1883. J 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



29 



ofnotliine better than the pure cotton-seed, which 

 can be bought in his State for about ten cents per 

 bushel. 



The Fair Question. 



Mr. Witmer said lie had a convers.ation with a 

 gentleman recently, in the course of which he 

 learned that in case the society determined to hold a 

 fair next fall, it would be able to secure the park 

 grounds on the condition that if any money wa? 

 made a reasonable rent should be paid, while if 

 nothing was made the grounds would be given rent 

 free. 



Mr. Englc hoped the members of the society 

 would have backbone enough to hold a fair next 



fall. 



Mr. Cooper was of the opinion that if it was the 

 intention of the society to hold a fair definite action 

 should be taken at once, and a committee aopointed 

 to make the necessary arranecments 



On motion, a committee of three, with Mr. Cooper 

 as chairman, was appointed to confer with Mr. Mc- 

 Grann in reference to the matter. 



The committee as named is composed of Messrs. 

 Calvin Cooper, Joseph F. Witmer and .J. M. John- 

 ston. 



Mr. Engle reported the rainfall for December to 

 be 1 '2. 11) Inches ; January, 3 '-Mti Inches. 



The following questions were referred : " Prepare 

 a good list of small fruits for farmers," to H. M. 

 Engle. " Is there any benefit derived from harrow- 

 ing wheat in spring?" to M. D. Kendig. "What is 

 the feeding value of corncob chops?" to John C. 

 Linville. 



Adjourned. 



THE POULTRYMEN. 



The regular monthly meeting of the Lancaster 

 County Poultry Society was held Monday morning, 

 February 5. 



The following members were In attendance : J. B 

 Lichty, Charles Lippold, William A. Schoenberger, 

 John E. Sebum, J. M. Johnston, C. A. Gast, F. R. 

 Ditt'enderffer, J. B. Long, Charles E. Long, Simon 

 P. Eby, city; George A. Geyer, Florin, and J. L. 

 Brenner, Mt. Joy. 



The minutes of last meeting were read and ap- 

 proved . 



Reports of Officers. 



Secretary Lichty made the following report : 

 The association held eleven stated meetings dur- 

 ing the year, with an average attendance of ten 

 members. There are now fifty members in good 

 standing. 



Amount received for advertisements m cata- 

 logue 8194.1.5 



Postage, etc 81.93 



Profit on cataloeue 5112.22 



Oash received at door 29H..S0 



Miscellaneous expenses 292.50 



Received as entrance fees 7H.'J.S5 



Premiums paid 430.20 



Expenses of judging, etc 470 84 



Bills unpaid 162.94 



Premiums due members 142.50 



Balance due J. E. Schum 25.00 



By reason of the large number of entries the asso 

 elation was compelled to make twenty new sections 

 of four coops each, and ten new sections of six coops 

 each, with suniclent material to make additional 

 ones. 



Liquidating the Debt. 



J. B. Long otTered a resolution authorizing the so' 

 clety to purchase two shares of Building Association 

 stock from J. B. Lichty, .nnd 'lieu borrow thereon 

 the money required to satisfy all the outstanding in- 

 debtedness of the society. In this way the money 

 due home exhibitors can be paid and everyliody will 

 be satisfied and encouraged to lend their assistance 

 to the society In the future. 



This plan was discussed at great length. The 



ineral feeling seemed adverse to contj'acting obliga- 



i'jns running through a series of years, and many 



suggestions were made as to the best way of liqul- 



Jating the debt of the association. 



Charles E. Long then moved that a committee of 



five members be appointed, all residing in Lancaster, 

 to receive subscriptions to raise money to pay all 

 bills due by the society, and report at an adjourned 

 meeting to be held on Friday, the Ifith of February, 

 at 10::iO A.M., and that the set rctary be authorized 

 to nollty every member of the society to attend said 

 meeting without fall. 



The following were named as the committee : 

 John E. Schum, Charles E. Lonif, Charles Lippold, 

 J. B. Lichty and J. B. Long. 



In order to secure better attemlance, Charles E. 

 Long offered an amendment to the By-Laws chang- 

 ing the time of meeting from the first Monday In the 

 month to the first Friday, at 10:30 A.M. 

 • Election of Officers. 



A vote for olhcers having been taken, George \. 

 Geyer was re. elected President of the Society for the 

 present year Vice Presidents, T. Frank Evans, M. 

 L. Grider ; Corresponding Secretary, Jos. K. Trlss- 

 ler ; Recording Secretary, J. B. Lichty ; Treasurer, 

 John E. Schum. The Executive Committee elected 

 consists of Charles Lippold, Peter Bruner, W. A. 

 Shoenberger, Dr. E. H. Witmer and A. S. Flowers. 



The meeting then adjourned. 



OCTORARO FARMERS. 



The Octoraro Farmers' Club met at the residence 

 of James Jackson on Jan. 20. Most of the members 

 were present, and the following visitors : Levi Scar- 

 lett, Abner Davis and wife, Henry Pownall and 

 Harvey Scott, with families. The minutes of the 

 previous meeting were read and approved. 



Specimens being called for, James Jackson and 

 Henry Pownall exhibited some Gourd seed corn, 

 good, though slightly mixed. The former also a 

 fine plate of onions. 



Under miscellaneous mutter the subject of trim- 

 ming hedge was broutrht up; the best manner and 

 proper time for doing it. Most of the members 

 thought the time of year did not matter much, though 

 close pruning late in fall might prove hurtful, leav- 

 in" the wood more exposed In case of severe winter, 

 and the best mode of trimming woulil depend on the 

 condition of the hedge; If overgrown and open, they 

 should be trimmed up to single stem and layered, 

 thereafter trimming once or twice each season regu 

 larly in order to have a close and compact hedge. 

 When neglected or left untrimmed they become 

 more rank like trees, thus an unnecessarily robbing 

 the soil for their support and causing the under- 

 shaded branches to die and decay, leaving It more 

 open to the smaller domestic animals, such as sheep 

 and hogs. 



J. C. Brosius presented a printed report from 

 Thos. J. Edge, Secretary State Board of -Agriculture, 

 in regard to pleuro- pneumonia, an account of the 

 disease in this State for the past four years. 

 Inspecting the Farm. 



After partaking of dinner, the buildings and stock 

 were inspected. The latter, consisting of seventeen 

 cattle, five horses, six colts and nineteen pigs, were 

 found generally in thrifty condition, with the excep- 

 tion of two shoats that were stunted and in an uu 

 healthy condition from some cause the host could 

 not give. Some suggested that it was from being 

 fed too much whole corn, which is considered in- 

 jurious to young pigs ; It was recommended to feed 

 them on bran and milk with some ground corn. 



On returning to the house the host read an essay 

 pertaining to farm labor and labor saving ma- 

 chinery. While machinery had become plenty, and 

 was of great advantage to the agriculturist, it had 

 not been the means of making farm-laborers more 

 plenty, as predicted would be the case on the intro- 

 duction of agriucltural machinery. On the opposite, 

 help had become scarcer and wages higher, thoui:h 

 comparatively low to the compensation of those 

 seeking professions or other branches of industry. 

 Was it just that the farmer and his help, who pro- 

 duce the first necessaries of life, tolling harder and 

 longer, should be less compensated than those 

 having lighter employments and pursuing what are 

 considered the higher occupations of life ? 



Thomas Baker read a communication, not on agri- 

 culture, but appealing to those concerned, and 

 others, to do their utmost toward discountenancing 

 the prevailing and pernicious habit of carrying tire- 

 arms with fatal results, referring to the Unioiitown 

 tragedy, and others as disgraceful, all over the 

 country. 



The Benefits of Experience. 

 The question was discussed ; "Are farmers bene- 

 fited more from reading than experience ?" While 

 the importance and almost the necessity ol reading 

 was acknowledged, though farmers could read, and 

 were told by smooth-tongued tree agents of the fine 

 qualities and productiveness of the Baldwin and 

 other apples, experience demonstrated that they 

 could not be relied on for this locality. Hence it was 

 decided best to rely on experience, rather than de- 

 pend on book learning as an Instructor. 



The topic of stock feeding was also thoroui;hly 

 discussed ; the time, the quantity and best kind and 

 most profitable grain food for steers, cows and young 

 cattle. Most of the members fed grain twice, a few 

 were trying three meals, while one more liberal fed 

 them a fourth, If they looked liungry. 

 Potato Growing. 



The question was asked whether any could give 

 an explanation of potatoes lalling to come up? This 

 ailment has been prevalent among growers of late 

 years. Some thought the defect could be traced to 

 a disease, or species of fungus that affected the 

 young sprouts, while others gave their opinlou to the 

 eflTect that the seed had been improperly selected, or 

 injured by cold, or had not been kept In a good place 

 during winter. These suijgested burying In ground 

 or some other means of keeping them at as low a 

 temperature as possible to prevent sprouting before 

 planting. Others thought the sprouting ones were 

 best to select, as a sure sign they would Krow. That 

 did not injure them any, nor did they lose their 

 vitality by so doing. Some had experienced failures 

 the past season, caused by heavy coating of unde- 

 composed barnyard manure, while in the same 

 p^tch the same kind of potatoes treated to well 

 rotted manure or commercial fertilizers came up 

 nicely and produced well. 



Adjourned to meet at Samuel Whltson's next 

 month . 



LINNiEAN SOCIETY. 



The Llun^an Society met in their room on Satur- 

 day, January 27th, 1882, at 2 o'clock, P. M.; the 

 President, Prof. J. S. Stahr, in the chair, and eleven 

 members present. 



Donations to the Museum. 



After dispensing with reading the minutes the 

 monthly dues were collected, and the following 

 donations to the museum were then made : Dr. H. 

 E. Muhlenberg, of our city, presented a small 

 volume of about ■'iO species of Hypnum or Moss, 

 which were collected by the learned botanist, Henry 

 Ernst Muhlenberg. 



A bottle containing about a thousand specimens of 

 the common "Snow Flea" {Pvdura nirecola) from 

 Mr. Wiu. Roehm. The most prominent feature in 

 the entomological characterof the month of January, 

 of the present year, was the abundance of these lit- 

 tle apteroiis insects, in several locatities near this 

 city. I published some remarks on those obtained 

 from Mr. Rochm, in the New Era of the 22d Inst., 

 and on the same day Mr. George Stelnman and Mr. 

 Landis called upon me, and exhibited a very large 

 number from a dillerent locality. When .Mr. Roehm 

 took those now before us (on the 18th) the tempera- 

 ture was comparatively mild, and under the influence 

 of the sun a rapid thaw was in process ; but on the 

 22d, when Messrs. Steinman and Landis called, the 

 temperature had fallen much lower, a freeze pre- 

 vailed, and yet the snow fieas exhibited on that day 

 were as active as we might expect to find them In 

 the spring or summer. 



The society has In Its possession a large number of 

 these insects taken about three years ago at Marietta, 

 Pa., in the month of May, where they came up 



