1882.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



29 



R. Diffcnderfl'er,city; W. W. Griest, city; Enos H. 

 Weaver, Strashure:; Uebron Herr, Lampeter; J. F. 

 Landis, East Lampeter; D. W. (iraybill, I'etersbiirK; 

 J. M. Johnston, city; C. L. Huneecker, Manlicim 

 township; Wash L. Hershcy, Chicliics; Levi S. Ueiet, 

 Oregon; H. (i. Hush, West Willow; Jno. U. Landis, 

 Millcrsville; Cyrus Nell', Mountville, II. K. Myers, 

 Millersville; Eph. S. Hoover, Mauheim township; 

 John Huber, Pequea. 



In the absence of Secretary Linville, ex Secretary 

 Kendig was recalled. 



Crop Reports. 



James Wood, Little Britain, reported a. good crop 

 of snow and nothing else visible. 



C. L. Hiinsecker noticed before the snow fell that 

 the wheat and grass looked well. 



J. F. Landis reported the waterfall for January in 

 East Lampeter to be 4ls' inches. 



Wash. L. Hershey regarded the cropsVenerally In 

 a favorable condition but did not particularize. 



'• Growth and Consumption of Timber Trees in 

 America" 



was the subject of an essay by C. L. Hunsecker. It 

 was substantially thus : 



Although a dense forest, almost untrodden by 

 civilized man, yet as early as 17'i0 John Bartram 

 planted on the banks of the Schuylkill below Phila- 

 delphia a garden containing many forest trees of 

 North America, and in the reign of Queen Anne, 

 1702-14, an act of Parliament was passed for the 

 protection of the colonial forests. In 17.50 the felling 

 of white pine was prohibited. About the same time 

 iron furnaces were established in Virginia, Maryland, 

 Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey, but the 

 apprehension of the scarcity of fuel was not realized, 

 for coal came to the relief. And no doubt when the 

 necessity again arrives for anew departure, a substi- 

 tute will doubtless be found for the wood now used 

 in ties, telegraph poles, fences, etc. To instance the 

 enormous consumption of timber Mr. Hunsecker 

 said that during the year 18.S0, 1,. 500,000, 000 feet 

 were cut in Minnesota, Mississl;>pi, Alabama, 

 Florida and Texas. On the other band, an immense 

 amount of timber stands in this country — 7(i0,000 

 square miles of it; besides Iowa, Kansas, Utah, etc., 

 are becoming wooded by the planting of trees. 

 Favorable legislation has and is doing much for the 

 western prairie, in some of the States, "Arbor Day " 

 being a regular holiday for the planting of trees. It 

 may be said, however, that the cultivation of forests 

 is grearly neglected in most countries, and in many 

 a very sensible want of wood is felt. How shall we 

 remedy this ! Who shall plant tVees ! In the Old 

 World governments can coerce, but in our country 

 it must depend upon the will of the citizen. Among 

 some of the public benefactors in this line are .Mr. 

 Fisher, the red cedar pencil manufacturer, who 

 planted a large tract of land iu cedars; the Lan- 

 dreths, of PhiLadelphia, who have been planting 

 large areas in Virginia with catalpa, ailanthus, 

 white oak, hickory, etc., and some Scotch immi 

 grants, who are building up forests in Missouri. 



Mr. Hunsecker's essay was quite lengthy, and 

 contained much interesting statistical information 

 pertaining to the timber interests of America. 



What Causes White Vein in Tobacco. 



Mr. Hebron Herr read the following essay on the 

 above subject. It was as follows: 



This is a very important question, and one that 

 should elicit the attention and consideration of all 

 growers of the weed. Numerous arguments have 

 been advanced on various occasions, but have not 

 proven satisfactory to the public in general. 



In my little experience I have discovered that 

 tobacco which has been grown perfectly, nothing in- 

 terfering with its growth from the small and tender 

 plant up to perfectly matured .stalk, will invariably 

 cure with the veins the desired color. Therel'ore, 

 the cause which produces white veins in our totiacco 

 is attributable first to a diseased condition of the 

 plant in one or another stage of its growth. Tobacco 

 may assume this diseased condition at various stages 

 ol its growth. It may become diseased ii] our plant 

 beds, or when being transplanted from our plant beds 

 into the field, or when half matured, or after it is 

 fully matured. At any of thhse stages it may be- 

 come diseased, and nevergrow healthy thereafter. 

 Fully matured tobacco may become diseased by 

 being permitted to stand in our fields in the hot and 

 dry sun after it has ceased to grow. It may be left 

 remaining on the field after maturity without any 

 disastrous effect when the soil is in a moist and 

 growing condition. By permitting tobacco to re- 

 main standing on our fields in the hot and dry sun 

 after ceesing to grow It becomes subject to changes 

 by the influence of the sun's rays robbing it of its 



vitality and retarding the copious flow of the nour- 

 ishing elements which impart the life and vigor to 

 the plants, evidently leaving the plant in a diseasetl 

 cr)ndition when harvested. We should be very care- 

 ful when growing tobacco in seasons as the last two 

 Hereto harvest our crop immediately on the plant 

 arriving at maturity or before it ceases to grow. It 

 is better to have our tobacco an inch or so shorter 

 and harvest it in a healthy condition, than a few 

 fnches longer and harvest it in an unhealthy condi- 

 tion. The next point to he taken Into consideration, 

 and one also pertaining to the cause of white veins 

 is that of curing the tobacco after it has been grown 

 and harvested. Experience being the best teacher 

 and guide has taught me that the more we retard the 

 curing of our tobacco, subjecting it to undergo a 

 number of changes while curing, the better the color 

 will be and the leaf will pttssess more of that fine 

 silken condition, and with a much less frequency of 

 white veins. Moisture, I claim, is otie of the prime 

 essentials in the curing of tobacco. Our curing 

 houses, therefore, should be so constructed in the 

 first place not to have them iiuilt so high, and invar- 

 iably have a ground Moor or so arrangecl, if having 

 another floor, that it could be opened to permit the 

 moisture and dampness to draw up thfough the 

 tobacco to assist in retarding the rapid curing. To- 

 bacco which I cured in my tobacco cellar, when 

 coming to shipping I discovered no white veins; also 

 that which I cured in another building possessed 

 very little; it also was subject to the influence of a 

 ground floor, while that which was cured in my 

 tobacco house possessed white veins, and the higher 

 up in my shed the more numerous they became. 

 Now, the cause or reasons which I give for this is 

 that the tobacco which I cured in my cellar cured 

 slowly, undergoing numerous chances of becoming 

 moist, and when too moist was by ventilation caused 

 to become dry, reviving the vitality and vigor of the 

 plants which had become dormant or inactive when 

 harvested; while that cured in the house above, 

 having not possessed this advantage, cured very 

 rapidly, and the more rapid the more frequent would 

 white veins appear. Houses being covered with slate 

 are often spoken of as not being beneficial to curing 

 tobacco, owinii- no doubt to the heated condition iu 

 which it becomes during the day, causing the tobac- 

 co to cure too rapidly. Tobacco harvested while in 

 a green state seldom cures white veins. This is 

 owing to the green and sappj' condition of the leaf, 

 causing it to cure more slowly; and its being in a 

 trreen state is subjected to more numerous changes. 

 We should aid our tobacco as much as possible 

 while curing by closing tightly our houses during the 

 day, and opening them at night. Therefore, in con- 

 clusion, the cause of white veins in our tobacco is at- 

 tributable, first, to a diseased condition of plants 

 while growing, and secondly, to an improper method 

 of curing; and as a preventive we shouhi endeavor 

 to raise healthy plants, transplant properly, cultivate 

 frequently and trust ill Him who is the giver of all 

 good gifts to send us copious showers to assist in a 

 rapid growth, and we will be enabled to grow tobac- 

 co possessing very few white veins. 



Mr. Cooper thought Mr. Herr had struck the nail 

 on the head in saying that when cut in a green and 

 succulent condition the weed was in little danger of 

 white vein. Many of us cut the weed too ripe; we 

 wait for too much length. Better have less length 

 and also less white vein. 



Mr. Graybill wanted to know why on a good healthy 

 stalk one or two leaves will sometimes have while 

 vein ; to which Mr. Herr responded that part of the 

 stalk was diseased, just as one finger on a man's 

 hand may be diseased and the other digits perffcctly 

 healthy. 



Mr. Graybill also wanted to know why )'ou call 

 sometimes sweat out white veins; and in response, 

 Mr. Herr thought it was a poor rule that would not 

 work both ways; therefore if you can sweat in 

 white veins you can also sweat them out. 



Enos II. Weaver read an article from the CoutUrij 

 Crciitleinan, taking substantially the same views ex- 

 pressed by Mr. Herr, which were also in accord with 

 Mr. Weaver's experience. 



Mr. Cyrus Nelf knew that some varieties of to- 

 bacco were subject to white vein. 



President Witmer had been told that two well 

 known growers in the eastern end leave their to- 

 bacco stand until very ripe, and they never have 

 white vein. Two years ago Mr, Witmer cut some 

 tobacco when only reasonably ripe, cured it properly, 

 and out ol two acres, only :'00 pounds were market- 

 able. 



Mr. J. F. Landis said the best tobacco he ever 

 grew stood at least two weeks after It was ripe. 



Mr. J. H. Landis, through other growers, had 

 learned that many concur that wbeu a drought is 



followed by a wet spell and a consequent growth of 

 the weed the white vein is very numerous. 



This was just directly opposite to President Wit- 

 nicr's experiences. Under just these circumstances 

 two years ago he had a very fine crop ami very little 

 white vein. 



In .Mr. (Jrayliill's section, three years ago, heavy 

 rains and hail occasioned a resetting ; then came a 

 dry spell, then a heavy rain, and it was the best crop 

 Mr. a. ever had. 



.Mr. Hoover also had a theory, to wit: In '79, 

 about the second week of August, heavy rains suc- 

 ceeded the long drought, and the result was a mag 

 nificent crop. About the time tobacco needs rain the 

 most is the lopping time; If the plant then lack 

 nourishment the leaf will probably show a defect in 

 the shape of white veins. 



Rank Growing Wheat. 



"Ought Kank Wheat to be Pastured?" was an 

 swered by James Wood. It depends upon the win- 

 ter that follows. If we have an o[)en winter it 

 might be no disadvantage to pasture it out; but if 

 the winter was severe, pasturing would be less de- 

 sirable and quite risky. On the whole, he thought 

 that rank wheat should not be pastured. 



.Mr. Hunsecker thought pasturing would have a 

 tendency to check the rankness of wheat and thus 

 make a better crop. 



Dairy Cows and the Soiling System. 



Can dairy cows be kept in as healthy condition by 

 the soiling system, and is the butter as good ? was 

 answered by J. F. Landis. 



" Can dairy cows be kept in as healthy condition 

 by the soiling system, and is their Imtter as 

 sweet?" 



If by the soiling system we mean the feeding of 

 cows through the summer months insmall inclosures 

 or stables, and only take the parts into consideratiOQ 

 touched u()oii by my question, I am decidedly op- 

 posed to the system. In order to have healthy cows 

 it is essential that we have good lood, pure air, pure 

 water, light and comfort. 1 claim this cannot be 

 had in a small lot or stable to so full an extent as in 

 the field. The first part of the question, as an 

 swered, answers the second. In oriler to have sweet 

 butter we must practice cleanliness from the time 

 the milk leaves the cow until the butter is on the 

 iiread. There are few things so absorbent of sur 

 rounding odors as butter. 1 have seen good butter 

 condemned hereon our market because the [lersons 

 making it plac.d it iu a kettle in which cheese was 

 placed, or anything else having an odor, which, in 

 itself, may not be objectionable. When that butter 

 is put UDon the table it has lost its sweetness. I 

 claim that the soiling system, to some extent, affects 

 the healtli of cows as well as the sweetne.'^s of the 

 butter. 



President Witmer did not agree with the referee. 

 He thought there were many advantages in the soil- 

 ing system and only one objection, viz : the disad- 

 vantage of the labor attending it. .Mr. W.'s cows 

 never did as well as under the soiling system. 



Mr. Nefl' is trying to feed his cattle entirely in the 

 stable. Last year from December to February lie 

 never took out the cows even for water, and they 

 never did better. Mr. Neff saw no reason why eallle 

 could not be ke|il as well and in as healthy condition 

 in as out of the stable He cleaned his stables twice 

 a day. 



Mr. Cooper, one of the committee at the State 

 Fruit Growers' Society, re|>ortcd one of the most in- 

 teresting meetings the society ever held. The room 

 was crowded, and all the essays and discussions 

 evinced greafinlerest on the part of the members. 



The following questions are on the programme for 

 next meeting : 



" Should patent fertilizers be appliei^ to tobacco, 

 and if so at what time!" Keferrcd to D. W. Gray- 

 bill. 



" Can we not dispense with the division fences 

 with profit!" Eph. 8. Hoover. 



" Should we encourage the introduction of new 

 varieties of apples ?'; L. S. Keist. 



" What 13 the best time for sowing cloverseed i" 

 Enos H. Weaver. 



"Is sub soiling beneficial?" John C. Linville. 



Adjourned. 



