struggle ought not to be to raise 

 the price of food, but to incrca.se the quantity 

 of our products. Time and brains and science 

 will yet do that for us. The Pennsylvania 

 farmer must, as he can, adopt his products to 

 the never-iiiiling market which our great 

 cities, towns and mining manufacturing cen- 

 tres everywhere give him — great food-con- 

 suming communities like Phil.adelphia, Pitts- 

 burg, Scranton, Reading and Harrisburg. 

 Here he is without a comiietitor. He ha.s a 

 monopoly in all perishable articles of food, 

 and these form the great bulk of what we 

 eat — fruits, vegetables, milk, and the long list 

 of good things which in this temjierate zone 

 we make our daih* bill of fare. You can 

 have no quarrel with these towns and cities 

 which furnish your customers, and which in 

 turn make the clothes you wear, the carpets 

 you tread, the stoves which warm your houses, 

 and mine the coal which fires them, whicvi 

 make yom- bedsteads and sausage-cutters, 



