im.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



bors did not obt.iin the seed wliich the}' had 

 planted. 



Secretary Fox said that in listening to the 

 discussion he was forcibly reminded of the 

 rapid lliglit of time. It was a long time since 

 he had engaged in the cultivation of potatoes, 

 and yet it does not seen long. In 1H67 he 

 exhibited 47 varieties of potatoes at the Berks 

 county fair, and the following year 62 vari- 

 eties, taking the 1st premium for the largest 

 and best display, as well as at the Lancastei 

 county fair and tlict State fair. He then gave 

 his views in regard to raising potatoes, advo- 

 cating thorough tillage, keeping the ground 

 free of weeds, and selecting large potatoes for 

 planting purposes, cutting the same to single 

 eyes, and not planting them too deep. A good 

 crop can be raised from small potatoes, but to 

 continue the practice will eventually result in 

 the deterioration of the variety. Seed pota- 

 toes should also be changed every few years. 



R. W. Scherer, of Oley, believed in putting 

 plenty of manure on ground for potatoes, the 

 more the better. He believed in shallow 

 plowing for this crop, preparing the land in 

 the fall. He runs his furrows three feet 

 apart and plants the potatoes, the largest he 

 can raise, right in the furrow, taking care not 

 to cover them too deep. The potatoes are 

 dropped 12 or 15 inches apart in the row. 

 During the summer he cultivates them well, 

 keeping the weeds and grass down. The 

 ground is kept as mellow as possible. He be- 

 lieved in changing seed potatoes, and had 

 taken seed potatoes this year to Rockland 

 township and received others in exchange. 

 He believed in cultivating the land right, and 

 putting on plenty .of lime. Potatoes cannot 

 thus be grown too often upon the same land. 



President McGowan : " What time do you 

 plant V " 



Mr. Scherer : The earlier the better. I 

 would prefer the first of March, if I could 

 have the ground ready by that time.'' 



John Mayer, of Robeson, said that he de- 

 lieved in the old Pink-eye potato, as that 

 variery does as well in his locality as any 

 other. 



A. S. Klein, of Upper Bern, said that he 

 preferred land for potataes that had been 

 plowed the first or second time. Barnyard 

 manure is the best fertilizer. The Ohio Victor 

 and Early Rose are tlie varieties which suc- 

 ceeded best in his neigoborhood last year. 

 Cultivation should be done in the afternoon. 

 Manure has a tendency to retain moisture, 

 and the same result is obtained by planting 

 potal oes in new land. 



John C. Hepler, Superintendent of the 

 Charles Evans' cemetery, said that he had 

 tried nearly all the different kinds of potatoes. 

 His ground has a clay sub-soil, and he plows 

 it in the spring, harrows it and runs deep 

 furrows. The potatoes are dropped in the 

 furrows about twelve inches apart ; he never 

 plants any smaller than a hulled walnut, and 

 selects those of medium size to large. After 

 running through with a spike harrow, and 

 then three or four times with a cultivator, he 

 plows them and leaves them stand. He has 

 had some remarkably heavy crops. He re- 

 lated the following curious incident : He 

 planted a number of rows 250 feet in length, 

 twelve of which ran north and south, and 

 twelve others east and west. They received 



the same attention, but while the vines in the 

 rows running north and south were full of po- 

 tatoes, those running east and west produced 

 barley five bushels more than had been planted. 

 There was no difference in the appearance of 

 the vines. lie also said that in planting he 

 puts out his late potatoes at the same time 

 that he plants his Early Rose. He had planted 

 them later, and about the time that they 

 wanted rain, the dry season came on, and 

 they were a failure. He recommended the 

 St. Patrick for late crop and Early Rose for 

 the first crop. 



William Kupp, of Union, .said that the 

 Early Rose and Peerless are preferred in his 

 locality. Potatoes did not do well last year, 

 owing to the dry weather having caught them. 

 He had raised a good crop of potatoes for fnur 

 years in the same place. 



The Secretary reported a uniform product 

 of 40 to 50 bushels from one-eighth of an acre 

 every season for seven years in succession, but 

 the ground had been heavily manured, and a 

 compost of saw dust, decayed bark and leaves, 

 well mixed together, had been liberally ap- 

 plied. Potatoes exhaust the soil largely of 

 potash, and crops can be produced for several 

 years in succession if care is taken to return 

 to the soil the same elements that are taken 

 away, just as is done by the tobacco growers 

 of Lancaster county, who have raised "the 

 weed" successfully for a number of years on 

 the same piece of land. 



Capt. W. G. Moore, of Womelsdorf, said 

 that he was glad to see so many practical 

 farmers present, and that they had taken 

 such an interest in the discussion. He had 

 noticed this in his experience, that different 

 varieties of potatoes are adaptcd'to different 

 soils. Hence, wide-awake formers will con- 

 tinue testing new varieties. He had planted 

 potatoes in sod soil and raised good crops. 



A. J. Brumbach, of Exeter, was called 

 upon, and said that while he had tried a good 

 many varieties, and had also raised in his time 

 a good many small potatoes, his experience 

 was not different from that of other gentle- 

 men who had occupied the floor. 



Owing to the lateness of the hour the sub- 

 ject was then dropped, and after selecting a 

 ijuestion for discussion at the next meeting, 

 the society adjourned. 



FARM NOTES. 



Enemies of the Currant. 



There are two— the Worm and the Borer. 

 The first, which has latterly become very pre- 

 valent and destructive in denuding the bushes 

 of their leaves, makes its attack soon after 

 the leaves are of full size. The insect begins 

 its work by laying the eggs soon after the 

 leaves appear. The best remedy as we have 

 for two or tlnee years recommended, is the 

 white hellebore in the powdered state which 

 should be dissolved in hot water, a teaspoon- 

 ful of the powder to an ordinary bucket of 

 water and applied with a sprinkler. Some 

 sift the powder over the buslies in the morn- 

 ing when the dew is upon them; but the dust 

 is liable to be inhaled, and if it is, it produces 

 distressing sneezing. A second application 

 may be necessary. 



The borer is a different insect, and works 

 in the stem, passing through the pith from 



bottom to top. The moths appear early in 

 June ; the eggs soon hatch, and the worm at 

 once bores through tlie wood to the centre, 

 feeding as it progresses upon the pith. Its 

 presence in the stem may be known by the 

 yellowish appearance of tlie leaves. The best 

 rem(!dy is to sprinkle the bushes as soon as 

 tlic moth makes its advent, with whale oil, 

 soap and water, about a pound of the soap to 

 four or five gallons of water, repeating it once 

 or twice. 



Tlie currant worm does its work rapidly in 

 consuming the leaves, and they mu.st be at- 

 tacked the moment they show themselves. A 

 single day's operations, uncliecked, will play 

 havoc. A plentiful supply of coal ashes, 

 sieved, may also dislodge them. They multi- 

 ply rapidly, and when not all disposed of, 

 enough may remain to do much damage. 



Diseases Among Livestock. 



Like in the human race, epidemics among 

 live stock are freciucnt and destructive. They 

 come nobody knows how or whence ; and pass 

 away nobody can tell why. History records 

 so many of these, and we all remember enough 

 of them, that it is useless to dilate upon them. 

 This being so, it is hardly to be expected that 

 beasts will escape similar visitations. Yet 

 some people seem to expect this, for when an 

 epidemic breaks out among tjie beasts of the 

 field it produces about as much commotion in 

 a community as the prevalence of cholera 

 among bipeds. Every sort of resource is had 

 to counteract it. County conventions are 

 held ; Legislatures appoint commissioners to 

 investigate the distemper and find out a 

 remedy or a preventative,- impracticable laws 

 are demanded, and the whole agricultural 

 community effervesces as to what is to be 

 done for their safety. Suddenly the epidemic 

 vanishes ; the discussion as to the causes 

 which produced it, filling newspapers and 

 periodicals with a ma.ss of speculation which 

 not one person in a hundred ever reads, as 

 suddenly comes to an end. All seem to be 

 willing to let bygones be bygones and drop, 

 nem co)i., the ail absorbing question. 



lu the common course of things we must 

 expect to be visited by the.se epidemics. 

 Horses, cattle, sheep and swine, according to 

 their nature, will get sick and die, entailing a 

 loss whicli all who own beasts must submit to. 

 And when an epidemic as.sails them, it is 

 useless to discuss whether it came from 

 abroad or is indigenous, or where it originally 

 appeared. The first consideration should be 

 to study its diagnosis and apply a remedy. 

 It must be remembered that there are losses 

 and misfortunes in every business. Untoward 

 circumstances cannot at all times be avoided 

 or controlled. 



Field Mulching. 

 Though this heading may look rather for- 

 midable it is really as simple as possible in 

 carrying out. It is not a new suggestion now 

 made for the first time in these columns, 

 for it has been referred to repeatedly as a 

 matter that is deserving of more attention 

 than it generally receives. Even when first 

 mentioned by us it was not an original idea, 

 inasmuch as our attention was called to it 

 while visiting one of the best conducted farms 

 in a neighboring county. It is this : In re- 

 moving the hay from the field, tha,t portion 



