48 



TH-E LANCASTER FARMER. 



[March, : 



calves as are required to fill up the vacancies that 

 occur year by year in his herd of dairy cows ; and it 

 is all the better if he has a few more than he wants 

 for that purpose. Some people contend that three- 

 year-old-in-calf heifers can be bought for less 

 money than they can be raised for, counting; in the 

 risk. This depends, however, entirely on the iticili- 

 ties a mail has for keepinsf young cattle so as not to 

 interfere with his mill; pastures. 



On all mixed farms it is commonly a simple mat- 

 ter enouah to summer and winter young cattle so 

 cheaply that it is better to raise them than to buy 

 others for the dairy herd, and many farmers find it 

 to their advantage to raise them for sale when "on 

 note," or to fatten for the butcher. Judiciously car- 

 ried out rearing pays very well, and heifers raised on 

 the farm are commonly found more profitable to it 

 ill after life as millvcrs, tlian otliers that are raised 

 elsewhere and purcliasc-d. liesides which it is more 

 than probable that rearing will always pay well, 

 providing only that the stock is of good quality ; for 

 the demand for luill; in our towns and cities is sure to 

 goon increasing and their will always be a brisk 

 demand for stock of good quality for grazing pur- 

 poses. 



A careful breeder can but seldom buy dairy stock 

 that will suit him as well as those of his own rear- 

 ing. Those he buys may, pel haps, be as well bred 

 as his own are in every respect, but if they are only 

 as well and no better bred, they will scarcely ever 

 do as well in the milk-pail as those that have been 

 reared on the farm. — Farmers' Union. 



Suffering of the Cattle on the Plains. 



A Chicago Tiinea. correspondent sent out to inves- 

 tigate the cfr.Ti ,,r tlir li ir.l winter on the cattle in 

 the great i;r;i:-i!._ • :._■■.-. ■ :■ .i.iphs from Kansas city 

 that owiim t'l ! ' > I ■ i^i' of ''the beef empire" 



iu which till- hiiiU riim,:: vill, it is almost impossi- 

 ble to gain reliaDlc news. Inielligence received from 

 the ranges of the North Platte river between the 

 towns on that river and Sidney, Nebraska, and 

 northward for 1.50 miles from the Niobrara ranges 

 extending 200 miles along tlie valley of the Niobra- 

 ra, and running over into Dakota from the grazing 

 ground in Northeastern and Central Colrado, 

 and from Northeastern New Mexico and Southwest- 

 ern Kansas indicates great probable losses, while 

 the greatest fears are entertained that the thickly 

 populated pasture lands of Montana, Idaho and Or- 

 egon may be strewn with carcasses by the time 

 springs open. 



William Parton, a member of the Nebraska Legis- 

 lature, from Omaha, expects to lose from .5,000 to 

 7,000 of the 1.5,000 head on tlie North Platte, estima- 

 ting a loss of from $100,000 to $125,000. 



J. N. McShane, another member, anticipates a loss 

 of 30 per cent, in the Creighton herbs, numbering 

 some 30,000 head. 



The cattle men no longer try to conceal the fact 

 that, at best, the season of 1.S80 will be disastrous to 

 their native interests; and, though it should turnout 

 that the actual loss by death is fess than the present 

 appearances indicate, it is universally conceded that 

 the percentage of increase will be far below the reg- 

 ular percentage. 



The cows will be so weakened by exposure and the 

 approach of starvation, that they will be barren for 

 a year or two longer. The estimates of loss in the 

 various ranges run all the way from 10 to 75 per 

 cent. 



Literary and Personal. 



Everitt's Descriptive Catalogue and Price 

 List of Seeds, Seed Potatoes, &c., for 1881. A royal 

 octavo pamphlet of 38 pages, on tinted covers, and 

 splendidly illustrated, Wafsontown, Pa. A distin- 

 guishing feature of this catalogue is its illustration 

 and description of several choice and improved vari- 

 eties of the potato, among which are the " Lux- 

 ury,'' the "Champion of America," the "White 

 Rose," an "English Variety," the "Mammoth 

 Pearl," the " Magnum Bonum," &c., ifcc, of which 

 Mr. E. makes a specialty. The pamphlet also con- 

 tains a select list of vegetable seeds, and concise de- 

 scriptions of their culture ; indeed, the historical 

 and descriptive character of this catalogue indicates 

 a progressive step in this department of agriculture 

 which, duly appreciated, must result to the advan- 

 tage of the seedsman, and the farmer. The " La 

 Plume Celery," the "Lackawanna Cauliflower," and 

 the " Berkshire Beauty," are very special objects of 

 kitchen garden culture. On the whole, this pamph- 

 let, in quality and reliable contents, is worthy of the 

 special attention of our readers, and we advise them. 

 In their cultivation of solanaceous weeds, to send for 

 a copy of it, believing they may find something that 

 will pay as well, and be a greater boon to humani- 

 ty than devoting their whole attention to the culti- 

 vation of tobacco. 



Uses of Forests in Lancaster County. Their 

 Influence on the climate, temperature, springs and 

 streams. Their protection against storms and floods. 

 How forests improve the soil. The question of the 

 influence of forets on the raiu-fall considered. How 



orchards have been affected. Reasons why new 

 forests should be planted, and the timber belts of 

 the country should be restored and preserved. An 

 aaaress by S. P. Eby, Esq., Librarian of the Lancas- 

 ter County Agricultnral and ITorticnUural liociely. 



This is an octavo pamphlet of 35 pages in tinted 

 paper covers. In this Essay Mr. Eby does not con- 

 fine himself to his own observations and experi- 

 ences, but cites the most noteworthy and intelligent 

 authorites on this interesting and very important 

 subject ; showing a commendable zeal in his re- 

 searches, and the development of a class of facts 

 that are of a significance that cannot be doubted, 

 although the theory may be denied. There are very 

 few men, of any observation whatever, who may 

 not— in an experience of fifty or sixty years — have 

 noticed many times, that the trees and shrubbery, 

 •in many places, have passed away, and tliat the 

 character of the climate is no more what it was 

 during the period of their boyhood, whatever may 

 have been the cause. We think it would be much 

 liarder to prove that these meteorological changes 

 have not been produced by the removal of the for- 

 ests, than the converse of the question. If these 

 prolific coincidences have not produced these too 

 evident results, then what has produced them ? The . 

 efi'ect we notice almost daily, but, because they are 

 so familiar to us, by lio means evinces that they can- 

 not occur without a pre-existing cause. We confine 

 a fox and chickens in a pen together, and daily find 

 that our chickens are growing " beautifully less " in 

 number; we need not hesitate to conclude that the 

 fox has eaten the chickens, although we may never 

 have seen the fox destroy them. We would commend 

 this pamphlet to the intelligent and thinking portion 

 of our readers, and especially those who till the 

 soil. Perhaps they may see in it something that 

 they ean corroborate by their own experience. 



Agricdlture of Pennsylvania, containing re- 

 ports of the State Board of Agriculture, the State 

 Agricultural Society, the State Dairymen's Asso- 

 ciation, the State Fruit-Growers' Society, and the 

 State Agricultural College for 1880. We are in- 

 debted to our local Representative, E. G. Snyder, 

 Esq., for a copy of this the most creditable volume 

 ever issued by the State Government, and one that 

 fairly represents the State's agricultural resources 

 and progress. The work-, is a royal octavo of 6.59 

 pages, printed on fine calendered paper, in clear 

 type, and is embellished with 26 full page illustra- 

 tions, and .86 cuts illustrative of crops, implements, 

 machinery, &c., &c., including lists of oflicers and 

 faculties of the different institutions ; their proceed- 

 ings, and copious indexes to the whole. The most 

 voluminous and elaborate is that of the State Board 

 of Agriculture, the youngest and seemingly the most 

 vigorous of our State agricultural organizations. It 

 •isl.o be rather regretted that all the associated ener- 

 gies and resources of the State cannot be consoli- 

 dated in one organization. This volume also con- 

 tains the lists of premiums awarded at the late 

 agricultural and wool shows, held in Fairmount 

 Park, in September last, including illustrations of 

 some of the premium stock. Containing, as it does, 

 many valuable statistics, the volume ought to be 

 specially interesting to our farming population. 



Report of the Kansas State Horticultural 

 Society for the year 1^79, containiu* the proceed- 

 ings of its ninth semi-annual meeting, held at Beloit, 

 Mitchell county, June 17, 18 and 19, and the thir- 

 teenth annual meeting, held iit Holton, Jackson 

 county, December 16, 17 and 18, 1879. Together 

 with the proceedings of the division, county and 

 local societies ; edited by the Secretary, 460 pages, 

 royal octavo, with many illustrations of noxious 

 insects, and as a frontispiece, a portrait of William 

 M. Homsley, M. D., a veteran pioneer and worker 

 in the field of horticulture. This isthe ninth volume 

 of the series, and only represents the State Horticul- 

 tural Society , and, like all that has recently come 

 under our observation of Kansas' State publications, 

 it is gotten up in the best quality of book-making 

 material and composition. The work is practical, 

 being the experimental knowledge of practical men, 

 and cannot fail to be of practical service to horticul- 

 ture, both in and out of Kansas. 



Reports op Proceedings of the International 

 Dairy Fairs for the years 1878 and. 1879. Royal oc- 

 tavos, respectively of 176 and 80 pages, in tinted covers 

 We thankfully acknowledge the receipt of these 

 excellent reports, although they seem to have been 

 "long a coming." They are handsomely and ably 

 gotten up, and contain much valuable information of 

 a very practical character. Twelve pages are de- 

 voted to "descriptions of the processes" of those to 

 whom were awarded the high.est prizes for the but- 

 ter and cheese they had on exhibition. This we 

 deem a most ^aluahle feature of the reports, and 

 one in which every new dairyman at least must feel 

 an abiding interest, because it contains the experi- 

 mental knowledge of the most prominent dairymen 

 of the entire country, and in future numbers of the 

 Farmer we shall take pleasure in laying; some of 

 these before our readers. 



Gettysburg Compiler.— We are indebted to 

 some considerate friend for a copy of this journal, 

 containing able papers read before the State Board 



of Agriculture and the Pennsylvania Fruit-Growers' 

 Society at their annual meetings held in January 

 last, and we regret that we did not receive these 

 papers in time" to publish them in our February 

 number. En passant, the Compiler is not only a 

 K«e paper", but it is also a very lively one— "chuck 

 full " of good things. 



The Poultry Monthly— Published by the 

 Ferris Publishing Company, at Albany, N. T., is a 

 royal quarto of lie pages and tinted covers, and also 

 most royally illustrated with choice specimens of 

 poultry stock. It is printed in clear type and on 

 finely calendered paper, and on the whole will vie 

 with any publication devoted to a similar specialty 

 in the country. Subscription, one dollar a year. To 

 all new subscribers we will furnish the Lancaster 

 Farmer and the Poultry Jlonthiy at the low price of 

 one dollar and fii"ty cents a year in advance — the 

 cheapest publications in the Union. 



The Poultry World, devoted exclusively to 

 poultry, with 16pages quarto and 'Zl pages — includ- 

 ing the tinted covers— of advertising matter, comes 

 to hand with its usual budget of gallicultural lore, 

 perceptibly improved, and is, apparently, the lead- 

 ing poultry journal of the country. In the way of 

 illustrations, nothing could excel the Black Cayuga 

 Ducks, on the first page of the March number, for 

 1881. The Poultry World now going into its 10th ; 

 volume, may be regarded as a success and is well de- 

 serving of it. Published by H. H. Stoddard, 

 Hartford, Connecticut, at $1.25- per year : Chromo 

 edition g2.00, including postage. 



The Fruit Recorder, and Cottage Gardener, a 

 16 pagej-oyal quarto. A. M. Purdy, editor and man- 

 ager, published at Rochester, N. Y., at $1.00 pec 

 year. Its scope is indicated by its motto^"To till 

 and keep, and of the fruit to eat, and the beautiful 

 to enjoy." On the first page of the cover are fine il- 

 lustrations of eight varieties of the Stra,wberry, 

 natural sizes, namely: Warrm, Longfellow, Crystal 

 City, Miner's Great Prolific, Glendale, Crescent 

 Seedling, Cowiug's Seedling, and Windsor Chief. 

 These are all new varieties. Mr. Purdy is a veteran 

 editor and a practical fruit grower, and has a reli- 

 able reputation, and he says, at present he knows of 

 no strawberries superior to those illustrated on the 

 first page of the January number of the Recorder. 

 This journal evidently cares little about general ad- 

 vertising, and therefore devotes the whole of its 16 

 pages to the general and particular details of fruit 

 growing and cottage gardening. 



The American Cultivator, devoted to Agricul- 

 ture, Horticulture, Markets, News, Art, Science, and 

 Home Literature. This is a large eight paged folio, 

 going into its 43d volume; and therefore, not to know 

 it, argues one's .''elf unknown. Published weekly, at 

 $2, .50 per annum, including postage, Boston, Mass. 

 Address Geo. B. James, 48 Summer street. The 

 January 2Jd number of this magnificent journal 

 came to hand too late to transfer a very interesting, 

 marked, article to our columns, but we shall do so 

 in our next number — if we don't forget it. 



The Rockdale Enterprise, published by 

 Spindle, France & Milnes, Shenandoah Iron Works, 

 Page county, Virginia. A new monthly folio at 

 fifty cents a year, in advance. No. 1, Vol. 1 for 

 February, 1881, is on our table, and is well filled 

 with interestinir local and literary matter. It makes 

 a very creditable appearance and is an enterprise 

 worthy of success. 



The Illustrated Champion— A journal de- 

 voted to agriculture, the mechanic arts, and useful ,i 

 and entertaining literature, published by the I 

 "Champion Machine Company," at Springfield, ■ j 

 Ohio, and edited by Charles G.Rowley. This is a ^.1 

 large double-foiio, splendidly illustrated, issued, 

 apparently, occasionally, in the special interest of 

 the company. An able and well-executed repre- 

 sentative. 



The American Dairyman, and Butter, 

 Cheese and Egg Reporter— A weekly record of • 

 dairy interests at home and abroad. An eight-page 

 royal 4to., conducted with great ability, and alive to 

 all interests connected immediately or remotely with 

 its specialties. Published at $1..50 a year, in advance, 

 by Clark & Co., 5 and 7 Murray street. New Tork. 



Dominion Bazaar.— The Amateur's and Fan- 

 cier's guide to profit, amusement, pet stock and 

 home interests. Toronto, Canada. An eight-paged 

 royal quarto, published monthly at $1.00 per year — 

 illustrated. 



The Virginias— a mining, industrial and scien- 

 tific journal ; devoted to the development of Vir- 

 ginia and West Virginia. A demi-folio monthly of 

 24 pages, including geological illustrations and a 

 great deal of statistical information. Terms, $3.00 

 a year in advance. Jed. Hotchkiss, editor and pro- 

 prietor, Staunton, Virginia. A substantially bound 

 volume of this journal for 18S0, with 18 extra pages 

 of maps and sections, complete, with index and title 

 page, will be sent by express or mail, prepaid, to 

 any address in the United States for three dollars. 

 This is a remarkably well gotten up paper in the 

 specialties to which it is devoted, and is well worthy 

 the patronage of those interested therein. 



