146 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[October, 



srEK) imagine a large field or park with very 

 little shubbery, a grand bare race-course, and 

 ■ they will have an idea of what Oglethorpe 

 Park was eight months ago. Then let them 

 imagine a vast town of irpmense modern 

 structures, covering many acres, of every con- 

 cievable style of architecture, standing there 

 in ornamental and .symetrical proportions, 

 with all the barren space between them laid 

 out in beautiful smooth drives and graveled 

 walks, lined with exotic and indigenous plants 

 and flowers; with beautifully designed basins 

 and fountains, as a fitting relief to the eye, 

 sending high up in the air their crystal spray, 

 and every surrounding calculated to please the 

 fancy, and they will have an idea of what 

 Oglethorpe Park is to-day." The elaborate 

 preparations for this grand exposition have 

 been the work of a few short months, and the 

 opening was auspicious of ultimate success. 

 Perhaps there has never been on this conti- 

 nent—if on this planet— a more elaborate il- 

 lustration oi King Cotton in the almost endless 

 variety of its details; and, all in the North 

 who desire to see the "Sunny South" in its 

 new departure, cannot do better than to avail 

 themselves of this rare opportunity. For the 

 accommodation of such, it is proposed to start 

 an excursion train from Pennsylvania about 

 the first of Nqvewber nest, at greatly reduced 

 fiire for the round trip. Although cotton, for 

 half a century has been a great factor in the 

 domestic world, yet those who are fortunate 

 enough to witness this exposition, will, no 

 doubt be greatly astonished at the multitude 

 of uses to which cotton may be applied. Cot- 

 ton seeds, cotton plants, cotton flowers, cot- 

 ton bolls. Cotton in the boll and out of the 

 boll, cotton waddings, cotton laps, cotton bat- 

 tings, cotton twine, cotton cords, cotton yarns, 

 cotton ropes and cotton cables, cotton flosses 

 and threads in their multitudinous varieties. 

 Cotton cloths, cotton muslins, cotton ducks, 

 cotton tickings and cotton drills. Cotton 

 scarfs, handkerchiefs and shawls. Cotton 

 clothing and underclothing for men, women 

 and children, almost as numerous in style, 

 form and use, as the leaves upon the trees, or 

 the stars in the heavens. Cotton bags, cotton 

 beltings, cotton sheets, quilts, counterpanes 

 and curtains. Cotton cups and saucers, cot- 

 ton dishes, cotton boxes, cotton trays, (we 

 once saw a flute made of cotton, the price of 

 which was $60,) and an immense list of a?icZ- 

 so-forths. 



Then there will be exhibited the various im- 

 plements and devices used in the cultivation 

 and harvesting of cotton— the implements and 

 machinery used in its manufacture, and its 

 previous preparation. Cotton looms, cotton 

 wheels, cotton carders,, cotton gins, cotton 

 reels, cotton mules and the different spinning 

 inventions. Cotton oils, cotton flour, cotton 

 bread, cotton cakes and cotton fertilizers. The 

 various insects that feed on cotton, and the 

 various inventions used in their capture and 

 extermination. We opine that any one with 

 eyes and a tolerable understanding who vLsits 

 thij exposition, will learn more about cotton 

 in one week than he ever knew in a lifetime 

 before. 



POCKLINGTON GRAPE. 



This is a new vitisanian candidate for public 

 favor, and is perhaps nearly, or quite, a 

 stranger in Lancaster county. We notice it I 



specially on this occasion, not only because 

 we have seen and have eaten of the fruit, and 

 therefore knoiu whereof we are writing, but 

 also because a premium of SIOO.OO in gold is 

 offered for the best sample of it, to be exhibit- 

 ed at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society^ 

 meeting, to be held in Boston, in the Autumn 

 of 1883; and we desire some lively fruit-grower 

 of Lancaster county, to carry off that pre- 

 mium. The venerable Marshall P. Wilder 

 says— " Thanks, many thanks for the fine 

 basket of Pocklington grapes, which are 

 giving our family such a luscious feast. It is 

 a remarkable variety, so rich and sweet, and 

 withal so hardy and vigorous, as it proves in 

 your cold location. " 



We have a fine cluster of this grape now be- 

 fore us (about six inches in length, and the 

 same in circumference), and we are writing 

 (October 7th), under the inspiration engen- 

 dered by its taste and fragrance; and, so far as 

 the fruit is concerned, we can fully corrobo- 

 rate what Mr. Wilder says, although the cor- 

 roboration of our testimony by such a distin- 

 guished authority as he is, would be in much 

 better taste. It has been awarded the first 

 premiums at the Western New York Fair, in 

 1878; the Toronto, Ottowa, and New York 

 expositions in 1879; the Geneva, New York 

 and Toronto exhibitions in 1880, besides many 

 County fairs. It belongs to the green or 

 white varieties, but when fully ripe the ber- 

 ries are yellowish green or a dull amber color. 

 Choice clusters attain over seven inches in 

 length, eight or nine inches in circumference, 

 and the larger berries near one inch in diam- 

 eter. It is sweet and luscious, as above testi- 

 fied to, approximating to the Martha in tex- 

 ture and flavor, only, we think, more pro- 

 nounced. But, will it bear the climate of 

 Lancaster county ? As to that matter, there 

 is every reason to believe it will. It is raised 

 and for sale, by George A. Stoner, nursery- 

 man, at Kochester, N. Y. , and is claimed to 

 be "the best and largest new, hardy, out- 

 door white grape, that is known." We be- 

 lieve that Mr. Stoner enjoys the monopoly of 

 this grape for the Autumn of 1881 and the 

 Spring of 1882. Om- cluster has not the sym- 

 metrical form it had when we began this paia- 

 graph; we could not resist the temptation, and 

 therefore it now looks as if it had been depre- 

 dated upon by cat-birds. Mr. Wm. Poole, an 

 aforetime citizen of Lancaster city, has the 

 agency for its sale in this and other localities 

 in the state. We have never found it difticult 

 to rear a gi-ape-vine when it was of a hardy 

 variety, hence our patrons would not be risk- 

 ing much in giving the Pocklington an honest 

 trial. 



ABOUT FROSTS. 



Mr. D. J. Jones, of Sadsbury township, 

 Lancaster county, has kept a very interesting 

 record of the frosts which have visited his sec- 

 tion for the past nine years, and we produce 

 it below: 



Tear ^'^"' "^ Temp. Date of Temp, 



last frost. Deg. first frost. Deg. 



May 2."?, 

 June 20, 

 May 24, 

 May 13, 

 May 23, 

 May 27, 

 May 16, 

 May 5, 



Date of 

 first frost. 

 Sept. 15, 

 Oct. 1, 

 Sept. 21, 

 Sept. 6, 

 Sept. 22, 

 Sept. 23, 

 Sept. 25, 

 Sept. 24, 

 Oct 6, 



*0n October 6, 1881, ice was formed. 



The above statistics are very interesting, 

 and 'tis a pity that more of them, on the 

 various subjects relating to human interests, 

 are not observed and carefully recorded. From 

 this it will be observed that there has been a 

 larger absence of frost in the summer of 1881, 

 than there has been in the seven preceeding 

 summers, a fact that goes very far towards 

 accounting for the prevailing droughts, and 

 the complaints of the people about the exces- 

 sive heat, the shortness of the crops, and the 

 excess of mosquitoes, chinch-bugs, army- 

 worms and other noxious vermin. Moreover, 

 it must be a great relief to those people who 

 "never saw the like," to have their saios thus 

 authenticated and sharpened. 



EXCERPTS. 



The American tobacco crop of 1880 places 

 Pennsylvania third in rank as a tobacco-pro- 

 ducing state, her production being only below 

 that of Kentucky and Virginia. 



The loss of weight in an egg during incu- 

 bation is found to be the same in a given time 

 as that of an egg if left to itself, so that it 

 would seem to result from simple drying. 



Keep the grass and weeds cut away from 

 around the hives. Much time is lost by bees 

 falling in the grass. They may become chilled 

 by the rain or dew in cool weather, or before 

 they regain the hives, fall victims to toads 

 or spiders; and young queens returning from 

 their bridal trips are liable to fall in the grass 

 and be lost. 



Yeast loses much of its fermenting power 

 by pressure of being washed with water. It 

 becomes inactive when heated, either alone or 

 with water. 



The ashes of feathers of birds that live on 

 grain contain much silica. The feathers of 

 old birds contain more than those of the 

 young, and the Wing feathers more than those 

 of the tail and breas't. 



The ancients manufactured cloth from the 

 asbestos to wi-ap about the bodies of the dead 

 on the pyre. In rnodern times one use of it is 

 for gloves with which to hold red hot cruci- 

 bles. 



A cow wintered upon two tons and a half 

 of hay will produce not far from five tons of 

 manure, provided she be well littered and 

 none of the excrements be wasted. 



Large quantities of electricity are de- 

 veloped by the friction of water in minute 

 globules against solids. If one hand be held in 

 a stream of vapor from a boiler and the other 

 brought near the metal a spark may be ob- 

 tained. 



Tomato vines should always have some 

 kind of support. The fruit will grow larger, 

 ripen sooner and more easily, and will be bet- 

 ter flavored than if the vines are allowed to 

 lie on the ground. 



• In a lecture at San Francisco, Lieutenant 

 Schwatka, the Arctic explorer, stated that 

 the coldest weather ever experienced by white 

 men was 103 degress below the freezing point, 

 or seventy-one degrees below zero. 



Dampness and dew are fatal to young tur- 

 keys. Therefore they should be kept in coops 

 until the dew is off the grass. A great many 

 young turkeys die from this cause, while 

 breeders wrongly ascribe their death to Im- 

 proper food. 



