182 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[December, 



For The Lancastek Farmeb. 

 PRIMEVAL FOREST TREES. 



I notice tliat the essay on " Forest Trees," 

 by Prof. Tliomas Meelian, brought out a dis- 

 cussion at the December meetint; of the Lan- 

 caster County Agricultural and Horticultural 

 Society; the question being, " Was Pennsyl- 

 vania a Forest Country?" Prof. Jleehan 

 seems to have advanced the opinion tlial it 

 was not. I claim to know something about 

 the early settlement of Lancaster and Lebanon 

 counties, which may .compare more or less 

 with the rest of the State. My ancestors 

 were among the very first settlers of the 

 counties of Lancaster and Lebanon, and 

 brought there the first flour and corn meal 

 from Wilmington, Delaware, on horseback. 

 I still live on what was called, 150 years ago. 

 the "Peters Koad," and traveled by the 

 Indians. Peters was a trader amongst the 

 Red men of the forest, and said road is still 

 the dividing line between the townships of 

 Penn, Warwick and the Earls on the north, 

 and Manheim and the Leacoeks, on the 

 south. The country then was a dense forest, 

 but not a heavy timber country. Heavy tim- 

 ber was only known along the streams of 

 water, or swamps and creeks. The uplands 

 were burned over occasionally, if not an- 

 nually. The age of the majestic forest of the 

 present period, generally ranges, by counting 

 the annual growths from 150 to 200 years. 

 No general and extensive forest fires are 

 likely to have occurred after the year 1080. 

 The Indians doubtless feared punishmeut from 

 the Philadelphians after that period. Prior 

 to that date the frequent forest fires pre- 

 vented the land from becoming heavily tim- 

 bered. The first settlers designated the 

 different settlements by difl'erent names. A 

 large tract north of Neffsville, and especially 

 that part north of Lititz Springs, and between 

 Middle Creek and Shoeneck, was known as 

 "Grubenland" — a place overgrown with 

 small trees, so small that fliey were dug out 

 instead of being cut down. A very small tree 

 was called a gruh, hence the name of Gruben- 

 land. In Lebanon county, along the Reading 

 and Ilarrisburg pike, north of Myerstown, tlie 

 country was known as the "Ground Acorn " 

 district, and to this day is called sometimes 

 by the old local inhabitants "Grund Eichlen 

 Land." It was overgrown with small "scrub 

 oaks" south of the pike. It was known as 

 Grubenland all tlie way to Shacflerstown. It 

 was also a country of very small timber. 

 The first settlers from Penn township, at 

 Mount Vernon, could overlook the small 

 forest trees between there and Lexington, 

 and could see the cattle grazing on the liill- 

 sides and in the bottom lands, where the 

 Brubakers and the Bomborgers now reside. 



That the forest is decreasing at a more 

 rapid rate than ever before in the history of 

 the country, is no longer a doubtful question. 

 Since the introduction of steam, and the u.se 

 of railroad ties, the Grubenland described has 

 become, in time's relentless course, .shorn of 

 the good timber that had been permitted to 

 grow up upon it after its first settlement, and 

 which is now nearly all destroyed, and the 

 prospect for a new grubenland is very remote 

 indeed. There is not the least doubt that a 

 necessity exists for the replenishment of our 

 forests, and perhaps nothing ))ut a timber 

 panic will ever induce the ])resent and future 

 generations to go to work earnestly and |)lant 

 trees. The general govei-nment itself pre- 

 tends to encourage tree cultiu'e, but at the 

 same time it encourages destruction instead 

 of construction in this direction. "Young 

 America " is more interested in the former 

 work than the latter. The first question 

 asked is, "does it pai/ ?" — not even in the 

 near future, but it must jiay here and no?/.', or 

 they will have nothing to do with it. A vast 

 deal of timber is wasted through a mistaken 

 policy of the government itself. It requires 

 many thousands, if not millions, of feet of 

 lumber to supply the demand for ciiiar boxes 

 alone, and this is literally destroyed. These 

 boxes by proper management could be all re- 

 used. It is the same in regard to cotton 



spools. Both of these articles could be col- 

 lected and preserved for future use. A free 

 country is surely the greatest boon that can 

 be enjoyed by a free people ; but freedom 

 should be ti.stcZ and not »hused. The same 

 ))rovision should have been made in America 

 that has been made in Europe by the descend- 

 ants of an oriental race, to the effect, that a 

 certain percentage of the first settlements was 

 to lie and remain as a perpetual forest, hence 

 Europe is better secured against a timber 

 famine, than our eastern States of America. 

 The first settlers were practically taught that 

 lesson in Asia, from whence they had emi- 

 grated. A great part of the old Eastern 

 world, including Egypt, was denuded of its 

 timber and ultimately abandoned as barren 

 deserts. In some parts the soil would have 

 been rich enough to grow timber, but it was 

 neglected by a careless and indolent race, 

 who, at this day are content to use the 

 droppings of their camels and their donkeys, as 

 fuel to cook their daily meals. 



The subject of forest cultivation is being at 

 tliis time agitated all over Egypt. The reign- 

 ing Kbedive has taken an interest in the ques- 

 tion, and forests have been replanted in many 

 districts, which is causing quite a revolution 

 in the countr}'. More rain is falling there 

 than formerly. The forests have brought 

 soaking rains to refresh the soil, stimulating 

 it to bring forth its increase as in the olden 

 times long past. 



I do hope that we Americans will wake up 

 to the importance of the subject before the 

 total destruction of our timber takes place — 

 before we become destitute of wood for fuel, 

 and timber for building purposes, and rain to 

 moisten the earth and insure a continuance 

 of our crops. 



It is not the question at this time, whether 

 the absence of "Grund Eichlen," our "Gru- 

 benland," and our majestic forests, have 

 caused our wells and water springs to "dry 

 up" — wells that had never been dry before 

 within the memory of the " oldest inhabi- 

 tant." Streams are now dry that never were 

 known to have been dry before. Is it not then 

 of some importance that we make an eflbrt in 

 time, looking toward the replenishment of our 

 timber lands— and thus anticipate a timber 

 panic. — Warwick. 



No doubt "Warwick" is sounding a 

 rational and charitable alarm, but it is to be 

 feared that owners of lands are like the man 

 who, when lying abed, replied to the admoni- 

 tion that the house was on fire, l)y reaching 

 forth his hand and pressing it against the wall 

 of his chamber, and expressing the opinion 

 that there was no danger', because he felt no 

 heat. ISIoreover, so long as men make the 

 manufacture of cigar boxes and cotton spools 

 a business, so long will they encourage their 

 extravagant consumption, panic or no panic. 

 Most people in this world live for themselves 

 alone, and if their occupations only "piece 

 out " their own day and generation, they give 

 themselves little concern about those whose 

 lot may be cast in the future. This is the 

 stubborn and inhuman aspect of our humanity, 

 and it will take a long time before we are able 

 to subordinate it to the higher dictates of 

 charity. 



Essays. 



ESSAY ON WHEAT CULTURE.* 



Although wheat is considered the staple 

 crop in this county, it is i)erhai)s, the most 

 inicertain crop we grow. The fact that it 

 requires almost a year to grow and harvest a 

 crop of wheat, and that it is liable at any 

 day during tliat time to be badly damaged, or 

 indeed, totally destroyed by the elements or 

 insect enemies, might almost discourage us 

 from raising it. It is a crop, however, that 

 finds a ready market every day in the year, 

 and one need not go far to find a purchaser", 



*Re.id before the Lancaster County Agricultural and Hor- 

 ticultural Society, December 6, 1880, by John C. LiQTillc, 

 Gap. 



although the price may be low, as it is at 

 present. The straw is so handy to have about 

 a barn that no farmer in this section would 

 know how to do without it. 



Every farmer knows that it requires a good 

 rich soil to grow wheat, but no one knows, I 

 apprehend, just how much manure or fertili- 

 zer to apply to his land. The quantity that 

 produces the heaviest crop in a dry season is 

 entirely too much in a wet season, as we all 

 have learned to our sorrow, when the luxur- 

 iant growth of early spring falls and rots un- 

 der the soaking rains of June. In such sea- 

 sons the thriftless farmer who "manures little 

 and tills less," frequently harvests the best 

 crop. Even in the last season, though a dry 

 one, the lodged wheat was poorly filled and 

 of inferior quality. In view of these facts 

 anything that tends to put the growth of 

 this great cereal more completely under our 

 control is welcomed by wheat growers. 



During the last few years the hoeing or 

 cultivation of wheat during its growth has 

 been much discussed in the agricultural pa- 

 pers. It is held, and with plausibility, by the 

 advocates of cultivation, that wheat will 

 respond to the slirring of tlie soil as readily 

 as coBii or any ottier "hoe crop." It is main- 

 tained that thorough tillage in the spring 

 will bring up a thin stand of wheat to a good 

 crop. On the other hand it is held that a too 

 vigorous growth can be checked by deei> and 

 close cultivation. In other words, root pi'un- 

 ing will direct the forces of the plant to the 

 formation of grain rather tlian the excessive 

 growth of straw. And then again it is said 

 the air and sunshine can more readilj' per- 

 form their functions when the rows are far- 

 ther apart. 



I drilled my first piece of wheat for cultiva- 

 tion in the fall of 1877. These two acres 

 were drilled with an ordinary "Farmer's 

 Friend" drill with the alternate spouts shut 

 off. The narrow points were taken off the 

 hoes and wider ones substituted so that the 

 wheat was distributed in a broad row at least 

 twice as wide as a common drill point. About 

 seven pecks of seed per acre were used. This 

 lot was cultivated four times during the fol- 

 lowing April with a two horse cultivator that 

 was constructed expressly for the purpose, and 

 it worked admirably. The wheat looked re- 

 markably well at this time, and a good many 

 visitors came to see the "cultivated wheat." 

 As harvest drew near and the crop became 

 fully matured experienced farmers doubted 

 whether it was any better than the rest of the 

 field which was drilled in the ordinary way, 

 and not cultivated. j 



This piece of wheat was harvested and stor- ,1 

 ed separately with the intention of thrashing ■ 

 and comparing it with the uncultivated por- 

 tion; but the insatiable appetite of a steam 

 thrasher took all into its hungry maw and 

 the two lots were one. There was nothing, 

 however, in the harvesting or handling of tliis 

 wheat to warrant the IjeUef that it was any 

 better than the unhoed portion of the same 

 wheat. 



This field of wheat, including the experi- 

 mental lot, was estimated to yield forty 

 bushels per acre. It will be remembered that 

 the harvest of 1878 was a good one. 



In the fall of 1878 I again drilled about 

 seven acres for cultivation. It comprised 

 portions of two fields. The fall and winter 

 were unfavorable and the spring excessively 

 dry. The ground became very much cracked 

 and the cultivator left the ground in a rough, 

 cloddy condition. Finding that further culti- 

 vation would be of no benefit, I waited and 

 hoped for rain, which did not come, and the 

 wheat got but oue hoeing. There was no per- 

 ceptible dift'erence between the hoed and un- 

 hoed portions, and it was all harvested to- 

 gether. 



Nothing daunted by these failures, I again 

 in the fall of 1879, drilled in five acres for cul- 

 tivation. This was cultivated on the 10th and 

 again on the •22d of April, the ground being in 

 a very favorable condition for tillage. It 

 seemed to fake on a darker greener hue after 

 each hoeing, but when the heads were formed 



I 



