106 



THE LANCASTER FARMER- 



[July, 



neither the army nor navy could exist, has no 

 department at Washington. But the voice 

 has gone forth demanding the establishment 

 of a department for agriculture. There is no 

 government in the world whose progress in 

 agriculture development has been equal to 

 ours. All the European governments have 

 special departments for agricultural protec- 

 tion, improvement and encouragement. Ag- 

 riculture is the bed-rock on which we build ; 

 it is the foundation of wealth; it gives us sub- 

 sistence, atd subsistence is life. 



Twenty-eight million of our people are 

 directly or indirectly dependent on the pro- 

 ducts of the farms. The value of our farms, 

 according to the lastcensus, was 110,197,1(31,- 

 905. The yearly product is now nearly if not 

 quite $4,000,000,000. We have more than 

 5,000,000 farms, and out of the $883,925,947 

 of our foreign exports, $729,650,016 was agri- 

 cultural. Last year we paid for $642,664,628 

 for foreign exports besides bringing $91,160,- 

 000 of European gold to enrich our people 

 with farm products. 



We have 10,357,981 horses,i,812,932 mules, 

 993,970 working oxen, 12,443,593 milch cows, 

 22,448,590 other cattle, 35,191,656 sheep, and 

 47,683,951 swine, making an aggregate of 

 farm stock worth $1,500,503,807. Behold the 

 means of production a single century has ac- 

 cumulated. And yet we are but in the dawn 

 of our achievements. We have the broadest 

 fields, the finest climates, the grandest resour- 

 ces, and the most limitless opportunities to 

 become the most indeijeudent, the best sup- 

 plied, and by all means the most thoroughly 

 educated agriculturists oi the globe. The last 

 two weeks have developed the national inter- 

 est in agricultural advancement in a manner 

 worthy of Congress, worthy of the people, 

 and worthy of the country. Le Fevre and 

 Updegraff, of Ohio; Grant, of Vermont; Lacy, 

 of Michigan; Mr. Morey, of Ohio; Mr. Dwight, 

 of New York; Mr. Scales, of North Carolina; 

 Mr. Williams, of Wisconsin, and others, have 

 discussed the question of an agricultural de- 

 partment, with an earnestness and ability de- 

 serving of its importance. 



The fact that during the year ending June 

 31, 1881, we imported into the United States 

 $285,681,008 in agricultural products is suf- 

 ficient evidence that we have yet much to 

 learn in the way of adapting our infinite va- 

 riety of soils and climates to the production 

 of prime articles of necessity we are capable 

 of producing, for which we are yet paying 

 tribute to other lauds. It has been well said 

 that "the application of machinery, steam, 

 and electricity to agriculture is but in its in- 

 fancy," They are all to be applied to lessen 

 toil and increase production. Every wheel, 

 every lever, every physical appliance that re- 

 leases a human muscle wakes up the brain 

 and gives it a chance. The farm-house of to- 

 day is a palace in comparison to what it was 

 in 1830, light has illumed it, machinery has 

 elevated and refined it; the school-room and 

 the newspaper have made it a home of intelli- 

 gent comfort. The tiller of the soil is sove- 

 reign over nature, just in proportion as he is 

 educated to comprehend it, and why should 

 not the Government of the United States de- 

 vote itself by all the appliances, concentrated 

 ability and intensified means can bring to- 

 gether in departmental instruction to make 



the science of production equal to the oppor- 

 tunities our unequalled country affords. As 

 Mr. Updegraff truly says, no country on earth 

 has an agricultural interest comparable with 

 ours. " It is confessedly the largest interest 

 in the nation," and yet is without a depart- 

 ment to enlarge, enlighten, protect, and in- 

 crease its benificence. Our grain crop in 1880, 

 was 2,697,362,465 bushels. The grain crop of 

 Caifornia for ten years is shown to have been 

 of the value of .$313,231,046, or nearly double 

 the gold and silver taken from its mines, 

 which amounted to $186,406,248 for the same 

 period. A single attested fact is enough to 

 demonstrate the importance of Governmental 

 aid in .securing the best seeds and the best 

 modes of cultivation. The seeds dis- 

 tributed by the Goverument in 1878, in- 

 creased the yield nearly 50 per cent, where- 

 ever they were tested. In Prussia, Austria, 

 Italy, Spain, Bussia, France, and Brazil, the 

 Agricultural Departments of the Government 

 are regarded as of the first importance. 



"The farmers are the tax-iiayers, " and, as 

 Jefferson says, "the revenue is the State." 

 And, as Mr. Updegraff truly says, " when our 

 great financial fabrics went down, burying 

 fortunes and enterprise in their ruins when 

 commerce was stagnant, when our manufac- 

 tories were overwhelmed and pulseless, then 

 the great agricutral productive forces of the 

 country displayed its full measureless affiuence 

 to bring back prosperity and to fortify the 

 nation's credit with the bounty of the nations 

 surest wealth." 



There is every reason why we should have 

 an Agricultural Department worthy of the 



nation ; there is not one why we should not. 



^ 



FANCY BUTTER. 



For fancy butter, says Dr. Heath, the first 

 requisite is the perfect cow. The Guernsey 

 and Jersey cows are undoubtedly the first 

 choice for making high-priced butter. But by 

 this choice, the Aryshire, Holstein, grades or 

 common cows are not excluded, for any and 

 all of them, with the proper requisites, may be 

 made to produce fine butter. 



Pasture and food are also essentials ele- 

 ments in the production of fancy butter. — 

 Weeds, sour grass, nor coarse swamp tufts, 

 will fill the pasture requirements. Well kept 

 old pastures, containing blue grass, meadow 

 fescue, sweet-scented vernal, orcliard grass, 

 red and white clover, timothy, red-top and 

 wire grass as the prevailing forage plants, 

 together with the sweet grasses, which natu- 

 rally carpet the mature and well-kept pas- 

 tures, are the prime necessity for the stock of 

 cows from which we would make good butter. 



Next in order is an unfailing supply of 

 good, cool running water, for every one hun- 

 dred parts of milk contains eighty-seven parts 

 gi water, and unless the cows can have free 

 access to good water, no matter how good 

 the pasture, the milk must be defective. 



Though we have good cows, good pasture 

 and good water, yet there are many other 

 considerations of indispensable necessity in 

 the treatment and management of the butter 

 diary. The cow must be treated with kind- 

 ness — yes, even with affectionate care. She 

 must not be driven far or fast to or from pas- 

 ture. When stabled, she must be clean, com- 

 fortable and fed with good, sound and rich 



food. The cow is a quiet, easy-going, luxuri- 

 ous living animal, manufacturing her best 

 products under the most favorable circum- 

 stances and only from the best materials. The 

 milking must be regularly performed, and ab- 

 solute cleanliness is a necessity with the cow; 

 her food, her care, her milk, with the cream, 

 the butter and the atmosphere of the cow, 

 must be pure and sweet. The temperature 

 must be proper, from the pasture to the butter 

 package. 



Cool, shady pastures are most desirable. No 

 cow ever manufactured her best products at 

 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The milk should be 

 58 degrees as near as possible summer and 

 winter, either by means of flowing water or 

 the never varying temperature of the air 

 vault. 



The cream, when set for butter, should be 

 frequently stirred to prevent irregular scour- 

 ing, or more important, the formation of 

 dried casein on the surface, which flecks and 

 embitters the butter. — Bural World. 



ALL ABOUT POULTRY. 



In whitewashing a hennery put some kero 

 sene into the mixture, for the benefit of the 

 hen lice. 



The time is coming when eggs will be sold 

 by weight. It is the only fair way. Massa- 

 chusetts has already a law to that effect. 



Every nest box should be scalded after 

 hatching, or painted with kerosene in order to 

 kill lice. This sort of vermin is the worst 

 pest of the hennery. 



A hen that is very quiet for the first two or 

 three days after hatching is better than a fussy 

 or gadding one. She knows that chicks of 

 that age can't travel much. 



A flock of fowls that are frequently chased 

 by dogs or often frightened by the owner, can 

 not be expected to return heavy dividends in 

 eggs. They want quiet, and constant anxiety 

 for their lives does not conduce to natural de- 

 velopment. 



When a chicken picks a hole within the 

 shell at hatching the access of air is apt to 

 dry its down to the shell, and then it fails to 

 turn over, and must be helped out. This is 

 always a bad sign. A little warm water on 

 the shell then may be of service. 



Hens need to be in good order aud sound 

 health before they begin incubation, and given 

 plenty of good food while continuing in it. A 

 sitting hen's "sedentary habits" are poorly 

 calculated to promote an increase of flesh. 

 Always give her access to food, water and the 

 dust bath. 



If guinea hens will eat potato bugs, and 

 make a business of it, get a few, or many, ac- 

 cording to your needs. Oue guinea screecher 

 to each half acre of potatoes is hinted at as 

 the proper average. 



Give fowls as much liberty as is compatible 

 with a general good of the farm. Restrant is 

 in opposition to nature, aud tends to bad and 

 dangerous habits. But when restraint is nec- 

 essary, see to it that they have as many com- 

 forts as is possible in confinement, or you will 

 suffer from it. 



When hens do not sit on the ground their 

 eggs should always be lightly sprinkled with 

 tepid water every day or two after the first 

 week or ten days. This is a matter real im- 

 portance, and if attended to will prevent a 



