32 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[January, 1884 



Btarved pig of the best breed is the worst kind of a 

 scrub. 



Horses are naturally scrupulously cleanly, and the 

 nearer yon keep them in such a condition the better 

 they will thrive. Especially are they so about their 

 when at liberty to select what they wish, yet it is too 

 often the case that when they are fed in the stables 

 and elsewhere, their troughs become sour and 

 mouldy, or that their food is thrown to them in some 

 filthy place that would be enough to destroy their 

 appetite. 



The length of time that a young heifer keeps in 

 milk after her first calf is likely to measure her stay- 

 ing qualities for all after-life. For this reason young 

 heifers should have their first calt in the fall. By 

 good care and ensilaged food in winter an abundant 

 flow can be established, which can more easily be 

 kept up the next summer. If heifers calve in the 

 spring they are very liable to go dry early in the next 

 fall. 



Mr. John R. Woods, ef Albemarle county, Va., 

 says : " I have been raising Shropshire sheep from 

 the best importations since shortly after the war, 

 and have no hesitation in giving it as my opinion that 

 they are the hardiest and most profitable of all the 

 English breeds which have been imported. I nave 

 raised sheep since 1S39, when I commenced farming, 

 having tried Cotswolds, Lincolns, Leicesters, South- 

 downs and different crosses, and this long experience 

 confirms me in the opinion I have expressed above." 



As far as possible, the formation of manure heaps 

 in the fields should be avoided. If formed, the prac- 

 tice of turning over the manure should be abandoned 

 as labor is thus lost and much manure wasted. The 

 best authorities consider it best to cart the manure 

 direct from the barnyards to the land and spread it 

 at once. 



LITERARY AND PERSONAL. 



Report of the U. S. Entomologist— Chas. V 

 Riley, M. A., Ph. D. for the year 1883; (Author's 

 edition, from the annual report of the Department of 

 Agriculture for the year 1883); royal octavo, pp. 96, 

 with 13 full pages of illustrations, three of which are 

 colored ; including explanations of plates, a general 

 index, and a special index to the plants infested by 

 the insects alluded to in the body of the work. This 

 report is largely devoted to the history, development^ 

 and damages to the various species ot " Cabbage 

 Worms," and remedies for their destruction. Also 

 the "Imported Elm-Leaf Beetle," the "Lesser 

 Migratory Locusts," experiments on scale insects, 

 and many miscellaneous observations and sugges- 

 tions. We tender our acknowledgments to Prof. 

 Riley for this and Bulletins Nos. 1, 2 and 3 of the 

 Department of Agriculture, Division of Entomology 

 Biug reports of experiments, chiefly with kerosene' 

 upon insects injuriously effecting the orange tree and 

 the cotton plant, under the direction of the Entomo- 

 logist ; reports of observations on the " Rocky 

 Mountain Locust," and the " Chinch bug, etc.; also 

 a duplicate of No. 3 noticed in the January number 

 of the Farmer. 



We also acknowledge from the Department, the 

 receipt of : Report of the crops of the year, of cereal 

 productions in Europe, and the freight rates of trans- 

 portation companies, December, 18S3 ; proceedings 

 of a National Convention of cattle feeders and 

 others, called in Chicago, 111., November 1.5 and 16, 

 1883, by Hon. George B. Loring, Commissioner of 

 Agriculture, to consider the subject of contagious 

 diseases of domestic animals ; also special report on 

 Mississippi, its climate, soil, productions and agri- 

 cultural capabilities, by A. B. Hunt, special agent. 

 These several bulletins contain 515 pages, royal 

 octavo, with 16 full.page plates of fine illustrations, 

 besides many tabulated statistics which are highly 

 useful to those who heed them. The "Elm leaf 

 beetle" and the "cabbage worms" have been 

 specially destructive, in places about Lancaster for 

 the past two or three years, and those who began to 

 fight the latter early in the spring, succeeded in 



heading them off to a very great extent. As to the 

 Elm-beetle, there were so m^ny of them, and the 

 trees so very large and high, that the work has thus 

 far seemed too great for any one to undertake their 

 destruction, and yet, millions of them came down 

 from the trees and pupated around their bases, and 

 could have been destroyed, but were not. 



EcCE Montezuma.— A monthly journal, devoted 

 to the material interests of the Southwest ; Howard 

 W. Mitchell, editor; Charles O'Conor Roberts, as- 

 sociate editor. Published at the Cromwell building, 

 Albuquerque, New Mexico. Address Postoftice Box 

 No. 233. We have received a copy of the January 

 number (Vol. 1, No. l,)of this lively looking journal, 

 and so far as material and mechanical execution are 

 concerned, it is superior to anything published in 

 Pennsylvania, devoted to similar specialties. It is a 

 four-columned, twenty-paged, super-royal quarto, in 

 tinted covers, and is very amply illustrated with 

 scenery and buildings of Albuquerque and the sur- 

 rounding Qountry . Of course, the leading interest to 

 which it is devoted is mining and other prominent 

 interests relating to mining ; not forgetting those 

 that relate to agriculture, mechanics and domestic 

 affairs, interspersed with interesting and well written 

 historical and biographical sketches, and its adver- 

 tising columns seem to be liberally patronized. Price 

 $3.00 a year. 



The Akogant.— A 16-paged, three-columned, 

 super-royal quarto, devoted to the current literature 

 of the limes. Frank M. Pixley, edtor, San Francisco, 

 Cal. We are under obligations to W. Rex McCom^ 

 sey, of the History Department A. L. Bancroft & Co., 

 for a January number of this very uble and very 

 spicey journal, and peruse it with more than ordi- 

 nary interest. Price, 10 cents a number. 



The Sugar Beet.— Devoted to the cultivation 

 and utilization of the sugar beet. 16 pages quarto. 

 Vol.5, No. 1. Philadelphia, February, 1884. An 

 illustrated and beautifully printed quarterly. Price ^ 

 .50 cents a year or 15 cents a single number. The il- 

 lustrations in this number relate to the drills, plows 

 and cultivators used in the cultivation of the beet. 

 If beet culture and beet sugar are not a final success 

 in this country its failure cannot be legitimately at- 

 tributed to this journal, for no cause has ever had a 

 more able or faithful advocate. 



We owe an apology for the late appearance of the 

 Farmer for the month of January, but it was be 

 yond our individual control, and we have reason 

 to believe it was subject to unavoidaVile occurrences 

 in the office of^publication. There appears to be two 

 extremes in periodical publications, one of which is 

 " running the matter into the ground," and the 

 other like digging it out. If a journal that should 

 be issued in the middle of the month, does not ap- 

 pear until the end of it, it is certainly unpleasant to 

 its patrons ; but when a journal for Aurjust appear 

 on the 4th of July, it certainly cannot be regarded an 

 epitome of the agricultural literature of the whole 

 month, as well publish the whole year at once. 



The American Apiculturist.- A journal de- 

 voted to scientitie and practical bee-keeping. Vol. 2, 

 No. 1. January, 18S4. Published monthly by S. M. 

 Locke, editor and proprietor, Salem, Mass. With a 

 portrait of " Langstroth the Huber of America." 

 This is a most excellent 24 page octavo, and has a 

 large and intelligent number of contributors, besides 

 an almost envious list of advertisers, aud those are 

 the things that pay in the end. $1.00 a year in ad 

 vance. 



Pennsylvania State College AoRictTLTURAL 

 Bulletins, Nos. 6 and 7, containing feeding experi- 

 ments, experiments with native potatoes, and a pro- 

 gramme of a free lecture course on farm topics, be 

 fore the Farmers' Institute, by Profs. Jordon, Buck- 

 hout, Ewing, Osmond, Woodward, White, Bell, Bar- 

 nard, McKee, Hazard, Grotf, Huidekoper and Ather- 

 ton ; from the titles of which they ought to be of 

 paramount use to the farmer and stockgrower. 



The Co-operative Poultry Post.— "A monthly 

 illustrated journal, issued specially for poultry 

 breeders and for circulation in co-operation with 

 other periodicals." No. 1, Vol.1. Published by H. H. 

 Stoddar, Hartford, Conn., January 1884. Price, 

 cents a j-ear. A remarkably handsome four-page 

 folio, two of which are entirely devoted to adver- 

 tisements relating to poultry stock, implements and 

 other interests. The other two pages are devoted to 

 cnrrent poultry literature of a practical character. An 

 excellent editorial on the subject of " co-operation," 

 we reserve for future insertion in the Far.mer, hav- 

 ing only time and space at present for the editor's 



Arizona Live Stock Journal.— Tucson, Ari- 

 zona Territory, Saturday, January 12, 1884, a folio 

 of four pages, devoted to the live stock interest in 

 the southwest, and adapted to the wants of the 

 Ranchman and the general farmer, published weekly 

 at $500 a year in advance, by Cameron Bros., editors 

 and proprietors. A new enterprise, very creditably 

 gotten up, and likely to succeed, and ought to, for 

 we rarely see in so limited a spice, so much that il- 

 lustrates the interests of its specialty. 



" The Poultry World."— We don't know that 

 is necessary for us, or any one else, to mention any- 

 thing more than merely the 7ia),ie of this excellent 

 journal, for it is already so favorably and so widely 

 known, that our humble testimony could add little 

 to its reputation or its character. But the volume 

 for the present year comes to us in such a beautiful 

 and appropriate external garb— picturing scenes so 

 peaceful, domestic and truthful— that we feel it is 

 but a beautiful door, to more substantial and varied 

 treasures within. 



The leading feature of the February number for 

 1884, is the illustration of poultry grounds, poultry 

 houses, aud poultry palaces, throwing the old-time 

 " chicken-coops" entirely in the shade— indeed some 

 of the gigantic breeds of the present would be out of 

 place if confined in a " coop," (according to the 

 average idea attached to a coop) it must need be a 

 palace, a mansion, or a cottage at least. Devoted 

 exclusively to poultry, aud published monthly at 

 $1.25 a year, we have no hesitation in saying that it 

 is the cheapestand best special publication on this 

 continent, if not in the world. H. H. Stoddard, pul)- 

 lisher and proprietor, Hartford, Conn. 



salutatory. 



The Co-operative Poultry Post, in appearing to 

 make its bow to the public, offers a more brief saluta- 

 tory than is usual on a similar occasion ; for the 

 Poultry World, published at this office under the 

 same ownership and management as that of the 

 Poultry Post, is so well known that its character and 

 history during twelve vears offer a sufficient guaran- 

 tee for the new paper, making extended introductory 

 remarks unnecessary. 



We shall not say that the publication of the 

 Poultry Post in co-operation with agricultural papers 

 "fills a long-felt want." Nearly every periodical 

 prospectus for the past fifteen years has talked of 

 " filling a long-felt want ;" but there has not been 

 till quite recently a demand for co-operative publica- 

 tions. They are as yet few in number, but we in- 

 augurate a system that is new, and one that is 

 destined to soon achieve great influence and success. 



Believing in the necessity and speedy popularity of 

 the co-operative plan of publication, and in view of 

 the certain truth that poultry breeding in America, 

 both for fancy and utility, will in the future greatly 

 exceed its past immense development, the Co opera- 

 tive Poultry Post utters this brief justification of its 

 existence. 



The Agricultural Society and Fair Journal. 

 — " For Farm, Factory and Fu'eside," Norfolk, Ohio, 

 at 75 cents a year, aud edited by J. F. Laning, an 

 8 page quarto in very flimsy and badly printed col- 

 ored coverings. Its specialty seems to be devoted to 

 the interests of the fair and agricultural associations 

 of the " whole unbounded continent"- in a " nut 

 shell." 



