THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[January, 



Contributions. 



Fon The LiNCASTER Farmeb. 

 A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE AGRICUL- 

 TURAL SOCIETIES OF LANCASTER 

 COUNTY. 



A society was organized about 1850 (the 

 first to my recollection) of which the Hon.' 

 Jolin Strohni was President, and his co-man- 

 agers were Benjamin Eshleman, Benjamin 

 Herr, Abraham' Peters, L. S. Reist, John 

 Miller, J. Hershey and J. Hartman Hershey. 

 Soon after 1850 the State Agricultural Society 

 was organized. The managers of this society 

 looked about for a suitable place to hold an 

 exhibition (the first State show in Pennsylva- 

 nia) and finally chose Lancaster as the most 

 proper place, giving the county society a cer- 

 tain interest therein, and from the proceeds 

 of this exhibition the said county society 

 realized between $700 and SSOOas their share. 

 If I am correct in my recollections, the county 

 society made an effort in 185-t to hold a county 

 fair, provided the citizens of the city would 

 assist them. A committee was appointed to 

 solicit funds for that purpose, but it met with 

 no success. The citizens of Columbia then 

 volunteered to raise the necessary funds if the 

 fair was held at or near that place. This fair 

 was advertised to come off about the middle 

 of September, but the cholera breaking out in 

 an epidemic form at Columbia in the begin- 

 ning of that month, the fair was postponed 

 until some time in the following October. 

 This fair, perhaps, was as successful as could 

 have been expected under the circumstances, 

 but the society sunk all it had formerly real- 

 ized from the State Fair. Discouraged by 

 this financial adversity the society abandoned 

 its organization and was " wound up." Sub- 

 sequently a horticultural society was organ- 

 ized, with the late Dr. Henry Muhlenberg as 

 President, supported by about a dozen man- 

 agers. They held monthly meetings_ and 

 exhibitions at Cooper's Hotel, in West"King 

 street. I cannot recall the members of that 

 organization. 



About the year 1857 a county fair was again 

 agitated, and the then existing society was 

 urged to hold one, but it was unwilling to 

 undertake it, remembering perhaps the finan- 

 cial failure at Columbia. A temporary society 

 or club was then formed by Benjamin Mishler, 

 Emanuel Shober, David G. Eshleman, Jacob 

 F. Fry, Seth Spencer and others, who held 

 several exhibitions in successive years, near 

 where the Reading Railroad depot is now 

 located. When they finally settled up their 

 afliairs they found a financial deficiency, which 

 had to be made up by the members of the 

 society ; and after several subsequent attempts 

 to resuscitate the old society the organization 

 was finally abandoned. 



After a lapse of several years, or about the 

 year 1865, the present .society was formed, at 

 Cooper's Hotel, and L. S. Reist was elected 

 the first president. It held several exhibitions 

 in Fulton Hall, the Orphans' Court Room, 

 the corridor of the Court House, and also two 

 or three at the Northern Market House. 



What made these a partial success at least 

 was there being held without premiums being 

 ■paid to any of the exhibitors. Emulation 

 alone was the spirit that developed and con- 

 troled them, and many of the exhibitors also 

 allowed their fruit to be sold for the benefit 

 of the society, or donated it to the "Children's 

 Home." The managers and exhibitors all had 

 free access to the exhibition, going in and out 

 when they pleased, reminding the people of 

 the fine display of fruit, and speaking a 

 friendly word here and there. These /ree fairs 

 were gotten up without premium lists or 

 posters, and only ordinary newspaper adver- 

 tisement ; the members themselves verbally 

 advertising them, the people answering, 

 "Well, I had forgotten all about it, but I 

 will now go and see it." The whole object of 

 the society was a spectacular display, and the 

 question of financial success was only a sec- 

 ondary matter, if it was considered at all. 

 But a new departure was made in accordance 

 with the custom of other societies all over the 



country, and under all the circumstances 

 liberal premiums were offered. This, of course, 

 involved a greater responsibility than the 

 former exhibitions, and not everyone felt in- 

 clined to assume those responsibilities. Still 

 the society, up to its last exhibition, realized 

 sufficient to cover all its expenses, and this, 

 if not a "success," was at least nota failure, 

 and encouraged the society to make a more 

 liberal and energetic effort. 



The last exhibition, however, seems not to 

 have been successful, although the manage- 

 ment sent out posters that would have done 

 credit to the "World's Fair," and a fair 

 premium list, by thousands. On looking over 

 the rules to exhibitors I find in Article 3. 

 ' Competition is open to all, except when 

 otherwise provided for. No charges will be 

 made for receiving and entering articles." 

 Notwithstanding, I learned afterwards that 

 an entrance fee was charged, and also a 

 charge was made for exhibitors' tickets. I 

 had spent some days before the fair in gather- 

 ing autumn leaves, forest flowers, and berries, 

 and also two bushels of apples, comprising 

 upwards of fifty varieties. These I brought in 

 on Tuesday morning, with my own labels at- 

 tached, and arranged them properly for ex- 

 hibition. I then went to Mr. S. S. Rathvon 

 and told him that he was to have my entire 

 exhibit, except one or two varieties, and in 

 case any premium was awarded to it, he was 

 also to draw that, for the benefit of the Lan- 

 caster Farmer. As 1 did not expect to be 

 in Lancaster any other day of that week, I 

 went right from his place to the Northern 

 Market House to get my baskets, when I was 

 refused admission without paying, to which I 

 demurred, and went home to find out that I 

 was no exhibitor, my collection receiving no 

 notice whatever, not even from the reporters. 

 Still, hoping future success to the society, I 

 am — " Warwick.'''' 



FOE [HE LanOASTEB FARMER. 



■HOTCH-POTCH." 



I always see a good many recipes in the 

 Lancaster Farmer for cooking, baking, 

 stewing, &c., but there is one article that I 

 am very fond of that I have never yet seen 

 in The Farmer or elsewhere, and that is the 

 stomach of a pig filled with rneat and pota- 

 toes. Cut a slit in the stomach about four 

 inches long, across the natural aperture, and 

 after emptying it turn it inside out. Take the 

 inner skin off, and when it is thoroughly 

 cleaned fill it with meat and potatoes— about 

 two parts of potatoes and one part of meat. 

 More of the one and less of the other can be 

 taken if desired. The meat should be cut 

 into small pieces, from half an inch to an inch 

 square, and the potatoes should be sliced. 

 Any kind of meat, fresh sausages or spare- 

 ribs are good, but a part of it at least, must 

 be fat. if the meat is not fat, about an equal 

 quantity of "speck" .should be added. Mix 

 well together and season to the taste, (fresh 

 or salted meat will do.) Then fill the stom- 

 ach, but it must not be stuffed too full, or it 

 will burst in boiling. Sew up the slit that 

 was cut before it is boiled. (The bursting 

 can be avoided by sewing a thin piece of mus- 

 lin around it.) Put it in a kettle of boiling 

 water, and boil it moderately for three or 

 four hours, until the potatoes get soft. Then 

 take it out of the kettle and put in a pan and 

 roast it like a turkey. If done well it is ex- 

 cellent — next to turkey. — J. G., Warwick, 

 Jan., 1881. 



"That's so," and we thank J. G. for this 

 revival of a good old dish, that somehow in 

 this fast ase was becoming obsolete. Our 

 mother made it more than sixty years ago. 

 Our mother-in-law made it fifty years ago, 

 and our wife made it forty years ago. When 

 we first commenced housekeeping, raised our 

 own pigs, and had our annual butchering, the 

 stomach of one pig at least was always con- 

 verted into a "Hotch-potch," as it was called. 

 A little parsley or sweet marjorem was added 

 to give it flavor, but about tlie best flavoring 

 is a dozen of good fresh oysters, when the 

 meat is fresh. It has also" this advantage; 



there are no bones in it, (unless when made of 

 spareribs) it is easily carved, and th-re is no 

 choice in the pieces. It has been many a 

 long year since we have seen it, or eaten of it, 

 but we are glad to know that it has not en- 

 tirely gone out of fashion in Lancaster 

 county. It is a dish worth retaining, and all 

 of our recollections concerning it are favora- 

 ble to its qualities. 



JAPAN PERSIMMONS. 



Mr. Editor : Only a few years since there 

 was much interest felt in the above fruit. 

 Many statements were published in the papers 

 of the great desirability of introducing and 

 growing the trees, by those having eaten the 

 fruit in Japan, and afterwards in California, 

 all of whom declared it a most valuable and 

 delicious fruit. The result, of course, was 

 that many trees were introduced and sold at 

 high prices ; but unfortunately it was soon 

 found that the trees were too tender to with- 

 stand the severity of our winters, and so far 

 as we know, disappointment has been the 

 result in the Middle States, at least in many 

 instances. 



The Hon. Commi.<;sioner of Agriculture, at 

 Washington, has imported many trees, and 

 he informs ns that some varieties have been 

 killed on the experimental ground, while 

 other varieties have not been injured in the 

 least, remaining green and sound to the top 

 shoots. It thus appears that some of the 

 varieties are more hardy ihan others. It is 

 very probable that trees from the more north- 

 ern localities of Japan might withstand the 

 climate of our Middle States, especially if 

 planted on high ground. Further trials should 

 be continued, and ultimately some of the 

 many varieties may yet be found to suit our 

 variable climate. 



Some six or eight years ago, I received four 

 small plants from Hon. Thos. Hogg, of 

 Brooklyn, New York. He had brought them 

 with him from Japan, and had planted some 

 on his place at Brooklyn, and succeeded so 

 far as to get his trees to bear fruit. Thinking 

 if the trees were hardy there, they would, of 

 course, be hardy here ; so I planted mj trees 

 out in a clump, but the next winter was 

 extra cold, and ray little trees froze down, 

 and I afterwards found that Mr. Hogg's trees 

 were also killed. However, two of my plants 

 sprouted up from the roots. These I took up 

 and planted in pots ; one died ; the other I 

 still have growing in a nine-inch p'>t. In the 

 winter I simply place the pot in the cellar ; as 

 they are deciduous, they can be placed out of 

 the way in an ordinary cellar, where they 

 keep in a fine, healthy condition. The ground 

 in the pot of my jilant has been frozen as hard 

 as a rock, the plant was not injured in the 

 least. 



This last season my plant ripened four per- 

 simmons, yellow as an orange, measuring 7 by 

 7i in circumference ; and as to qujility of the 

 fruit, I can fully confirm all that has been 

 said in praise of the deliciousness of this new 

 fruit ; not a single seed was in any of them, 

 and they might well be " eaten with a spoon," 

 as some had said. Even before fully ripe, 

 they have none of that astringency of our 

 native persimmons. 



If we cannot grow this new fruit out of 

 doors, we certainly can grow them in tubs or 

 boxes quite as easily as orange trees, and dur- 

 ing the winter place them in the cellar out of 

 the way. 



Still, I hope some varieties will be found as 

 hardy as our natives, or time may acclimate 

 them so that they can be grown in the open 

 air, the same as our other fruit trees. This 

 delicious fruit is certainly well worthy of 

 further tTiaX.—Bespectfully, J. B. Garber, . 

 Columbia, Pa., Dec. 27, 1880. 



For The Lancaster Paemke. 



A FOOT-WARMER. 



In such cold weather as we have had this 



winter it is the practice of some people, when 



they go away from home, to take hot bricks 



and wrap them in a small piece of carpet, or 



