1882. J 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



-141 



The morning passed very quickly, all present seem 

 ing to enjoy themselves as only farmers and their 

 families can when thrown together. They examined 

 each other's exhihits and compared notes, eaeli being 

 benefited by t!ie experience of the otlie*r, and tlie ira 

 plements were constantly surrouuded by small 

 crowds of men eagerly listening to the explanations 

 made by the owners. 



Address of Welcome. 



After dinner an hour or more was spent in poeial 

 converse, when the president, William King, called 

 the meeting to order and introduced James Black, 

 Esq., of this city, who on behalf of tlie Fulton 

 Farmers' Club, extended thanks and a cordial wel- 

 come to all pressent and more than all to those who 

 have tried to eontribnte to the success of the fair, by 

 bringing with them the products of the neighborhood. 

 The face of the members of the elnb are not known to 

 the citizens of Lancaster, but the published reports of 

 their proceedings are read with great interest, and 

 the little society is held in high regard. This club 

 and like associations are of value to the public as 

 well as socially, and the country is better in every 

 way for them. They will be found to exist only 

 where there are educated, moral and intelligent peo- 

 ple. The speaker said he might talk on the common 

 theme that agarieulture, farmers and farms are the 

 basis of wealth, but the main thought with him was 

 that these organizations are making better larmers 

 better men and better Christians and that they can 

 thus band together and destroy every foe to their 

 homes and happiness. Therefore he hoped that if 

 they met together again in another year the club 

 will be enlarged in numbers, and that the exhibit 

 will be as much larger as this exhibit is larger than 

 last year's. Addressing the young men and women 

 he asked why they could not have in that place a 

 counterpart of the Oxford fair or the county fairs. 

 He believed they could have there exhibited the finest 

 specimens of all that is produced on the farm, and 

 standing on that platform men to address them who 

 have given the science of agriculture the attention 

 of their lifetime. He closed by thanking his hearers 

 for their close attention. 



Seth L. Kinsey, 

 of Harford county, Md.,an intelligent young farmer 

 was the next speaker introduced by the president to 

 address his "friends and fellow tillers of the soil," 

 and In the beginning he spoke of the purpose for 

 which this assemblage was held as being most 

 worthy and commendable; not a meeting to further 

 political schemes but one where there exists only a 

 generous ambition to excel in the condition, quality, 

 and perfection of the articles placed on exhibition 

 and a general desire to pass a day of social enjoy- 

 ment, instruction and improvement. How great is 

 the delusion of those persons who suppose that farm 

 life is rude and uncultured, and attended only with 

 toil and weariness. Who can look on this as- 

 sembly, on the evidences of eivilizattoa and 

 advancement we see about us in the fertile fields the 

 grazing herds, the handsome yet substantial and 

 useful buildings and remembering the wonderful 

 art and skill there represented yet say that farm 

 life is rude and uncultured. But we need not stop 

 here for greater and more wonderful and beautiful 

 than all, the works of Nature surround us, offering 

 us ideas, teaching us lessons, and leading us into 

 paths that tend ever to our moral, intellectual and 

 spiritual advancement. There are two ways of 

 farming, as perhaps of doing everything else — a 

 right and a wrong way. The first leads toabundaut 

 success, and the second to diecouragement and ulti- 

 mate failure. Farming is not as many appear to 

 suppose, merely a laborer's occupation, in which 

 animal force is alone required; it is a science, and 

 the man who makes farming a success has as good a 

 right to be proud of what he has done as the most 

 worthy and eminent of our merchants or professional 

 men. It is not for ue now to attempt to suggest how 

 farming is to be made a success, but one thing is 

 very certain — diiferent soils need difl'erent kinds of 

 fertilizers to enable them to produce satisfactory 

 yields, except in the case of manures, which are 



suited to all soils, and upon which too much value 

 cannot be placed or loo much care exercised to col 

 Icct as large a quantity as possilile. They may be 

 justly regaided as the farmer's savings banks, while 

 chemical fertilizers, which we cannot do without at 

 present, are surely a drain through which passes 

 much of the profits of farming. The man who ex- 

 pects tOBUcced at farming must not only work, but 

 also study and observe, and here comes in the ad- 

 vantage of establishing farmers' clubs in order that 

 the knowledge gained by individuals may he imparted 

 toothers, for by this mutual exehangeof Ideas, opin- 

 ions, etc., much good must inevitably result. The 

 speaker had read with jileasureand profit th'^ reports 

 of the meetings of the club as published, and by no 

 means the least interesting parts of those reports is 

 that the young women of the community are repre- 

 sented at these meetings and aid in their success by 

 their literary oti'crings. Woman's presence and in 

 flnence must always add to the interest and success 

 of every enterprise where business and social life 

 can be combined. In farmingcommunities the wives 

 and mothers who teach their daughters to respect 

 work and consider a competent knowledge of house- 

 keeping as one of the essential parts of their educa- 

 tion, will be given them knowledge that is of more 

 vaule then gold, as it will insure to them such hap- 

 piness as they could never know were they itrnorant 

 of these subjects, but knowing are able to fill the 

 positions of wife and mother. The speaker closed by 

 congratulating the management on the success of 

 their meeting and with many wishes for the welfare 

 and success of the club and success of its members. 

 " Manual Labor and How it May be En- 

 couraged" 

 was the subject chosen by the next speaker, Wash- 

 ington B. Paxson, of Colerain, and he said he knew 

 of no subject that was of greater interest and im- 

 portance to the agriculturist. Labor is the tmne and 

 sinew of every nation. It was labor that has laid the 

 foundation of our republic; that has cleared away 

 the forest and cultivated the soil and caused it to 

 bring forth the golden harvest; that has built our 

 towns and cities; that has constructed our railroads; 

 In short, it feeds, clothes and defends us. All that 

 man possesses or may expect to possess is acquired 

 by incessant toil. Every path that leads from the 

 great highway of labor is cut out by human inven- 

 tion to shirk duty and is leading and training the 

 rising generation to dislike labor, instilling into their 

 minds that it is a disgrace to work. Such a training 

 Is ruinous, and these ideas must be eradicated he- 

 fore the laboring class is appreciated as it should be. 

 Labor would become more honorable if we could do 

 away with those absurd class distinctions which 

 make the occupation of a man the standard of his 

 worth. The man who spends his life In clearing and 

 cultivating a farm, provides for his family and the 

 community, but lives and dies almost unnoticcii. 

 Think of his exalted position, his unrivaled industry 

 and frugally, discharging his duties to his family 

 serving his country and honoring his God and tell 

 me that such an occupation is degrading. We es- 

 teem too highly the man that gains a fortune 

 through trickery, and moves through the world 

 making a grand display in society. How little the 

 world admires yet how heroic the resolution which 

 prompts the young man to clear land and make a 

 home for his family. How can manual labor be 

 elevated in the scale of employment and encouraged 

 to take a higher rank? In the first place honest la- 

 bor should receive more attention in our domestic 

 circles, and, secondly, it should be introduced into 

 our schools. It is evident that there is something 

 wrong in our educational system, for to educate a 

 child now is to wean it from manual labor. To 

 educate a young man now is sending him forever 

 from the farm. Education and manual labor are not 

 working harmoniously together and the speaker 

 feared they never will until that aversion and preju- 

 dice is removed. How can this be done ? Only by 

 a proper system of training. In some of the leading 

 countries of Europe, industrial schools have been 

 established, where agricultural and the industrial 



arts are taught, not only in the higher but in the 

 primary schools, and these have proved highly suc- 

 cessful. 



It is now a recognized truth that the succcsjful 

 cultivation of the soil lb both a science and an art. 

 The idea that of all vocations In life the tilling of 

 the soil requires the least education and training 

 must he eradicated, for experience has demonstrated 

 that a high degree of knowledge is requisite to de- 

 termine what kinds of crops are adapted to diiferent 

 kinds of soil and to preserve the the fertility of that 

 soil, and great skill Is required in planting, culttva- 

 ting and securing the crops. What our country 

 wants to-day are practical and Intelliuent agricul- 

 turists: there is a great demand for .xkllled farm help. 

 If our farmers' sons could be taught to believe that 

 laboring on the farm is as honorable as any other 

 employment, and as much desirable, then this 

 lack of skilled labor on the farm would in some de- 

 grees be mitigated. 



In conclusion the speaker advocali-il the formation 

 of an agricultural society In every community where 

 I'armers and their families can minijle together and 

 discuss the various modes of farming and exchange 

 ideas. Such associations are instructive and those 

 who belong look forward with bright anticipations 

 to the meetings. Farmers as a rule have too little 

 acquaintance with each other, know too little of 

 what others are doing even in their own neighbor- 

 hood. Absorbed each in his own affairs, they do not 

 consider the ways in which they might be mutually 

 helpful to each other. 



The above are but short abstracts of the addresses 

 which occupied several hours in their delivery. Mr. 

 Dickey,of Oxford, played several fine selections on 

 the organ, and the audience again dispersed through 

 the ground to pass the rest of the day as suited 

 their fancy. 



Agriculture. 



Pasture Grasses. / 



Pastures should not consist of one kind of trrass 

 only, because (1) stock prefer a variety, going from 

 one to the other thus keeping their appetites whetted; 

 (9) becanse the grasses having dilfi-rent periods at 

 which they mature, one kind having passed its best 

 stage, another comes to its best, and takes its place, 

 and (3) because grasses vary in the degree of stand- 

 ing wet and drouth, hence if one sort is injured, by 

 vicissitudes of the weather, another may be to an 

 equal degree benefited. It should be more the prac 

 tice to stimulate pastures with special manures. This 

 is as necessary a thing to do as to feed a particular 

 animal freely, because it is falling off in flesh. Among 

 the best stimulants to tardy-growing grass, isnitrate 

 of soda; and this may be used freely on pastures 

 without great outlay, and with prompt and benefi- 

 cial results. — Xational Live Stock Journal. 



Experiments with Green Manuring. 



Mr. J. C. Chadhourne, of Vaesalboro', has been 

 experimenting with green manuring on a small scale, 

 and with very satisfactory results. He had a piece 

 of land containing about two acres which had been 

 neither ploughed nor dressed for fifteen or twenty 

 years, and was producing not more than five hun- 

 dred pounds hay to the acre. A year ago last spring 

 he ploughed it, and after thoroughly pulverizing the 

 sod, he sowed upon it at the rate of four bushels of 

 western corn to the acre. The corn grew well and 

 when it was at maturity of growth, he ploughed it 

 under. It was estimated that there was from forty 

 to fifty tons of green fodder fier acre. 



In April last he sowed the field to clover and 

 Timothy, and harrowed it in; and the last of July he 

 made from the ,two acres, three tons of excellent 

 hay. When ploughed, on a portion of the field, the 

 plough turned up white sand; on another, black 

 mould, and on the balance coarse gravel. On a 

 part of the field Timothy was in full bloom the last 

 of July and very handsome. Mr. Chadbourne says 

 it was the finest hay he ever cut upon his farm. He 



