883. J 



THE LANCASTER FARMER 



75 



00 diinch bugs ! Another related that he 

 lad adopted measures to protect tliebird, and 

 liat tliey had become so numerous and so 

 ame that hundreds of them, after falls of 

 now, could be seen in his barnyard with the 

 owls wliiae tliey were fed. As a result of 

 heir presence upon the premises, his wheat 

 rops were usually abundant, while in many 

 )ther places not far off the chinch bug and 

 )ther insects had destroyed the crop. 



This su>;i;estion is worthy the consideration 

 i)f farmers, and if practicable it oughl to bo 

 adopted. Of course, when the birds had 

 breatly multiplied there could be no objection 

 Jn trai)ping some of them for domestic con- 

 sumption, or they might get too numerous to 

 be altogether advantageous. — Qcrmanloim 

 Tckgrdjih. 



Our Local organizations. 



THE AGRICULTURAL AND HORTI- 

 CULTURAL SOCIETY. 

 The regular mouthly meeting of the Lancaster 

 County Agricultural Society was held on Monday 

 afternoon, May 7, ISSii. 



The following meinhers and visitors were present : 

 J. .\I. Johnston, C. A. Gast, F. K. Diffenderlfer, S. 

 P. Eaby, city ; Lem. S. Fry, Ephrata ; Levi S. Reist, 

 Manheim ; Harry G. Rush, West Willow ; Calvin 

 Cooper, Bird in-Hand ; M. D. Kendig, Creswell ; E. 

 S. Hoover, Manheim ; C. L. Hunsccker, Manheim ; 

 Johnson Miller, Warwick ; J. H. Moure, West Heirtp- 

 field. 



In the absence of the regular Secretary, M. D. 

 Kendig was temporarily elected to fill his place. 



The minutes of the Secretary not being present, 

 they could not be read. 



On motion, William BoneB, of Safe Harbor, was 

 elected a member of the society. 



Calvin Cooper, as one of a committee named to 

 Inquire into the expediency of holding a fair, re 

 ported that the committee had agreed it would not 

 be advisable to do so in case the State Agricultural 

 Society held its annual fair here. Since then he has 

 learned the State Society will hold its fair in Phila- 

 delphia. Mr. Cooper also stated that he had since 

 spoken to the owner of the Park grounds, -Mr. Mc- 

 Grann, who offered to give the grounds to the Society, 

 at a very mod. rate price. Several. parlies from Ohio 

 have tried to secure these grounds for exhibition, 

 but the home Society has the preference. • 



On motion, the report of the committee was ac- 

 cepted and the committee discharged from the 

 further consideration of the subject. 



On motion of Calvin Cooper a special meeting of 

 the society will be called by the Secretary on next 

 Monday at 2 o'clock sharp, for the special purpose 

 of deciding whether a fair shall be held. All the 

 active members of the Society are requested to he 

 present . 



Crop Reports. 

 L. 8. Keist, of Manheim, reported the prospect for 

 fruit very good. Grass was never better at this 

 aeasoD. Wheat is about as good as last year ; the 

 outlook is promising. 



Calvin Cooper endorsed all Mr. Reist said. He 

 never saw the prospect more propitious. 



Lemuel S. Fry has seen a good deal of the north- 

 eastern section and has never seen the grass better. 

 Wheat is very even and almost uniformly good. The 

 fruit prospect is very fine. Some peach trees in the 

 neighborhood of Ephrata have died without osten- 

 sible cause. The late frosts have done no harm. 

 The dying of them was stated to be the result of the 

 cold weather of two years ago. 



The President stated grass to be very good. The 

 wheat quite as good as last year. Some of the early 

 strawberry blossoms are frozen. Corn is planted 

 only in small part. The promise of a fine fruit and 

 grain season at the present time is excellent. 



M. D. Kendig reported there Is still 30 percent, of. 



last year's tobacco crop unsold. Fleas have de- 

 stroyed some plant beds. The plants are not large, 

 but well set. There are still many fat cattle stand- 

 ing in the farmers' stalls unsold. Farmers do not 

 like the prices. The rain fall fur April was 2 IT) 

 inches. 



E. 8. Hoover also said the tobacco fleas were in 

 the tobacco beds. Some of the fruit trees are not 

 blooming so freely as 6omeljinu!8, but all in all the 

 promise of good crops, both of fruit and grain. Is 

 very good. 



Is There a Keasible Way to Avoid Boarding 



Farm Hands ? 



Calvin Cooper believed every laboring man will be 

 the better by boarding with his own family. Farmers 

 should provide their permanent help with houses. 

 They should give him ground to grow the vegetables 

 he requires. Sell him ground if he wants to buy it. 

 This will make men better citizens and better em- 

 ployes. Such men as have homes he has found to be 

 the best laborers. It is as easy to board at their own 

 homes as with the farmers. 



Mr. Kendig said that the trouble was with the sin- 

 gle hands. Where shall they board ? Then, too, 

 when a man lives at a distance from his work, that 

 would be an inconvenience. He preferred to have 

 the day laborers at the table with him, so that no 

 time is lost. Mr. Cooper's views are better in theory 

 than in practice. 



Lem. S. Fry agreed with Mr. Cooper in his princi- 

 pal reasoning. Permanent help can be boarded at 

 home, but when the laborer lives a mile away, how 

 is it possible to render a satisfactory amount of 

 work ? For this reason it does not seem feasible a'' 

 all times to have help board at their own homes. 

 Mr. Cooper's plan is feasible in certain cases, and 

 always desirable. 



The President held it was desirable that farm 

 hands should board themselves, but somewhat incon- 

 venient. The farmer can board a man more cheaply 

 than he can board himself. Tenants are not so pro- 

 fitable as outside help; that at least has been his 

 experience. He believed Mr. Cooper's plan would 

 improve the condition of a good many farm laborers, 

 but it would hardly prove profitable to farmers. 



E. S. Hoover thought much was to be said on 

 both sides of this question. If permanent labor can 

 be secured for the entire year, it is desirable that it 

 should be. If the man lives on the farmer's prem- 

 ises, he has more of an interest in the fapmer's 

 welfare. He is also more apt to be steady in his 

 devotion to duty. Single men are more apt to be 

 careless and unreliable. Expenses are apt to be 

 higher in the ease of a man who lives in the tenant 

 house. The farmer, on the whole, can get his labor 

 a little cheaper when he has no tenant laborers. 



It was stated that a farmer can board his farm 

 hands at an average of about thirty cents per day . 

 It was also said help could be hired at SLIO, when 

 they were boarded, and at from $1.25 to 81.40 when 

 they boarded themselves. 



Miscellaneous. 



The question referred to Mr. Paxson several 

 meetings ago was, in the absence of that gentleman, 

 again continued. 



C L. Hunsecker read a short essay on profits in 

 farming, quoting the money made out of special 

 crops. Trucking, peanut growing, apple farming, 

 peach raising and a number of other special pursuits 

 were instanced and the profits stated, to prove that 

 a great deal of money can be made out of careful 

 and methodical culture and cultivation. He asked 

 also why this society dragged along in such a half- 

 hearted way. In Berks county, a county In more 

 than one particular behind our own, they have a most 

 flourishing agrieultaral society. What can be done 

 to improve this state of affairs ? 



The chairman, on a suggestion, nominated Messrs. 

 Cooper, Hoover and Miller a commitiee to prepare 

 questions for discussion at each meeting of the society . 



Some very fine seed corn was exhibited from the 

 farm of Mr. S. S. Spencer. The grains were fully an 



Inch long and some even longer. It suggests very 

 large yields. 



Questions for Discussion. 



What Is the best means of conveylnir water from 

 wells lor house, barn and irrigating purposes ? Re- 

 ferred to .M. D. Kendig. 



What agricultural product is the most remunera- 

 tive? Referred to H. .M. Engle. 



Is the cord binder adapted to the wants of the Lan- 

 caster county farms ? Referred to J. C. LlnvlUe. 



On motion, the society adjourned. 



THE POULTRY ASSOCIATION. 



in the absence of the president the regular meet- 

 ing of the Lancaster Poultry Association was called 

 to order by Jacob B. Long. 



The following were present : J. B. Lichty, J. B. 

 Long, II. A. Schroyer, J. E. Schum, F. R. DlflTen- 

 derfer, Charles Lippold, C. A. Gast, J. M. Johnston, 

 J. Schmidt, city; S. G. Engle, Marietta; J. A. 

 Stober, Sha>neck, J. L. Brunner, Mount Joy ; John 

 E. Denlinger and H. M. Stauffer, Barevllle; John 

 Seldomridge, Ephrata. 



The minutes of the preceding meeting were read 

 and apj)rovcd. 



The secretary reported that an application for a 

 charter for the association had been applied for and 

 held under advisement by the Court. 



The by laws of the association were read and 

 adopted by sections. 



Mr. Long reported that sixty-three shares of stock 

 had been subscribed for, and fiityone shares paid. 

 Premiums paid amounted to SlO^-.'iO; out of a total 

 amount of $U2..'iO; bills to the amount of$i;t0.09 

 had also been paid; leaving premiums to the amount 

 of $J8, and bills aggregating 874. .50, unpaid. 



On motion of Mr. Long, those who had subscribed 

 for stock and not paid for the same, were requested 

 to pay for their stock by next meeting. 



•John E. Denlinger and H. M. Stauffer, of Bare- 

 vllle, were elected to membership In the society. 



Adjourned 



^ 



OCTORARO FARMERS. 



The April meeting of the Octoraro Farmers' Club 

 was held at the residence of Wm. Jackson on April 

 21st. The following members were in attendance : 

 William Wood, Theodore Whitson, Alison Baker, 

 Daniel Webster, Thomas Baker, Samuel Whitson, 

 J. C. Brosius, Alfred Brinton, William Jackson, 

 Asahel .Moore, William Moore and H. Brinton. 

 Visitors : George Walter, Levi Scarlet, Dr. Pownall 

 and Iven Gilbert. The minutes of the previous 

 meeting were read and adopted. Farm specimens 

 being called for, William Jackson exhibited some 

 seed corn and a basket of very fine Peerless pototoes, 

 and Levi Scarlett some potatoes of Mammoth Pearl 

 and Beauty of Hebron varieties. 



Afternoon Session. 



After partaking of dinner the stock and buildings 

 were inspected, and things were found generally in 

 good repair. The stock consisted mainly of dairy 

 cows, and among them were some very good ones. 

 Upon returning lo the house, George Walters, who 

 formerly owned the place, gave his experience from 

 the result of liming for the past twenty-five years. 

 Having cleared a large portion of the place himself, 

 it has since frcquentlj had liberal applications of 

 lime, except a portion of one or two acres that has 

 never, within his recollection, had any lime what- 

 ever, It having been left without lime as an experi- 

 ment. The land was all treated alike, with the ex- 

 ception of liming. The result is that to-day no per- 

 ceptible difference can be seen in any of the crops, on 

 the two pieces, side by side. He thus concludes that 

 many hundreds of dollars were wasted, and labor In 

 proportion on the erroneous idea that lime was bene- 

 ficial to the farmer in the way of Increasing his 

 crops and making the soil more fertile. He thinks 

 the idea originated from the fact that those who 

 generally made a practice of using lime on their 

 land were mostly careful farmers, who cultivated 

 their crops thoroughly and made considerable barn- 



