32 



THErLAN CASTER FARMER. 



February, 1883. 



The Vergennes g^rape is a novelty because of its 

 lon^ keeping: qualities. With ordinary care, in a 

 cool room or dry cellar, the fruit will be as fresh in 

 January as in September. It is also a remarkable 

 grower, extremely hardy, a good bearer, handsome 

 bunch and berry, aud of really good quality. 



Experiments by careful breeders give some 

 valuable facts for estimating the cost of producing 

 pork. It is conceded that one bushel of corn should 

 produce ten pounds of pork, but everything depends 

 on the management. With good weather, a good 

 breed, sound corn and regular feeding this average 

 may be reached, but not otherwise. 



An Illinois farmer gives the following directions 

 for curing galled shoulders in horses, and says that 

 it Is reliable : Take the leather and burn it to a 

 crisp ; rub the bone on the galled part. A few ap- 

 plications will effect a perfect cure. A new work 

 horse put to the plow this spring received several 

 galls on both shoulders. A few applications of the 

 burnt leather made them as sound as If never in- 

 jured, and no scar is now seen. 



The six leading agricultural "productions 'of the 

 United States, accordmg to the Jcensus report for 

 1880, were in the following order : Corn, wheat, hay, 

 cotton, oats and potatoes. The [value of the first 

 was $600,000,000, wheat |.500,000,000, hay $330,000,- 

 000, cotton S24-2,000,000, oats $130,000,000, and po- 

 tatoes $73,000,000. 



Literary and Personal. 



Eighteenth Quarteblt Report of the.Penn'a 

 Board of Agriculture for September, October and 

 November, 1882. An octavo pamphlet of 48 pages 

 In which is crowded a great deal of interesting and 

 useful information to the farmers and gardeners of 

 the State. Containing local reports from almost 

 every county, with proceedings of the Board, and 

 tabulated statistics of the yield of crops ; condition of 

 growing crops; prices of farm products and farm 

 •tock ; condition of live stock and tabulated analyses 

 of fertilizers, Including investigation of diseases 

 among live stock ; ensilage, etc., etc. From this 

 report we learn that there are over 750 granges, farm 

 clubs, and similar organizations, together with 102 

 County Agrlcullual Societies in the State of Pennsyl- 

 vania, a few counties being without such organiza- 

 tions, but a number of others having more than one. 

 The silo is not unqualifiedly endorsed, nor yet 

 unqualifiedly condemned, but is rather still regarded 

 KB an open question. In response to the enthusiastic 

 (Hoists, a competent authority asserts that "one 

 thing Is certain, viz: Nothing came out of the silo 

 that was of value that did not go In, in an equally 

 valuable form." In regard to commei-clal fertilizers, 

 It Is estimated, from the best available evidence, that 

 the annual consumption of Pennsylvania is 70,000 

 tout, which at an average price of $30.00 per toni 

 would amount to $2,100,000, showing that prejudice 

 against this class of manure Is irradually diminishing, 

 and the consumption rapidly increasing. Since the 

 enactment of the law regulating the manufacture 

 and sale of these fertilizers, nearly 300 samples 

 (elected from all parts of the State, have been 

 analyzed by the chemist of the Board. The yield of 

 crops in Lancaster county, compared with 1881 at 

 100, were as follows : Wheat, 140; rye, 117; oats, 

 87 ; corn, 120 ; hay, 121 ; straw, 135 ; potatoes, 107 ; 

 produce, 113. The condition of growing crops in 

 November were as follows : Wheat of 1882-3, 115 ; 

 grass In wheat stubbles, 165; clover stubbles 2 yeare 

 old, 125; timothy stubbles, 120; pasture, natural 

 grasses, 160 ; do. artificial grasses, 165 ; rye, 109. 

 Acreage of wheat crop of 188J-3, 107. No allusion 

 Is made to tobacco except In the local report, which 

 •ays, " the tobacco crop has been the best raised for 

 eeveral years." 



Northwestern Farmer. — A semi-monthly jour- 

 nal, devoted to Agriculture, Horticulture, Stock rais- 

 ing. Poultry-breeding, and the Household . Published 

 by the N. W. Farmer Co., Fargo, Dakota. A royal 



quarto of 8 pages in tinted covers. Fine calendered 

 paper, beaautlful typography, and excellent general 

 "make-up." $1.00 a year, payable In advance. J. 

 P. Daly and H. 3. Mann. This journal comes out 

 "flat-footed" In opposition to the admission of 

 Dakota Into the Union as a State ; but advocates the 

 division of the territory Into two terrltorli»l govern- 

 ments, on the ground that "nature divided Dakota 

 long ago;" that " it Is clearly apparent that North 

 and South Dakota have very little in common," and 

 that it Is too large for a single government. But 

 that Is " neither here nor there " to us. The iV". W. 

 Farmer is a credit to that far off territory, and 

 worthy of a liberal patronage. 



The Merchant and Salesman. — A 16 pp. Ro3'al 

 octavo, published monthly, for the advancement of 

 the Merchants' and Salesmen's Association of Phila- 

 delphia (of which it Is the official organ) by the M.and 

 S. Co., 123 South Third street, at $1.00 per annum. 

 Interesting and useful to the class of men whom It so 

 ably represents. Among the officers of M. and S. 

 Association we recognize the name of our genial and 

 worthy friend, Mr. James P. Malseed, of the house 

 of .Malseed, Hawkins & Co., as the presiding officer, 

 which alone is a sufficient guarantee of its standing. 



Address of the Hon. Geo. B. Loring, U. S. Com- 

 missioner of Agriculture, before the Mississippi 

 Valley Cane Growers' Association, December 14, 

 18S2, St. Louis, Mo. Special Report— No. 34 of the 

 Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, 20 

 pp, 8 vo., discussing the Sorghum Sugar Industry. 

 Kansas far outstrips all the other States put together, 

 in this laudable enterprise. According to the census 

 of 1880 she had that year 20,64-') acres In sorghum, 

 and produced 18,000 pounds of sugar, and 1,414,404 

 gallons of molasses. In all the States participating 

 .509,731 pounds of sugar, and 12,898,098 gallons of 

 molasses were produced. Surely the question of 

 Sorghum Sugar is approaching a solution in these 

 United States, and only requires time and patience 

 to make it an establlshed/ad. 



Southern CnLTivATOR for January. — The 

 January number of this standard Agricultural pub- 

 lication Is on our table. It Is, perhaps ahead of any 

 other number in general interest. In its pages are 

 treated all matters pertaining to the success, com- 

 fort and happiness of the farmer. The publishers 

 are dolnsr what nearly all the proprietors of South- 

 ern publications have failed to do, namely : employ- 

 ing the best writers in the South to contribute to Its 

 columns. And they are thus making the most en- 

 tertaining Agricultural journal ever furnished the 

 Southern people. The January number has the 

 usual able contributions from Dr Jones — his 

 " Tlioughts for the Month" and the entertaining 

 " Inquiry Department ;" articles on Preparing Cot- 

 ton for Market, Crop Lien Law, Railroads and 

 Right of Way, Farm Tenants, Intensive Farming, 

 Jute In the South, The Sugar Cane Question, Stock 

 and Dairy Departments, Bill Arp's Inimitable Let- 

 ter, four full pages of Correspondence directly from 

 the Farmers' Biographical Sketches and Portraits of 

 Senator Barrow and Maj. Campbell Wallace, a full 

 Discussslon of Fish Culture, and the Patrons of 

 Husbandry Department. The enumerated articles 

 are only a small portion of the contents. It Is a 

 paper well worth the price, $1..50 per year, or ten 

 copies one year for $10.00. Address Jas. P.Harri- 

 son & Co., Atlanta, Ga. The Lancaster Farmer 

 and the Noutheru Cultivator for $2.00 a year In ad- 

 vance. 



Pennsylvania State College Bulletin II. — 

 Describing Agricultural Experiments with various 

 fertilizers, on Corn and Oats, together with General 

 Remarks, Examination of Agricultural Seeds, Tem- 

 perature and Kalnfall. 10 pp. octavo. This college 

 has been very much " kicked" for the past ten 

 years, but it seem It is still " alive and kicking." 



Farmers' Institute. — A free lecture course on 

 Farm topics. A 4-page 8 vo. Catalogue and pro- 

 gramme of exercises, etc., In the College aforesaid. 



Berks Countt Agricultural Society. — 



Through the kindness of Cyrus P. Fox, Esq., the 



obliging Secretary, we have received a copy of the 

 Reading Times and Dispatch of January 8, 1883, 

 containing a Year's Retrospect of said Society, 

 which, to any one at all interested In the agricultural 

 Interests of Pennsylvania, It surely cannot but 

 " make the heart glad," and to the citizen of Lan- 

 caster county — the farming citizen at least — it must 

 operate as a quiet self-reproach, at the disparaging 

 comparison between two of the most prominent 

 counties in the State. 



The Society above named is strong, numerically, 

 prosperous financially, and solid materially. It has 

 354 annual members, who pay $1.00 a year, and 259 

 life members, total membership, 613, and it U in 

 communication with a large number of the oWest, 

 largest and most intelligent and influential agricul- 

 tural and Live Stock associations In the United 

 States. On the 1st of January, 1883, there was a 

 balance in the treasury of $1,999.42, besides 

 $1,000.00 in good investments, and other valuables, 

 leaving it entirely free from debt. 



The officers for 1883 are James McGowen, Presi- 

 dent ; Joseph L. Sticher, Josiah Lewis, William G. 

 Moore, Ezra High and Reuben Sherer, Vice Presi- 

 dents ; Cyrus T. Fox, Secretary ; Stephen E. Mere- 

 dith, Corresponding Secretary; William S. RItter, 

 Treasurer; Matthias .Mengel and Ezra High, 

 Auditors ; C. F. Fox, Librarian ; Jacob Zerr, Re- 

 presentative in the State Board of Agriculture. We 

 are also informed that the total number of entries at 

 the 28th annual exhibition (September, 1882) were 

 2,723, and the premiums awarded amounted to 

 $1,892.00, and, the exhibition Itself was materially 

 and find financially successful. Well done " Alt 

 Berks." Who will " go and do likewise" during the 

 current year ? 



Report or the Department of Agriculture, 

 for 1881 and 1882. A royal actavo volume of 704 

 pages, including a copious Index, which occupies 12 

 pages, embellished with 4 beautiful colored plates 

 Illustrating the "Boll-worm," the "Army worm," 

 and the Botanical "Insecticides " — Pyrethrum roseum 

 and cinerariwfoUum. Also 16 uncolored plates illus- 

 trating numerous noxious insects; 25 plates illus- 

 traling as many difi'erent kinds of grasses ; 13 plates 

 lUustratiug the investigations of "Fowl Cholera ;" 13 

 folded plates Illustrating character, quality and rela- 

 tive compositions of siigar-canes, sorghums, Imphees, 

 &c., 4 do.on the analysis of various sugar (sorghum) 

 canes ; a diagram showing the production of corn 

 for the years 1849 to 1859, by the principal corn- 

 producing States ; and I plate on diseases among 

 horses, illustrating dead and living Monads, Micro- 

 cocci, Bacteria, etc. Perhaps one-third of the vol- 

 ume is devoted to tabulated reports on analyses of 

 various vegetable substances under domestic cultiva- 

 tion, stock and crop reports, area and acreage, 

 wages, valuation, etc., etc., all of which are useful 

 and Interesting to those " who take pleasure therein," 

 but too voluminous for us to quote In detail at this 

 time ; but which, perhaps, never will be read by the 

 masses any more than they will read the Bible. 

 There Is one thing in connection with this report 

 that manifests progress In the literary management 

 of the Department at least, and that Is, its early 

 appearance. Here we have the report for 1882 in the 

 month of January, 1883. Although the vol. also 

 contains the report of 1881. The object, perhaps, was 

 to bring the work up abreast with time, as well as 

 with the " splritofthe times," a thing ratherunusual 

 to the Department of Agriculture. There are prob- 

 ably 19,999 out of every 20,000 of the population of the 

 most intelligent sections of the country, who will 

 probably never look into one of the volumes (or any 

 other likely); stlll^that Is not the Report's fault, but 

 purely those for whom they are intended. Take the 

 entire literature of the Department from Its origin to 

 the present time, and what is it ? and where is It ? 

 Still, as seed cast abroad, some of it may fall upon 

 good ground, take root, and yield an hundred fold, 

 and for that reason, we think they ought to be pub- 

 lished and distributed. 



