170 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[Novemberi 



number of pigs may be increased in propor- 

 tion. A few bushels of corn at the end of 

 the season will finish oft" the pig. The pig 

 pasture will be ready the next year for any 

 crop, and ten times the advantage accrue to 

 the farm than if the pigs are confined in a 

 close pens, Tor, as pigs are usually managed 

 on the farm, but little manure is ever made 

 from them. 



Canker Worms. 



After the first heavy frost measures should 

 be taken to guard against canker worms. 

 For it is then that the grubs begin to go up. 

 Nail a piece of tarred paper a foot wide 

 around the trunk of the tree near the ground. 

 On this put a coat of the residuum of kero- 

 sene, which can be bought very cheaply at 

 any refinery. This is better than any other 

 material for this pui'pose, as it is more sticky 

 and does not dry so quickly. This residuum 

 should be applied as often as is necessary, to 

 keep a sticky, coat on the paper until the 

 ground freezes up for the winter. One ad- 

 vantage of putting the tarred paper low down 

 is that it is then below the reach of cattle 

 that may rub against the trees. Another is 

 that it stops the female grubs low down, and 

 the males, which are millers, fly higher up to 

 find them, and so miss them. 



Selecting Seed Corn. 



The drouth has made an immense loss in 

 the corn crop this year, but in some sections 

 poor seed has been almost as damaging. 

 Planting and over replanting, a poor stand 

 and a late start has caused the loss of mil 

 lions of bushels throughout the State. This 

 fact sho^s the great importance of selecting 

 and carefully storing seed corn in the fall. 

 We call attention to this subject now, for the 

 season has arrived when this matter must be 

 attended to, if it has not already been done. 

 If more than one variety of corn is raised on 

 the farm, and it is desirable to save seed of 

 both, or all, select that field, or that part of 

 the field that is farthest removed from the 

 other varieties, in order to escape the danger 

 of cross-fertilization. Fix in the mind a 

 model corn-stalk, and then proceed to search 

 for such stalks. Of course your model will 

 be large rather than tall, and will bear at 

 least two ears. The upper one of these 

 should be selected, as a general rule, for it is 

 usually the most perfect— however, if both 

 should be equally large and perfect, botli may 

 be taken. If a large stalk is found with but 

 one>ar,;and that a very large one, we would 

 not hesitate to take it, but as a rule we pre- 

 fer two medium sized ears to one over-grown 

 one. Early ripening is also a quality that 

 should not be lost sight of. The seed ears 

 when gathered should be kept in a dry, airy 

 place, where the temperature will not fall be- 

 low zero, and where rats or mice cannot find 

 it. 



OUR Local Organizations. 



POULTRY ASSOCIATION. 



The Lancaster County Poultry Association met on 

 Monday morning, November 7tli, 1881, at half-past 

 ten o'clock, in their room, in the City Hall building. 



In the absence of the President, Mr. G. A. Geyer, 

 Vice-president, called the meeting to order. 



The following members and visitors were present : 

 J. B. Long, city; Wm. Schoenherger, city, Joseph R- 



Trissler, city; Chas. Lippold, city; J. W. Bruckhart, 

 Salunga; J. M. Johnston, city; J. B. Lichty, city; F. 

 R.R. Diffenderfifer, city; G. A. Geyer, Springville; C. 

 A. Gast, city; S. G. Engle, Marietta; Dr. H. D. 

 Longaker, city; Chas.E. Long, city. 



Mr. Lichty reported that Messrs. Nevins Darling- 

 ton, Becker and J. E. Diehl, had been secured as 

 judges for the coming show. 



Mr. Lichty also stated that the committee had 

 secured Excelsior Hall for the next show, at a rental 

 for the whole year of $40 per year. 



On motion of Mr. Johnston, the action of the com- 

 mittee in renting the room was Indorsed by the 

 society. 



Mr. Lichty stated that he had secured between 80 

 and 90 special premiums, which were of more value 

 than those offered last year. 



A gentleman having offered a premium on rabbits, 

 Mr. Trissler moved that no premiums be published 

 for rabbits, and that Mr. Lichty request the gentle- 

 man to change his premiums from rabbits to pigeons 

 or chickens. 



The Secretary stated that he had a letter from the 

 Central Pennsylvania Society, stating that their 

 show will he held at Pottsville, between the 19th and 

 24th of .January. As the Lancaster show would 

 close on the 18th, fowls can be shipped away in time 

 for exhibition at the Pottsville show. He also stated 

 that the outlook for a good exhibition was more en- 

 couraging than last year. The express companies 

 -would return all exhibits free and the Pennsylvania 

 Railroad Company would issue excursion tickets, the 

 same as last year. 



In regard to an incubator for the show, Mr Lichty 

 stated that the Eclipse Company, of Waltham, 

 Mass., would sell a machine to any person who 

 would exhibit it at the show, for S65. The same 

 company also proposed to send a machine to the 

 show for $5 and expenses. 



On motion of Mr. Diffendertfer the offer was 

 accepted. 



Dr. H. D. Longaker, C. A. Gast and George F. 

 Rathvon, were proposed and elected to membership 

 in the society. 



On motion of Mr. Trissler the action of the society 

 ip regard to the imposition of a fee of 25 cents extra 

 from all persons who desired to have their birds 

 scored was reconsidered. 



Mr. Bruckhart's motion was then withdrawn. 



Mr. Diffenderffer them moved that the committee 

 be instructed to have all the birds scored, if possible. 

 The motion was carried, after which the society ad- 

 journed. 



AGRICULTURAL AND HORTICULTU- 

 RAL SOCIETY. 



The regular monthly meeting of the Lancaster 

 County Agricultural and Horticultural Society was 

 held on Monday afternoon, November 7th, lJ-81, in 

 their room over the City Hall. 



The meeting was called to order by Joseph F. 

 Witmer, president, and the following members and 

 visitors were present : Joseph F. Witmer, Paradise ; 

 H. M. Ensle, Marietta; Heniy Kurtz, Mount Joy; 

 Johnson Miller, Warwick; J. H. Landis, Manor ; 

 Daniel Sraeych, City; J. M. Johnston, City; Thos. F. 

 McElligott, City ; W. W. Griest, City ; C. A. Gast, 

 City; J. Frank Landis, East Lampeter; Casper Hil- 

 ler, Conestoga; Walter E. Heinitsh, City; S. P. Eby, 

 Esq., City; D. W. Greyhill, Petersburg; Cyrus Neff, 

 Manor; A. F. Hostetter, Esq., City; Wm.H. Brosius, 

 Drumore; C. L. Hunsecker, Manheim; Washington 

 L. Hershey, Chickies. 



In the absence of the secretary, C. A. Gast was 

 elected secretary pro-tem. 



On motion, the reading of the minutes of the pre- 

 ceding meeting was dispensed with . 



Reports of Special Committees. 



Johnson Miller, one of the committee appointed to 

 visit the York Fair, said he had intended to present a 

 report of his visit but had not yet prepared it. He 

 would, however, state that the committee found a 

 fine display of stock, fruit and machinery, and that 



the fair was a grand success for Tork county. He 

 had been shown an improved drill made by Mr. 

 Heiges, living near York, and that gentleman also 

 showed the committee his plan of sowing wheat. He 

 sowed fourteen inches of grain, leaving a space be- 

 tween the rows of ten inches, and his yield was an 

 average of from 4.5 to 55 bushels to the acre. He had 

 by this plan raised as high as seventy-one bushels to 

 the acre. He sows three pecks to the acre. If the 

 plan of Mr. Heiges is successful in York county, it 

 could be made equally as successful in this county. 



John H. Landis reported that he had been unable 

 to attend the Lebanon Fair, on account of it being 

 at the same time as the Yorktown celebration. He 

 sent tickets to the other members of the committee, 

 and he understood they had visited the fair, but none 

 of them were present to report. 



Report of Crops. 

 Mr. Kurtz, of Mount Joy, reported the growing 

 crops as looking exceedingly well. In his district 

 there would not be more than a half crop of corn. 



Mr. Netf, of Manor township, reported the crops 

 as looking well ; grass has improved within the past 

 week. The corn crop will be about three-fourths of 

 an average one. 



Mr. John H. Landis said he could report the same 

 for the eastern end of Manor township and also for 

 Lancaster township. 



Mr. Engle said there was no change from his re- 

 port of a month ago. Since then the rain fall was 

 2,)4 inches. 



Johnson Miller, of Warwick, reported the grass 

 fields as improved since the late rains; in his district 

 there would be three-fourths of a crop of corn. 

 Farmers have already commenced taking down their 

 tobacco. Wheat, clover and timothy look well. 



Mr. Casper Hiller, of Conestoga, reported that the 

 early sown wheat fields don't look as well as they 

 should, but he did not think there was any need of 

 apprehension. The corn crop would be Irom one- 

 half to three fourths of an average one. 



J. Frank Landis, of Eagt Lampeter, said the corn 

 crop in his district would turn out better than had 

 been expected and would be fully three fourths of an 

 average crop. He found no fly in the wheat. The 

 rain fall for the month was three inches. 

 Reading of Essays. 

 Dr. Greene read two essays, one on insects and 

 the other on the use of foreign languages by farmers 

 in the naming of their fruits. 



The Doctor was taken to task by Mr. Eby for ad. 

 vancing such narrow-minded ideas. He ought to 

 know that the Latin is the universal language of sci- 

 entists. 



Mr. Hiller said the ordinary plants have one name 

 in one township and a difi'ereut one in another, and 

 in the United States the same plant may be called 

 by fifty diff'erent names. He agreed with Mr. Eby 

 in the use of scientific names. He also agreed with 

 Prof. Rathvon, and did not think Dr. Green's state- 

 ment that the cold killed insects was correct. 



Mr. Hiller said a book should be published by some 

 competent person, in which the scientific name and 

 the common name of plants, trees, etc.. should ap- 

 pear together. 



Mr. Eby saM he had purchased such a bonk in this 

 city but a shoi-t time ago. 



Refeired Questions. 

 What is the best method of keeping our stock over 

 winter? was answered by D. W. Graybill, of Peters 

 burg. He would in the first place work off all sur- 

 plus cattle, those that a farmer did not particularly 

 care for. Second, he would save- the chaff, mix with 

 feed, and in addition cut corn-fodder short for cattle. 

 Mr. Neff s.aid scalding cut feed was not of much 

 use. He used a little warm water in very cold weath- 

 er. Farmers in his section have slopped scalding the 

 feed. 



Mr Engle said there was a wide difference of opin- 

 ion as to whether feed should be scalded or steamed. 

 Some abandon steam feeding on account of d anger 

 by fire, while others because it is too much trouble. 

 Cattle will be brought out in better condition b y 



