60 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[April, 



wheat looks bickly and is getting worse under the 

 action of bad weather ; clover and timothy is in gen- 

 eral a failure; many farmers have plowed up their 

 grass fields and will plant them in corn or other 

 crops. 



H. M. Engle said that the condition of the crops 

 had changed hut little since last month; it is too 

 soon as yet for farmers to begin to croak; there are 

 plenty of chances yet for a good crop of wheat if the 

 season should not prove unfavorable; much of the 

 grass is, of course, frozen out, but what is left may 

 make a pretty good yield. As to fruits he believed 

 all the peach buds in his neighborhood had been 

 killed; he had e.^ca mined great numbers of them and 

 all were deid; apricots and other tender fruits have 

 been killed; apples are not injured, but as this is an 

 "off year "a full crop cannot be expected; pears 

 stand severe cold without injury, and a good crop 

 maybe expected. He had been astonished to find 

 that several half-hardy varieties of grapes and rasp- 

 berries, which had in former winters, mnch milder 

 than last winter, been killed, were now uninjured. 

 The rainfall for the past month was one of the 

 heaviest he had ever noticed, being 6}g inches. 



S. P. Eby said he had a small peach orchard on 

 high ground, near Mountville, that did not appear to 

 have been injured by the winter; he had examined a 

 great many of the buds and found that while they 

 were brown outside they were green and healthy 

 looking within. 



J. C. Linville, of Salisbury, said th.at the wheat in 

 his neighborhood that had been well manured, looked 

 pretty well, but all the rest looked bad^much worse 

 than when the snow first melied; it had been mucli 

 injured by the recent frosts and rains. Tlie result 

 teaches one good lesson: if we expect to grow good 

 crops of winter wheat we must manure them well. 

 R.aspberries, blackberries and other small fruits ap- 

 pear to be uninjured; the peach buds are all killed, 

 but the wood is uninjured. His grass appears to be 

 nearly all killed, and he will plow up the fields and 

 put in Hungarian grass and other crops for fodder. 

 He asked if any of the member had had any experi- 

 ence in sowimr peas as a substitute for grass. 



.Mr. F,iii;le answered that he had sown peas with 

 oats, and Ininil them to do very well as green fod- 

 i| r, and lir l[ad no loubt they would do well dried. 



.M.D. Keiidig mentioned as a peculiar circumstance 

 the fact that he had a Marseilles rose — a variety 

 that floritsts say will not stand the winter— which he 

 had kept outside for several winters in succession, 

 and notwithstanding the severity of the past winter, 

 the stock was not frozen. He reported the young 

 grass and clover in his neighborhood as being a 

 failure, some of the farmers having sown their fields 

 three times without securing a setting of grass, and 

 would plow up-the fields. Re further reported that 

 there was last year more stall-fed cattle in Manor 

 than ever before, and most of them had been sold at 

 good prices— 5 and 5\i cents per pound and some 

 choice cattle at It. cents. The stock was fed with the 

 object of securing more manure. About 40 per cent, 

 of the tobacco crop has been sold at good prices, and 

 prices are still maintained. 



Mr. Linville reported in behalf of Daniel Smeych, 

 that while many varieties of cherries liad been in- 

 jured by the severe winter the " Lancaster cherry " 

 had weathered it uninjured. 



Wm. H. Brosius, of Drumore, said that some 

 fields of wheat looked very well and others very bad, 

 the prospect for a crop being below the average. 

 The grass fields are all very thin. 



President Witmer said that Paradise township was 

 about on a par with others reported ; wheat does 

 not look so well as when the snow first left ; grass 

 in some places is pretty well set ; a great many cat- 

 tle were stall-fed and disposed of, but not at quite 

 such good prices as were mentioned by Mr. Kendig ; 

 tobacco goes oflf slowly, some of the local buyers 

 having gone all the way to Juniata county for leaf, 

 while the bulk of the crop in their own tovvnship re- 

 mains unsold. 



Mr. Engle advised farmers to be not too hasty in 

 plowing down their young grass; it may with favora- 

 ble weather come up thicker than they now expect, 

 and with the wild grasses may make a pretty fair 

 crop; better let the grass grow till June than cut off 

 what there is of it, and if it is not a full crop, plow 

 down the stubble and sow Hungarian grass or mil- 

 let, which only require sixty days to mature. If you 

 determine, however, to grow oats, the grass fields 

 must at once be plowed down. 



Iron Pyrites as a Fertilizer. 



Dr. Greene said he had a bushel or two of a fertili- 

 zer which"he would like to distribute among farmers 

 who will give it a trial; he will willingly give a quart 

 or two to all who apply. It is nothing more than 

 iron pyrites, decomposed by long exposure to the at- 

 mosphere, and is composed largely of sulphur and 

 alumina. It is not only a good fertilizer, espeeially 

 for fruit trees, but it is a sure preventive against in 

 sect pests. He has no interest in it whatever, but 

 having witnessed its valuable.effects he would like 

 others to give it a trial. 



Dr. Greene read an essay on "How we are 

 Poisoned." See page 53 of this number of the 

 Fahugb. 



The Cololpa Spisiosa. 

 Mr. Engle read an interesting article on the 

 Catalpa spisiosa tree, wherein the writer, .Mr. Doug- 

 lass, pays it a deserved compliment as being one of 

 the most valuable of trees. It is more durable than 

 the locust, makes an elegant shade tree, grows 

 rapidly, and can be easy grown as far north as lati- 

 tude 45. He urged farmers to secure seeds or young 

 trees which could be got from Illinois nurseries, and 

 perhaps elsewhere, at trifling expense. 



Business for Next Meeting. 



The following questions were proposed for discus- 

 sion at next meeting : 



" What is the best to way repair worn out lands?" 

 Referred to Dr. Greene. 



" Is land improved by lying many years in grass ?" 

 Referred to C. L. Hunsecker. 



"What do farmers keep dogs for ?" Referred to 

 Wm. H. Brosius. 



" What is a good substitute for a good hay crop ?" 

 Referred to Levi S. Reist. 



Adjourned . 



MARCH MEETING OF FULTON FARM- 

 ERS. 



At the .March meeting of the Fulton Farmers' 

 Club, at the residence of Joseph Griest, Fulton twp., 

 an election for officers to serve for the ensuing year 

 was held with the following result : President, Wm. 

 King ; Secretary, E. Henry Haines ; Treasurer, 

 Lindley King; Librarian, Wm. P. Haines. 



William King exhibited some Nottingham Brown 

 apples and a scion 4 feet 3 inches long cut from a 

 graft that was put in last spring. 



Solomon L. Gregg exhibited a Lawrence pear and 

 Rawles, Jannett, Dominie, smokehouse. Ridge, Pip- 

 pin, and Smith Cider apples. 



Question. 



Jus. Griest^Which is the best way to dispose of 

 the rag weeds now on the wheat stubble fields ? 



William P. Haines would drag a scantling or slab 

 over them to break them off, and then rake them up 

 and haul them off the fields. 



Jos. C. Stubbs would break them off with roller 

 and rake them. 



William King said they could best be raked with 

 an old iashioned wooden horse-rake, with the teeth 

 only in one side of the head. 



S. L. Gregg had gone over his field twice with a 

 green pole dragged in opposite directions. 



Isaac Terrill had moved his in the fall and intends 

 to rake them off in the spring. 



S. L. Gregg stated that either corn stalks or weeds 

 will knock off easier the first hard freeze than they 

 will afterwards. 



S. L. Gregg— How have apples kest this winter, 

 and what is the proper way to keep them ? 



William King replied that his had kept well, both 

 in barrels, in the cellar and buried in the ground. 

 Those of the cellar were left out until cold weather. 



Isaac Bradley has packed apples in leaves with 

 good success. He fills the barrels with alternate 

 layers of leaves and apples, and puts them in the 

 cellar when freezing time commences. He thinks 

 leaves much better than chaff, as they do not heat. 



After dinner the men portion of the meeting took 

 a look at things in and around the farm, where they 

 found about a half dozen horses, several cows and 

 heifers and fifteen very fine fat steers. The owner 

 has another barn on his premises, not visited, where 

 he also keeps some stock, making an unusual 

 amount for the size of his farm. Most of the host's 

 stock was admired from the horsesdown to the dogs, 

 and the only things found fault with was that the 

 chickens were allowed to roost about the stable, and 

 the rabbits had eaten the bark off several young 

 fruit trees. 



After assembling in the house, Joseph Griest read 

 from the Country Gentleman an article on ensilage, 

 written by Dr. Bailey, of Winning farm, Mass., who 

 was the first to thoroughly test, in this country, this 

 manner of keeping green food for stock, and who 

 still claims great merit for the new discovery. 



At the request of William P.Haines, the secretary 

 read an article on the question discussed at the last 

 meeting about the paint on carriages suffering in- 

 jury if they are kept near stables, in which the 

 writer insists on the necessity of keeping all painted 

 vehicles out of the reach of the gases arising from 

 such places. 



William King read an article on pyrethrum, an in- 

 sect powder for killing potato bugs, elc. 



Carrie Blackburn recited "Farmer Ben's Theory." 



.Mary A. King read a temperance article entitled 

 "The island and City of .\»any Such. 



Mabel H. Griest read "The Two Ages." 

 Discussion. 



On the qu'-stion, "Is it better to buy manure from 

 the city or buy feed and straw and feed cattle to 

 make it ! 



Joseph Griest, who has used considerable of city 

 manure, said it cost three and a half dollars per ton 

 delivered by railroad at Peach Bottom, and it re- 



quires four tons per acre to give the land a tolerably 

 good dressing. He believes at present prices farm- 

 ers had better make the manure at home. Last 

 year he fed a lot of steers by which, counting the 

 manure to be worth the hay and straw consumed, 

 he received a dollar per bushel for his corn. 



Joseph R. Blackburn, who is another of the few 

 cattle feeders belonging to the club, coincided with 

 the above view on the subject. 



William King said that if it would pay to fatten 

 them on purchased feed, and if it is better for those 

 who raise the feed to feed it on their farms and save 

 from going to the city for manure, it will pay others 

 to purchase feed and do likewise. Several others 

 seemed inclined to an opposite view of the question, 

 and reasoned somewhat in this wise ! if it takes 35 

 bushels corn at 50 cents per bushel, one ton of hay 

 worth §15, and one ton of straw worth S6 to fatten 

 one steer, the cost of fed and bedding will be 838.50. 

 Now if the steer is sold at an advance of $25 (and 

 farmer.s as often get less as more) there will be a 

 loss of ?13.50, which is more than the manure is 

 worth, while in addition to this there is the loss of 

 the labor. 



The librarian requested all those that hftve books 

 belonging to the Club, to bring them to the next 

 meeting, which will he held at Lindley King's on 

 Saturday, April 14. 



E. H. H., Sec'y. 



APRIL MEETING. 



The April meeting of the club was held at the resi- 

 dence of Lindley King, in Fulton township, on the 

 9th instant, a number of visitors being present by in- 

 vitation. 



Montillion Brown exnibited several ears of corn of 

 his own raising, and also some ears that were sent 

 for exhibition by Jesse Tocom. 



William King exhibited an ear of Canada corn, an 

 eight-rowed variety, which some of the Chester 

 county farmers are raising on their corn-stalk ground 

 as a substitute for oats, its early maturity enabling 

 them to clear it off the ground in good time to seed 

 it with wheat. 



Questions Asked and Answered. 



Josiah Brown asked what kind of potatoes the club 

 would recommend for planting. 



The Early Rose was recommended as one of the 

 varieties by every one present. The Victor and 

 Peerless were also the varieties that would be planted 

 by some. 



Day Wood asked if it would be of any use to sow 

 timothy seed in the spring. 



Josiah Brown always mixes timothy seed with his 

 clover seed wlfcn he sows in the spring. It some- 

 times does very well. 



Robert Gibson, (a visitor), said it would take as 

 well on flat ground when sown in the spring as in 

 the fall. 



Several others had known it to do well svhen sown 

 in the spring. 



Lindley King; Would it be worth while to sow 

 clover on the wheat stubble where the young grass 

 was thrown. out by the winter? 



Montillion Brown did not think that it would in 

 ordinary cases. If the ground was harrowed and 

 manned it might do. 



Josiah Brown would run a harrow over it. He 

 had treated corn stalk ground in this way and sowed 

 with clover and had it to take well. 



Joseph R. Blackburn thought that it would not be 

 worth while to make the trial. 



Edwin M. Stubbs asked, which would produce the 

 most feed per acre— corn sowed for foddei , or Hun- 

 garian grass — feed tb be used in winter ? 



Hungarian grass was preferred by nearly all pres- 

 ent. It produces a good quality of hay, and cattle 

 do well while feeding ou it. 



Day Wood and Robert Gibson thought that more 

 weight could be obtained from corn. 



Lindley King: Which is the better way of putting 

 on phosphate for eorn, sow broadcast or put it in the 

 hill; 



.Montillion Brown had tried it in the hill several 

 years. About one-half bf the time it does well, but 

 in dry seasons it is an injury rather than a benefit. 

 It is better as a general thing to sow and plow down. 



Joseph R. Blackburn would sow part broadcast 

 and put the remainder in the hill. 



Sowing broadcast and plowing In seemed to be in 

 favor with most of the others. 



Montillion Brown asked what kind of oats the club 

 would recommend for sowing. Common white 

 would be sown by all except Jos. R. Blackburn and 

 Robert Gibson. The first would sow White Poland, 

 the others Whire Mediterranean . 



Entertained by the Host. 



The club next adjourned to the dining room, where 

 a good substantial meal was waiting. After the 

 wants of the inner man were well supplied, the male 

 members of the club were shown over the farm by 

 the proprietor. The fences were found in goo.d order, 

 and things generally looked well. Some improve- 

 ment had been made in the dwelling, and a new hog 

 pen built since the club last met there. He was ad- 



