The Lancaster Farmer. 



Dr. S. S. RATHVOil, Editor. 



LANCASTER, PA., MARCH d882. 



Vol. XIV. No. 3. 



Editorial. 



OUR APOLOGY. 



Au iipulogy is iliii' "iir patrons for ilii> late 

 iippeaiance of The Faumeu in the iiioiitli ol' 

 rebruary, and also the present number, and 

 we can't tell liow long this state of things 

 may continue, but we can assure our readers 

 that it is only temporary, and is not without 

 a mil igalinj; cause. .Sin(^e the destruction of 

 ihe Inquirer buildinu; by fire, a hu>,'e portion 

 of the printing executed by that establishment 

 devolves upon our otHce ; and, as the arrange- 

 meni is only a lemi)orary one, we can only 

 make a temporary provision for it. When 

 our patrons become aware of this fact we feel 

 assured that they will sympathize with us in 

 our efforts to accommodate those who in one 

 fell swoop of the devouring flames have been 

 deprived of the mechaiiical means to execute 

 their business engagements. These contin- 

 gencies cannot be foreseen, but when they do 

 occur, charity dictates lliat wc should help to 

 bear each other's burdens. 



■' OUR WINGEu FRIENDS." 

 We publish in this issue of The Farmer 

 the very interesting paper on insectivorous 

 birds, read by S. P. Eby, Esq., of Lancaster, 

 Pa., before the "State Horticultural Society," 

 at its annual meeting, held at Ilarrisburg in 

 .January last; and we regret that we were 

 not able to publish it sooner, for sucli papers 

 are worthy of a permanent record ; and es- 

 pecially when they come within the category 

 of one of the leading specialties of this jour- 

 nal from its vt-ry origin, namely, to make it a 

 record of the sayings am] doings of the people 

 of Lancaster county in relation to agriculture 

 and its allies. Tlie essay needs no commenda- 

 tion of ours, for, having it before them, our 

 readers will be able to judge for themselves, 

 and we can assure them that they will belioth 

 interested and instructed. 



KITCHEN GARDEN FOR MARCH. 



In the Middle States spring has arrived ac- 

 cording to the calendar, but the experienced 

 gardener is not caught by arbitrary terms; 

 and though March and the alnumac may in- 

 dicate spring, frost and storm and biting 

 winds caution him to care and patience. lie 

 will wait the progress of the raontli and bide 

 his time. 



Artichokes dress ; plant. Asparagus sow; 

 ))lant Ihe minssill roots. Ueets — Extra Early, 

 Philadelphia Turnip, and Early Blood Turnip, 

 sow. Cabbage .sow in a sheltered place, if 

 not already in a hot-bed. Test Landreth's 

 new varieties- the Wakefield, Early Market, 

 and Bloomsdale Brunswick. Carrots — Early 

 Horn, .sow. Cauliflowers — attend to those 

 under elass. Celery ."ow. Cress sow. Com- 

 post prepare. Uung prepare for hot-beds, 

 Horse-radish plant. Hot-beds make ; also 

 force. Lettuce sow ; prick out. ^lushroom 

 beds attend to. Mustard sow. Onions put 

 out in sets— these known as "Philadelphia 

 Buttons " much the best. Parsnips .sow — 

 the Sugar is the best. Peas — Landreth's Ex- 



tra Early and luvicta sow. Also, McLean's 

 Advancer and McLean's Gem, wliich we 

 commend with confidence. Potatoes— early, 

 l)laiit. The early Hose is admirable in every 

 respect. Hiulish — the Long Scarlet, and Red 

 ami White Turnip sow. The "Strap-leaved 

 I-ong Scarlet," an improviinent on the Long 

 .Scarlet, we recommend. Hhubarb sow ; plant 

 roots. Sage sow ; plant. Tomato sow in, 

 hot-bed. Turnip, Strap-leaved Early Dutch 

 sow; but generally be it observed, so far north 

 as Philadelphia, these directions will apply 

 better to April than to Murch. — Laiuhclk's 

 Jiural K((ji>,tcr. 



March has always been a fitful, capricious 

 and uncertain month ; and. under the most 

 favorable circumstances, the spring season 

 cannot be considered as fairly inaugurated 

 before St. Patrick's day ; and this, too, with- 

 out regard to "Candlemas" or the "Ground 

 Hog," traditional weathermarks very nn.safe 

 to give character to any practical enterprise. 

 Of cour.se, in matters relating to husbandry 

 it is always well to be forewarned ; hut, as 

 "a single swallow don't make a summer,'' 

 even so the judicious'farmer will not be de- 

 ceived by a single "weather-breeder" in tlie 

 month of March, but will defer his sheep- 

 shearing and goose-plucking to a more relia- 

 ble period. 



If we cannot plant in March we can, at 

 least, do something in the way of preparation 

 which will advance and facilitate the work of 

 the kitchen-garden when the proper time ar- 

 rives. Those who manipulate a hot-bed will 

 not be greatly'.hindered, whatever is likely to 

 be the character of the weather in March. In 

 any event, we would admonish our readers to 

 plant and cultivate the best varieties of fruits, 

 grains and vegetables, and especially the best 

 adapted to their difl'ercnt soils. The bat, al- 

 though it may be the most expensive, is in 

 the end the cheapest, both to the producer 

 and the consumer. We confess tliat we are 

 often stu'prised at the inferior quality of vege- 

 tables that are often found in our markets. 

 Especially is this the case in the matter of 

 green corn. That for table use should possess 

 the Iwjhcst sarcharine' qualities, and to obtain 

 the seed of this,applicatit)n should be made to 

 the Landretlis, of "Blooiningdale Seed Farm," 

 and then "crop it," in order to have it for a 

 more protracted period than is usually the 

 case among our farmers in general. 



WHY NOT WRITE FOR THE PARMER ? 



Mr. R.xthvon : In your February number, 

 I see a correspondent asks the ([uestion, "why 

 don't the farmers of Lancaster county write 

 for the F.\i!.MEU," and you state that you 

 cannot ti'll why. 



The rei'son why, is plain and simple to me 

 and a good many other people. We have 

 many good, old, and experienced farmers in 

 the county, but not .so well ediK-ated— at least 

 some of tiiem— as other classes perhaps; but 

 when tliey write wlial they knmr b;/ e.rinrience, 

 they are apt to be ridiculed by those of higher 

 edui'ation, and so they keep it to themselves, 

 and only communicate it in a private way, to 

 a L'ood friend or neighbor. 



How was it when .1. G. wrote about lunar, 

 influence, about two years ago.? * 



Editors and publisliers generally, make it a 



nde not to admit into their coIkmius, or even 

 to notice anonymous communications; but, on 

 this occasion, we waive the rule, because we 

 believe tlie reason resigned is honestly — al- 

 tliough we think mistakenly— eut(Mtained, 

 and is therefore insullicieut in its conclusions. 

 In the lirst i)lace, the experiences of men differ; 

 and hence, there always have been, and per- 

 haps always will be different opinions among 

 men on the same subjects. And, inider our 

 form of government all men liave the privi- 

 lege of expressing their opinions without re- 

 .straint, so long as they are not contraband of 

 law. But, because men may differ witii us, 

 or contest our opinions, it Is no reason that we 

 should be silent, especially when they are 

 supported by our own practical experience. 

 A thing that is realli/ true, is none the less 

 true, because some other man don't believe it 

 is true. Does any Christian believe that he 

 ought to cease to preach and pray, because 

 Bob IngersoU, and other infidels, ridicule 

 Christianity and the Bible? No more ought a 

 farmer to cease to give his experimental views 

 of farming, because others may honestly dis- 

 sent from his views. When tlie Saviour ad- 

 vanced his views, he wiis "laughed to scorn;" 

 but he continued to teach them, becau.se lie 

 knew them to be true. When St. Paul pro- 

 claimed the truths of Christianity he was de- 

 clared to be "mad;" but he continued to 

 preach and to write. He did not keep what 

 he received "to himself," but he communi- 

 cated it to others, whether tliey believed it or 

 not. 



It was the same with Fulton and the steam- 

 boat, Morse and the telegraph, and hundreds 

 of others in the world, who have advanced 

 their views on different subjects, only to meet 

 other views in conflic't with them, but time 

 and experience ultimately demonstrated what 

 was true and .what was false. Moreover, 

 a mere 4enial does not negative a propo- 

 sition ;". hence, if one man dishelie>^es us 

 another may beHcve us ; therefore, so long as 

 one believes, there is as much reason to con- 

 tinue our writing as there is to discontinue it, 

 because one disbelieves. When the "sower 

 went fortii to sow," his seed fell upon differ- 

 ent kinds of ground, and the effect of his sow- 

 ing was different in its results, and |it perhaps 

 will always be so. 



We alwjiys give our correspondents and 

 contributors a respectful hearing, when their 

 views come within the scope of an agricul- 

 tural journal. We cannot reject or suppre.«s 

 an article because it happens to be in conflict 

 with opinions previously advanced by some 

 other writer ; nor, indeed, when it is in con- 

 flict with our own opinions on the same sub- 

 ject. When the views advanced are true 

 ones, the truth will only become more appar- 

 ent through free discussion. We, therefore, 

 admonish our iiatroiis that they should not 

 feel discouraged liecause others— even those 

 of a higher education— may differ from them 

 in opinion, especially when tlieir views are 

 based upoii/ac<s elicited by actual experience 



