THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



61 



The secrelary said lliat sirco last meetlnffs shares 

 3f stock had been properly executed aud delivered 

 ■iccorillns to resolutions, also that he had sent a 

 )ackage of J-'anmers contaiDinK our proceedings to 

 )nedia Historical Society, Utica, New York. 



A committee of three, consistine of the President, 

 !. M. Sener and Prof, J. S, Stahr, was then on 

 notion appointed to draft a new Constitution and 

 (y-Laws, in accordance with the bugijestions of the 

 ommittee appointed to examine into the same, 

 fhose report had been previously handad in and 

 cceptcd. The new committe are requested to act 

 y next meetintt and report. 



Under scientific gossip it was remarked that there 

 ras 500,000 distinct forms of insects, and that the 

 nimal kingdom is now estimated to embrace about 

 ,000,000 species. 



The society adjourned to meet od Saturday aftcr- 

 oon, April 2(>, l.sS4,at2',j; P.M, in the museum 



AGRICULTURE. 



Onion Culture. 

 Dr. E. Lewis Sturtevant, Director of New York 

 gricultural Experiment Station, in a recent bulle- 

 n says : 



Our onion trials of the last season were with 

 lirty-four named varieties, which were planted in 

 en feet long and eleven and one-half inches 

 Dart, the seeds being covered one-half inch deep, 

 order to ascertain the percentage of seed which 

 igetated, we carefully counted in 100 seeds of each 

 iriety, separating these by stakes from the remain 

 r of the planting. Three rows of each variety were 

 anted in order to note the difference upon yield of 

 ss of planting. In the first row th; plants 

 ere thinned to three inches apart ; in the second to 

 ?o Inches and in the third to oiie inch apart. 

 The plantings were upon April 23, 34 and 26. The 

 irlod for vegetation varied from sixteen days for 

 e Philadelphia White, to thirty-one days for the 

 Teneriffe, the majority of the varieties vege- 

 ting In from twenty-one to twenty-four days. The 

 rcentage of plants which vegetated varied from 

 ;l\t per cent, for the Yellow Cracker, the average 

 getation being fifty nine per cent. The earliest 

 riety to mature its bulb was the Extra Early Red, 

 116 days from planting ; the latest ten varieties in 

 ikS days. In nearly every case the yield was smallest 

 the first row, where the spaces were three inches, 

 id laigest in the third row, where the spaces were 

 inch, but in no case was the increased yield of 

 second and third rows in proportion to the in- 

 cased number of plants. As a rule, the largest 

 lbs were in th i first row. There seems to ba some 

 undation for the opinion held by some onion grow- 

 that the bulbs develop better, offering fewer scal- 

 ins where they are so close in the row as to crowd 

 ch other. 



The following experiment With onions is quite sug- 

 stive. The soil was thoroughly pulverized over a 

 lall plat of ground, and an adjoining plat of equal 

 !e the ground was packed as hard as possible by re- 

 atedly pounding it with a heavy maul. Tke sur- 

 ec of both plats was then covered with finely pul 

 rized soil to the depth of half an inch, and June 

 d three rows on each plat were planted with seed 

 Large Red Wethersfield onion. Late planting 

 (\8 disadvantageous to the yield, but the three rows 

 the compacted soil yielded but three pounds, three 

 inces. The percentage of vegetation in the two 

 ats was noticeably different, although the vegeta- 

 m was prompter on the compacted soil. 



Potato Culture. 

 There is scarcely any crop that has induced more 

 perimenting and has caused more discussion than 

 e growing of potatoes. On farms adjoining one 

 lother there is all possible difference in its cultiva- 

 )n. This is more in the seed planted and the 

 anner of planting than in the preparation of the 

 ■ound and cultivation, though in the results there 



Is next to no difference. Some farmers insist that 

 quite small whole potatoes are the best for planting ; 

 some cut off and throw awaj the seed end of the 

 small potatoes ; others cut medium sized potatoes in 

 two or three pieces ; others plant pieces with a sin- 

 gle eye, and so on. Some plant the whole large po- 

 tatoes in holes three feet apart ; some the very small 

 ones in drills. When the harvesting comes each will 

 obtain about the same quantity of potatoes and 

 about the same -size. We think it probable that if 

 the early part of the season Is very dry that the 

 large seed is the best, owing to the substance It po'*- 

 sesses to sustain the young growth, otherwise the 

 small seed ; or the pieces of medium potato in size, 

 is to be preferred. The saving, too, in the small 

 seed (the latter being unflt for market) will be con- 

 siderable. A good sod, in ground not subject to 

 standing water or usually very moist, is the best for 

 the crop. Barnyard manure spread over the ground 

 and raked in every row and not plowed too deep, is 

 best, liows or drills, we think, are to be preferred, 

 and they should be wide enough apart to admit the 

 plow after the vines have become too large for the 

 cultivator. All seed should be spread upon the 

 barn floor for two or three weeks before planting, to 

 admit of the eyes to get a little start, which will re- 

 duce about that time in advancing the maturity of 

 the crop. 



Should the season be favorable the potato crop at 

 this time is as certain in affording a satisfactory 

 yield as any other crop upon the farm, and in some 

 respects it is the most profitable.— (?frman(uic7( Tele- 

 graph. 



The Kitchen Garden— Hot Beds. 



We know it is too soon to say much about garden 

 ing or even to go upon the ground ; but we also 

 know that some kitchens have no garden in particu- 

 lar, and many have no hot-bed or cold-frame 

 arrangements in what garden they have. 



To all such we say begin now to make arrange-: 

 ments for a spring garden ; make up your minds 

 what you are going to raise and where the seeds are, 

 and if they are such as will be sure to grow right up 

 when the time comes. Find some warm, sheltered 

 spot secure from the encroachment of stock and 

 poultry and make a bed, with boards around it, and 

 procure some sash and glass to keep off cold winds 

 and .idmit warm sunshine, and here sow the seeds 

 of early vegetables as soon as the weather is fit to 

 turn them to the ground. March will soon reveal 

 the temper of Spring and before the end of the 

 month some seeds may be sown for early garden 

 vegetables. There is to be some compost made for 

 hot beds and they can be put together before March 

 is out, also lettuce may be sewed, horse radish 

 roots planted out and some other things to save 

 hurry when planting time comes. 



April is the time to sow cabbage, celery, lettuce 

 and onion seeds in hot-beds or cold frames, and care 

 must be taken to have good supply of well-rottcd 

 and mellowed manures come near the sprouting 

 seeds to consume their tender roots. 



" Luck " in sprouting seeds, as well as in growing 

 plants, depends on knowledge of what is going on 

 and deftness in meeting needs. We cannot exact 

 time to plant anything beforehand ; for this depends 

 upon the condition of the soil as much as the locality 

 of the ground and state of the weather ; but If we 

 don't sow in April we can't reap In May and June. 



Neither can we tell farmers what to plant, hut 

 anyhow, raise peas, beans, radishes, lettuce, cab- 

 bages, celery, beets, parsnips, tomatoes, cucumbers, 

 corn and if we miss any good things here, get and 

 sow it too ; for all these things save bread, meat, 

 ' potatoes and doctors' visits. And though they all 

 contain much the same thing at best, each contains 

 it in different proportions and conditions that make 

 variety— which is a good thing in food either for 

 man or beast. We consider a well kept kitchen 

 garden at least half the living of the farmer's family, 

 and labor and expense there are fully as remunera- 

 tive as in the field, while by canning, drying, and 



economical storage most of these things can be had 

 all the year round. — Oermanlown Telegraph. 



A Hillside Orchard. 



Mrs. AUcn-Olney can raise very fine applet on her 

 sleep hillside. If it lias a good deep soli. A good or- 

 chard Is a paying investment, and one can well 

 afford to take a deal of extra care and labor to estab- 

 lish the trees on such comparatively worthless land. 

 First, grub out all brush and roots where the young 

 trees are to be planted, taking pains to put the soil In 

 good condition. Plant, if possible, so as to have 

 about each tree a level space not less than two feet 

 in diameter. Cover this with a mulch of coarse 

 manure, leaves or muck, something to keep down 

 weeds and grass and enrich the soil . Seed the whole 

 hillside thickly to blue grass, and remember that 

 soil to grow two crops at the same time must be lib- 

 erally manured, unless already very rich. The whole 

 surface should be mowed at least twice each sum- 

 mer, to exterminate the bushes and to keep down 

 the grass ; the mown grass and weeds make a very 

 good mulch if nothing better can be obtained. 



Sheep are capital ; they help to kill weeds and 

 bushes, to keep down the grass, making the finest 

 kind of sod. They can be prevented from injuring 

 the trees by putting a guard about each, made of 

 small poles or stakes, or of two large slakes with 

 boards nailed on each side, or by using sawed lath, 

 woven in three tiers of double wires, so as to form a 

 sort of fence. Or they can be kept away by wash 

 ing the stems of the trees once each month of sum- 

 mer with a wash made very strong of dirty, soft soap 

 and water, and to every eight gallons add one pound 

 of whale-oil soap ; thicken this with sheep manure 

 to the consistency of thick whitewash, and apply 

 with a brush or broom as high as the sheep can 

 reach. If the trees are kept well mulched until they 

 attain good size, they will grow as rapidly and 

 healthy as with the best of cultivation, but extra 

 care will be required that mice do not make nests in 

 the mulch, and in deep snows gnaw the trees. — J. S. 

 Woodioard, Niagara county, A'. )'. 



Have a Corn-Marker Ready. 

 This might be taken as a text from which to preach 

 a sermon on having everylhiuij ready before the time 

 for using comes. But it is best to be more specific. A 

 corn-marker should be so constructed that the run- 

 ners will ac'ommodate themselves to uneven ground. 

 A good marker is made in the following manner : In 

 the first place make a "sled," so to speak, of two 

 planks for runners, fastened at the proper distance 

 apart— the width of the corn rows— by two stout 

 strips spiked to the top of the runners. These strips 

 should extend one fool beyond the outride of the two 

 runners. Two other plank runners are provided, and 

 one end of two stout strips are nailed to each of these 

 runners and the opposite ends are fastened, respec- 

 tively, by bolts to the extended ends of the "sled" 

 pieces. These " wing '' runners- one on each side of 

 the central two- are free to move up or down by 

 means of the bolt fastening. In turning around the 

 side runners may be turned up on the central sled. 

 This latter position may be taken when the marker 

 is drawn to and from the field. A seat can be easily 

 Bxeil upon the central part of the marker if it is fell 

 desirable. Such a marker Is easily and cheaply made 

 and does its work well. — I'/iUa. Press. 



.Harrowing Winter Grain in Spring. 

 Many farmers have never tried this plai), and they 

 hesitate about it for fear of pulling all the grain out 

 by the roots. If this fear cannot be conquered, try 

 part of your grain field this spring. If you have a 

 smoothing harrow, or one with teeth sloping back- 

 wards, you can safely repeat the stirring until the 

 grain is a foot high. But go slow at first. Begin 

 as soon as the ground is dry enough in the Spring, 

 and sow your cloverseed on the raw ground after 

 the crust is broken. If you harrow more than once, 

 wait until the last time before scattering your clover 

 seed. You will find that the tillering out of both 

 wheat and rye will more than counterbalance any 



