1883.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



:9 



best anions the clifferpnt colors. The Red 

 Dutch is a regular bearfir and is of better 

 quality than any other. There arc otliers 

 larger, but they are more acid. The wliitc 

 grape is transparent, of good <iuiility, and 

 ouglit to be more generally grown, but it is 

 not a great bearer, and is not profitable for 

 market. 



Gooseberries— 1. Houghton ; 2. Downing. 

 These are tlie two best gooseberries grown in 

 tliis country. They bear every year heavy 

 crops, are free from mildew, and are of excel- 

 lent quality. They are large enough for all 

 practicMl purposes. Wo cannot recommend 

 the giants and their giant prices, and espe- 

 cially tliose of foreign origin. There is one, 

 liowever, now grown for some years, that has 

 become free of molding, and promises well. 



Hlackl)erries— 1. New Rochelle ; 2 Missouri 

 Cluster ; :i. Wilson's Early ; 4. Snyder. The 

 Snyder a new Western blackberry, is highly 

 spoken of at distant points, and from the very 

 respectable endorsers which it has we have 

 no doubt of its value, at least in the West, 

 liut with our-selves, as well as with a friend 

 witli wlvom we shared .some of our plants, we 

 have not yet discovered any superiority over 

 the others named in our list. 



It is better that those who intend to culti- 

 vate fruit and have to make purchases, should 

 take this list with them to the nursery, and 

 adhere to it as far as, possible. 



In .selecting fruit trees, or any others, be 

 careful to choose with smooth, healthy-look- 

 ing bark, have entirely shed tlieir leaves, and 

 have iilenty of small fibrous roots. Trees on 

 wliicli the leaves remain after frost sets in, 

 and stick to the branches in the spring, may 

 be regarded as not healthy, and in some way 

 lacking stamina. — Oermantown Telegraph. 



OUR COUNTY'S WEALTH. 



The following statistics relating to tlie pro- 

 ducts, farms, stock, values and other matters 

 pertaining to Lancaster county will be found 

 of more than usual interest to farmers and 

 tlie community generally. They are abstract- 

 ed from the just published report of the Sec- 

 retary of the State Board of Agriculture for 

 the year 1882. They tell briefly but emphati- 

 cally the story of our county's great wealth. 

 No wonder she is called the " Garden of the 

 Union;" never was title better deserved, and 

 every Lanca.ster county man will congratu- 

 late himself that his lines have ftillen in a 

 place literally "overflowing with milk and 

 honey:" 



Number of farms, 9,070; acres of improved 

 land, 490,922, value of farms, buildings and 

 fences, §69,004,919; value of farm implements 

 and macliinery, $2,210,39:3; value of live 

 stock on farms, $4,605,945; cost of building 

 and repairing fences, $329,790; expended for 

 fertilizer iii 1879, §349,684; value of farm pro- 

 ducts .sold, consumed or on hand, $9,320,202; 

 wheat, 1,929,707 bushels; corn, 3,293,292 

 bushels; oato, 1,412,694 bushels; rye, 77,818 

 bushels; buckwheat, 5,281 bushels; barley, 

 967 bushels; value of orchard products, S99,- 

 847; Irish potatoes, 345,375 bushels; sweet 

 potatoes, 47,555 bushels; hay, 117,059 tons; 

 tobacco, 23,946,326 pounds; numlier of horses 

 on farms, 24,431; mules, 3,054, oxen, 383; 

 cows, 35,291; other cattle, 26,636; sheep. 



7,064; swine, 59,027; wool, 38,354 pounds; 

 milk sold, 371,558 gallons; butter sold, 3,381,- 

 046 pounds; cheese sold, 100,991 pounds. 



CULTURE OF SMALL FRUITS, OR 

 BERRIES. 



Perhaps some remarks upon small fniils, 

 strawberries, currants, and gooseberries, may 

 be useful and interesting to some of the 

 readers of The Natiox.\l Faioiek. 



I do not think that these delicious and 

 healthful fruits are sulliciently appreciated, 

 or receive the attention tlieir value deserves, 

 by most of onr fiirmers, which they may soon 

 learn, if they will carefully cultivate them 

 more largely. 



They all like a. good deal of shade, and 

 moisture in the soil to do their best. In this, 

 to a large degree, nature is a good guide to 

 follow ; that is, the locations and conditions 

 in which they are found, in their native 

 huhilut, to flourish best, are safe indications, 

 for the most part, to follow in cultivating 

 them. 



Slrincherries were early found by the first 

 settlers in the fertile Genesee country to 

 flourish in large quantity and of good si/e, on 

 the rich, moist, flat-land along that rivei'. 

 Best cultivators have found that strawberries 

 thrive and yield the best where the plants are 

 sheltered or mulched in the winter by leaves, 

 fine straw, chaflor .sawdust ; and where lib- 

 erally irrigated by flooding the grounds fre- 

 quently during tlie flowering and dry season. 

 There are diflereut opinions as to whether 

 planting in rows or hills gives best results ; 

 both modes have been adopted with profitable 

 success. 



The Charles Downing, Wilson, Monarch of 

 the West, the Sharpless, Seth Boyden, Ju- 

 cundas and Kentucky will give succession, 

 from early to late, for several weeks of this 

 healthful, delicious fruit. Some prefer one 

 kiod, some another— as they like sweeter or 

 more acid sorts. There are some 20 good 

 sorts. 



Mr. T. T. Lyon, a prominent pomologist of 

 Michigan, gives the following in regard to 

 .some new varieties : 



Miner's Great Prolific is vigorous and very 

 pioductive. In fact we are inclined to con- 

 sider it the most prolific large berry among 

 the 60 or more varieties we have fruited this 

 year. The fruits are very large, conical or 

 cockscombed, dark crimson, rather soft, mod- 

 erately juicy, acid ; but not rich. We think 

 it very promising for near markets. Ripe, 

 June 15. 



Excelsior is vigorous and moderately jiro- 

 ductive. The fruit is large, ovate conical ; 

 often with a slight neck ; dark scarlet in 

 color, moderately juicy ; mild acid ; berry 

 rich. The recent drought cau.sed it to be im- 

 perfect, with a hardened tip. We class it 

 among the dessert varieties, along with Vic- 

 toria, (Golden Queen.) Black Defiance, Dun- 

 can, and Cumberland Triumph ; all save the 

 last comparing closely in flavor and texture 

 with Bidwell. The last two, however, are far 

 more productive than the others. Excelsior 

 ripens June 13. 



Centennial Favorite suflered sadly by the 

 winter and has yielded nothing satisfactory. 

 Our owu experience and the lack of favorable 



notices from others, creates the suspicion tliat 

 its sudden notoriety was due to a favorable 

 concurrence of circumstances, such as may 

 not be often hoped for. 



Laurel Leaf is. vigorous and productive. 

 Fruit medium to large, conical rounded ; 

 color, light crimson ; moderately firm, lack- 

 ing juice; aromatic; sprightly acid. It can- 

 not be regarded as very promising. Ripe, 

 June 17. 



Frontinac— a pistillate— originating with 

 the late Mr. A. Russell, of N. Y., is ripe this 

 year, June 17. It is of fine si7,e and quality, 

 but too unproductive even for amateur uses. 



Marvin is yet unripe (June 1>^) and cannot 

 be expected to mature even its earliest speci- 

 mens before about the 20th or 23d. It has 

 not come through the winter as well as most 

 others ; although quite as well as Shirts and 

 Monarch of the West, growing in adjacent 

 rows. Sharpless, in the same vicinity, and 

 under the same circumstances, is in far better 

 condition. 



Currants, coming about the time straw- 

 berries are done with, are very convenient 

 and wholesome, and capable of being used in 

 a variety of forms, as every housekeeper 

 knows. The bushes may be grown in close 

 bunches, or be cleared of many branches and 

 succors, and trimmed up in tree-form, allow- 

 ing air and light the better to pass through 

 bushes. The latter mode gives larger and 

 finer berries, though, perhaps, not quite so 

 much fruit from thi^ same .space. The long, 

 even, well-filled clusters of currants, either 

 red or vphite, present a most lieautiful sight, 

 equal to anything in nature. Strings of 

 corals, garnets, or pearls are not richer or 

 more handsome, while currants also furnish 

 wholesome food, which the gems do not. 

 Among desirable varieties the old Dutch Red 

 stands high ; the Cherry Red is the favorite 

 with some ; besides, there are some very beau- 

 tiful, delicious, white or cream-colored cur- 

 rants, greatly esteemed by those who grow 

 them largely. The musky, black, currant is 

 prized by many as a very healthy or medicinal 

 fruit. They are delicious to my palate. 



A correspondent of the Germantown Tele- 

 graph inquires as to the best currant to plant 

 for profit, saying he has been advised to plant 

 the Yersaillaise, and the editor says : " This 

 variety of currant hius been before the Ameri- 

 can people for twenty years, as well as the 

 cherry currant, and yet we do not find it 

 grown anywhere that we know to any great 

 extent for its fruit. The Red Dutch is yet 

 the currant in almost universal use by market 

 men— the oldest of all— and yet, it stands its 

 ground. It may be said that it takes some 

 time for the merits or a new kind to become 

 well known, and therefore it is no argument 

 a"ainst its value that it is not found yet in 

 common use in market-gardens ; but market 

 men do not usually show such backwardness 

 in taking hold of really good things. They 

 were not long in dropping the many seedling 

 strawberries, the old red raspberries, and 

 many other things when they thought they 

 had something beUcr. It is not their way to 

 hang back when a really good thing is brought 

 before them. The Yersaillaise and the Cherry 

 currants have b;cu persistently advertised, 

 and whatever of merit they have has been 



