The Lancaster Farmer. 



Dr. S. S. EATHVON, Editor. 



LANCASTER, PA., DECEMBER, 1883. 



Vol. XV. No. 12. 



Editorial. 



TO OUR PATRONS AND READERS. 



" Lo ! in tile silent night ii t-liild is l>orn. ' 



From Jumiaiy, lS()i1, to .January, 1SS;J, is 

 fifteen years, according to popular reckoning, 

 and tlieret'orc tliis one hundred and tkjhtklh 

 monthly issue of the Lanuasttii Farmer — 

 based on said reckoning— comi)letes its ffleenth 

 volume ; or, tlie fifteenth year of its existence 

 among tlie tilings tliat be. On the morning 

 when the Farmer was ushered into a dubious 

 existence. General Grant was President of 

 these United States ; Schuyler Colfax was 

 Vice President ; John "W. Geary was Gover- 

 nor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ; 

 Henry G. Long was President .Judge of the 

 Courts of Lancaster county, and Ferree 

 Brinton and John J. Libhart were Associate 

 Judges ; Jacob F. Frey was Sheriff of the 

 county, and George Sanderson was Mayor of 

 Lancaster city. These names, and the official 

 stations attached to them, we merely insert as 

 landmarks in our local history, and as an 

 illustration of the eventful mutations in the 

 onward strides of time. Although only fif- 

 teen years have sped, not one of the above 

 named functionaries exercise the powers they 

 did on the day when the Farmer was born, 

 and one-half of them have passed to that 

 "bourne from whence no traveler returns ;" 

 hence, the ijast is, or ought to be, a lesson to 

 the present, in its progress to the future; and 

 most especially since the year l.'^SS has been 

 eminently distinguislied as one that has been 

 characterized by more deaths and destructions 

 by means of fires, floods, cyclones and volcanic 

 eruptions, than any that has been recorded in 

 modern times ; omitting the ravages by wars, 

 by famines, and by fell diseases. And yet, 

 amidst all the elemental carnage that has 

 visited the human family in various quarters 

 of the world, we, of the American Union 

 have been most signally blest, even beyond 

 our knowledge or special recognition. Only 

 a few days ago we essayed a formal thanks- 

 giving for the prosperity we have enjoyed dur- 

 ing the preceding year, but it is just possible 

 that our aspirations and invocations never 

 reached above the creature comforts of the 

 sensuous plane. But even this raueli, may be 

 an acknowledgment of a moral obligation to 

 a power beyond us and above us, although in 

 its essence we may understand it not. Imme- 

 diately preceding violent convulsions of 

 nature, it is said, even the lower animals 

 manifest an attitude of awe — a sort of per- 

 ception of some power beyond the sphere of 

 natural vision, preadnionishing sentient be- 

 ings of a coming calamity. We therefore 

 conclude that there is something to be thank- 

 ful for, and an everpresent Intelligence to be 

 thankful to — an all pervading i>ti(;/ to adore. 



And now, another festal season is upon us ; 

 a season more than festal, and possessing a 

 significance second to no other relating to the 

 destinies of the human race — an epoch as sig- 

 nific'ant as the creation of man himself. 



Man, taken as a whole, at the creation, was 

 obedient, plastic, humble and unsophisticated, 

 but at the [nmrmdion he was .self-willed, ob- 

 stinate, brutal and imperious, taken as a 

 whole, so that we may infer it will require a 

 greater exercise of Almighty power to redeem 

 and regenerate him, than it did to create him; 

 hence the deeper significance of the i?«-a/-na- 

 tion. 



The coming Christmastide represents the 

 eighteen hundred and eighty-third anniver- 

 saiy of the notably august event — an event 

 in which the whole human family is interest- 

 ed, and included — whether they aekuovvledge 

 it or not — whether they know it or not. Its 

 inrtucnce is irresistable, and its manifestations 

 innumerable, according to the mental medium 

 through which they are ultimated in visible 

 acts. The impulse to do some kindly act, or 

 to exercise some kindly feeling during the 

 Christmastide, is controlled by infiuenccs that 

 may not be recognized by merely worldly 

 wisdom, or may be totally denied, and yet the 

 universal tenor of tbo.se influences are un- 

 swerved from their eternal purposes, and will 

 not return void. We would suggest to our 

 readers, on such occasions at least, to "do 

 good, lend, hoping for nothing again," but to 

 do it rationally ; wliether in prosperity or ad- 

 versity—indeed, in that long range of view 

 which culminates in eternity, adversity may 

 be a greater blessing than material pros|)erity. 

 The outward manifestations of Christmastide 

 may in many cases be perverted, but they are 

 not altogether selfish. " There is a divinity 

 within them which shapes their end, rough 

 hew them as we will." Let the social plane 

 of giving and taking, be but the medium 

 through which a higher perception of the 

 event is attained. 



With the admcmition that — 



'* Tliouf^h Christ a thousand times in Betlilehpiu be 



born. 

 Jf He is not born in thee, tliy soul is all forlorn.'" 

 We tender to one and all our Chrishnas Grectinys. 



THE COMING POULTRY SHOW. 



The Poultry Association of Lancaster 

 county will hold their fifth annual exhibition 

 at Lancaster, on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 

 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, January 17th, 

 isth, li)th, ilst, 2-2d, iSvd, l.S,<4, in the new 

 Post-ol^ce Building, and there is hardly a 

 question but it will be a succe.ss. This society, 

 like the Agricultural and Horticultural Socie- 

 ty, has never been blest with very large meet- 

 ings, indeed, outside of the membership of 

 Lancaster city, the attendance is generally 

 very small, but those who do attend work 

 with a determined will toward a specific end. 



A year ago this society held an exhibition, 

 and so far as the display w;is concerned it was 

 eminently successful, but financially it was 

 equivalent to a failure. But the society pos- 

 sesses "grit," and it is now pushing on just 

 as energetically as if no such failure had ever 

 occurred. The deficiency in the exchequer 

 was promptty redeemed by the voIuDtary con- 

 tributions of its members. 



But wlien such exhibitions do not pay ex- 

 pen.ses it cannot be said, without (pialification, 

 that they are a failure — they merely "cost 

 more than they come to "—which is often tho 

 case in things laudable, useful and honorable. 

 The ocean telegraph was not abandoned be- 

 cau.se the first line laid was an entire loss to 

 the company. Such contingencies are some- 

 times of more al)solute value than a conce<led 

 success. If the whole merely money value goes 

 to •' pot " there are still undistructable beoe- 

 fits— in the form of knowledge and experi- 

 ences — remaining, which may serve for all 

 time to come. There can be no question about 

 the good the Poultry Association has 

 done and is doing in the county of Lancas- 

 ter. The introduction of the fine poultry 

 stock that is now in the city and county, 

 and the knowledge that Is dis.seminated 

 mong the people through these societies and 

 poultry publications more than pay, even 

 should every exhibition be a financial failure. 



The citizens— the well-to-do citizens — who 

 are most benefited by improved poultry stock, 

 should so far encourage the society by a liberal 

 I)atronage of their exhibitions as to turn out 

 en masse on this occasion, a thing many of 

 them failed to do last winter. It is about as 

 chaste and harmless an exhil)ition as can be 

 gotten up with any other class of animals in 

 the world. Farmers coming to town should 

 not fail to see the chivken shoir during the 

 week of the exhibition. 



SOCIAL APATHY. 



A discussion arose at the last meeting of tlie 

 Agricultural and Horticultural Society re- 

 lating to the habitual apathy of its members, 

 and the slim attendance at its public meetings. 

 It is true, it would be better for the success 

 of the Society if it were otherwioc, but this 

 ought not to essentially discourage those who 

 find it pleasant and profitable to at tend. This 

 Society is now becoming venerable, and only 

 stands third upon the list of the old .Societies, 

 (excepting those of the Church) in the county 

 of Jjancaster. 



It has done much good — indeed, much more 

 than is accorded to it by the members them- 

 selves. Criticism and ridicule, on the part of 

 those who take no interest in such organiza- 

 tions, or who do not so much as "lift up a 

 finger" in bearing their responsibilities, is 

 very cheap, and is therefore lavishly bestowed; 

 but, it should not have the least disturbing 

 influence upon the feelings or conduct of the 

 members who are doing what they can in sus- 

 taining tho Society. Numbers, moreover, are 

 not always iudicatious of success. A dozen ef- 

 fective, intelligent working men may do more 

 in almost any Society, than a hundred merely 

 disinterested lookers on. If a large number, 

 however, could become influenced by the same 

 zeal, it Would greatly strengthen the hands of 

 all. We would therefore encourage the few 

 to "go on," just as though the whole move- 

 ment of the Society depended upon themselves. 

 Mr. Johnston's remarks seemed to approxi- 



