188 



THE LANCASTER FARMER- 



[December, 



arraiiircmenls with the Pennsylvauia Kailroad Com- 

 pany for excursion rates to Lancaster during the 

 exhibition. 



On motion, Joseph R. Trissler was appointed su- 

 perintendent of the exhibition, lie to devote his 

 wliole time to the show during its continuance. 



Adjourned. 



AGRICULTURE. 



LINNi^AN SOCIETY. 



Th.T Linnsan Society met in their museum room 

 on Saturday, November 35, at 2 P. M., Prof. J. S. 

 Stalir, President, in Ihe'chair. Prof. Rathvoo, Prof. 

 Buehrle, S. M. Sener, Mrs. Zell, Miss Lefevre and 

 two visitors present. Minutes of previous meeting 

 were read and dues collected, after which the follow- 

 ing donations were made : 



Donations to the Museum. 

 A pint bottle of spirits, containing two large cen- 

 tipedes (Scoloperadra heros) a palraated cricket 

 (Sterropalmata talpa) and a " Camel cricket (Man- 

 tus Carolina) from the vicinity of Carson, Mitchell 

 county, Texas, and donated by Mr. H. A. Kathvon, 

 of Carson, Texas. These centipedes are the largest 

 species among the Mi-ri.ipoda, although occasion- 

 ally larger specimens may be found. In their pres- 

 ent contracted form, they measure fully eight inches 

 in length, but if living, and the segments naturally 

 relaxed and expanded they would measure at least 

 ten inches in length. These animals are no doubt 

 poisonous, but it is probable that many of the stories 

 published abont their venomous qualities are fabri. 

 cations or exaggerations. Each foot is terminated 

 by a sharp bent spine, and we have been informed 

 that when they remove any expo.sed part of the 

 human body, they leave two rows of dimpled spots, 

 which soon became inflamed. 



The Palmated cricket, as its name implies, is rela- 

 ted to the " Mole cricket," of which we have one or 

 two species in Lancaster county. This insect in 

 California is called the " Potato cricket," and when 

 numerous, is said to be very destructive to the potato 

 tubers in the ground, excavating them and forming 

 large burrows in them and thus depreciating their 

 culinary values. Some years ago a gentleman in 

 Sacramento Valley sent a number for identification 

 and represented them as destroying his potato crop. 

 Their semi-palmated anterior feel seem to indicate 

 tliat they are burrowing insects, feeding on roots 

 and tubers. They belong to the family Gryllklie in 

 the order Orthoptera. 



The Canal cricket Is called " Devil's horse" in 

 Texas. Prof. Townsend (JJlover named it " Rear 

 horse" in one of his reports belore the war. In Eu- 

 rope it is called the " Praying mantes," but if an 

 " c" was substituted for the " a," it would more 

 nearly express its character, for it ss perhaps the 

 only orthopterous insect that preys upon other in 

 sects. Its large and stout anterior reptorial legs ex- 

 plain its character. Specimen of the mole cricket 

 by Dr. XI. L. Davis; Steatite by Master H. Hala- 

 baugh, and two specimens of superannuated curren- 

 cy and box of Indian Darts by Mr. Beates, of Mid- 

 dletown, Pa. To the library w-as added, Lancasteu 

 Fakmeb for November ; Patent Office Gazette, Nos 

 17 and 20, of vol. 22 and Index of Patentees foj. 

 1882; Lancaster Industries, a pamphlet, in refer 

 ence to removal of duty on books ; package of Bi- 

 centennial records and envelope of thirteen news- 

 paper cuttings. Professor S. S. Rathvon read a 

 paper on " Myriapoda." Prof. R. K. Buehrle was 

 present and paid his initiation fee. After an hour or 

 more passed in science gossip, adjourned. Before 

 adjournment it was resolved, " That when we ad- 

 journ, we adjourn to meet early in January, instead 

 of December, on account of the holidays and that 

 said meeting be called by the secretary. Our next 

 meeting will be our annual one. 



Ivory Wheat and Millo Maize. 

 J. T. Henderson, Commissioner of Agriculture of 

 the State of Georgia, in a report for 1!<S1 and 1882 

 calls attention to the claims of " Ivory wheat " and 

 " Millo maize" to a place on the list of profitable 

 food crops. These are both members of the lai-ge 

 family of sorghums, of the class that have for many 

 years been cultivated in Central Africa and other 

 tropical countries for bread purposes. Analyses 

 made to gain the relative theoretical value of these 

 grains as compared with ordinai-y standard wheat 

 show that there is scarcely more difference in the 

 proximate analyses of "Ivory wheat," so called, 

 and Dallas or Red May than appeared between the 

 analyses of the latter two varieties of ordinary 

 wheat. The Ivory wheat shows a larger percentage 

 of albuminoids (flesh formers), slightly less of 

 starch and more of fats (fat and heat producers) 

 than either of the true wheats. The Millo maize 

 has considerably less of the albuminoids or flesh 

 forming substances than either of the others, being 

 about equal to the Indian corn in this respect. 



" The flour made from the Ivory wheat, when 

 properly ground and bolted, is rather darker than 

 ordinary ' family ' flour, but possesses the property 

 of kneading well, and is therefore adapted to the 

 process of ' raising ' with yeast or by similar means. 

 Bread made from it, though not equal in any sensi- 

 ble respect to that from fine wheaten flour, is by no 

 means unpalatable, and, as indicated by analysis, is 

 probably fully equal in nutritiveness to any. 

 For making the forms of bread for which 

 buckwheat flour, rice flour, middlings of 

 wheat, &c., are usually employed, viz. : waf- 

 fles, griddle-cakas, muflins, &c., the Ivory fijur 

 seems to be well adapted." Mr. Henderson does 

 not speak from actual experiment of the bread quali- 

 ties of the Millo maize, but is of the opinion that in 

 this respect it will be found to resemble Indian corn 

 meal. It is claimed that both of the;e plants are 

 enormously productive, rather indifferent as to soil 

 and culture, and almo.st iudependeut of the seasons 

 after the soil has been prepared and the crop started 

 off. Owing to the extraordinary seasons of this year 

 it has not been practical to test their capacity to re- 

 sist drought, and a sufficient number of reports of 

 experimenters has not yet been i-eceivod to form any 

 decided conclusions in reference to productiveness 

 under ordinary circumstances. But Mr. Henderson 

 is of the opinion that the reports will show that 

 both are .very productive — far more so than any 

 grain crop now grown in this State. The Millo 

 maize is qjiile late in maturing, requiring favorable 

 culture and the full season fi-om planting time 

 (Api-il) until frost to mature in north Georgia ; but 

 this difficulty will probably soon yield to the accli- 

 matizing effect of planting home-grown seed a few 

 years. This plant appears to be unusually produc- 

 tive of foliage, will bear two or more cuttings, and 

 promises to be very valuable for soiling and general 

 forage purposes. 



The use of a public road is for travel — not to pas- 

 ture animals upon it. The old barbarism of pasturing 

 on the load is done for in the Northern Slates, and 

 will be in the South as soon as the south "catches 

 on " to Northern enterprise and judicious tastes. 



Economy on the Farm. 



On the farm, and in all the various details uf rural 

 and domestic life, prudence and a just economy of 

 lime and means are incumbent in an eminent de- 

 gree. The earth itself is composed of atoms, and in 

 the mcst gigantic fortunes consist of aggregated 

 items, insignificant in themselves individually con- 

 sidered, but majestic when contemplated in unity 

 and as a whole. In the management of a larm, all 

 needless expenditure should be systematically ayoid 

 ed, and the income made to exceed the outlay as far 

 as possible. Pecuniary embarrassment should al- 

 ways be regarded as a contingency of evil boding, 

 and if contended against with energy and persever- 

 ing fortitude, it must soon be overcome. Debt, with 

 but liftle hope of its removal, is a millstone drag- 

 ging us down and crushing the life-blood out of us. 

 Be careful, therefore, in incurring any pecuniary re- 

 sponsibility which does not present a clear deliver- 



ance with the advantages which a wise use of it 

 ought always to insure. 



A farmer who purchases a good farm and can pay 

 down one third of the price, give a mortgage for the 

 other two thirds, and possesses the heai-t and resolu- 

 tion to work it faithfully and well, enters upon the 

 true path to success. He will labor with the en- 

 couraging knowledge that each day's exertions will 

 lessen his indebtedness and bring him nearer to the 

 gaol when he shall be disenthralled and becomes a 

 freeholder in its most cheering sense. But without 

 due economy in every department, in the dwelling, 

 as well as in the barns and in the fields, this gratify- 

 ing achievement may not be reached until late in 

 life, or may be indefinitely postponed. A prudent 

 oversight, therefore, over all the operations of the 

 farm, in order that everything may be done that 

 ought to be done and nothing be wasted, will exert a 

 powerful influence in placing a family on the high 

 road to an early independence. — Oermanlovm Tele- 

 graph. 



Rules Adopted by the Hay Trade. 



Following are the rules adopted by the Hay 

 Trade in New York, Brooklyn, and Jersey City under 

 the leadership of the Manhattan Hay and Produce 

 Exchange : 



No. 1 Prime //fi!/— Shall be pure timothy, properly 

 cured, bright, natural color, sound and well baled. 



No. 2, or Good ifa?/— Shall be timothy, not more 

 than one quarter mixed with red top and blue grass, 

 properly cured, bright color, sound and well baled. 



No. 3, or Medium— 9,h3.\\ include all timothy not 

 good enough for No. 2, proportionately mixed with 

 blue grass, red-top and clover, sound and well 

 baled. 



No. 4, 01- Shipping i/iij/— Shall include all hay not 

 good enough for other grades, and may be natural 

 meadow, free from wild or bog, and must not con- 

 tain over one third clover, sound and well baled. 



Clover i/ii?/— Shall be medium grown, properly 

 cured, good color, sound and well baled. 



No Grade, or Rejeeted 7/aj/— Shall include all hay 

 badly cured, musty, stained or unsound in any way. 



Mules for Impcotion— AW certificates of inspection 

 shall give the number of bales and grade of each 

 bale inspected. 



The expenses for inspection shall be 10 cents per 

 ton for grading, and 20 cents per ton for grading, 

 weighing, and unloading cars of hay, the expenses 

 to be paid half by the buyer and half by the seller. 



All hay or straw shall be pressed with wood not 

 to exceed three pounds per bale. All hay or straw 

 wooded in excess of three pounds per bale, the total 

 weight of>ood will be deducted. This rule will 

 take effect January 1, 1883. 



Effects of Broom-Corn on the Soil. 



Professor Shelton, of the Kansas State Agricul- 

 tural College, gives his views concerning the con 

 tinned culture of broom-corn on the fertility of the 

 soil in the college paper, the Industrialist. He saye : 



" Ultimately, the effects of such crops as broom- 

 corn, hemp, flax and perhaps castor-beans, which 

 furnish no stock feed, or but very little, will be seri- 

 ously felt in Kansas in the loss of fertility sustained 

 by those lands upon which these are cultivated. The 

 fact that broom-corn is a hoed or cultivated crop 

 makes it much less dangerous than is flax, which re- 

 ceives no cultivation during the period of its growth. 

 The general rule for every farmer who has a higher 

 aim than to scourge his lands and then seek newer 

 ones is to grow no crop upon a considerable scale 

 that cannot be used wholly or in good part as stock 

 feed. This has been the rule of really successful 

 farmers the world over, and at a near day will be 

 the rule in Kansas also." 



The Agricultural Interests of the Country. 



Washington, November 23.— George B. Loring, 

 Commissioner of Agriculture, has submitted his an- 

 nual report to the President. Two and a half mil- 

 lion packages of seeds have been distributed and 

 260,000 copies of special reports printed by the 



