1882. 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



125 



worn pebbles, and must have been borne down the 



Btreaia I'roin remote localities above, as no locality of 



such a rock has yet been discovered in Litncaster 



county. For more llian forty years, small boulders 



aud various sized pebbles have been Ibund on the 



I beaches, bars and islandeof (lie Susriucbanna,but no 



I locality has yet been found where this rock exists »« 



1 mass. Some of these " fossil remains" appear to be- 



I long to the liadiatcs, some to the Articuialcs, and 



, others to the ^fvlhlskf, and perhaps also to different 



I geological periods. 



Donations to the Library. 



Proceedings ot the American rhilosophical Society 

 from January to June 18S2, 207 pp. octavo. 



Geodetic and United States Coast Survey, for 1878, 

 404 pp., quarto, with IW maps and illustrations i'rom 

 the Department of the Interior. 



Parts 1, 2, o and 4 of the Official Patent OUlce Ga- 

 zette, vol. 22, from the Department. 



Lancaster Fak.mer for July, 1882. 



Ten Catalogues of Historical, Biographical and 

 Scientific Books. 



Six circulars of interesting publications. 



Two envelopes containing eighteen historical aud 

 biographical selections. 



No new business was brought before the Society, 

 and the meeting was small. 



After some deliberation it was voted to hold a 

 recess for two months, after which the Society ad- 

 journed to meet in the ante room of the Museum, 

 on the last Saturday in September next (^0), with a 

 hope that the members would not forget it. 



Agriculture. 



Lying in Fallows. 



That there is a wonderful progress in agriculture, a 

 comparison of the practices of the present with the 

 not very remote past abundantly shows. There is 

 little doubt but that considerably more profit is de- 

 rived from the same space of ground than even men 

 not very old used to obtain. In these increased pro- 

 ductions consist the most encouraging of progressive 

 features. Not thirty years ago, a year of idleuess 

 was an essential feature in the regular rotation of an 

 English farm. The summer " fallows" almost in- 

 variably preceded the wheat growing. But now the 

 laying down of laud to rest as a preliminary to the 

 Bowing of grain is rarely thought of. Still it con- 

 tinues in other countries, where the free communion 

 of mind with mind, through the means of agricul- 

 tural papers, has not been brought about. In France, 

 especially, it seems that the practice of summer fal- 

 lowing is as common as it ever was. It is quite 

 likely that the change in the practice in England is 

 due indirectly to the writings Liebig and others, who, 

 about the time we refer to, created much thought 

 l)y their writings. Although fome of their views 

 failed in time to secure the attention hoped for them, 

 there is no doubt that we owe them much. It is, in- 

 deed, not always that as much direct good flows 

 from the work of a great genius as is expected, but 

 the indirect good, not so often recognized, is often 

 much greater than all. In this case we have not de- 

 rived as much benefit from soil analysis as the great 

 agricultural chemist hoped for ; and vet, what they 

 told us about the elements of nutrition and the na- 

 ture of plant food was no doubt the enteriug-wedge 

 which ultimately broke up a very absurd and waste- 

 ful system. 



That land will slightly improve by being 'rested" 

 there is, of course, no doubt. It was part of the old 

 veasteful system, or no system, of Southern agricul- 

 ture. A crop of cotton or of corn was taken suc- 

 cessively from the same land, and then it was left to 

 grow to weeds and briers, until after a few years it was 

 taken in hand for the same crops again. But iu this 

 case it was as much the decaying matter formed by 

 the weeds, if not.wholly by them, as from any im- 

 aginary principle of rest. In this then our genera- 

 tion has gained one great advantage. We need 

 not every fifth year or so give a fifth of all we pos- 

 eese as as a sacrifice to the recuperative powers of 



nature. She need never rest, In the sense that human 

 minds understand, (ilve fuel to the fire and it will 

 burn forever ; and, Willi the proper plant food, con- 

 tinually and intelligently applied, tliere is no reason 

 why the same piece of hind would not bear annual 

 crops to the end of the world. 



A Short Sighted View. 

 Since the begiuning of the Egyptian troubles many 

 writers have been predicting that should the war 

 prove a serious one, it would redound to the benefit 

 of the United States by Increasing the demand for 

 our foodstuffs, and that the benefit would be still 

 greater should the present trouble lead to a genera! 

 European war. Ignoring the desire to build up our 

 trade tlirough the misfortuues of others, the predic- 

 tions themselves are false. It is true that a foreign 

 war might for the time being stimulate our com- 

 merce and increase the price of our foodstuffs, but 

 there would surely come a reaetiou in the future. 

 The various nations of the world are so closely in- 

 terwoven in their trade relations that one cannot 

 suffer without the others feeling it. Under the 

 stimulus of a war, England might pay more for our 

 grain than she otherwise would; but she would sim- 

 ply be impoverishing liersclf aud thus be less able to 

 purchase in the future. We, as the seller should de 

 sire from pecuniary motives, if from no other, to see 

 our best customer. Great Britain, in the full enjoy- 

 ment of prosperity, knowing that the greater pros- 

 perity of her people the greater will be the consump- 

 tive wants and their ability to supply them. 



Select Your Own Seed Wheat 



Our best varieties of wheat were produced by the 

 careful selection of the best heads and plumpest 

 grains to be found in the field. These being sowed 

 by themselves the succeeding season, aud the best 

 again preserved, a great improvement has uniformly 

 beeu the result. Any farmer can do this, and it is 

 not necessary to depend on some scientist or particu- 

 lar seedsman for an explanation of the proper 

 method. On this subject Prof. A. E. Blount, of the 

 State Agricultural College, Fort Collins, Colorado, 

 states that farmers generally permit their wheat to 

 retrograde one eighth, whereas if proper care should 

 be bestowed upon its improvement by selection alone, 

 not one would ever find it necessary to procure better 

 seed. It only takes two years to make wheat No. 

 1 and pure by selection, and i'rom three to ten to make 

 a successful hybrid. Wheats raised upon the soil of 

 any locality are better than those from other points 

 for seeding. To prove this fact Prof. Blount says : 



" I have sown — aud am nicely growing now — this 

 spring 181 different varieties, the seed of which I 

 obtaiuel from every country in the world. Many I 

 received are'winter wheats, which I have converted 

 into spring wheats. Of all the samples received not 

 one was as good, or begin to be as good, ns the poorest 

 I now have." In otbei words, by careful selection 

 the poorest wheat now is better than the best of the 

 original lot, and this improvement has been made in 

 one year. If it is desired to improve wheat try this 

 method : Go over the field and select the largest 

 heads for the best stalks. Spread the grains on a 

 table and examine each one separately, discarding all 

 but the best formed and fullest. Next season make a 

 seed bed, putting one seed to a hill, one foot apart 

 each way. Hoe well and keep clean. The result 

 will be suprising, as the yield will be larger, the 

 grains better and the seed clean. When, by doing 

 this on a small piece of ground, the seed is perfected 

 it can be sowed for a crop. Practice this annually, 

 as there is uo limit to improvement. — I'luladelphia 

 Becoril. 



A Talk About Grasses. 



The Dcerfield Valley Agricultural Society had the 

 following to say about grasses: James S. Grinnell, 

 of Greenfield, says that grasses was the foundation 

 of our success in farming, and it is of tlie greatest 

 importance that we sow the best varieties of grass 

 and cut it at the right time. Mr. Johnson, of Green- 

 field, said that although raising grass is the founda- 

 tion of farming, it is^astonisliing that farmers take 

 so little pains with it, in fact do not know even the 

 names of the grasses they cut. The principal grasses 



he would recommend are blue grass, red lop herd- 

 grass and red clover. There are other varieties that 

 may lie cultivateil to some extent, as the soil and 

 cireumslaiiees allow, such as the sweet scented ver- 

 nal, white clover aud orchard grass. Farmers should 

 study their nature, and be sure to sow varieties that 

 would ripen at the same time. J. N. Abbott, of 

 Bucklaiid, exhitiited ten dillVrent kinds of grass. 

 His favoriliMs orchard grass, which he would sow 

 with ted clover, but it requires strong, moist land. It 

 ripens alwul the same time as red clover, and he 

 considered these two varieties mixed together the 

 best liay he cuts. E. C. Harris found his hay more 

 increased when he sowed a variety of grasses. Mr. 

 Grinnell said we must wage war on the weeds and 

 subdue them. Part of his meaclows had gone to 

 sorrel and it grieved him very much. 



HORT^CL lURE. 



The Peach Crop. 

 .Superintendent Mills, of the Delaware Railroad 

 estimates the coming peach crop in the districts 

 traversed by railway at 4,000,000 baskets The 

 heaviest yield will be in the district Ijetween Middle- 

 town anil Clayton, and, with continued favorabe 

 weathei, the crop ni?y reach .5,000,000 baskets. This 

 is exclusive of the sections above, which are dependent 

 upon water transportation. The j)each growern of 

 the peninsula will meet in convention at Dover to- 

 morrow to discuss transportation rates and facilities 

 and other matters of interest. 



Value of Fruit. 



It is a fact that fruit is a great regulator of the 

 human system. It will keep the blood in order, the 

 bowels regular, tone up the stomach, and is positive- 

 ly a specific in many diseases. It is said of a doctor 

 who became largely interested in peach growing, 

 that he recommended peaches to his patients on all 

 occasions. The story was told to illustrate the man's 

 meanness, but if he was mean it was a meanness 

 that hcnelitcd his patients. If men were wise they 

 would spend two days in a vineyard or orchard to 

 every five minutes in a drug store when anything is 

 the matter with them. If you have dyspepsia eat 

 fruit. Did you ever think wliat a doctor gives for 

 dyspepsia? He gives an acid. Fruit will furnish bet- 

 ter acid than the drug store will. Do you know what 

 the doctois dose you with when your liver is out of 

 order? With acids. Then why not supply the 

 remedy yourself from your own gardcu ? Why con- 

 tinue to have your medicine done up in such a re- 

 pulsive mixture when nature furnishes it in so pala- 

 table a shape. Every home should have at least one 

 grapevine. Once in possession it would be almost 

 above price. 



Shallow Cultivation for Fruits 



Fruit growers must be reminded that their hose, 

 cultivators and ploughs may ilo more damage to 

 plants than good if not used with discretion. The 

 small fruits— berries, currants, grapes, also dwarf 

 pears, quinces, etc., root near the surface. Here are 

 found the best roots, those that provide the 

 most nourishment. Nature designed these to be 

 mulched by tiic dead leaves, and in our fields tuulch- 

 ing would be the best treatment if it were |)Osslble. 

 As it is, the best we can do is to give frequent but 

 shallow cultivation. I have seen intelligent men 

 ploughing deep I'urrows alongside of their raspber- 

 ries, currants and grapes, well satisfied that they 

 were doing thorough work that would secure an 

 abundant harvest. Let such men dig up one plant 

 belbre thus ploughing and one alter and sec what 

 bulcliery they have committed. There are no top- 

 roots stretching far down into the subsoil, but Sim 

 ply a few laterals branching out, say from two to 

 four inches below the surface, and more than half of 

 these have been sacrificed by ,t he plouglishare. When 

 we set grceu hands hoeing strawberries and newly 

 set raspberries we know what they will do if not 

 watched — they will destroy half their roots and 

 loosen the hold for life that the struggling pets have 

 secured by chopping close about them. 



The Vegetable Garden. 



In these days of a scant supply of labor and high 

 prices for it, economy which does not ajiproach 

 meanness, is one of the fine arts. For instance, it is 

 economy to hire only good, well-trained farm hands, 

 but it is not economy to set them down to a meanly 

 furnished table. It is economy to feed your people 

 well, but it is far from economical to have to pur- 

 chase all they eat. A farmer is expected to have 

 somctliing besides salt pork and potatoes on his 

 table, and a variety is more economical than meat, 

 wheat Hour, canned goods and store truck generally, 

 il^ Vegetables are so healthful, so economical aud so 

 indif jicnsable that it .is a sign of a poor farmer if his 

 table lacks them at any season ofthe year. There is 

 uo land on the most productive farm in the country 

 w hlcli pays one-third as well as a well laid out veg- 

 etable garden, i)roperly planted and cultivated. As 

 hand labor is costly, it is both wise and economical to 



