THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



53 



that it need not be added to the soil. If silica 

 is acomponant part then, to keep grain from 

 lodging and to keep cryptogamous plants 

 from taking root on the steins and leaves of 

 plants, potash or some other alkali should be 

 added. If a farmer was a geologist and under- 

 stooa the constitution of the rocks from which 

 his soil was derived he could tell what it 

 needed to make it productive, at least in the 

 way of mineral manures. 



The clays, sands, and gravels of the Miami 

 valley, are derived from the Niagara lime- 

 stones. This rock is the surface rock of the 

 whole valley, except a small portion of the 

 country arouud Cincinnati, which, is old 

 Silurian ; the Niagara being the upper Si- 

 lurian. These rocks are the surface rocks of 

 the blue grass region of Kentucky, immedi- 

 ately south of this valley and Nashville, 

 Tenn., they dip under newer formations. The 

 Niagara limestones are the surface rocks, as 

 far north as I^akc Erie, and as far east as the 

 Niagara Falls. There is no country on the 

 globe, wher« so great an extent of country 

 has this kind of rock as surface rocks, except 

 perhaps in Russia. There is no better coun- 

 try than the Miami valley and the blue grass 

 region of Kentucky ; erratic bowlders of for- 

 eign origin are scattered all over this region. 

 The erosion of these rocks was produced by 

 the movement from the north of glacial ice, 

 by which the clays, sands and gravel were 

 produced, and the bowlders transported from 

 Canada in this ice. Perhaps some of the 

 largest surface bowlders were dropped from 

 icebergs, as they floated south in a past 

 glacial sea. These bowlders make good 

 building material. They do not interfere 

 with the farmers operations. Inter-glacial 

 specimens of tropical plants, and animals ex- 

 ist in this "drift, "abundant specimens of pre- 

 historic times, mostly lithological, are found 

 all over this valley. 



A farmer is not only benefited by being a 

 good geologist, but he ought to understand 

 comparative anatomy, physiology, chemistry, 

 and botany, especially the physiology of 

 plants. Meteorology and entomology are also 

 sciences that farmers are much interested in 

 or ought to be. In short, the farmers should 

 be the most intelligent class of people in the 

 country, instead of the most ignorant in a 

 family being put to farming; he ought to be 

 the most intelligent. 



Snowed all day yesterday and part of last 

 night ; it is now about two inches deep. Cold. 

 But little oats sowed yet, on account of wet 

 weather. Farmers are making great prepara- 

 tions to plant a big crop of tobacco this coming 

 summer, mostly of the Dutch and Spanish 

 varieties, which seems to be most in demand 

 now and commands the highest price. There 

 will not be much Ohio seed leaf planted this 

 summer. G. 



FoH THE Lancaster Farmer. 

 PLANT SMALL FRUITS. 

 It is astonishing that farmers pay so little 

 attention to small fruits for family use. On 

 most farms is found an " orchard " consisting 

 of a score or two of moss-grown and un- 

 trimmed apple trees, which with a few long- 

 limbed, neglected peach trees in the door- 

 yard and a few raspberry canes in the garden 

 are expected to furnish the family with a sup- 



iMy of fruit. The fact is ihe farmer's table 

 which ought to be bountifully supplied with 

 the choicest fruits every day in the year, is 

 less liberally furnished with these luxuries 

 than city tables where fruit has to be bought 

 ui the market. 



Fruit is not only a luxury but a necessity. 

 Farmers eat too much meat and too little 

 fruit during the summer season. As well fire 

 up the parlor stove during dog-days and ex- 

 pect to be comfortable in its vicinity as to eat 

 large quantities of butter and fried fat pork 

 in the summer season and expect to "keep 

 cool." The small fruits are more easily 

 grown and have fewer insect enemies than 

 any of the field crops. 



First in order comes the strawberry. Tlie 

 last snows of spring are scarcely over when 

 we see, here and there, a blossom, and in a 

 few days the whole strawberry bed is white 

 with bloom. In the early days of June, ear- 

 lier than we expect it, a scarlet berry or two, 

 and then a strawberry festival for a month. 



"Various plans are suggested for preparing 

 the strawberry for the table, such as straw- 

 berry short-cake and the like. They are all 

 devices of the enemy. Have your berries 

 picked an hour or two before meal time. Re- 

 move the " husks," sprinkle the berries with 

 sugar and set them in the ■ ice cellar to cool. 

 When brought to the table a dash of Alderney 

 cream and we have a dish too good to " set be- 

 fore a king." City folk eat stale berries and 

 milk and think they are revelling in straw- 

 berries itnd cream ! Poor fellows, they have 

 my heartfelt sympathy. 



Spring is the best time to plant small fruits 

 of all kinds. I set out a few Shaffer's Col- 

 lossal Raspberries last fall, but I think they 

 are all dead now. 



The sooner strawberries are set out after 

 freezing is over the better. Ground that is 

 good enough to grow a good crop of corn or 

 potatoes is rich enough for small fruits. An 

 old garden is about the worst place in which 

 to plant strawberries. Take a quarter of an 

 acre or more especially for a fruit and vege- 

 table patch. Mark the strawberry rows 

 three feet apart and set the plants fourteen 

 inches apart. Cultivate and hoe carefully, 

 let the runners take root and form beds two 

 feet wide, and next spring you may expect a 

 full crop of berries. It is best lo set a new 

 bed every spring and plow down the old one 

 after the picking is over. I find it more 

 economical than to attempt to keep the old 

 beds clean. For a small bed in the garden 

 they may be planted in rows two feet apart, 

 and plants one foot apart in row. The run- 

 ners must be cut off as fast as they appear, 

 and each plant will form a large stool and 

 bear many fine berries. This mode is to</ ex- 

 pensive for extensive culture. 



As regards varieties, any of ihem are satis- 

 factory when they come to the table, but some 

 kinds are more prolific than others. The old 

 Wilson is still preferred by some on account 

 of its pnK\,uctivencss, but the berries are small 

 and sour. I much prefer the Crescent Seed- 

 ling. It is a hardy and vigorous grower and 

 wonderfully productive. It is rather acid 

 when it first colors, but has more of the wild 

 strawberry fl ivor thau any other. It is a 

 beautiful scarlet color and every berry riiicns 

 perfectly and no green tips. Because of its 



hardiness and produciivenss and its ability to 

 stand neglect it has been called " the lazy 

 man's strawberry." Very well.. Not many 

 of lis want to hoe strawberries, or anytliing 

 else, for the fun of the thing, and it we get 

 thti test returns for the least labor from the 

 Crescent it is the berry for the multitude. 

 Those who have failed to raise other kinds 

 should try the Crescent. It is a pistillate va- 

 riety and should have some i)lant8 of Charles 

 Downing, Sharpless, or other staminate varie- 

 ty set near it. I find that one row in ten of 

 Charles Downing will fertilize the lot per- 

 fectly. 



The Captain Jack, Bidwell, Sharpless, 

 Chas. Downing, Cumberland Triumph, and 

 many others are staminate, or perfect flower- 

 ing i)lants and are preferred by some. The 

 Sharpless grows to an enormous size, quality 

 only medium. 



Next after strawberries come the raspber- 

 ries. Of the black varieties the Doolittle is 

 an old and well tested variety, and the Gregg 

 and Souhegan are well spoken of. The black 

 caps are best for drying, and the red varieties 

 are more suitable for table use and for can- 

 ning. Of the red varieties, the Philadelphia 

 and Brandywine are rather sour berries and 

 are excellent for canning. Canned raspber- 

 ries retain their flavor better than any other 

 fruit. The turner and (Juthbert are well 

 tested varieties, and the Franconia is a de- 

 licious berry for table use. 



About the time the last raspberries are 

 picked the early blackberries are ripe. I am 

 thoroughly disgusted with going out to the 

 woods and hills to hunt wild blackberries. 

 Blackberrying in the wild woods and hills is 

 supposed to be poetic business, but a trip or 

 two knocks all the romance out of it. One 

 comes homes stung by hornets, infested with 

 ticks and with garments in tattered rags. 

 Better take a few rods of ground and plant 

 blackberries at home. The old Kittattinney 

 is as good as any. I think there are as good 

 blackberries in the woods as any in cultiva- 

 tion if they were brought home and domesti- 

 cated. Well ripened blackberries are delicious 

 dessert fruit. They should 4iang several days 

 after they turn black and should drop readily 

 when shaken. The core is then ripe and the 

 berry soft, 'Juicy, sugary and melting. No 

 fruit is more wholesome, toothsome and appe- 

 tizing than good ripe blackberries. 



Currants and Gooseberries are diflicult to 

 raise because of the currant borer and the 

 currant caterpillar. Grapes may be grown by 

 anyone who takes the trouble to plant the 

 vines and prune them. 



The subject of planting fruits may seem 

 threadbare, and my only excuse lor offering it 

 is that not one-fourth the farmers' families in 

 this county have a supply of fruit the year 

 round of their own growing. If they would 

 raise an ample supply of it they would use 

 vastly more of it, and they would find it to 

 their advantage in a pecuniary way, and also 

 beneficial to their health. I am not a nur- 

 seryman, do not offer plants for sale, and con- 

 sequently have no axe to grind.— J. C. Lin- 

 viU. ^ 



Mu. Judge of Lienthall, according to the 

 London 7\-uth, has sold three Hereford cows 

 to an American breeder for 83,400, the high- 

 est price ever yet paid for that stock. 



