Title: Quarterly report of the Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture, no. 51 Place of Publication: Harrisburg, Pa. Copyright Date: 1893 Master Negative Storage Number: MNS# PSt SNPaAg018.6 FIFTY-FTllST (,)ITARTERLY KEPOllT or THK FOR THE YEAR 1893. Membeks Ex-Officio. Hon. Robert E. Tattisou, Governor. Hon T. J. Stewart, Secretary of Internal A fairs. 5r D J Waller, Jr., Superintendent of Pnbhc Instruction. Qeu. 1). Mc.M. Gregg, Auditor General Dr. G. W. Athertou, President Pennsylvania State College. Appointed py the Govebnob. r,rn.e.pir,s. . . . 1894 Col JaniesYoung,Mi ■ S. K. Diehl, lierks, ...'.'.'.' f !>• «^!^^^«1' . wysox, Bradford ^^""'"T f ', - ••■ ., . Fred'k Jaekel, ...... „ , E. lleeder, ^";f; : W. H. n. Kiddle B"tler . «""f •. J ,T. Thon.as, CarroUtn.n CWma. ....••• ;.,;,„„ A. Woodward Howard, *^f"t' .Thon.asJ. Edge, llarnshurg, ^, . \V. Shaiiiifelt, Clarion, . ^. Term expires. . . 1894 . . . . 1894 . . . . 1896 .... 1896 Bedford, • • ^^^^ Reading, ^^^^ . . . 1895 . Hollidaysburg, New Hope, . . . 1895 . 1896 . 1894 . 1895 1S94 . 1896 . 1895 T= ./' QUAliTEIlLY ReI'OET. Pennsylvania State Boakd of Agkicultuke. Term exinri Clearfield, E.M.Davis, Grampian Hills, ^^'"'^'^'h J. A. Herr, _ . . Cedar Springs, . Columbia, Chandlt3e Eves, Millville, .... Crawford, Luther Gates, Beaver Center, ' Cumberland, Charles H. Mullin, Mt. Holly Spring^ ^'^^n^^^^n, G. Hiester, Harrisburg, . . Erie, A. L. Wales, Corry, ^^y^"^» G.Hopwood, Uniontown,' '. ^^^'^^^'^n, D. Z. Shook, Greencastle, . ^"^^^"' D.H.Patterson, Webster Mills, ^^^^^"^' B. F. Herrington, Waynesbur^.^ . Huntingdon, G. W. Musser, Filmore ^"^^^"^' N. Seanor, Plumville,' .' .' Jefferson, J. McCracken, Jr., Frostburg, . •^""'^^a' D. E. Robinson, Port Royal, Lackawanna, H. H. Colvin, Dalton, Lancaster, c. Cooper, Bird-in'-Haml,* Lawrence, «. McCreary, Neshannock Fal ■^^^^^on, c. R. Lantz, Lebanon, .. . T^^*^^^^^' J. P. Barnes, Allentown, . . Luzerne, Lycoming, A. Fague, ....*.'.' .* * .* .* Picture Rocks, ^^^^^^^1 RobertMcKee, Mercer, 1894' ^^^^^"^' J- B. Shannon, Lewistown, . . 1895 Monroe, Randall Bisbing, Minsi, isoo Montgomery, Jason Sexton ! Springhouse, '.'.'** * 1896 ll''''^'>''^^ T. L. Clapp, Limestoneville, . . , ' 1895 Northampton, B. B. McClure, Bath, . . ' 1894 Northumberland, . . . John Hoffa, Milton, , , , i896 P^^^y^ D. Kistler, Kistler, ] I894 ^^',^.^^^^^» N. B. Critchfield, Jenner's X Roads, .' .' .* 1895 ^"11^^^^"' J. K. Bird, Millview, . . . i894 Susquehanna, R. S. Searle, Montrose, .* I895 "^^^^P' I'- !>• Rexford, Mansfield, , [ 1896 ^^^^^y J. A. Gundy, Lewisburg, . . * 189G ^^^^'^^^^o, Porter Phipps, . Kennerdell, ....*.'.* 1895 \\arren, Charles Lott, Warren, I895 Washington, J. McDowell, Washington, '.['.'/' ism ^^^y^^y N. F. Underwood, Lake Como, . . 1895 Westmoreland, J. Nichols,* Bradenville, ..'*'' 1895 ^^^^^^i'^g' N. G. Bunnell, Vosburg, . . * * " 1894 I^J W. S. Roland, York, ! .* .' ! 1895 * Oled April 5. 1893. OFFICIAL LIST. S. R. Downing, Hon. R. E. Pattison, C. Cooper, CJol. James Young, O. Cooper, President. Hon. R. E. Pattison, Governor. Vice Presidents. Hon. N. Seanor, Executive Committee. W. H. IT, Riddle. B. B. McClure, J. McDowell, Joel A. Herr, T. J. Edge, Secretary. Advisory Committee. Joel A. Herr, Thos. J. Edge, Secretary. S. McCreary, W. S. Roland, G. Hiester, G. Hiester, \ Secretary. Thos. J. Edge, Plarrisburg. Botanist. Thos. Meehan, Germantown. Poynologist. Cyrus T. Fox, Reading. Chemist. i)r. Wm. Frear, State College. Veterinary Surgeon. Dr. F. Bridge, Philadelphia. Sanitariayi. Dr. G. G. Groff, Lewisburg. Microscopists and Hygienists. Dr. H. Letimann, Philadelphia, Prof. C. B. Cochran, West Chester. Entomologist. Ornithologist. Dr. B. If. Warren, West Chester. Small Fruit Culturist. Prof. S. B. Heiges, York. Meteorologists, J. L. Heacock, Quakertown. Maj. Frank Ridgway, Harrisburg. Mineralogist. Joseph Willcox, Philadelphia. Ajnarist. Dr. G. G. Grotf, Lewisburg. Geologist. Prof. J. P. Lesley, Philadelphiii. Stenographer. Joseph F. Cummings, Sunbury. y QUAHTEKLY EePOUT. / I STANDING COMMITTEES— 1893. Leoislation. SrR^H^?'""''''"'""' ^''«i'-'»- Hon. J. J. Thomas D. H. Patterson, ^' «^^«ter, P^'v^n.^- ^olaJi^^ Chairman, J. J. Tlionias, N. F. Underwogd, p. II. Patterson, Chairman, J. A. Herr, H. H. Colvin, Forests and Forestry. Prof. TJios. xMeehaii, E. M. Davis, D. H. Patterson. Cereals. N. B. Critchfield, S. McCreary, B. B. McClure, Birds and Mammals. Hon. N. B. 8eanor, Hon. J, A. Woodward. Prof. J. T. Roth rock, D. Kistler, N. 8eanor. Porter Phipps, D. W. Lawson. G. Hopwood. N. B. CHtchAeld, K^F.^Un^rfv'ood, Apiary. John Nichols, D. W. Lawson, Chairman, Calvni Cooper, Wool and Textile Fibers. ^^„^^.^J^^?„T^"' (^'h^irman, Theodore Justice, David B. Pleiner, J. A. Woodward, Wm. Slianafelt, Chairman, J. -Nichols, R. S. Searle, Luther Gates, Chairman, Robert McKoe, B. F. Herri iigton. N. B. Critchfield,' J. McCracken, Jr., Live Stock. Joel A. Herr, A. Fague, E. M. Davis, Poultry. John Hotta, John Nichols, B. B. McClure, Roads and Road Laws. B.B. McClure, ll^Tel'r, J. J. Thomas, A. Fague. N. B. Critchfield. Noah Seanor, G. Hopwood, John Nichols. S. McCreary, M. W. Oliver. J. B. Shannon. E. M. Davis, S. S. Diehl. J. P. Barnes, G. Hiester. I>airy and Dairy Products. t^astburn Reed or, Chairman N i? tt, » Luther Gates, '"'*' S* ^ Underwood, j. a. Herr, Dr. Henry Leffniann, p,* ?* c?''!^^^^^^,^' ^ Garretson, 1^1 oL C. B. Cochran, s. McCreary. Ensilage and Corn Fodders. Jason Sexton, Chairman, Louis Piolett, G. Hiester, A. L. Wales, B. B. McClure, T. Garretson, J. A. Gundy. Geo Hopwood, Chairman. C T. Pox, S. B. Heiges, C. Cooper, J. A. llerr. Fruit and Fruit Culture. H. C. Snavelv. C. Hiller J. Nichois, E. B. Engle, F. Juekel, J. E. Jamison, E. O. Brinser, A. C. Sisson, G. Hiester, D. Z. Shook. Pennsylvania State Board of Agricultuke. GAMBLING THOUGHTS ON COUNTRY LIFE. By Mrs. Dr. W. H. Parry, Higbee^ Pa, (Read at GraysvillelJistitute.) ''Between the broad field of wheat and corn Ts tlie lonely home ^vhere I was born : The peach tree leans against the wall And the woodbine wanders over all, While the air is filled witii the wild bird's joyous thrill, I^ut, alas ! the stranger's footsteps have crossed the sill. Wherein does the charm of the country home consist ? It may have been the heritage of our ancestors made sacred by the tender associa- tions of birth, marriao-e and death, or came into our possession after years of unremitting toil in some other avocation, nevertheless there is a charm in the country home that is so fascinating that like some lovely vision, it enchants our lives. In cities and towns houses are Often fashioned so nearly alike and built in such close proximity, while the views and surroundings vary so little, that to say they be- come monotonous expresses our feelings but feebly. The ever-chang- ino- panorama of country life seems always new, whih^, <>|^t-(loor im- provements in buildiiigs, embellishments that have no limits m the cultivation of flowers and shrubbery in closely mown yards and lawns with the fresh and tasteful touches that are given to interior decoration in all truly happy and prosperous countiy homes, give an air of solid comfort as well as refinement as entrancing as tales ot fairvland to early childhood days. ^ . , ^, . ^ , .,i The wealthy farmer on the wide plain of the far west may count with honest pride the herd of cattle and sheei^ ui)oii his ranch ; hut lie must watch them from early dawn until the sun sinks behind the iiockies, he must drive them miles and miles throudi heat and cold to water, and must always corral them in a land where there are neither trees nor fences. His brother on the fertile prairies enriched by ages ot alluvial deposits may exult over his great fields ot wheat and corn that make our Greene county fields look like gardens in comparsison, but after all, Pennsylvania farmers have better homes than any in the Union Shut in by the everlasting hills and mountains from whence flow never-failing streams of crystal water, sheltered from scorching winds deadly tornadoes, terrific cyclones and the pestilence that walketh bv noonday, surely our lines are fallen in ideasant places. From the countrv homes that crown our hilltops and nestle so lov- in" 'bs- is "neither meat noi ra ent "i^^^^^ expended for tliat which could transform a bleak reerless We iit:"']"^"*^ '/ '' ^'^t 1""1'"«« «l>ot on earth. Money can never Zh ^ ^T'"". f ^'''^ '« ^'^^ ^^^^^'^^t accomj.lish ; willino. h^n Is and n Wn T ""'^'"'^ ^^'^i-^i^<^cted toil can made many an ohllvs "ir^loSny c'om^^^^^^^^ Jise An ordinary board fencreSufr m lno''wl,ir''1'^^^^ striking contrast with the vivid o-reen ,nll tl« ^' jvliit^washed, are in easy task to pull weeds bnf , l.T ^'^^^^\^J n'!Vp''* * 'f "'^'^ '""^^ "« "^ How (.fteii we tl.ink when mss n- + Iv ^ Providence, tell the character of the peopl^rv the s '•!■" "i'"' ""'"'i^^' *''^* ^^^ ^••'» homes, and it is our duty !4 we .i fh "r"'"-"'^'" "/ ^''^«« ^o"»try P'-osperity of our fair landiy tV/ |,, . ^T'"'''' ''^ ^'"' '"""<^« ••""! rce that she has thr.>wu into liome and church work When lie dem the ball.>t she will ge,t it; then we wd had he cdacl davwhen the saloon, like human slavery, wil be a relic of bai- buln T le th.> clean-handed and inire-hearted sous who have e^rmvn to 1 a hood in country homes may go forth to build otl^ei hon's that il ot be overshadowed by the curse of the lupior traftic. CLOVEE AND FEllTILIZEES. By W. P. Tate, Curwensville, Pa. (Read at Curwensville Institute. ) The farmer who has been successful with fertilizers will never de- nend entirely on barnyard manure. I do not mean by this that the one who u^s fertilizers will lose faith in barnyard manure, and neg^ feet to save and prooerly care for it ; not by any means, n tact, the Emer who uses fertilizers has a better knowledge of the value ot barayai^ manure, and will take extra pains to save and use it to the Sadvantage. The use of fertilizers has led me to believe that it does not pay to keen stock, simply to serve as manure makers. Un- less the product of meat, milk, butter, mutton, wool and pork will re- turn a profit over the expenditures for feed and labor necessary to nJa n ain the animals, the stable manure.is a costly i.lant food, an.l in ^^,v cases the farmer would be richer in the spring if he had sold hrhay and gr'a fe^^^ to his stock and bought fertilizers lur his crops As a -ene raf rule the above statement has been proven by many of our best farmers who practice plowing down clover as a green ma- m"e If not in our county they can be ound on the old worn-out hvwH of the New England states. The old rule and sure one in its dav was that all the hay and grain (except wheat) should not be sold fr-n t e farm The idea was that all the hay and grain had to be fed tl" the stock to convert it into beef, mutton and wool, and the ™ We'have *rw"r modern belief, still regarded as an agricultural heresy by many of the best f armer^. This belief is that on most farms stable manure costs more than it is worth. Tlie old rule, as a dehn.te ^rtfoi; for all farmers, belongs to a time when i was also pnv m.,l.lp to make many art cles of household use at lioiiie. J>lo.Uin S :attnTas cimnged this and now these -ti^^Xcou^rv- wd ere and cheaper in the manufacturing centers of our gieat countrj where 8 QUAKTEJiLY KepOHT. farmer s'lv^fLVfi .^^^^^^"^^ mdnstry. Tiio r.M fY, . T? ^^^' ^^^^"e clepn^U•^^l^,;^'^, / \^i;-™ /^-^*1' ^o the east^'TarnS tear ""•■? ttieaiLs new lif^ f! J stable iiiannre. The fevfili.,! f ' ^^^^"^"^^ ^<^ low, will s n nW o 'V"'''®"'"- '-''"^ I'l.tluil- Uii t ;i . 1''"""'^ .1.>«I, the .soil the i .,?st . x, p.^' "''", ^'■°"' "'« '-^tmosi-here ,): « i *^-'''''"'« ''^ able fo. the ^r^wi^^^^n^f "tw' '''-^-t-'an?, , ;;i?J^";c; !;aP0.. ia tho^Jr^fSL-d n-JE^-\-.S aTSl^.fr '» Jiiii; sr;u)j(» in;ninT<» i»^ 1 • ^♦*'-'»^uv\s and i)nvM iu\ o^..n '^ sod ; tln-s 1„. Cs n fli '" ''"'^•''^•^ ^''"■''"^- "u wrnter o •"^•''V'"''- Pennsylvania State Boakd of Aghicultuue. 9 s'jed, followed in the SL)riiig' with a liberal seeding: of clover seed. The grass is cut for two vears, not pastured at all, when it is agani r)lowed For corn, with what manure he has made during' the winter on the thin spots. Tiie tlieory of his rotation is that the heavy dressing of fertil- izers on the potatoes answers for all the crops in their rotation, that the g-rass Uftermath) and manure supL)lies all needed organic matter, and the corn crov), while not so directly profitable as a cash crop, is best for the sod and leaves the ground in the very best condition for a g-ood croi) of potatoes, which is the money crop of the season. In brief, Mr. Lewis sells all his products except what ho uses for his ac- tual work stock and uses fertilizers instead of feedingit for tluunanuro. The farm is a light, sandy loam where some ])ersons believe that fertd- izers would entirley disai)pear by leaching and running away. All the running th(.^y seem to do is in the direction of big* croi)S, and the nitrogen, potash and ])hosohoricacid simply tumble over each other in theirliaste to form salable products, thereby encouraging Mr. Ltnvis to continue the use of clover and fertilizers. The following crops were sold from this ninetv acre farm in 1891 : 4,500 bushels of potatoes, 4 000 bushels of turnips, 400 bushels of wheat, 200 bushels of rye, l'800 bushels of corn, 10 tons of carrots, 10 tons of rye straw was also sold, and manv tons of corn fodder at $3.00 per ton to nearby dairy- men. Just realize that at local prices these products brought oyer $5,000, and vou can g-et an idea of how Mr. Lewis is ])aid for ins iaith in'clover and fertilizers and his couraere in using- enough of them. THE FAKMEE, By J. E. Stephens. (Read at New Bloomtteld Institute). The farmer is a V)enefactor. He should or must be, to be success- ful, a man of judgment, a man who is educated u[) to the times, who is a thinlier and an observer. He should be a man of calculation, he must be frugal and not extravagant, he should Ix^ a man who never ^rows old in mind, he should see, in purchasing a farm on whicli he wishes to live and rear a family, that the soil is all right, that the loca- tion is good, the buildings in g^ood shape or that they can easily be made so, that the water is pure and plenty, that the property is not too far from the ])ublic road, and most especially, that schools and churches are accessible, for the educational, moral and relig^ious train- ing of his children. If a man is a tenant farmer he should take all the former recjuisitos into consideration in renting: a farm, and should, if he can ^et a good location near to stores, mills, schools aii(l churchf^s, take it, if the soil is not quiie so good, rather than one bacdy located, soil better and far from schools and churches. ^ TIk' farmer should rathc^r buy than lease, for there is a certain (hg- nitv indepcudcucc and pleasure, derived from the ownership of his 10 Quarterly REroiiT. S""']^o\in;f:LxlE*s^^ -ao. his own "vi„e .ul fi. property of another, toalS^nJZJi''f^''' a-ctution of, and upon the lias not the motive for devo i I ^, "f .^""»i '='*«« !"« manlmod. He i^Hl efforts, to beautif V liis K '" , ?1 •^^''^T ^'"""■" '''"^ l^^«t tliouo-hts ^ng up," because h £0 s e u,st ei"',? ■* f^^'f^^t'-^W-. i" shor"' W dnif^- of the landlord Attnc n, , ^ I f''"t"'\''^', I""'* with all at the bid to the state. '"""* ^" '""^'' « J'»'"« i"eans attad^nient in™Ss: "ho^v :!fttrs's/.t^^^^^ *^r; "'.^"" - —^ <>f old farmer, ^stin^y farmer, "tc ^tl^^^ ZSl"' """'»'- ''"t an ^restinoy, etc., there have been a ieati"" ^AT'^ anythinc,. and since the creation. Cain tilled the'sod A) l\ ."'f" "' *'"' ^^"^"•I'l a husban, n.an ; Abraham and Lo were pit rlf''^* H'fl' ' ^«-'''' ^™« cattle and .sheer.; Jacob was the first to i-^.^'"^"^^'"-^ ^'^'i'*!" of he presentin^^ Esau with five Lndild . " ' e?T /*T^ by selection, Mo.ses was a shepherd- Gitleon /l.il 1 f"'- /ifrhty herds uf cattle herder; David fed his ow^cL Eb hn t"""'' ^^^ '^^^ ^ '"* "e twelve yoke of oxen, and in Litter "t^nli^'T?•'•^r^J^^«*' "'o^^^d with m, "* ^"^ '"S- ploAv. senate at Washmg-ton to take -Ihe fanner should be s.'ivii.o- l>„<. , 4. ju p^ivin. to the PooMl'Sf; \^*Sol\Tl' ^j? ^^'"".^'^ ^^^'beral table institutions wliidi Irivp o f^,..i ^^^^^f^^^ ^-^ikI all oood and chari numitv, He sl^ouldTe so^i^lL /lo^^^^^^^^ *^'« ^""'1 of the com-" niee his neighbors in social s^^ther n^s ^ ' !"! T T""''^' '''"'^ «1">"1'1 lu which they are severally em, In "d and I V,^ ^^°','* ^^^^ ^'"«>'"ess ions he can ffain considerableTnowled';" Ho f «f?l^'^"?e of opin- cabties and do some travelin- a? d J ?i 1 ?, ^^/°"''^ ^''^it other lo- , .He should do all in his now;; f. V i"^-'''^,"'^ '^^ "" close observer Ins wife, boys and ffiH " j^now^Uiey h' ve\^^?"' "*V"''*'^«' *« W can be sociable tojjether, that they 7an lave ^'^'^' ^'Tf ' *'''^t t'^ev best rooms, tliat thev can c-d i., fi?^ ? ^T "«e of the |.ar]or or ciates and have a .^time in ieiLrtl wj/en Ti'.^.^T Tl^. ■>'«"^'^ ^-o' in after life, those boys and a-ivuJflL ii *,®^ ^'^^^ ^'^^' t. Then will think <.f the menimiasimam^b?^. "'"•'' ^''^^ ^^°"« f^'om home" pleasant associations of chddmi wh <^b f •n''' "^ l''"^^"^"'" ■•»>'"1 f"'e. s' to;.anl he" ohl home" with l-e^e'e^^",^^:;!---^ the heart to turn i^^&^vi:::: n^als't 1;^^^^^^^^ vance has been inaTe irtirscience'^i f"*'"''^'^^^.'^ More ad! machinery in the last fiftf yeairtlfan i , T""^ ''i",''^ ^" '''^^'or-saving- ceded it. To America -md fo A? • " "' *'"' ^''^ thousand that nro '»een largely due. £ a mer ' lo^^^ ownership of farms £ £ reads mo.st knows most otT.er t f, ! 1*''' • •" '* ""^ "" "^'^ "'at ],e who would be successful wSe e to Hp"^% '*''"'" f'^"^'- What physid ,? l"Hler his personal care an obsetv^t o , ?" p" '" ""T^' ^'-^^^^ tharcome in h,s profession without a liEy J^m' Pf" "" ^r^^^ ^'^ 8"ccessbd hw spare time as the sayin- is "to kei "•*] ''^•'''^^ •'^'"^ «t"fly all same IS true of the profess ons\ ml f 1 ' 'V '^'*'' times?" Ami t -one, . .„ i,\e, , ll^^.SSj^SZJi^^tt^ ^^^^^^^^t Pennsylvania State Boakd of Aguicultuue. 11 Tt is not euons-li that we farm by rote, as our fatliers tau-lit us Donbtlosrthev did the best they could with the li-ht they had, but tlevrmde mistakes which should not be perpetuated. I'he sun o scte^ice and culture rides high in the world of literature to-day, and woe betide him wlu. hides himself in the shadow ot ignoi-auce and ruperstition Let your neighbors call you a book farmer it they w.ll, u 'd 1,^ theni scout vour theories. You will work none the less faith- M Iv and successfnllv for what you learn trom books and papers. The Jnlianced value of your farm and stock wdl suthcieutlv answer those who ridic'iile you. , _ • i. i Youn- farnier or okl, by all moans take a good agricultural pa i.er or ns muiv as you can afford. Ai.pn.i.riate a specitKnl amount from each year's eandnas for farm books and general literature, then ado,.t and apply s^i^h of their contents as will benefit you and your tanuly. DIRT llOADS. By LUTHEB Gates-', Beaver Center, Pa. (Rend at Curry Institute. ) The subiect of roads is being agitated in this country to a much greater extent than ever before, and while there is great need of road fmpiwement, it is probable that many of the agitators aim too high *^Trs"e^.eclh;s too'^ch to look for an entire change in all the roads <>f the country at once. Then, if it were practicable to make a part o the n.ads permanent, the trouble would be where to begin. There are not so n any principal roads as formerly. The roads near cities and lu-e towns are moi^c important than those more remote, but not so much so as f,n-merly, siAco railroads enter nearly every city and tow™ and do most of the carrying of freight and 1 .asseugers. . Tie roads most used are those where the radroad station is at adis- tance f ron lie town. Such ro;uls might be ma.le pern.anent at the exoense of the county or state, but the veiy large part ol the roads must remain " dirt roads" for a long time to conie. The roads of ?lu comitrv are growing more ecpially impor ant. In sections where cteeseactUel creameries or canning factories are located the roads arrbrou-ht into more general use. When we get a general mail de- Uverv and the school system is changed so as to have one central ruled sclm in each township, and the children brought in and re- tur ed (^ery day in wagons, the roads will be still more equally im- or ai t it seems to nio to be a settled fact that for many years nea Iv all the ro ids must bo n.ade of the soil over which they run There are many townships in this county that do not contain enough stone that is available to make one mile ot road. , , ,, , Thp niu ,h.rs are doin- a good work if they only w.-ike the people u Jto X seni of uty ^^^^ while the scientific men and the League of American Wheelmen and the National League of Good lloads are 12 II QUAllTERLY PtEPOirr. ence uiul obsorvation. Ah- fiVst vp 111 f- '^ ^ometlnu^ horn expeii- was entirely Mitlu.nt roadi aiul tin /a dh"; '^'"'l "' f ^"r"^^"" "-t natural roucis, it .as almost] ,osilK to fci ^T^- ^"* , l^-"'^' ''- «<)ii of the year. I Lave seen .,,,,1 V ^" "'"'^f ' e'^'Perience SIX feet is about ric^ht. leavinj^^T mt-iin nf 1 ^'T'l*""* '''''^''' ""^ty- a foot path. This is l^or roa s h- t are - 1 f «n'1 '"' ^'"^^'^^ «»^e for should be from one and a hal^o h to feei telllf Jf ^''*; ^^"^ '^^*''''^« and incliiiing: upwards, rather stee,? for sx fee 1 ^''^T''' °»*«''1« feet for road. I would have this intl o i ^/^ teat leavm.er twenty-four a little more incline is] neaiVthe d t ] ^J'^l^ed in the center an d It unpleasant ridino- or traveSt for the orse K ''* T"^-'^ *« "^^'^^ ory, It IS just what v>e have carried of, fiS. ^'"''' *^"^ '« ""* *''«- road that is narrow and hii;-], irthe ce^ft n i T ^"^^■•'' .'"'-^^erial on a have to exercise vour best^kilj '^"'^ '^^*'"'^ «»!««. then you roa'l rttSnUTlev^l'^^o;^;; 'r 'r ""^*^!' ^-"' -^- of the notice you, foll<>w a on Jimpat entlv . fen *TV "'? '^"^^'' e shoufd'voVk out mu taxes faithfully and require others to do so, then we shall hetr less complaint about bad road haws and bad roads. STATE APrROPRIATIONS FOE PUBLIC EOADS By S. R. DowNiNo, West Chester. Pa. '%ti''^r!;i;;r?urE,yM:" Sice ot «,« .ii*i]....io„ oi,,™ ^;3ii,'i~»fsr;'i! lea. .Luce. „^c^^^^^^^^^^^^ "^riSn'Sv known t,,.t .sj..e^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Il 14 QrAllTEIlLY EeI'ORT. III! (! 11, he school appropriation i ow cor^s -^ H^i^h *^' *'i"™ '^'^"^'^^ '^^'t^r '^^"J<^ come. Tlieivfore the tax lot c m?i. *• ^® i"''"'^ ai'Propriatiou conn y more and that ccmntVw h, t ^ ^/T" ^^"''"'^ «^' i'^'^"' this injjT tlio state and from cit^s a r,',, b u ff/ ^'""^ "'"'''"'•^'^^ traver.s- will add to tlie ecmomic .list ih, t S . . ' 't"^ '^'''l"*^' "*' «"' «tate Sive to the cities the advanta^v f 1^^^^^ ^'^.^^'^ railroads and Thns the aroniueut <,f the Ph Kdel, 1 T "f '"''^'''^ "'arkets. vocacy of Governor Pattison in l' vor o fV; ^*^'^7?^" ''^ =^-^"''"«t the ad- char-es, m-in^ tliat raiho ul" sC" d 1 ^'■''*'"''^V''^y'"- ^^'^ «*»*« cause they are of benetit to t s S is met br"";"^'^ *" '^<^ «°' ^- for roa.ls by the fact tliat the buildin'o of !• 1 '' f''^"" 'V^l""''""*^^" eht to radroads as well as c ties n,V,Wl , 'i^'^l" ''""'^^ '>« »f hen- terests, of whicli the LeK f^^cf b If'*""" ^''•".''^^ '»h1 banking- in- T n,s the approi.riatio ncomin" fi 1"'?" "' Pennsylvania, the farm should be used so fW ^'s X"' "'^^'^''*? separate fr<.m tliat of open up territory, far < ff as well ^. L^''"''^'?''*'?' '« concerned, to every farmer or m\un,facturerr miner ;];.dl^^^^^^^^ *^'« I'^'"^^"«t «f any or all times of the year For "ve nr^ ' ''''^^'V'''^^?"*^ *" ''^^'-^^^ at ?. :i!'i',"r',-ilroadl eleva[o?s:mlT.Sf .-l^'r^^^Jl"'?* *1|« ™4' Pennsylvania Statk Board of AGRicm/ruiiE. 15 FARM JOURNALS. By J. J. McGakvey, Cfrove City, Pa. 1 . , < ''^"•IntButltT Institute. ) in^ SmroflhetK nir']".^ "^* "'« l'^'-^'^ '^^ *'- ^-t. The teem products of the oi Ifo . suKisb i':^'' T? '''"--^ly ^^^Pemlent upon the perhaps unparalleled in n Xrn tTmes te Jf'"* ^'^^^ ^" ^"^^^t the products of the ffroun.l foi 1, s HvVld? f' T" ' '''''•*''"^''»*^*^ on per,sons are en-aged Tn the pursuit of no- Ju- ^" 'V"' *^"""*^->' ""'re emp oyed than in anv c.ther InstU '^^"'•"'t'."c and more capital is ment to show tliat farm iourn ,1« n. / ' ^^""'1 '* *^^'""''1 '"^e^^ "o arini- inent j.lace in the liUa^ort^^^^^^^^ ally, an.l farmers esnedaUy •''*'^"'- *'''^^« "^ "^^sons gener- ber amono- their ccmtril utorrirso « ^i.^^^ «•"'«'««*• They nnm- vanous branches of ffo,,e nl fSn-l Practical ex,,erience in the .-ve practical talks <^ ^^^^Zo^t^^'^^S^^ -« '^^'^ to F,xchin-e of ideas in any department of useful knowledj^e is hel - ( 1 .,?,!? ontributes much towards awakening more interest m the sub- lit of mitte to be ^^^i^^^^^ The farm journal is a soodnied.uni ilm,n rl wldcli we can have this exi.ression of practical knowledge set Uiiougli ^vluUl w, ca ^^j^teuts of a single number ot some of hf ari^ioun'r!.nd see what an array of subjects and t.^pics are f e.ehi treVted and it will be seen that a vast aniomit ot useiul iido - i ?ti^ il a >ieat many to].ics has been given in the course ot a year. in smBC ^U lu ve sc^p'^.orrespondence from dit.Vreu Bcctions o our f,,r Tallin.- of condition of crops, what they i.roduce, of tlieii cli^ yf><^''^'lVfj\^^Z^mSriS«i^i}soi «,« writers i« form jora- nS; J .i".r„ y,., iil.«ry l,>»le ami «i,lo cltm-c. »,a arc able i„„,,„v«onr coiKlitiou tl,a ™ oa,, oto^^^^ such practical hints as ^vo iieea , oi i^ - ^ ^ ^j, , ^^. i.arvesting ot the grain crops in tlie plantiiig, so^^l"r.> ^ " things gener- questions, ilio application oi nine ^ ^^^^^^ ^''^^•^ *rsJ;;: Lr i'l'^o^Cel tpedrnJid^^^^^^^^ it .^ives very b'enXl^l r::;Ss"v:il\.ttested b^ many .writers in farm journals, as well as by personal observation '^"'\f,^}^?"^"f^„„te players seem to ofonerations. -, i.- ii.^,^^.-! Uv o-ood results on Underdrainimr is very necessary '^-^^, *»' '^ j'^j.^r Cqu.>ntly set many farms. The advantages of ""f^^-M^^^^^^^^^^^^^ fortli by ,.ersons w'h<. aro entitled to ^o"^'^^^^' he fac t at they speak ganled as authoritv «"". '"h1 h^ ,„, ted «.?ricultmal interests of oni "mrt v f ■^"' «^V""^^"t« <'f tin, i:reat more toward ,liff„,sinK « VhSnl'.ti '" •^"i"'',':''" '»">' J'et do ,7, fd tins industry. "'''-* ^<^ad to still -reater results tS SEEMONS IN STONES. «y Miss Elinok M. Goentkku, /y„,6o ^o, 7>a. (Head at Newtown Institute.) *'And this our life Pvf»f>.».f r lns^i:'^Ellb^:^Is ''SEtr *Tf -^ ^^■^-^ ^- ^^ns us. i„ ture for our readiu- cau l,f Isi i "'''5";y^^«""« l'i-*^M'ared l,v nL crowd." lu the busySits rfttrwr^ ^=;r^^^^^^^^ ^he inaddeuh": broker from Ins slate mi ,Vs X\^^^^^^^^ labor upon countless anvils Wen f) ^'^^I^^'-'^easins hammer <^ age trampled beneath the h rryin". f, et" ,f T^^ X^i''^ f'eir mess rush tor wealth, or rearinc, themiefc ,, •* ''*"7^ "' '^'^ "'ad challengn,- notice through che"ve ?n,/,. ''"■'' ,''-''^'^ "^' i^asonry the j;lrif 'tn' tuU^r^ru^^^ to enter into one heap of stones is hfther an . th . 'it".* ^""'^^" 'g bu,], 111 them an "imm^fect soul " I on i ,> ^^ ""f "' *'''««." tindiuf. Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 17 throuirh a strange intermediate spirit which breathes but has no voice; moves, but cannot leave its a])i)ointedi)hice ; passes through life with- out consciousness ; to death without bitterness; wears the beauty of youth without its ])assion, and declines to the weakness of age with- out its regret." This " imperfect soul" is given to establish a current between The egoism of man and the heart of nature, to open our duller ears to discover and our senses to assimilate the sympathy and the sermon that our inanimate fritaids otfer wdth each recurring day and season. They call to us " to look and listen," loudest, perhaps, in the hills, "rock ribbed and ancient as the sun." Between them and us are voices that speak clear as the bugle-note echoing and re-echoing from Ali)iue heights; or the trumpet call that sends the steed rush- ing into battle. In myriad voices they speak, for here is presented every as])ect required for man's need and man's delight. "Fragility or force, softness or strength, in all degrees and aspects, unerring up- rightness of temphi pillars, or undivided w^avering of feeble tendrils on the ground, mighty resistance of rigid arm and limb to the storm of ages, or waving to and fro with the faintest pulse of the summer streamlet. " We need not open the stony tombs of the world's mute population to liear tlie story of the long journey taken by the boulder or the peb- ble upon or over which we carelessly tread in our daily walks. Should we ask of one of these ancient, way-worn travelers whence ho came and how he reached us, we have but to decipher the inscriptions closely written on his smootli exterior for our answx^r. Born in a region of ice and snow, perhaps cleft from the pictured wall of Lake 8u])erior. With what complacence we speak of our Pullman cars and our vesti- bule trains, but did ever mortal magiuite travel in such regal state? A glacier is his chariot, a great sea of ice, moving onward, impercep- tiblv, Ijut with resistless force. What a wonderful journey is his ! Poised on the lofty summits of the Alleghenies, adown the stee]) sides where, centuries later, evergreens shall vcul the unsightly surface, while men shall diir and delve beneath for the black diamonds, far in the hearts of the hills, and the shriek of the steam whistle herald the ap])roach of our judtry railway trains. His journey, like that of a monarch of to-day, is attended with manv vicissitudes. The frost acts u[)on his edges, the water [)olislies and Avears his corners, the constant friction removes all that can be rc^adilv separated from his bulk. Still must his progress be cmward. This triumi)hal car is relentless as well. He is coming into a warmer region. Slowly his ice-carriage dissolves and becomes but a problem over which geologists for centuries shall puzzle. Then is born our Agassiz. *' Then nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Sayinpr, 'Here is a story book thy I'ather has written for thee.' " Nature brou£rht this l)oulder to our door and gave us Agassiz to read its storv. ^There are otln^r tales written in enduring marbles that have- b(M,Mi "fjishioued from tlio very soul of the sculi)tor. Greece, whose mvthologv was such a thing of symmetry, of grace, of ])eauty, of charming fancy— the very name suggests monuments that have Avithstood tiie crash of empires. The tales drawn m by the Greeks with their (\Mrliest breath imbued their very life Nvith tlu^ love of the beautiful and the veneration for their gods that they have rendered Ill ll I! II 18 Quarterly RrroRT. I<.n« and «o easily de ,„1 h1 AmUiu Lx-nh.C ^ ''f ^'''•li '''" '''^'''^''' nnt that, ul.ile he may mx.dce h 'mess .'.'h,''^'^^ beauty, he si?hs ii, vaii/f<)V tlVp « nvTf T • ," ,M' ^^'•^"" if'^'iHtic laatecl the hand ol-Vr'xiteles'aml^^iiixii ""''^^•^«^^'^'^1« '^^<^ «.at ani- Li^.rSSl.K^^^^^^^^^ «'^ «toned past. desert has hea^cf W ^ W s^uid ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ""'"T^ ^^''^"^« i'*^^* ^^^^ worhl okl PhanKd,rt]. r-ir sp i; Z • "*"','^'"<^""« tombs of the reminders of the ^^^lo^^^^^^^U^^^ ^.^^^^^^ -Wa^ Jft h^larplSu;; t'errssToTZll,!!"" "f ^""-^ °^ '"^ --« The salt sea waves daXd tl.i , hK^ r *''''^'* ^*"."*''* '""*' «Peakiiig-. the face of the old Sav bon do 11 "" ''^''^T IP'?''* =""^ «^«" "Poi^ after liberty had vestfr'L thev str^ri'"'","'' ^^'- Hf ''^ *^^ ^^^^^^^ world to which their vessel l..!d &^^'TI f ^^lore m the new strange day, stood like Is im aft "V 1 T o It""'' ^*' ^ t^^^. «-l-^leBs ble, unswerving, cour Vo ,s W Ip 1 fl i /" ""'^ ^'°'"^' i"doniita- and even these S"wdX^ 1 me, -,, l^- ''/V" ''"'^ "1^*^" ^l'^^^^- faith and purpose? came down' ^vi h M es 8t. nd sh ^TP' f'^'T^ "^ followers, to step a"aiii iii.o,, fl,;. , ^ if ? -1 ' '""^ ^'^*^ f^^^^' brave mi caus(3 of education' and human pro<.;ress toward a more perfect enlightenment. "Great is he, Who usen his greatness for all ; His name shall stand i)erpetually As a name lo applaud and cherish." Sir Christopher Wren desired no monument save the work he left Jor the coinin- ^oes. Not even a sculptured stone would he have in the great cathedral he designed. Drexel will have his in the hearts ot gratetul millions, for this grand work lu^ has inaugurated is bound to go on, until all over the an orld, the l)oys and ^rirls shall have a c lance to make ol themselves what the great architect intended thev should be. ^ ^ "Sermcms in stcmes." Aye, and sermons fraught with wisdom J>ut says a listener, " that is all very well, of what interest are thtn^ to a larmer? He must sow and reap, plow fields and market crops^ Avhat time has he to think of the g:lory of Greece, or the structure of tJie s])hinx? btones, to him, are merely articles useful for building- walls or t-lling- up holes in Bucks countv roads. The farmer of to-day is a man wlio ])uts brains as well as brawn into Jiistoil. Our farmer must be a thinker. He cannot be a mere ma- chine, an engine capable of overcoming- so much resistance in a g-iven T^* ml^^^ ^. ^^ ^^ intellect, able to comprehend nature and to enjoy art. Ihe boulder says to liim, "I am an example of patience under what seems adversity." It teaches a lesson of attention to everv dav s most cpuet needs, "to round oiY life's completeness " The literary atmosphere of to-day has brought tlu^ si)irit of the 1 arth(;non to thc^ farmer's very door. It says to him, "Strive after what IS best ill the beautiful, and most beautiful in the best for beauty and worth are immortal. The simple rustic of older tirnes'and the toil-worn servant of the soil, as those among us past middle life can remember, have yielded their places to men whose minds receive cul- tivation as well as their meadows, and whose senses are keenly alive to the living- poem embodied in these marbles. Plymouth Kock diffuses the spirit of liberty that by its very per ceptible presence shows there is more that we'need. We want for our dwellers m the country and our laborers in the fi(Ods more voice in the making of our country's laws, and more knowledge of what these la\^s should be It IS so easy to rush into legislation and make g-rave mis- takes The men who stepi)ed on Plymouth Rock for inspiration wore defending- a priiicii)le, not an ini]>uls(^ This is the caution voicc^l by the g-ray sentry of tin) bay," " B(^ sure you aie convinced what is the rig-lit, then stand ujxm it like adamant, determined nothing shall sweive you fiom your course or make you vacillate." There is a lesson of encourag-ement to you in tlu^ ])l(vacliiiig stones wlien^ the stately city once stood. As "all things come to liim who waits, it our peoi»le will have the courage of their convictions and preserving their honesty and intcirrity, stand firm for them, they will slowly but surely expand, and, g-aining strength, command respect, tent of liis stregtii that he has ever ^faltered. '»\fen taken alone , , , Are what they can ]>e, branded, ^vllat they would ; Will therefore be strong, oh yeomanry ! Will to be noble, those in power Can tix no yoke unless the neek agree ; And thine is like tlie lion's, when the thu k Dews shudder from it, and no nian won d be The stroker of his mane, much less prick His nostrils with a reed." Tb^ time is rino for action. We liea" the mutterings of the little sto^ n ^^^h^^^^^nr.ov of the revolution coming. Take cour «lp Tf tldmin wh makes two blades of grass pow where here ^hulS^d^^r^i good, what a showing have the farmers of this granary of the world ! ''So rise up henceforth with a cheerful smile, And having strewn the violets, reap the corn, And having reaped and garnered, bring the plow, And draw new furrows beneath the healthy morn, \.nd plant the great hereafter in this now !" EQUTTABLE LAWS. By W. H. Knousk, Swales, Pa, (Read at Junlnta Clounty Instliuie.) ' The only trnly equitable laws in existence are the laws of God a.i.1 theK o\ natuv.s^vhi<.h have been assigned by the Creator. Hn- manity, even witli the nobh'st i.uri.ose m vle^y, is apt to err. __ An eminent iurist not long a-o, in my heann-, remarked that, All lecSslaUve e'iactnu>nts are supposed to bo based upon instie., and en ity and iftW fail to meet that end th.v are generally of short lATsSce'' Although renowned fur lejra lore and sound log c, I choose to differ with hin>, from the faet tha ' .'^J-'^-y-jf,, ! " servers that some legislative enactments, b..tli state .uul nati.n,.! have no doubt been conceived with motives as nn,.ions as those of Lucifer when he arrayed himself against the immutable laws of high 22 QUAKTERLY RePORT. Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 23 II toni. A\ lieu lio statutory provision ]iis „.,,.,.,/ . ' "" ^"*- is determiued bv the comiuou w t ot U^7 1 ^"^ "!''^'* " ^'^^e' i* custou.arv iu similar caslsTw?,: ^.^-''^'.^T ^^l^^t^'^er is or u.av be brief autJuiity if Hw suc-h f ,nf? ''V '^^^'^ ''^"^^^^^l witlialittle aniouut which a faruier, luechauic or o,vr . ill ^i ^.f^Z''''' '^" with a uu.uth's hard labor, yethe re is uo red !« ^ , , ''\^- ^'^ "''"^ called courts of justice. Iti comn-ou C ' ^" ^" '^'"^ "' '•'"• ■'^"- out tS^rnfust 1;eTifen.:rt;^ f ^^^^ r^^^'r} "^^-"^ - '^^t charc^es or fees are uo defiuec or UnZ^^t^ "^ '"%'l^ ^"'•^'' ^^^'°«« bv the time and labor de^we ?i, ' f , ' ,"*''*''«^" '^^'^ tl^^y regulated of the estate in h s liaUiHuuHht a l!;. i^* ^TT atforu";.*':;^ rT' o<^'l7i^:::^^i\^:^:^l:^Jf^ ..rcertyriLds less net in- or enterprise! ye?it s ev donTt vo^ oil IV 'I'T"* ''^"^ ''^^^^^ ""'"^t^^ times as muci/tax u/.o^Vts value s'tV^i^ Wst^^olhi^rsJ" S '" '^"1 pays for makiuj, amlkx^e i, t- o ,- , nl.l ''''' ^^"' *''^ ^''^ °" ^-^'-^l ««t«to themaiuteuanc^o ourp brc^ciris it';^^ T""'' ' '' l''^>-^ ^^'^ paupers, and the o^l.ensU o ou7conrk nnVr fl.*^''' ""l"''^'"* "* «'"• in-s, )>ridffes and vcrd cts for° rid-es /:; n ' "*f'';^' ^"1'"*^ '^"i'^^" siujrlo instance in our mvn coun Tut 1 . """ "^ f ''°!'^ ^'^3,000 in a to ].ay about twenty-seve Sou t , ,1 11 r""/*-':-'* '^ required sonal property whicl. 1 1. , 1 n ' "'V' "^ ^'"^I'l'ition, Avhile i.er- pavs i^l.e\iTiteof tWe '^^^^^^^^ f Property otlier than real estate. though favS,le]isKt';;;;i" '^-i^-'^' l'-^^^^ -'"""""ts No eqliity here And n„«fw *'<'^'»^ ^scai.es taxation alto-ether and in justice to tll^irel^/st m\avL\tTrXF^ '''''' °^^-" "'^^-^ tions! trc:;vn:n h^e'iri'iuh^nn^ 'Ttf '"*»r'-^-"tic corpora- to their^reod and avSci" s\."lr "t/i?tro Z'';^^ monopo] OS, absolutolvconf.-.l . tV^T -i ^^ *"'• ""^* I'lnico of the w orhl AVith Is iron *r h. T • ' ^'^^''-^t'^''^ 'i"'l oil markets of intheirfavor i evlr assT^V;^ ^<>^;^^^'^l':^'j^^^^^ ""^" '^-y -Wed +!„> i.ecoss'uies for the comfort and convenience of all his creatiires. S™^^^^^^ assumes to enact laws contrary to His divine w. 1. laws Uial ermit the avarice and greed of tin- shrewd to monopolize the t ts of the Creator, and withhold then. Irom the needy and poor or what t equivalent, liniit the i.ioduction and hx the selling price at a lite huost beyond the reach of the poor. We have laws that per- : ft or no lawi to prevent the adulteration o those commo.lities which constitute the necessaries of life. For lie sake ot pecuniary ill d^^iper articles are mixed with articles ot tood m order to in^ ^reise bu k and Aveight, nor are such a.lmixturcs always harmless, but often quite lilthv and even , .oisonous. t)f eighteen diiterent s.unples o syr promiscuouslv collected and analyzed at the Htate Univer- s t? o ^Aliclugan. only two proved to be pure --^-\^-:^f^;:^^l some samples contained sutticient acid poisou in one 1«"; ' ^.^^^ ^. h)zeu adult persons if taken sej^irately and at once. Much ot oui coffee a e having been " doctored" with mineral poison and bad eggs hf onlei to give it weight, color and gloss, is absolutely unht to be aken Into the human stomach. To add to ^^-^!f^l±J^^(^ cose starch and farinaceous preparations are added thoush ha inless vet they are out of place and a fraud m this connection. Many of the spices n market xre nothiua- but ground cocoanut she s, ground bar? etc!, and flavored with the oils or extracts ot si.ices they repre- '^^'We have laws which permit the manufacture and sale of distilled and fermcmted intoxicating liquors, but no adequatc_law to prevent 11 1. lin- havm- in possession and selling vile stutt that has not the semblance of pure liquors. Tens of thousands ot hun.an beings are ^inuaUy ruined thereby, and the rate is no doubt doubled on accomit o the poisonous drugs employed in f "Iterating ardent spirits AVe have laws that permit, and no laws to pi-c.hibit a co°i^">'^t'0!i of men and money so gigantic that they not only ^""t'-^^ f "^^^^^f «^^^ beef cattle on the one side, and dressed beef on theothei, but, like autoci-ats acetate to state and national legislatures, and even i is dmibtfnl f the sui^reme courts at all times remain uncontam.natea wE affairs in which the interests <,f tliis monstrous octopus^ are in- volved are brought before them Equitable law is this ! A few men Ml of ambrtimr but foul with avarice, stultify the laws oi supply and dem id \m ede the re-ular channels of trade, deprive the producers ofTe'"imc profits of their labor, enhance the price of a great neces- sitv to the consumers, and last, but not least, in defiance "f la^v oi "ominon decency, they' put upon the market *? «' ^^f^^^f Vfj-*^^^ the carcasses of diseased --^"^^CVI'V'?'^ *''""'r .' 'rioTnlwavs find tlioso that die ot disease or are kilhd bv accident do not always tind their way into soaii and i.hosphate factories. w^^icm from There is law that permits, or no law to 1""^^'^;; ^^ « ^" f f,^^^^^^^^^ owuiu- and controlling real and personal luoperty in this country a I u-1 citizen of another country, and an interest antagonistic to the iutire-ts o this cgsw,thluslHUgl bus. that man's life may be justlv written a miserable lailuic. In tiy- big to present to ™ u some qualities necessary to constitute a success- ful farmer, I would mention first as an essential requisite that ot a 26 IH V! QUAETEELY ReI'OET. souiul and liealtliy body. Lackin- good health and a sound constitii The h'u^d ;:n '^"/f ""^ ^' ^""'^""^^ "-^''^ ;^^>' ^'«-»«« »*■ marked „": ti It dk t*^\\ fjf,;ie'l'?«f «^l'««"i'es to heat andcokl, rain and «torrn, that lallb to the farmer s lot, peihap.s to a greater extent thun in most n .fc to "IS'tdlS^; 'jr enjovn^ent of good health a n.ost in, poJl'^ inattei to the tilJer ol the sod. Hence the necessity of parents ..u-ird ing their cluldren well in all matters pertaining to the nres^i^.li^ n ing, that they are not reqnired or j.ermitted to do work too luir for their strengtli and years, that their lahors be not contimS too on- without proper rest and that they have ample time allot ed for sleef m comtortable, well-ventilated chambers i^u loi siec)>, ons 7hh!'}i!t^f **1 ^'T"i "'""V' ^ ^=^^?"^ °^ ^'O"^' strength. It is a glori- onstinnj^ to feel robust and strong m muscle and active in limb yet It is not wise to tax their powers lavishlv or unnecessarily 'The aie young men in the ],ride ot a strong, vigorous manhood led to over nenJuvT'''^'" "; f'"*^ ^"^^^^^ '^t^'^^^tli o^' e"'l"rance and pay the ^!^:^nS^:t:'^^:^^'''^- I—tionandamusLLts! ma?ient1,Sitlf?,f I'^'f* ^'"\f ««* «"l>t]eclanger8 that menaces the per- manent health and strength and usefulness of the young men of this day IS strong drink. When I tell you that I havJ seen lundi^ds of young men, many of them of the finest mental and i.hysiS devefoD rn^fo^tudri'toh^J;™'^ "^' '^"""^'"^ -''■''■''' ''''' -ery young But, however necessary st'ong physical development may be for the successful farmer, tliat alone is not sufHcient. The time may hive been when a man could attain a fair degree of success by fallow W automatically the methods of others and keeping ifthe vvliwom n tf of his predecessors. In this age of progress, with the producers of the wor ,1 brought into sharp competition through thl atency o c&r,; tl, ''*'"*'"" r''"'\;-^'" of improved implements and l^;r m ma o nei.x , the proper handling and application of farm-mado manures and th,, selection and use of commercial fertilizers, theproi.er r/tati^m and di ersitying ot croi.s so as to reap the advantages of fhemnlf available markets, these and a thousand other n a terfp'esent a field requiring the exercise of intelligent thought and iud-mVnt u d it be Tl^entlT o''?!.*'*^ '^'^'^' "' ''ir 4 ^^•'■" '- l>--f^'as become an essential to the man who would make a Perfect success in f ,vm management. With all due respect for the learned piXssions I .s sert as my bones^t conviction, that, in this day, the exLcise of a hi .W order of intellect and a broader judgment is required in th, im c^ous management of an extensive farm than is required to c.mst h i sue cessful lawyer or id.ysician In many things we find m lEl li-d "e to deception, and Barnum has said that "Americans rathe Iko to e humbugged ; but you can't humbug nature once. Nor can you wrest abundant croj.s from your fields by fiatterv or extortion but w hi tlm exactness o a skilled accountant. naturJ nu.kes lex r-'-t rns ist n ImsT^^nS;^!! ' ■"" "' "'^'^^'"'"* fertilization and J^ltlu^r/hat Undei- our sytem of common schools.opportunitics are afforded to all to obtain a good education in the ordinary branches A parents should see to it that their children are required to avail themselves of Pennsylvania State Boaed of Ageicultuee. 27 these advantages and it is hoped that the time is not far distant when thn scoi,e of instruction in our public schools ^ylll be eoctended to em- brace studies in the arts and sciences specially adapteil to assist the laborer in the workshop and on the farm. But the education received in the school room is rudimentarj- only, and men in every avocation must keep posted as to what is going on in the world, and especially in reference to their si )ecial callings; consequently in every farmer s house should be found one or more daily or good weekly papers a good agricultural paper, and perhaps one or more of the popular ma"-azines ; and permit me to suggest that m selecting an agricultural paper, don't take it on the grounds that it is chea]. 1 he country is flooded with so-called farmer's papers that arc issued for the exju-ess oui'poso of getting their swindling advertisements in O the tamily ot the farmer with the expectation of reaping a harvest theretrom, based upon the ignorance and credidity of its readers. Another usefulhelp to the farmers in the line of education is the maintaining of local associations or clubs where the farmers ot a town- ship or neighborhood can meet at stated times, exchange views on topics pertaining to their calling, criticise each other's methods and in many ways make these meetings interesting and profatahle. A-ain we notice other qualities. The truly successful larmer not onlfbv well directed labor and management attains a competencj- ot this world's goods and lases it judiciously, in properly edu-,'ating Ins children, in providing a comfortable home for his tamily, and beautify- ing it and making the home attractive and enjoyable ; with kiii'll.v as- sistance and example he stimulates his neighbors to adopt better methods of farming. .i . ii ^„„„v„i Let us briefly consider some negative qualities that the successtul farmer has not. He is not found si.ending his time m the saloon or corner grocery discussing the tariff or the silver bill when attention to his crops demands his presence in the fields He is not a per- sistent grumbler, expecting congress or the state legislature to enact laws that will make everybody rich : nor does he liaiiker after office. Wlien afarmer becomes afflicted with the mama of office hunting.! re- o-ard libn as menaced with a danger as insidious as the yellows m peaches or potato rot, and next to the drink curse. I believe I have seen more neglected farms from this cause than any other. At the same time I believe the ^armer should not fail to exercise his right ot citizenship an,l take an interest in the management of public affairs and make a sacrifice of business interests to a certain extent when called upon to occupy a iwsition of trust. Finally, stability of char- acter and confidence in his vocation are (lualities that ^yln. The man of changeable purpose and always dissatisfied witii Ins locality, his surroun.lings or his calling, is not likely to make unich of a success in anything. „„>„(.;„« Tlie statement that farming don't pay is true only in a comparative sense. True, farming may not make as large returns now *;« ^l'^^-^ realized in war times, when the demand was active and mcmey plenty but from mv observation in our section there has lieen no period since the war when the industrious well managing farmer could not make a goo.l living f..r himself and family and even lay ui. sometinig besides The main' trouble, as it appears to me, '«. tlV^^'^'"'^''-^ '1 l , o. si times, habits of extravagance were formed m living, m dress, m house furnishing and every other line of expenditure, and as a conse- quence, the outlays are in excess of the income. 28 Quarterly EEroiiT. Let us turn our attention to potatoes, tobacco and other crops with which we can conri)ete successfully with the i)ro(lucts oi the west. So far as my observation ^oes, I am encourag-ed to believe that York county offers inducements to those pro[)osin^^ to eng-age in farming- pursuits that are excelled by few other localities. The ada]>tation of our land to raising a diversity of crops, our exemption from protracted drouths that so often blasts the hoi)es of western farmers, our prox- imity to the eastern markets, nnd blessed with an intelligent and order-loving people, gives to the farmers of York county great reasons to be justly proud of the favored position they occupy as an ag-ricul- tural people. GERMAN CAEr. By Dr. Wm. B. Bigler, Sprxngville, Pa, (Read at the Perry County Institute.) During a number of years prior to 1877, persons interested in fish culture from time to time called attention to the rapid disappearance of nuiny of our favoriti^s from the streams of our most populous states, but they faded to suggest any substitutes. In the above year, at the instance of the late Spencer F. Baird (who was in his time fannliar with all the streams and mountains of Perry county), a number of adult German carp, in charge of a German fish culturist of large ex- perience, were shipped from Bremen, consigned to the Smithsonian Institute. These fish were brougdit over at the expense^ of our na- tional government, and reached Washington, May 27, 1877. Tliough they were all adults they did not spawn before the following y^ar (1878) . Mr. Hassel, the German culturist, took charge of the Smith- sonian ponds on his arrival. The annual product of these naticmal carp ]K)ndsis distributed each year, about November 1, without cost other than express charges to persons who apply throudi a member of congress. This is a cheap method of securing small lish, but it is not the best ; the fish will l)e found to l)e about four inches in length, and no aj^dicant will receive more than twenty fish. The pro])erway to stock a new pond is to purchase about six*^ or eight adult or four- year-old fish of the variety you may prefer, from a culturist whose ponds are stocked with that variety only, and these will, under favor- able circumstances, fnlly stock a pond of a half acre inside of one year from t)lantiiig, and in three years you will have all the market- able fish your pond can healthfully sustain. When adult fish are transferred to a new pond in October or November, we incur small risk of loss; as a rule they will all live, while in ])lacii)g yonng hsh, those a year old or h^ss, in new waters, the losses are geiierallv very ^t\at ; fully ono-half will dic^ before the end of the first winter. ' This fatality among car]) fiy has been noticed by most Pennsvl- vanians who have received their supplv from either the state or Smithsonian ponds, and is suscei>tible of but one explanation Pennsylvania State Boaud of AaiacuLTUiiE. 29 The young fish generally reach their destination in an exhausted con- dition, and at a season too late and cold for their taking any food that might revive them, they enter on their five months' fast, hungry and unacclimated to their new home. Is it not a matter of sar])rise that any survive? Adult fish, having taken on more fat, and possessing more stamina, will always survive a fall transfer, and come u]> smiling in the s[)ring. The best season for ship])ing fry, young carp, is from April 15 to May 1, as about that season they begin to take food and the temperature of the water is not so low as in November. Many pros])ective carp culturists, when they look about them for a proper site for a pond, seem to think that if they have a. si)ring of X)ure fresh water they have the one thing needful for the propagation of German car]), and right here they make a most unfortunate mis- take. It is true that carp can live in cold spring water, and I may as well say it here, they can live in almost any water, in the filthiest mudhole by the roadside, or even in the briny water of the ocean, but their proi)er element, that in which they will not merely live, the w^ater in which they will live, thrive and increase is that which tiows a distance of a mile or even many mileb, through * poud of an acre or even less. The original home of these fish was Central Asia, whence some sup- pose they were brought into Europe by the Komans at the time the vast armies of that g-reat empire were over-running almost all of the then known world, but the fish they introduced were not the carp as we have them here to-day. The orig-inal carp was a fish reg-ularly cov- erecl with silvery white and golden yellow scales, and of much smaller p-owth than tliese. More than a thousand years of culture has brought out Irom the Asiatic orig-inals. two distinct varieties of carp and now a third one is being- developed. First. We have the cyprinus carpio communis, or scale carp, bein^r the original species improved. This variety is as completelv covered with scales as our native carp, and rarely grows to a weifrht of ten pounds. Second. Theqfprinus carpio specnlaris, or the mirror carp, so called on account of the larger mirror-like scales found in two or three rows alon.g the sides of the body and along- the back, with the rest of the body bare ihis car]> has been known to reach extraordinary weiohts ^^n^r- 'V^Ur''''" ^'''^^^''^^' ^''' ^''^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^ l>rolific as the scale carif ' ' iliird. J he n/prinus carpio nndm, or leather carp, which mav have a lew arge scales along each side of the dorsal fin, or, as we occa- car]). It is said, they take on a more rapid growth and reach even grcuiter weights than the second variety but are still less prolific. All of these carp are excellent table fish, but as for one, I prefer the mirror or leather s])ecies to the scale carp. They have a shorter, stouter and more fleshy body, they grow morera])idly, are hardier and increase quite fast enough to stock any ponds we may build. A spawner will be found to contain as may as 600,000 eggs, while a scale carp is said to contain many more. I mean that a mirror carp will lay or S[)awn that number each year. In their growth we find that they will continue to increase in length until they reach four feet, and will scarcely ever exceed that length ; any after-g-rowth will but add to their circunit'erence. I can give no better illustration of the enormous growth of the mirror carp than I find in the report of Mr. Hessel, superintendent of tlie United States car]) ponds at Washington, and will quote from him: "Old men whose credibility and truthi'ulness could not be doubted, assured me and gave me the most detailed accounts of the capture of this species of fish in former years, giants which weighed from fifty to sixty pounds, and which they had seen themselves. During the Cri- mean war a French engineer officer at Widdin, on the Danube, in Turkey, killed by a bullet shot a carp that weighed sixty-seven pounds. I had some of its scales in my ])ossession, which each had a diameter of tw^o and one-half inches. Their structure indicated, to a certaiuty, that the age of this fish could be no more than twenty years at the most. It is a well-known fact that two large carps (the plural here is Mr. Hessel) , weighing from forty -two to fifty -five pounds, were taken sev- eral years ago on one of the Duke of Oldenburg's domains in north Germany. Tliese two specimens mig-ht, from their size, be calcu- lated to be comparatively old fishes : it was proved they were only fif- teen years old. A chronicle of the Monastery of .Molk in Austria, re- fers to a carp weighing- seventy-eight pounds, which had been cap- tured on Ascension day, in the year 1520. Another record speaks of a carp that had been taken in the tiiirddecinnium of the present century in the lake of Zug, in Switzerland, and which weighed ninety pounds. These giants are certainly only wonderful exceptions, and have be- come celebrated throug-h the scarcity of such occurrences, but still, these facts are encourag-ing illustrations, that it is possible for such large specimens to g-row in favorable water. " Mr. Hessel also informs us that they reach a very advanced age, that specimens can now^ be founnd in Austria, that are known to be more than one hundrd and forty years old I now have in my ponds, in York county, fish six years old that weigh twenty i)Ounds each, they are three feet in length and about twenty inches in circumfer- ence. An average four-year-old carp should weicrh about six pounds, at tw^o years they should be nearly a foot in length and weigh a pound and a half to two ])()uiids, a yearling is eight inches long and weighs about ten to twelve ounces, a car]) of tli«' i)ast summer (we call them fry) is from tliiee to four inches long- and weighs two to three ounces. During the summer of 1883, the first German cari» raised in the United States were tried as a table fish and because^ so little was known of thc^.ir hal)its,abnost ;dl who tasted them condemned them in most emphatic terms, pronouncing them one of the greatest frauds of the age. The result was, many who had built and stocked ponds, allowed them to fail into neglect, and the fish to have their own sweet r / 32 Quarterly Eeport.' Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 33 will, g'iviiio;' them no further care. Oiii' wlio tasted tliem then said, "The Dutch may have taken Holhind but tliey can't take the United States with carp for bait." Indeed it seemed then that the German carp were destined to ^o" where the woodbine twineth," until Mr. Hessel and some others came to tlie front in tlieir defense. We then learned that we knew very little of the habits and iiature of these fine tisli, or we would not have tasted them in the si)awnin*;- season. Now, carp spawn durinir every summer month, and like the oyster, are unfit to be eaten in nionths without an 11, indeed we can, in the case of the carp, add Ajnil and October to the list of interdicted montlis. It was S[)eiicer F. Baird Avho said, "No fish is fit to be eaten durino; and im- mediately after the spawning- season," and why it was*^ because we did not know this, when we are careful to observe the same rule in reg-ard to all otlii^r meats we eat. AMien caught at any season by drawing" the water fioni a pond, they an^ unfit to eat directly after they are caught, because when the water is- withdrawn we catcli them in mud and water, that, through their g-ills and circulation has permeated the flesh of the whole fish. If eaten then they will have a nasty, musty, muddy taste, but if they are allowed to pass a proba- tionary period of a week or ten day sin a gravel bottomed pool of clear water, or in a "live box," then have them prepared for the table in \yhatever style you like any of our native fish, and I will be i-eady to listen to your criticisms. Their being- at their best in winter when no other fish are to be had in our markets, makes their culture a very profita])le industry, one that will ])ay better returns for time, labor and money invested, than any other now open to the down-trodden farmer. A well cared for ciirp pond, five years after planting- should and wdl pay, in actual receipts, two hundred dollars per annum per acre of pond, if the original stock consisted of about ten adults and two thousand fry to the acre. Should any of my hearers contem])late carp culture, please allow me to whisper a few words of advice ; do not be too sang-uineof imme- diate success as there is much to be learned that only experience will teach, and avoid undertaking ex[)eriments, thinking- you can improve on the results of ten centuries of hard-earned schooling. We Ameri- cans are apt to thiidv we can beat all nations, and we may in some thmg-s, but we can't beat the Dutch raising- cari). I have saidnotliing' of the ])leasure to be derived from watching- the growth of these almost household pets, and having- about reached the limit of my pa])er, I will close with an opinion from that quaint old fisherman, Isaac K. Walton, who talked and wrote fish three hundred years ag-o. He says, " We mav sav of fishing- as Dr. Boteller said of strawberries, * Doubtless God could have made a better beiTv but doubtless God never did :' and so, if I mig-lit be judge, God never did make a more calm, quiet, innocent recreation tlian fishing-." HOUSE PLANTS. By Mrs. Mary E. Gahle, Harper a. Pa. (Read at Nazareth Institute.) The culture of flowers is one of those pleasures that improve the mind and heart, and makes every true lover of them wiser, purer and nobler. It teaches industry, patience, faith and hope. We plant and sow m hope and patiently wait with faith for the harvest that will surely come. Thoug-h we often make failures, yet these failures should teach us to observe more carefully and obev more strictly na- ture's laws. There is g-reat pleasure in success, and failures cause dis- appointment and pain, but ex[)erience is the g-reat teacher and the book of nature is open to all who wish to study its beauties and mys- teries. The care of flowers interests us in plant growth and leads to the acquirement of much useful knowledge. Flowers have a refining- influence on the mind and character of all who grow them. When the Creator created man— ])ure in all his in- stincts—made after His own imag-e, He placed him in a g-arden to dress and trim it. To make home pleasant during the long- dreary winter there is nothing to compare to flowerin.g plants, for it is a duty to make everything- as cheerful ;ind l)right as })ossible, esp(H-ially when the sky is dull and leaden, and but few realize how beauitful the hom(^ may be made, and how much enjoyment and pleasure may be had for ourselves and friends and every one who sees our home, as little or no expenses with a little work each day. They are a constant chdig-ht, for each day bring-s new wonders and real p^leasure and en- joyment. Some persons are under the impression that it is a diflicult matter to g-row flowers well, but they are mistaken; if they care enoug-li for flowers to g-ive them the care they rec^uire they can g-row tln^m easily. But they must not expect those that have g^iven of their bounty all summer to continue flowering- all winter. A season of rest is al)so- lutely necessary to nearly all plants. Preparation for winter should begin as earlv as June, or even earlier. In potting- plants we cannot be too careful about the drainagfe. W^e should ])lac(» an inch or two of broken pottery in tlie bottom of each ]>ot, then fill with g-ood soil. We must also g-ive them all the sunshine ])ossible, for our ^^yntci- days are short and often cloudy and our flowers suffer in consequence. We should also be careful about g-iving- too much water. It is so easy to get into the habit of daily wat(n-i]ig, and we do not tak(i into consid- eration that ill cloudy weather the evaporation is not so g-reat, and in coiise(pienc<' the soil is in daiig-cr of souring. Water should be with- held until the surface of the soil hx^ks dry, and then f^ive enougli water to wet the entire ball of (^nrth. In winter the Avater shoidd be waruKHl alitth'. The soil about the plants should b(> fre(piently stirn^l, as it prevents it from hanhMiiiig-, and ])ermits the air to penetrate inore readily to the roots of the ))lants. Kee]) all dving- and decaying- leaves i)icke(l ofl*. The i)lants should be turned quite fre- 34 QUAliTEKLY IIePOKT. qnently and be so arranged that we have the best view of them in the house.' We want them for the pleasure of those we love. We want them to brighten onr home and beautify our rooms, and not to display them to our neiglibors or a passing stranger. As often as possible they should be taken and given a thorough showering so that their foliage may be kej)t free from dust and from the ravages ot the red spider Neither should we try to grow too may kinds, but try and have those plants that re(juir(^ the same general treatment such as the geranium, petunia, etc. The geranium is one of our best house l>lants. It will grow well in almost any kind of soil. It will stand dust and drought and almost all kinds of neglect, and is less hable to attack from insects than most other plants. It is a good bloomer, especially the single varieties ; the flowers vary in color from the most intense scarlet to the purest white. Then there are the sweet scented and the fine foliag(id varieties which are always beautiful. The helio- trope is another old-fashioned Hower loved by old and young, because of its modest beauty and the fragrance of its flowers. The verbena with me has never been a success owing to its liability to the attacks of the aphis or greenfly, but were it not for that it would be one of the best. The calla lilly should have a place in every collection ()f i3lants. It pays well for all the care bestowed upon it by the inirity and fragrance <')f its flow(}rs, but to be successful with it water should be given freely both in the saucer and the soil. We should also give a place to the begonia as we have but few better jdants for the win- dow. There are many varieties of this plant, tlu^ flower ranging through all shades of white, shading to ]Hnk to the most intense scar- let. The fuchsia is a good plant for a north window, but it is a shy bloomer, but a few coleus mingled among them make a very attrac- tive window. There are many other plants suitable and beautiful for window culture, but time will not permit me to speak of them to-day, but every window should have some trailing plant as they add much to the gracefulness and beauty. If any of the annuals are not done blooming in the flower garden, takc^ them up and they will lepay usfor the ])]easure we will have with them. One of the ])lants that afforded ns the most enjoyment the i^ast winter was the morning glory. Al most daily it had fresh bl(M)m. Ihit a constant warfare must be ke])t up for insects, for if left to themselvs they will soon destroy the choicest plants, but here "prevention is better than cure." If the plants are not neglected, the danger from insects will not be so great. SHEEP. By Emanuel Stoner, TTellam^ Pa, (Read at Stewartstown Institute, ) Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 35 and wool took the place of skins as an article of raiment, the industry of sheei) raising increased to an extent that it is to day of vast impor- tance. I find the sheej) beneficial in various w^ays. In the spring of the year, when the grass has made sufficient growth, I turn sheep into my orchard ; here I find them a threefold benefit, fertilizing my trees, eating u[) all defective api)les that droi) and thereby destroying thous- ands of larvfe that would otherwise ilevelop into some insect or worm that would be injurious to the fruit, making good fat lambs for the butcher. I find tlu^m helpful in keei)ing my fence corners clean. About the middle or latter Dart of August when the corn begins to ripen, I turn my sheep into the cornfield. I find thc^m an advantage here, they will utilize the lower blades of the corn that would other- wise go to waste, and clean u]) the weeds and opon up the corn and thus freely admit the sun and air which will aid the corn in ripening, and also make it much nicer to cut, saying nothing about the satisfac- tion it aff"(n"ds me to look at them enjoying themselves in the cool shade of the corn, and out of the reach of the annoying gadfly that is raging about at that time of the year. During the summer months when there is little to sell off the farm to meet current expenses, I often find my little fiock a great heli)meet in keeping some ready cash in my pockets, which we all know, is a con- venient thing to have. In August, 1889, I invested one hundred and thirty dollars in ewe shee]> ; by July 15, 1890, I had sold two hundred dollars worth oi lambs and wool, retaining six of my best ewe lambs, and wool enough to make an entire home-produced suit of clothing and still having my old stock for next year's business. Compare sheep with the cow. Take forty dollars as the average P'ice of a cow ; then calculate six i^ounds of butter a week (which 1 think is a high average) , for forty-five weeks, and it will make two liundred and seventy pounds of butter ; then figure on twenty cents I)er pound (which is another high average), which will amount to fifty-four dollars; add seven dollars for a calf, which makes a total in- come of sixty-one dollars. Now, invest forty dollars in sheep, buying ten head of ewes ; calculate one and one-half lambs per head wliicli gives you fifteen lambs. Sell them at four dollar a i>iece (which has been ray lowest average so far), which amounts to sixty dollars; add fifteen dollars for wool, making the total income sevent3^-five dollars; deduct sixty -one dollars, [)roceeds of the cow experiment, leaving four- teen dollars in favor of the sheep, to say nothing about the long rou- tine of work connected with the cow. There is a prevailing idea amongst us Pennsylvania farmers that the sheep treads with something like a poisonous foot and will very quickly impoverish your land. This is not my experience ; I find that sheep improve the condition of my land. I am more inclined to ac- cept that old English maxim that " the sheep treads with a golden hoof. " In early times the sheep became the readiest means of providing food anti clothing for the human family. As civilization advanced 36 Quarterly Eeport. Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 37 CLOVEE. By J. E. Carnahan, Cochran^s MillSj Pa, (Read at Klttannln)? Institute.) Clover is a biennial ])lant ; it is rarel}'' we can rely on it for more than two years, and unless it is v)roi)erly handled it is very short lived, especially so the mammoth kinds. The flowers that are the most fragrant and most beautiful are the hardest to cultivate. It is the same with all vegetation ; those that are the most valuable are the hardest to ^row ; obnoxious weeds and grasses g-row against the wishes and warfare wag'ed on them by all g'ood husbandmen. Plants that are of the least benefit to man are the most likely to be- come i)r(Hlominant, and the reverse, the most useful require the most study and the greatest care. To be successful with an}" plant it is necessarj" for us to study its nature and be ready to g'uard it against its common enemies. Ac- cording to the nature of the most valuable plants, those that are al- lowed to mature and produce seed, thus having fulfilled their function in life, are ready for decay. By careful observation I liave found if we wish to be successful in g^rowiiig- clover, it is very imi)ortant that it should iiever be pastured too close. It should be allowed to make a fair g^rowth throug-h the season, as otherwise the roots become lifeless and rusty and soon decay. There is nothing- in the animal kingdom that can live when its lung's are entirely gone ; it is true, a being may still continue to exist tliougli the lung's are badly decayed, but they only exist, that is all, little vitality and little life. The same is true of the veg'etable kincrdom. The foliage and the blossoms are their lungs through which they breath, and should it be necessary at any time to deprive them of their most necessary organs, we should give them a reas(mable show at least to renew life. I have been asked l)y a large number of farmers why clover died after producing seed. This rarely happens, only through a dry sea- son, unless it is through bad management or not understand ini: its nature. I find quite an aversion to the mammoth varieties on this ac- count. I am friendly to the mammoth clover. The clover that pro- duces the most vegetable matter adds the most fertility to the soil, and if it is treated in the same manner as is customary with the small varieties it would stand equal with it for length of life. The custom of cutting the first crop for hay, thereb}^ stagnating its growth, causing it to take on new life and vitalit}^ developing new roots which are life to a plant and i^roducing seed at a more favorable season an hen there is less danger from drouth is recommended. It has been the custom with most farmers that have tried the large clover to grow seed from the first croj). I have found from twentv years' ex]ier- lence and observntion flint the seed-producing period is the most critical 7ieriod of ])lant life and tliat if we wish some of our most valuable Dlants to i)r()duce seed and still live, it is necessary to retard their growth some I time through the season, causing them to take on new vitality. Were this theory studied and practiced by farmers there would be two fields of clover two years hence for every one at the present time I have been asked ({uite frequently how I managed the large clover for seed. For the benefit of those who have little experience I will say I usually [)asture close from the time it is fit for pasture until the twenty-fifth of May or the tenth of June, according to the season and the condition of the ground for producing growth, or where the pas- ture can be spared, I would prefer clipping with a mowing machine which would leave the land cleaner from weeds than pasturing, llie tender clover that is cut off is readily converted into plant food and adds greatly to the aftergrowth and quantity of seed. The pasturing or clipping has a tendency to thicken the growth. Where it is desired for iiay I would advise sowing it with timothy and cutting while in full bloom, before rather than after, as after that time it loses its lus- cious quality, stalks become woody and makes dusty hay and is not near so much relished by stock or as valuable to the dairy for produc- m alling. It is a fact that in many places many farms have been actually abandoned, and all over this huid the cry and wail goes up from the farmers, "how can we con- tinue our present vocation under existing* circumstances?" Every cereal crop has depreciated in value to such an extent that the farmer does not realize more than from one-half to two-thirds as many dollars per acre for his land as he did thirty years ago. It may be true that at times everything seems to l)e joy and sun- shine in the farmer's life, when, too, the dark cloud of agricultural de- spondency and despair arises along our country's horizon and then poverty sits on the hearthstone and starvation stares in the face the ijimates of our American homes. It did in the fall of the year 18G0, when President Buchannan sent his message to- cong-ress in which he used these words : "Panic and distress of a. fearful character prevails througliout the land." How many farms are there to-day under mort- gage? Their number is legion. The farmers' crops have failed and he has been compelled to mortage his farm to keep the wolf from the door thinking that perhaps again another year he would be able to hit the mortgage, but, alas, he is only more convinced by the stern reality of the fact that he is farther back than ever. But creditors must have their money, so the mortirage is foreclosed and the poor farmer, with his wife and children, are turned from their home to stiirve or live as best they can. And it is not the farmer alone that sutters, his wife who shares his joys and sorrows has her l)row fur- rowed with care. The mention of a farm life brings to our minds the thoughts of blooming orchards witli their sweet-scented blossoms or suidi-ht upon the dewy g-rass with all its loveliness shines forth like a jewel whose setting is fashioned by the hand that framed tiie universe Ihere is no limit to the ways we can beautify our homes and their surroundings, it matters not if it is a cot or palatial residence on the larm, it tJiere is the pure, unadulterated love of father and niother, brothers and sisters, within it, it is a heaven upon earth It has been said that^iiowers are the alphabet of angels wherewith they write on nils and plains mysterious truth," and where can we see more than on a farm? The farmers breathe the purest air Ihe boys and girls who live on a farm are the liap])iest, they make the best men and women, l^he greatest nuni and womc^n of to day were reanul on a farm. The grirls and boys of the farms can secure positions that town youths cannot ol)tain. i. Tlie farmer arises early in the morn and goes forth singing or whist- Img, falling- the air with the g-lorious sounds of life. He views the rising sun as it bursts forth in all its beauty and grandeur, he hears tiie birds among the trees chirp forth their morning ])raise to their Creator. Besides, there is a sociability among farmers that is not elsewhere, they seem like one vast family ; what interests one inter- ests all. To the farmer bo}', be content to that brightest of lives — farm life. Be content to stay with that dear father and mother whose loving voices and gentle hands have done* so much for you, for soon the time will come when you will feel the gentle touch of those hands on your aching brow no more. . '' Listen as we will the voi(3es of tliat hearth are still ; Tjook where we will the wide earth o'er, Those lighted faces smile no more ; We tread the paths their feet liave worn, We sit beneath their orchard trees, We hear like them the hum of bees And rustle of the bladed corn ; We turn the pages tUey have read, Their written words we linger o'er ; But in the sun they cast no shade. No voice is heard, no sign is made. Yet love will dream and faith will trust That somewhere, somehow, meet we must.'* KOTATION OF CROPS. By W. A. Jackson, West Middlesex^ Pa. (Read at Pulaski Institute.) The tiller of the soil is one who is closely allied with the great Creator and he should follow the lines indicated to him through the vegetable kingdom of the world. He should make a study of the lines more es[)ecially when after having looked at the first crop which was piant<'d in the virgin soil by the unseen hand of God. We look into the deep forest, we see the majestic trees i-tanding in thoir great- ness. We look over the plains, we see them covered with a green car[)(^t of grasses (as we may call them,) and what a vaiiety ; then also it is true that in certain localities as we look into the lirst great cro[) i)lanted by the omnipotent hand of the Almighty, we discover that as certain kinds of timber predominate, the same is found to be tnu^ in the grass crop. This, beyond a doubt, teaches us that the cliaracter of the soil is different in different localities. Let us look again into this first crop and see if we cannot come to some conclusion as to the certainty of the substance (5alled ]dant food. Was it ]daced there by the Creator of all things as a common mass, or would it be more reasonable^ for us to come to the conclusion that th<» All-wise Maker in furnishing i)laiit-foot for the vegetable world, displayed His wisdom in the furnishing of a variety, so that each ])lant could find food adapted to its own kind and for its development and LH'owth ? Tf we bc^lieve this theory, that tliere is a variety in the supply of plant-food laid away in the soil, is it not wise for us to a(loi)t the rotary system or frequent change of crops on the same piece of irroundt 40 Quarterly Eeport. Farmers, as a g*eneral rule, combine stock raising and fanning tlirou^li this part of the country. We will say a man who has a farm of one hinulred acres, he does not till more than hfty acres or one- half of his farm. 1 would recommend dividing- the portion he intends to cultivate into four fields. Take one of the fields, and su])})ose it has been in clover i;()iu<>' on two years, and ri«"ht here let me empha- size this su})])osition that every good farmer has a clover field of two years' g-rowth ready to plow under for corn. I would not recommend plowing' too early in the spring. Have your field ready for idantiug- by tl^e first or fifth of May, and plant as soon as the season will permit. The s])ring following-, sow the corn stubble in oats. After harvesting the oats, turn the oats stubble under and ])repare the ground for wheat. The spring following, sow tlie wheat field in clover, six quarts of seed to the acre. In this rotation you just get around your fields every four years. You will have raised one croi) of corn, one of oats, one of wheat and three croi)s of clover. If your clover field has a good catch, you can cut the first crop aljout the beginning of Septendjer. You will have nearly a ton to the acre of very good cow or sheep food. From my experience I believe it is better for the clover to have the first crop taken off in the early fall, as it leaves it in better condition to winter. The succeeding season you can secure two good crops of clover hay. The idea of this little talk with you is to recommend the rotation of crops. There are some of our best farmers who do not like the plan of sowing wheat on oats stubble. This is the difficulty. Some rea- sons the oats that have drop]ied from the gathering of the croj) come up and hinder the growth of the wheat. We would recomme;id plow- ing the oats stubble as soon as possible after the crop has been se- cured so that the oats in the ground will have had time to sprout and grow. Then destroy the young oats with a vibrating harrow or a two- horse cultivator before drilling in the wheat. I have not, as yet, said anything about the application of manure for fertdizing these crops. If you expect to manure the ground in~ tended for corn I would suggest the hauling of it for the winter sea- son, and spreading it evenly over the surface. The melting snow nud the rams will leach out the rich material of the manur(^ and they be- come incorporated in the soil, where they will soon be reduced to plant-food. I would a])ply no manure on the oats crop, but reserve all that can be secured for the wheat croj). It is my opinion that a great many of tlH» farmers make a most decided mistake in allowing their manure to lie in the barnyard where it is exposed to the rain and the heat of the sun -. fully fifty i)er cent, of its fertilizing qualities are lost before it reachs the field. By all means have the manure pile under cover. ^^^o ai)])lying fertilizers to the corn crop we usually drop it into the hill. With thought in reference to the nature of the corn, the way it develops and matures its crop, we would come to a diflfer- ent conclusion. It is true the fertilizer is of some use to the young tender plmit as it starts in its growth; so(m the little rootlets wfll have left the base and are seeking su])plies of nourishment more re- mote from where the fertilizer has been dropped around th(' grain hence the objectifm ; I would suggest spreading it all over the suHace* or at least s|)reading it well if applied in the hill. The tiller of the soil who makes a study of the app.lication of fertilizers and the nature ot the sod he is cultivating has great room for thought, as he dis- Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 41 covers the delicate ])lant as it makes its appearance through the soil and as he notes its growth from day to day, and the color of its foli- age, he can come to a correct conclusion as to the i>rosi)ectof being re- warded for his labor. He may be a man that has an intellect which is not satisfied fully with simi)ly knowing that he has been rewarded for his labor. He may have a desire to press his investigation further and try to find out more of the nature of ])lant life. He may carefully remove the covering and trace the little rootlet as they have pene- trated the soil. He may look for the little mouths which suck in the substance that is adapted to the growth of the plant it is su[) plying. But right here liis investigation sto])s. He sees nothing but the sharp pcunt of these little leaders. He may turn his investigation to the leaf or blade. Here he runs inte another difficulty of the same nature. He stops and wonders how it is that the little tendrils draw substance from the soil, the leaves and blades from the atmosphere, and these two elements combined make sap or blood, that, in a mj^sterious way, form stock, and through the i)roeess of growth, mature the crop. The part the Great Creator reserves to Himself is the producing of food and raiment for His creatures is beyond the capacity of man. The conditions for securing a crop are made plain to the tiller of the soil ; he has to prepare the ground, place the seed in the soil at the proper time of the season, then the Great Creator does his |)art by causing the sun to shine to warm the soil, and the rain to fall, and through these conditions the crop grows and matures THE MILK SEPARATOR AND BABCOCK MILK TESTER IN PRACTICAL USE. ByW. E. Perham, ML Pleasant^ Pa, (Read at Tyler Hill Institute. ) Probably the greatest advance made in dairy practice in recent times is due to the introduction of centrifugal api)aratus for the con- tinuous separation of cream, and the question usually asked by the dairymen not acquainted with its use are : " How does it work and what separates it?" These questions are best explained in the follow- ing words from the Pennsylvania Experiment Station, Bulletin No. 20, Tests of Dairy A])paratus : "The fat of milk is its most valuable constituent and the one which the l)uttermaker aims to separate from it as completely as possible. "This fat exists in milk in the form of extrenjely miinite irlol)ules floating in a lu^ivier li(pii(l. Wiien we let milk stand undisturbed, these minute globules rise toward the top aud accumulate in the upper part of the milk, crowding out a considiMable ])ortion of the liquid in whii-li they are suspended. This u])per part of the milk where the fat globules are most numerous is the cream. It is ]>lain fiom this explanation that we may get more or less bulk of cream from 42 Quarterly REroRT. tli(3 same milk ficeoi'din**" to tlie time allowed for the globules to rise and according*' as tliey are able to crowd out the li(iuid more or less com[)letely ; consequently the bulk of cream is a \er\^ inaccurate measure of the butter value of milk, a fact which has been proved b}^ a'oundant experience. The object of a separator is to hasten this i)ro- cess by substituting*' centrifugal force for gravity. If we swing a bucket of water around at an arm's length rapidly we feel a pull on the arm. This is caused by the so-called centrifugal force, the force which tends to make a revolving body move away from the center of motion The faster we swing the pail the greater is the i)ull, and ac- curate experiments have shown that the centrifugal force increases as the square of the velocity, that is to say, if we swine: the ])ail tw ice as fast the \ml\ becomes four times as great, if we swing it three times as fast it become nine times as great and so on. If we put milk in the ])ail in j)lace of water and swing it ver}^ fast the centrifugal force Avould pull the milk against the bottom of the pail, just as grav- ity does when the ])ail is at rest, the only difference being, that if the pail were swung very rapdily the centrifugal force Avould be much greater than gravity, and the pull on the i^iilk correspondingly greater. The i^esult would be that the cream would rise to the surface of the milk just as it would inider the influence of gravity, but more rapidly in i)roi)ortion as the centrifugal force was greater than the force of gravity. " The earliest centiifugal separator was constructed exactly on this plan, the milk being revolved rapidly in small buckets. The step which made the sei^arator of })ractical value was in 1879, when De- Laval constructed a machine for continuous separation. " Hand machines were first introduced into this country in the spring of 1887, but the machines then in use were larger and much more cumbersome in every resj^ect than the i)resent ones. In 1889 the 'Baby' No. 1, wdth a capacity of one hundred and fifty pounds of milk an hour, w\as first put on the market and was then deemed a wonderful nuichine. In the summer of 1890 the 'Baby' No. 2 was in- tio(bu^ed, with a capacity of three hundred i)ounds of milk an Inmr. This was followed last spring by 'Baby' No. 3, with a skimming ca- pacity of six hundred pounds of milk an hour, and as dairymen are beginning to appreciate the importance of getting through with their work as quickly as possible, and that time means money in their business as well as every other, so that the sales of No. 8 bids fair to •soon exceed that of No. 2. "A careful and exhaustive test, and of a throughly practical nature has been made by the Cornell University Station, "^ Bulletin No. 39, which gives the following statement. Per cent, of fat -_.._- ^ , ^^ ^ in skim-milk, Centrifup^al, Baby No. 2, .09 Centrifugal, horizontal, .'!.*.'.* .19 Tool ey set at forty ay our taxes and give us the long-sought-for graded roads t(j our markets. We think you will have no trouble to count on your lingers the farmers in this county who can tell just w^hat their cows are doing, which aie i)aying theui and which are not. We milk our cow^s and (h) our dairy work much the same as the school boy gets his lesson ; if it is only done and we get a fair quantity of milk, it is all we care about. Do you ever stop to consider whether the cow you are milking is producing three, four or five per cent, of fat, or the differ- ence between a three and a five percent, cow? The former will produce one hundred and forty-seven i^ounds and the latter two hundred and fifty -four pounds of butter in a year. Some wdll say that the cow giv- ing the i)oor milk will give enough more to make uj) the difference, but such is not always the case, for some of our largest milkers are also the richest. You will find tliis to be true with some of your own herd if you ever take the trouble to test them. To increase the butter-fat of a herd it is not necessary to decrease the flow of milk. It only takes ^about ten [)ounds of milk from the Jersey cow to make a pound of butter, although she has a year's record of 10,954 pounds of milk which made 1,074 i)ounds of butter, and this from a cow weighing only nine hundred and fifty pounds. This seems marvelous to most of us dairymen wdio are satisfied with a cow^ that wdll ])roduce two Jiundred pounds a year. Prof. J. P. Roberts, in a recent article, says, " The five things nec- essary in getting up a good dairy are a w^ise man, a full meal bin, a milk tester, scales and shot gun." In testing our own herd I found they varied, leaving out heifers, from 8 to 5.8 per cent, butter-fat. During the best of the season they were making fron) .85 to 1.87 i)ounds of l)utter a day, with an average of four and one-half ]iounds of butter to one hundred ])ounds of milk. We, as a rule, are feeding, milking and housing two cows to do the work of one, and think in a few years we w^ill be able to give a much bet- ter record tlian from the present herd. The w^eather was so cold that we stopped running the separator about December 1, and set the milk in tlu; house in pans. We noticed at once a large decrease in the amount of cream, and on testing the skin:-milk found it usually con- tained 1.4 per cent, of fat, so we were losing nearly one -third of our cream. Am satisfied that it pays to run a separator as long as you have milk to make butter. As to the power required to run one, C. H. Spencer run his sepa- rator successfully last fall with a dog weighing eighty pounds ; a shee]^ or calf would w^ork on the same power. We might refer you to N. J. Monroe, of Preston, w^io used a "Baby" se])arator last season, [ind from Ids dairy of twent3^-six cows he niad<' uinr hundred and thirty-three pounds more butter than he did the year before by setting his milk. This was an average gain of about fifteen ounces of butter to one hundred ]K)unds of milk. Tie realizcnl a profit of two hundi'ed and thirty-seven dollarps by using the se])arator. This is not guess w^ork, for Mr. Monroe weighs all his milk as well as tlu> butter. His butter netted him one dollar and eleven cents per one hundred pounds of milk, and his veal and hogs sold for enough to pay for his packages and having it made, al- 44 Quarterly EsroRT. Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 45 I tliou^rli, as he says, liis herd is far from bein.i2: a ^ood one, and tliey fell short of 4,000 pounds of milk to a cow foi' the year. The day is not far distant when nearly every dairyman will use the cream separator and milk tester, and he who delays in their use the lont^est will be the g-reatest loser in the end. For they never yet have found a sample of skim milk from any setting* apparatus, deep-setting* or otherwise, from which the improved separators would not take cream, and a cream which could be made into butter; and se])arator butter to-day commands the highest price of any butter in our markets. MARKET GARDENING. By Horace Sea mans, Factor yville,, Pa. (Read at Dalton Institute. ) Our princi])al crops for the Scranton market are tomatoes, onions, potatoes, sweet corn, cauliflower and peas. For tomatoes, we make the hot- bed with heating- horse manure by packing* it in a trench twenty inches deep. This trench is seven feet wide and long" enoug-h for ten sash. These are three by six feet. This is done March 20 to 25. We put on the frame and sash, and if our heating- ma- terial, the manure, heats up well in two days, put on five or six inches of g-ood rich dirt. This we sometimes keep in the cellar. The frame of boards must be banked up outside to the sash vNith same kind of heating: material. Sometimes the bed becomes very hot, if so, wait until it cools to one hundred and ten deg-rees or below before sowing- the seed. Then we sow in rows, six inches apart. Acme, Ig-notum and the New Stone tomato. In five days the plants appear. When the second leaves are formed we have another bed ready and transplant in rows six or eight inches apart, ])lants one inch apart in the rows. The soil needs stirring- often and the weeds ouirht to be thoroug-hly eradicated so that the crop has the best show. When the i)lants are four to six inches hig-h, they are ag-ain taken up and set in beds with very moderate bottom heat, two to four inches apart in rows. It is now the beg-inning- of May. The days are long- and the frosty nights less frequent. I now make a bed in open g-round. A cold frame when the frame is built. The plants are taken up with a ball of dirt on the roots of each and set in rows ten to twelve i aches apart and the rows eig-ht to ten inches apart. If frosty nig-hts come we cover with boards, carpets, etc About the fii-st week in June we have the ground prepared, very ordinary soil witliout manure will answer. We like to have this plowed at least twice, althoucrh sometimes we turn a sod in early spring and only work the surface with a harrow. AVe mark this both ways, if possible, making- the rows four and one-half by six feet fipart. '^ Per- haps this is not deep enoug-h ; if not we dig holes at the intersection of rows, as we set plants quite deep. Then we haul out the fertilizer Avhich is hen manure and plaster, thoroughly mixed. Our plants are now quite larg-e ; many are in blossom. We hitch our g-ood horse to the "stone boat," go to the plant-])atch, which has beeifwell watered, and with a si)ade we take up each plant se[)arately w^ith a spadeful of dirt attached to the roots. We haul forty to sixty ])lants each load. A double handful of fertilizer is put under each ])lant and the dirt drawn around it. In a week the culti\ator is run throug:li and the srround is kept loose. The second Aveek some dirt is drawn around the plants, and the third week, usually we finish our hoeing- by making as larg-e hills as possible around each plant. This we thfnk essential as it makes more roots, the more roots the more ;stems, the more stems the more fruit, the more fruit the more money, that is, if the market is right. This is the end until the rii)e fruit comes. We begin to look for this about the middle of Jul^y. Before the first of Aug-ust we expect to send a few to market. Then is the time to get g-ood i)rices. Usually one dollar to one dollar and fifty cents per basket, but the wholesale r-rice rapidly declines. We some- times blame the market man for this. One week they are one dollar or e\cr\\iy cents ; the next week fifty cents, the next twenty-five cents or even fifteen cents per basket, as during- the past season, but they rallied again to forty cents, making a fair average price for the whole crop. Early in March we procure our onion seed. Red and Yellow Globe, Danvers and Yellow Cracker. The first warm days of April wo make the surface of our onion bed ready for this crop by ])lowing, harrow- ing- and raking, havinsr used a plentiful supi)ly of fertilizer. We plant the fine black seed with a drill, in rows fourteen inches apart. If g-round is dry, rolling is very important : soon the fine weeds appear and when we can see the rows of onions we start our cultivator be- tween them. This answers as far as it goes, but in the rows finger work must be done. The early potatoes are put in the ground soon after onions are in. We plant Early Thorburn and Puritan ; make drills three feet a]>art in well prepared land. I use six hundred to one thousand i)ounds of ;special fertilizers per acre in drills and mix with the soil so as not to come in contact with seed. Use whole seed as there is less Inibility to rot. Seed ought to be planted eighteen to twenty-four iiKdies apart in drill. We cover by hand-hoes four inches deep. Within ten days we run the cultivator through lightly, and when the sprouts break ground, we go over it again and partly or wliolly cover them. After this the cultivator goes through the patch every week until ihe blossoms appear. .,- ^tt t-u Asi)aragus is very much in demand in our cities. We prepare the ground l)y many plowings and much manure, as this ]:»lant is a gross feeder. Plant in A])ril good, stnmg, one-year-c^d roots, three or lour inches deep; should be set eigliteen inches apart in rows four teet apart. The ground must be stirred frecpiently during th(' hrst year The second year, if the plants are vigorous, they will shade the land so much as to partially smother the weeds. The third year the bed <;an be cut for four weeks without weakening the roots. 46 QUAliTEliLY liEPORT. POTATO CULTURE. I I By John D. Hahtison, Saxonbury, Pa, ( Read at Butler Institute. ) The potato yields the hir^est quantity of nutritive elements from an acre of ^^round of all the food crops ^rown,when ^rown uiuler most favorable circumstances. The high nutritive character renders this croi) of nnich value and makes it very important that tlie n)ost skilful methods of cultivation should be api)lied to it, for, while the average yield is not niore than seventy-live bushels per acre, a very easily i)os- sible yield is three hundred bushels per acre, and under the most fa- vorable conditions, twice this quantity may be grown. If then, a farmer can live by growing an average crop, he could make a haiidsouie iirofit by producing the larger crop, and become rich by making the highest yield. This may be accepted as a luacti- cal fact because, while the ])otato is now used for human food it is. equally valual)le for all kinds of stock, and esi)eciallv useful and wholesome for ftHuliiig s^iue and making pork. The feeding of a croj) for profit is as strictly de[)endent upon the nature of the ])lant grown as the feeding of animals is dependent upon their peculiarities and the pur[>ose for which they are kept. An animal grows and thrives in proportion as the food given is suitable for its growth and meets its physical necessities. The science and practice of the culture of farm crops depend equally upon the same principle, and tlui food for the cro]> must be given to it as its needs require and in sufKcient quantity. With re- gard to tlie potato this is especially important, because the tubers and the other parts of the ])lant differ considerably in character and the former cannot grow without the latter. Thus in fecMling the potato the first thing to be done is to supi)ly the necessities of the tubers, for it IS a matter of general experience that one may have a remarkj'ibly vigorous growth of vines and scarcelv anv tubers, ^\\\\\v for a full pro- duct of tubers there must be a vigorous growth of vines, through which the large (luantity of starch and other carbonaceous matter in the tubers is gathered from the atmosphere and stored up in tiie tubers. The following table shows i\m difference between the tubers and vines in composition : Tn 200 hush rl.^ of tubers. Vines. ^;, :;^f "' 47 lbs. 20 lbs. H'^t^'^' 75i lbs. 1 lb. '^i"i<^ 3 lbs, 223 lbs Phosphoric acid, 24 lbs. 2hbs.* It is necessary to supply the needs of the vines as well as of tlie tubers, and fo [.rovide suflicic^nt lini(^ for the former, although th(> lat- ter have very little of this substance in them. Many farmers have made the mistake^ of api)lying leached ashes as a tertilizer for this crop, not thinking that all the potash has been removed by leaching and lime only left, thus affording abundant food Pennsylvania St\te Board of Agkiculture. 47 for the vines and nolie for the tubers, which require potash more than they do lime. But food alone is not all that is required. The potato plant has- abundant roots and is a heavy feeder, thus requiring every faculty for pushing its roots through the soil and spreading themselves. An ex- ceedingly mellow soil is therefore requiied and it must be deep to afford room for the tubers to form. Deep plowing is therefore re- quired, and the food must also be well distributed through the soil, and must be in a soluble condition. Hence artiticial fertilizers have been found best for the growth of large crops Again, this [)lant seems to require its food in a perfectly mineral- ized condition. With raw, undecomposed food, it is almost univer- sally disposed to disease. The destructive rot and distiguring scab prevail when stable manure is used, but are not troublesome when ar- tificial fertilizers are applied. With the right kind of fertilizers the quality of the tubers is generally excellent and the plants are healthy and productive, while on the same kind of ground and in adjoining rows in the same field, those crrown with stable manure have failed to yield a single marketable tuber. So that the effect of the food used, as learned by practical experience, is to be considered as well as the composition of it as made known to us by science. I have grown at the rate of six hundred bushels o potatoes per acre without any stable manure. It was on corn stubble that had been manured tlie vear before at the rate of thirty tons of stable manure ])er acre. When I ])lanted the potatoes I i^ow^ed the stubble ground and harrowed it thonmghly, then marked it out with a plow about five or six inches dee]), dropped my seed (whole potatoes) about fifteen inches distant in the row, and rows thirty inches apart. A special fertilizer is then sown over the seed and along the furrow at the rate of eight hundred pounds to the acre. The furrows are then plowed shut and the surface left so for eight or ten days when a spike harrow is run crosswise of the furrows to level the soil and kill the young weeds. As soon as the first leaves appear above the ground, T start the cultivator and keep at it once a week until they are in blossom, after which, usually, the whole field is covered with the vines. To lessen the expense in growing potatoes, there are two plans, viz : The first is to lessen the labor and save the time that does not de- crease the vield by using horse power in cultivation. The second, is to increase the yield. Objection has been made that potatoes are an exhaustive crop, but this is a mistake, for it leaves the ground in splendid condition for wheat. In my experience I have adopted this rotation: Clover, corn, with all the manure I can get i)lowed down, ])otatoes, then with eight hundred to one thousand pounds per acre, wheat and seeded to clover and timothy, and I find the land improves every time. 48 QUAliTEKLY EErOllT. ¥ Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 49 THE CARE OF FAEM ANIMALS. By N. H. EsH, Spruce Hilly Pa. (Read at East Waterford Institute.) One of the most im])ortaiit duties of the farmer is the care of his animals. They are the machines that convert his raw material into marketable products or supply force to till his soil. And the more smoothly these machines are kept running, the less the cost and the more dollars in his pocket. There are certain fundamental i)rinciples that cannot be ig-nored in the proper and most profitable care of all farm aninials, among' which are regularity of feeding and comfort of surroundings. No matter how much feed is given if it is not fed in regular and pro])er quantities and at regular times, we fail to get the full benefit. Or, if the ration be right in quality and quantity and given at regu- lar times to animals confined in a cold, draughty stable, a Avind- . swept barnyard, or a hot, dry, shadeless pasture, the result is no more satisfactory. All animals should have an abundance of water and free access to salt. Give them a varietv of food. Do not feed 3/oiir •cattle on cornfodder and nothing else, until that is all and then do the same with hay and straw. Give them some of each everv day. The iarmer whose wife would give him buckwheat cakes three "^tirnes a day from the first of November till the first of March, would think it a trifle monotonous, and so do his animals when they have no more variety, from fall till sirring, than the n^ajority of farm animals receive. The less i)alatable food should be fed in the morning, when the ap])etite is the sharpest, and that which is most readily eaten should be given in the evening. As to the care of the different kinds of animals. Horses should have regular work and exercise as well as regular feed and attendance. We farmers, as a rule, feed our horses too much and exercise them too little during the winter. Do not give them too much liay. Twenty pounds i)er day to an average sized horse is plenty. Feed th(^ most of it in the evening after the day's work is done. This amount of hay with enough grain to keep him in good condition, is cheai)er and bet- ter for the horse than all hay and no grain. I prefer a mixture of clover and timothy, about three-fourths clover, cut when half the clover heads have turned brown. I would feed to horses having good teeth, whole grain in the win- ter and ground feed mixed with chaff, or cut hay in the siimmn- If your rough feed is straw or timothy hay, let vour grain consist lar^-elv of oats or bran, or, better still, a mixture of the two. If fcedin^'- clover the grain ration may consist almost wholly of cr^-n. ^ Colts should have plenty of good hny and brig.it straw, with sound oats through the winter, and the run of a good pasture with plenty of shade and water in summer. Dairy cattle are the o])posite of horses, in that thev shoukl have all they will eat and in not needing much exercise. Comfort is the kev- note m the care of milch cows. What more pleasant sight to a lover of animals than a row of sleek, well fed, large-uddered cows in a clean comfortable stable? You feel sure that they have everything that makes a cow's life worth the living. Plenty of feed given with '"regu- larity and of sufficient variety to keep their appetites sharp. Waler should be cool enough to be refreshing, but not so cold that their vitals are frozen every time they take a drink Contrast this with that othar picture that can be seen in almost any community. A lot of cows turned out at sunrise on a cold winter mornino- to eat, trample on and fight over a lot of feed scattered over a barnyard that is as cold as the lee side of a wire fence. They get their water through a hole m the ice, and stand shivering with staring coat and humped-up back. The farmers who treat their stock in this way do not seem to know that it is a losing business as well as cruelty to animals. My own practice in feeding is about as follows : A feed of hay and gram in the morning ; at noon the coavs are turned out to water, the stable IS cleaned and bedded, the cows are tied-up and given oat- straw, followed in the evening with cornfodder and grain. The grain feed consists of corn ears and oats, ground together. About "^f our quarts are given at each meal, morning and evening, and one quart when they are tied up at noon. It would probably be better to sell part of the corn and buy coarse bran, linseed or cotton-seed meal to mix with the remaining corn. One of the most satisfactory rations for cows and fattening steers I ever Used, was composed of one bushel of cotton-seed meal mixed with three bushels of corn-chop. In summer, good pasture, sui)plemented with corn fodder in August and September when the pastures are getting short, is all! have found necessary. If your ])astures are not too far from the barn turn your cow out at night ; it will pay in the comfort of the cows and the in- creased flow of milk. A cow will eat more at night than in daytime, when the weather is hot and the flies are bad. But keep them in the yard or stable as soon as the frosty nights come and feed some hay, fodder, pumpkins, soft corn or anything that will keep up the flow of milk and yield of butter. Frozen c-rass is very poor feed. While there may not be much of a falling off in milk, yet the quantity of butter will be decreased very materially. Young cattle should have plenty of rough feed and some grain in the winter and pasture in summer. Sheep should have upland pas- ture in summer, early -cut clover hay, oat straw and grain in winter. My experience is that shee]) can be kept as well and at less cost on straw and hay for the rough feed as on hay only. Give them enough straw in the morning so that they can pick out the best and use the remainder for bedding. In the evening, give them grain and all the hay they will eat up clean and no more. Feed about one innt of grain to each sheep per day. Let your grain consist of corn and oats, fed whole. If yom* stock consists of breeding ewes, and you have no clover hay, let the grain ration l)e oats, or oats and l)ran. Avoid con- 8ti|)ation, as it is to be s]^ecially guarded against in shee]). If you wish to raise early lambs commence to feed the ewes grain in August. The increased number and strength of the lambs will amply re])ay the extra grain consumed. Where one person has the care of all the ani- mals on the farm, the sheep should be fed last in the morning and first in the evening. Hogs sliouhl have clean, dry cpiarters and should be kept growing from birth till they are slaughtered. To accomjdish this, give them 50 QUARTEllLY EErORT. Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 51 I I a variety of feed and don't attempt to make pork wiUi corn alone. The most nrotitable as well as the most wholesome i)ork is made with spring Dio-s that have the run of a izood pa^ure, preferably a bearing orchard^ with corn enough to keep them growing and thritty, ancl tin- ished before very cold winter weather sets m, with six week s teedmg of all'the sound corn they will eat and digest. Tliere is no better l)hice for hogs than an orchard full of apples and nothing better for the orchard than a lot of hogs. Fall pigs that are kept over winter should be fattened and ready for market in September or first ot Oc- tober Comparing one vear with another, pork is higlier m price at that time than any other time of the year. Keep } our brood sows m good flesh but not fat. Give them a good range, and il they are due to farrow in cold weather, give them a warm i)en and |)lcnty ot straw ; feed the little pigs in a sei)arate pen as soon as they will eat. A good way to get them to eat is to scatter a little whole gram, corn, oats or wheat on a clean floor ; wean them at six or eight weeks old and keep them growing. ^ . • n x • If you have a sick animal and cannot e:et a trained veterinarian, go to your family physician, and if he is the man he ought to be he can tell you more about it than some "cow doctors," even if they are reg- istered as veterinary surgeons. GKAPE GROWING. By Milton T. Donmoyer, Kutztown, Fa. (Read at Kutztown InstUute.) Unless you take a natural liking and feel at home amongst your vines and are prepared to face failures and disappointments by buy- ing fancy named varieties, paying fancy prices, nursing and caring for them, and at the end of a few years find that you are badly duped, that you have paid three dollars for Concord or Clinton, or some other common, low-priced variety, and if at the end of a few more years of disappointment you still like grape growing, then engage in the business ; you are bound to succeed. I will briefly say a few words on the following topics : Planting, pruning and bagging. I will also mention the different varieties that I have tested and the results. In setting out a vine choose a strong two-year-old, cut it back to three buds, aHowing but one to grow. After two and a half to three feet high, check its growth by pinching it off. You will then have a strong and healthy cane The wood will be hard and ripe long before pruning time, and able to withstand the severest winter. Avoid deep planting in all cases ; it places the roots out of the reach of the warm- ing influences of the sun and the action of the air. Never i)lant over two inches deeper than it stood in the nursery. The holes should be dug from ten to twelve inches deep and the bottom thoroughly loos- ened with a spade. Fill up with surface soil to the desired depth. The roots if too long should be cut back to ten or twelve inches. They should be made wet by dir)ping in water and well spread and covered with good surface soil and thoroughly pressed with the foot, then fill up with mellow dirt. No water should be used on the ground in planting. ^ The roots being wet causes the dirt to adhere to them, and this is sufficient. Never use manure next to the roots; i)ut it on the surface after planting, where it will act as a fertilizer and will also protect the young vine in a dry and hot summer and retain moisture. I have often used old shoes, bones and leather scrap in filling in with good results. We all know that the future growth, health and productiveness of a vine depends very much on its getting- a good start. Good culture should be given. Weeds and grapes will not thrive together. The soil should be frequently stirred with a rake or a hoe. Wood ashes, mixed with the soil is a very good fertilizer. It is a bad policy to plant too closely as bad results will follow with vines as with trees if they have no room to develop their fruit and foliage. The Concords, Ives and other rank-growing kinds should be planted eight feet apart. The 'Delaware, Lady and some other slow- growing kinds will do well by planting from four to six feet a])art. As a rule, elevated land should be chosen for a vineyard, so that you wdll have natural drainage ; a southeastern slope is considered the best. I prefer a clay soil slightly mixed with gravel. The most important point in grape culture, in my opinion, is prun- ing and training. If we expect to raise grapes either for profit or pleasure, we should raise first-class fruit, uniform in size and quality. The health of the vine must be looked after if you wish them to bear annual crops. This it cannot do with all the help that nature can give. Without judicious pruning and retaining of the fruit-bearing shoots from year to year, you will not succeed. It is natural for the vine to climb to the highest part of its support. Its growth of wood is more rapid when climbing than when in a horizontal j^osition. When settins" out a vine, the young shoots should be tied to a stake until they are sufficiently developed to begin to bear fruit, which should not be later than the third season after planting. The growth of the vine is u[)ward and it is not likely to bear fruit until it takes the horizontal ])osition. It is then when its fruiting power becomes fully developed. You will notice that shoots having an upright posi- tion will always make the most vigorous growth at the highest points, and the young shoots starting below will be of feeble growth. The buds remain dormant leaving the stock bare to where it spreads its branches, be it three or ten feet from the ground. For this reason it is important to prune and train in such a manner as not to have any portion of the arms or fruit-bearing cane, or spurs higher on the trel- lis than others. If this plan is carried out, the proper equality be- tween wood and fruit is more easily maintained. This is of great im- portance, though but little practiced. If heeded you will have equal distribution of sap to all parts of the vine, and uniform growth of wood and fruit. To avoid mistakes in pruning it should be borne in mind that the canes of the |)ast season's growth contain the buds for the following season's fniitings. A number of systems of pruning are given by men who claim to be experts. Their ideas may be right ; for myself I claim 52 QuAiiTERLY Report. Pennsylvania State Board op Agriculture. 53 i the same privileg-e. All systems work on the same principle, namely, renewing". That is, by cutting- aAvay old wood and cutting- back the wood of the previous year's growth to within the length de- sired. I prefer the horizontal arm system. It is true it will require a little more si)ace, but a vine once started on this plan is very easy to keep in trim. It consists of a main vine or arm extended each way from the main stock on the lower vine of the trellis, and the wood of the previous year cut back to within two or three buds of the main vine or arm. In order to carry out this system for a number of years effectually, you must always cut the shoots back to the main stock or arm as close as ])ossible. Remember always that you must reserve a sufficient number of buds for the next season's fruiting. Old vines deficient of vigor are often made fruitful by severe prun- ing. I still claim that the month of November is the month for grape ijruning, and shall continue to do so until proven beyond a doubt that my theory is wrong. {Sometime ago I heard an argument that the iipring was the right time to do that work, claiming that the loss of sap (commonly called bleeding) was by no means injurious to the vines. When a doctor performs an amputation, what is his first pre- <3aution'? Prevent the loss of blood. Why? Because he knows that it will weaken his patient. AYhy will not the loss of sap weaken the vine? It is with grapes as it is with almost everythinc" else, we are con- stantly looking for something- new. It is well that we are. We know that the Isabella, Catawba, some of Rogers' Hybrid and quite a num- ber of other old varieties have i)assed their days of usefulness. While they are all good bearers they should not be condemned as worthless. I have re]^orts from parts of New York state where some of the above named varieties are doing well. I have now in bearing- the following named varieties that are doing very well, both in quality and quan- tity : Berkman's Hybrid, Niagara, Senasqua, Northern Muscatine, White Martha, Delaware, Telegraph, Cliam[)ion, Woodruff Red, Clin- ton, Concord, etc. The Warden and the Moyer are promising kinds, more I cannot say of them as my vines are too young to bear fruit. I recommend the foUowiiig named varieties for a table grape, com- mencing with the earliest of the season and to continue till frosts kill them : Cham])ion, ripens middle of Ausrust ; next in succession comes the Telegraph, Northern Muscatine, Concord, Niagara, etc. Last of all comes the Berkman's Hybrid, a long-keei)ing grape of good qual- ity, adheres well to the bunches, size of the Concord, in color, light red, a rank grower and a good bearer. The work of bagging I jiei-form when the berries are about the size of a number eight shot. Manilla imper (one pound size) bags are generally used, although larger ones may be used. This work if pro])- erly understood, can be performed by a child eight to ten years old. All it 7'equires is to place the cluster in the bag, lap tlietoi)of the bag over the fruit bearing vine and fasten with a inn and the job is com- ])lete. In the fall when you gather the fruit a grand surprise will await you. I still contend that no ]ierfect grape can be grown unless bagged. They will increase in size, improve in quality, color, in fact if you have two clusters side by side, the one grown in the open air the other in a naper bag, picked off the same vine, unless you are an expert, you will certainly argue that they are two distinct varieties. BETTER SYSTEM FOR CARING FOR MILK. By Mrs. C A. Stranahan, Spartansburg^ Pa, (Read at Corry Institute. , We believe in continued ])rogression in everything and believe in a fair, candid consideration of all methods of work and the adopting of the system which has the most to recc mniend it for the g-ood of all. To illustrate, where the situation, farm, help, strength and taste make it advisable for one farmei^-to lit u[) for a strictly first class, gilt- edge dairy business, with all modern imi)rovements, including good dairy house, cream separator, churn, ])ackages and himself included, to operate the same and produce a fancy article of butter, which he furnishes to customers in small packages, ships to commission men, or sells to local dealers as the case may be, are there not ten men who have not the means to fit up the business, have not sufficient help to carry it on without hiring, or if they have all these, they have not the taste for the work and do not want to bother with it and would rather do any other work than make butter? We believe there are; and what is the wisest pkm for these ? Let us go back a little and see as we come up to the present time what has been the greatest step in advance the dairy interest has taken. Perhaps some of you can remember when nothing was thought fit to set milk in but stone crocks or jars, great, heavy, clumsy things. My earliest recollection of milk setting are long row^s of eight-quart tin pans, and the cream removed from them with skimmers and left in large tin cream pails to sour before churning. Then came the large, shallow milk vats from which the cream was removed with skimmers ; then the deep-setting, large tubs set in cool water to facili- tate the raising of the cream : next came the Cooley creamer with its submerged can of milk and the various creameries with their refriger- ator plans by wliicli the cream was raised and the milk drawn from it, leavins" a very thin cream, which required nearly double the amount of churning. Then came what we believe to be the most complete system yet, that of the centrifugal sei)arator, which does the work perfectly at all seasons of the year, and does not leave any cream in the milk, but yields a rather thin cream like the Cooley system. So, step by step, we have had improved metliods of separating the cream from the milk, but each plan leaves the cream in the care of each individual housewife to ripen and churn, and you have just as many kinds of butter as there were different women or men to make it, and each one has to market their own butter and is not satisfied be- cause they do not realize as much as they ex])ected. The introduction of the separator was by far the greatest step in progressive dairying, not only in tlie work of separating the cream, but it bring-s with it the possibility of progressive buttermaking. We do not mean to say that progress has not been made by the individual, but mean co-operative buttermaking on the factory plan, when the cream from all the different farms instead of being made into as many 54 QUAllTEllLY KePORT. Pennsylvania State Boaud of Agriculture. 55 grades of butter at as many different prices, shall all be No. 1, and sell all together and every one will get the hig-hest price lor his share as it shall jdl be first (]ualit3\ In our neit>iiborhood. as well as yoa in this vicinity, we have a butter factory which turns out butter of the high- est quality, and to use the problem seems much like the examples we used to have in the old arithmetic at school. If two men can with one engine, two separators and two churns nuike uji the milk fi'om one hundred dairies in one day, how much time will one hundred men with one hundred small se[)arators and one hundred small churns, consume in doing the same work, and how much other expense for fix- tures must they assume, and how much other work might they have accomi)lished in the same time? We know in our own case it con- sumes time we had nnich rather employed in sonje other way, and we do not believe it will pay ordinarily for farmers to l)uy one liundred and twenty five dolhir se])arators and other things in pro])ortion, to do all tliis work at home, even if tliey could manage to save the inice paid the factoryman for making it. The chances are he w^ill have to pay it out again and more with it, hiring help, or paying doctor bills for his wife or himself. We have each of us only about so much bank stock in the way of health and strength, and it is something we cannot borrow with a promise to pay. When we are bankrupt in health, we do not care very much about saving a few dollars making gilt-edge butter. W' e believe that father, mother, boys and girls ought to be saved all the unneces- sary work possible to leave a little time to make themselves "first- class;" and bear in mind this is the first consideration in urging all these reform or co-operative plans, to have our work, our business conducted on business principles after the manner of other successful manufacturers, and raise ourselves above the drudgery of doing all our work single-handed and alone. ^ We should concentrate our strength on the work that must be done on the farm and use our headwork a little to save the time of doing that which can better be done elsewhere. No fear we shall become lazy, our stock must be raised on the farm and the food for them ought to be, with studying and imi)roving in these directions, making the farm produce all it can, and the wives and daughters study and work a little more among the fruit and poultry, it will increase the produc tion of the farm and the healthfulness of your table supply ; but let the butter be made at the factory as your cheese and woolen o-oods are, that used to be made at home. ^ We do not believe large creameries, located long distances apart the most practical, hut smaller ones, and then one in each neighbor- hood, so the milkw^ll not have to be drawn such long distances With shorter hauls the milk can be delivered more readily in winter as well as summer and will make a more profitable season for the factorv ow-ner if he owns the plant and makes butter for so much per pound Do not begrudge him the ])rice for making the butter : some one must make It, because you do not have to i^y your wife three cents per pound for all the butter she makes, don't think it money saved • its Fo much drawn from hvv bonk stock of strength. If you want to save the i)riceof making it yourselves, l)uild a cream- ery on the share ])lan and hire an ex])erienced butter-maker, not some cheap John, Imt a No 1 expert that knows how to make a good article and holds his knowledge and skill at a good price and has a pride in earning it. We are emphatically in favor of butter factories and of having them run nearly the wdiole year. Two months is long enough to have our cows idle and when the factories only run six months or a little more it leaves three or four months Avhen we have to make up the milk at home or dry ofi' the cows. Make your i)reparations in the spring in ]nitting in your crops to have x)lenty of good milk-producing fodder to last the cows all win- ter; let it be a part of your arrangenu^nts at your early factory meeting to talk uj) the plan of crops to be raised for fall and winter milk when butter is high. The factory men will be glad to run their factories instead of shutting down if we will only furnish them the milk, and be as particular to furnish the milk good and clean as if it were to be consumed upon our own tables. \Ve believe that co-operation in every x)articular way means coming l)rosi)erity to our farming class, and that co-operative butter-making is the most progressive plan for the dairies as they will average through the country, and when we can co-operatively make our goods, we can co-operatively sell them. STIIAW^BEPvEY CULTURE, By T. Harvky Smith, DunhaVy Pa, (Read at Unlontown Institute. ) The methods here given, although intended for field culture, apply equally as well for cultivation on a small scale, as I would advise doing all the w^ork possible, even in a small patch, by horse power. To raise a good croj) of strawberries, take any good ground, except sod, w^iicli is generally too full of grubs, loose sandy or loamy soil is pn^ferable to clay ; if it is rich eiumgh to produce forty or fifty busliels of corn to the acre it will answer, if not ai)ply a light coat of well-rotted stable manure, either before or after setting the i)lants. Endeavor to have the rows ten or twelve rods long if possible, and enough of them to make a supply. Rows of this length should i)ro- duce two to three bushels of berries during the season. The best time to set out plants is as early in the spring as the ground can be got in order after hard freezing is over, which is erenerally during the month of April. Plow, harrow and roll the ground until it is in complete order and mark it out in rows three feet apart. A small shovel plow- is best for this pur])ose, one that Avill h^ave plenty of mellow soil at the bottom and on each side of the furrow.making these furrows fresh just as fast as you need them. Set the plants carefully in this moist earth, two to two and one-half feet apart in the row, pressing the earth firmlv to the roots, which should be always kept moist or even wet while transi)lanting, and there will be no need to water them afterwards. If they are good L>lHiits scarcely any will fail to grow, and by setting the above distance apart they will si)read sufficiently 56 Quarterly Report. clniins' the season to fill the row completely and it will be better thau settine: them closer as many do. Commence to cultivate in two or three weeks after setting- the plants and continue at intervals of a week or two during the season. Use a li"h't one horse cultivator between the rows, and keep the soil well loosened^ip and free from weeds between the idants in the row by hand. As the rows fill up with runners, narrow the cultivator in the spaces, allow- ing the plants to form matted rows fifteen or eighteen inches wide In hoeing during the season, if there are likely to be vacancies bv loss of plants, tarn the runners as much as i)ossible to fill these vacancies and if necessary, along in August, dig uj) bunches of nlants where they can be spared and fill up in that way. Some time in December or about the time of the first hard freeze, cover lightly with straw clean of wheat and other seed. In the following spring the plants will glow ui> through this and it serves the puri.ose of a mulch in dry weather, keeps the berries clean from dashing rains and pre .-ents in- jury from freezing and thawing in winter. If the patch has been cul- tivated the first season and there have been no seeds applied with the niulcli, it will be reasonably clean and will remain so without any turtner cultivation until after the fruit is gathered. If any lar"e weeds appear they may be pulled up bv hand or cut out carefully \\'ith a hoe or scythe. But now comes the trouble. Riglit here is the most critical time for every strawberiy patch. The crop is gathered and sold or enjoyed at home. It IS mulsummer, the heat is oupressive perhaps, and tiie ground hard and dry, and worse still, if it has been neglected the i.re- vious year or carelessly seeded with the straw mulch, it i. resents a sorry sight covered with weeds and grass. Harvest is here and all hands must attend to that, or if the proprietor is engaged in -eneral fruit raising or gardening, other things ar.>. pressing, and the'straw- berrv patch IS neglected ; and every day's delay is a loss of dollars to him if he intends to keep it for another crop. Realizing these facts, a great many good strawberry growers liave advised setting out new plants every spring, and plowiSg under the old as soon ns possible after the fruit is removed. This may be in a nia.ior.ty ot cases the better way, but still if the old phudatio it pi^tty free from weeds and has a good stand of j.lants, and the owner prenn,llf f '"f " ' ^^'"'^T' *™^' ^^'^''^ '^ "^ -'^^ advantage fu prepaiingitf.,rfrnitnigtlu,lollowing year, and he can have a cron almost 1/ iH.t quite as good as the first one, and at much less cost " About the first of July, and before the last few quarts have ripened rL It n'with .cvfr" "^^^^^^'^'^ ^''^'^'•ifi.^^ several bushels, jus start r ght m with scythe or mowing machine and cut off evervtliinir as close to the ground as possible, let it lie a day or two in t?e hot sun then ^ro in with steel tooth horse rake and gather all up wit K mu ch of the dd straw as possible going over it two or three times if ireces sary This can then be hauled off to clear the ground or wh- t is bet ter,if It ,s a dry day and a brisk wind is blowing burn the wl olV pa < h ' over, first being careful to somewhat spread the winrows so as imt to have too great a heat in one place. If this is done there will be j C damage to the ,dants and the ground will be more thorougldy d an d han m any other way. Then drive right in with a eoo(l Ske to tl» harrow going llnoud. it two or three times. This will looSe, the s among the j^nnts in the rows and will not tear out the roots care fully done. Next loosen up these places between the rows ^^?th a two-' Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 6T horse plow, eroing back and forth iu each space, but leavin^^- a strip in the center of each row ei^ht to twelve inches wide, full of plants^ for next year's bearing". After the whole patch is thus g-one over, take the harrow a^^-ain and ^o over it two or three times or until the ridg-es are sufficiently leveled. Thus the whole operation may be performed, the whole plantation thorou<;'hly cleaned and loosened up and the plants hoed and ready to g-row ag-ain, all within two or three days after the last i)icking-, and almost entirely with hoi'se power. After this the plants can be cultivated, just like spriiig--set plants, and if a good coat of manure is applied in the rows, the yield the following- summer will be nearly as good as from a new plantation. As to the best varieties for home use or market, I will give a few notes from my own experience. The Wilson and Crescent, both very productive, are too small after the first two or three i)icking's and have been discarded. Cantain Jack and Windsor Chief have been for years past my surest and most profitable varieties, the former me- dium in size, the latter medium to larg-e, both very prochictive and hardy, have hardly ever l)een injured by spring- frosts that have cut off tender varieties ; I still plant them larg-ely. Sharpless,larg-e sweet but soft to handle, and is frequently cut off when in blossom by late spring frosts ;^ when not thus injured it has been one of the best and most productive. Cumberland Triumph, large, sweet, fii-m ; one of the most productive and profitable, sometimes injured by spring frosts, but liardier than Sharpless. Manchester, one of the most pro- ductive and hardy, large and fine during most of the season, but near the close rather small and inferior ; on the whole one of the best. But the berry that foi* the last two seasons has shown niore good quali- ties than any other is Bubach No. 5. This is large to very large and continues large through the season, is ahead of all others m yield, good in quality and firm enough to carry well, and is as hardy as any va-riety I ever tried. As to many other newer varieties I have not tried them sufficiently to speak from experience. Among these are Gand}, Haverland, Warfield, Jesse, Parker-Earle, etc. No doubt some of these are equally as good as those recommended above, at least in certain localities. In closing, just a few words as to the iirofit in strav/berry culture. If the rows are twelve rods in length and three feet apart there will be about seventy rows on an acre, and whenever I can get an average of two bushels of berries, during the season, from each row, I think I am doing fairly well ; less than that is uncertain, especially if the i)rice should be low, but I am satisfied from recent experience that the poa- sibilities are far above the amount if the best varieties are planted, and the best cultivation is given the previous season, as I liave had yields of three, four and even five buslu'ls from rows twelve rods in length, and that of the finest berries, too. So tlint I am convinced that in strawberry raising, as in every other bi-anch of farming and truck- ing, if we expect to succeed and make it ])rofitable we must, 1)\ a judicious selection of varieties and by more thorough enricliing and cultivation of the soil, endeavor to increase the yield and qualitv of the fruit, and also to reduce the cost of production wherever possible. '58 QUAllTEKLY llErOllT. Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 59 MUNICIPAL GOVEKNMENT. I By Hon. Wm. Penn Lloyd, Mechanicsbiiry, Pa. (Read at Mechanicsburg Institute. ) Municipal gove*'nmeiit under our representative democracy, or re- publican form of government, includes city, count}^ borough and township government ; but I shall confine my remarks to the last two of these. We all recognize the municipal government has functions to per- form of a different character from those which belong to our state and national governments. We call it local government, and are, as we should always be, very jealous of any encroachments upon its i^i'ovince, or any restrictions of its rights by the state legislature. But whether we are always as careful to make the ]") roper distinc- tions between our duties as citizens to it, and to our state government, is a question which I think should receive our serious consideration. Our state government is apolitical i^roblem, while our local govern- ment is a corporate or business ]iroblem. Political i^arties are formed to advocate and enforce their respec- tive views of state policy, and it is the duty of every citizen to associ- iite himself with that party whose platform of ])rinciples most nearly reflects his individual opinions. To this extent partisanshi]) is a patriotic duty, as well as a public virtue. Our form of governmnt as a ])olitical ])roblem has thus far had a magnificent career. President Eliot, of Harvard, in the Forum of October, 1891, thus tersely states some of its merits which have al- ready become illustrious. He savs : "When we examino the workings of the American democracy on the greatest state questions, such as independence of Great Britain, the federation of the states, the indissoluble union of the states, we find that the democracy has dealt wisely with these great questions, and just as wisely in the generation of 1860-90 as in the generations of re- volutionary times. We observe that in the management of a great national debt our democracy has exhibited better judgments, and, on the whole, more just sentiments than any oligarchy or tyrannj^ has ever exhibited. We see that i)rivate property is more secure under the democratic form of government than under any other form. We find that there has been an unequal amount of diffused intellectual and moral energy among the masses of the people dm ing the last forty years, and we are sure that the democratic form of governmont work- ing, in combination with democratic social mobility, is eminently favorable to religious, social and industrial progress." But does experience prove it to be wise to carry this political prin- vciple into local matters of government, where there is nothine* in- Tolved ])ut plain principle of practical business ? That most of us have failed to make this important distinction, and visually allow our partisan feelings to influence our local elections to nearly the same extent that they do our state and national elections, I think will be readily conceded. While the manufacturer w^ould nor regard it a judicious policy to select his employes or the farmer his harvest laborers on the test of their political views, without any regard to their qualifications for the work he Welshes them to i)erform, yet, with very exceptional cases, this is [)recisely what we do in selecting the persons to serve us in the management ot" our local affairs. Now, we have an undoubted right to do this, just as the manufac- turer or farmer has the right to employ wiiom he pleases, or from whatever motive he chooses. No one will dispute this. In either case there is but a single question to be decided, and that a purely individual (piestion, and a veiy i)ractical one in these hard times. It is simpl}' this, "Does it pay?" All such questions, every business man knows, can only be solved by personal observation, or by a comparison with the conditions and results under a different policy. The first I will leave you to determine from your own practical ex- periences and personal observation of the present administration of our local governments, while on the second, I desire to submit, respect- fully, some facts revealed by a system of municipal government con- ducted u])on purely economic or business principles. With us in the United States, municipal government is assumed, at least in its administration, to be analogous to i^olitical govern- ment. In a number of the most advanced nations in Europe, and notably in England, the state is a ])olitical entit}', and the municipality, whether it be city, borough or township, is a mere business organiz- ation. Accordingly it is no i^art of the function of those handling municipal affairs to consider the political principles of statecraft, and conse- quently X) artisan considerations do not enter into their selection. This, briefly stated, is the difference in the principles of the two systems, the results of which will be attested by the following facts : The statistics which I submit are necessarily those of cities, as it is difficult to procure the same of our counties, boroughs and townships. But as the same system prevails in all of them the difference in the conditions shown will simply be that of degree, or in other words, the larger the amount of injudicious expenditure the greater, of course, will be the loss, but the ratio of loss will remain the same. Our census reports of 1890 give the annual expenditure of one hun- dred of our princii)al cities as sixteen dollars and seventy -seven cents l)er head of the population, while the general average of the same ex- l)enditures of European cities does not reach one-third that amount ])er liead. Our list includes cities of every class, from Burlington, Yt., with a population of 14,590, to New York, with a pou])ulation of 1,515,301. Boston, containinir a population of 448,000, and generally regarded as one of the best managed municipalities under our system, costs its citizens annually an average per head of twenty -three dc^llars and seventy-four cents, while Birmingham. England, a city of 430,000 in- habitants is furnished with more and better municii^al comforts, con- veniences and j)rotection, both to health, public morals and personal security, for four dollars and fifty cents ])er head. A few instance with which wo are all acquainted, as they come un- 60 Quarterly Eeport. der our daily observation, may serve not only to emphasize this fact, but to show that the same conditions as these statistics of our cities exhibit exist in our boroughs and townships. I will tax your time by referring to only one or two of these. We annually expend m money, or its equivalent in labor, about $45,000.00 on the [)ublic roads of Cumberland county. I will simply su[)])l(^nK'nt this fact by the inquiry whetlier if this large sum of money was expended on the i)lain business ])rinci])les that the i)rosperous farmer exhibits in the management of his farm, would not we be enjoying more satisfactory results from it to-day? Again, wo know that the State of Pennsylvania has been grandly munificent in her contributions to our common school system, and also that our citizens have added with unstinted liberality to the same worthy object. How large a percentage of the large sum of more than $35,000,000 invested in school ])roperty in the state, with the additional sum of nearly $17,000,000 now annually ex]iended in support of our common schools, do we actually receive back in the benefits we derive from them? I leave this inquiry also for you to answer. The criticisms, as you are w^ell aware, on these two branches of our local government are neither few nor gentle. We hear the fact daily deplored that all efforts made to improve our roads are tranipled, and frequently entirely thwarted, by the ])artisan dictation, which seldom considers the i)ersonal fitness of the candi- dates selected for supervisors. And it is as frequently asserted, whether correctly or not, you can determine, that in the selection of our public school teachers, the right arm of our system, that special training for their work, which is an absolute requisite to their proi)er qualification, frequently has less. Aveight in their selection than local, charitable, church and even rela- tionship considerations. If this be true even in a measurable degree, it is certainly a deplor- able state v)f affairs, and is the outgrowth of a partisan selection of direction. It is the same wroii^ i)rinciple which hesitates not to use a ])ublic trust, to confer a personal favor or discharge a personal obli- gation. For wherever that spirit iirevails in the administration of our local affairs, its twin brother, ''To the victors belong the spoils," is its risht-hand attendant. Now;, friends, the remedy for such evil in the administration of our municipal government, if these evils do really exist, and you will know it if they do, is so simple that I will not presume to suggest it to you. jr,e> But one thing is certain, that we may hope for no substantial re- lorm m this direction until we have learned to distinirnish between- political government and municipal government, and^to practically adopt the latter as a business ])roblem, and administer it purely a« such. ^ -^ "■ I trust you will understand that I am prescribing this medicine to- no one, and I am free to confess that many of us may liave to summon up an extra amount of resolution in taking the dose ourselves We think a great deal of our grand old party. And its nnme wJiether it be democrat or repul)lican, like tJie mantle of charity hid(4 irom our view a good many ugly things. ' ' But the way matters are drifting at i)resent, I fear the disease may Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 01 isoon become so alarming in its symptoms that self-preservation w^ill eventually compel us all to acce|)t the remedy. It is a matter of personal comfort, convenience, security and our hard earned dollars, on the one hand, and on the other, of our i)arti- san fealty to our party. The measure of this latter motive of action is the amount that we are willing to i)ay for the hii:h-[)riced but indifferent, benefits that we now receive from our local governments. The remedy is in our hands, and until we are willing to aj)]dy it we should, for consistency sake, cease grumbling about the grievance. I trust you will note that I have not uttered one word of com])laint about existing conditions, as I feel I have no right to do so until I am willing, fearlessly and earnestly, to face the tide of opposition which from some quarters will doubtlessly meet those w^io attempt their re- formation. We will i)robably bear these burdens until they become unendura- ble and will then unload them, if w^e can then do so. It is true there is another remedy suggested for them, but grievous as is the affliction, or as it may become, even if permitted to extend to its last stage of aggravation, it is still to be preferred to that rem- edy. I refer to the doctrine of state usurpation of local government. This is urged on the grounds that local government, as now admin- istered by the people of the several localities, has not onl}^ i)roven to be an utter failure, but has become such a public giievance as to de- mand redress at the hands of the state, and that the state must come to the rescue because of her at least implied constitutional guaranty of local self-government. This is not merely a myth, as it has been advocated for a consider- able time wdth earnestness and ability', and has been crystalized into form by a general road bill, now before tiie senate of PennsAdvania. This bill proposes to constitute a state department of country roads, and to turn over to that department the laying out, opening and va- cating, and the constructing and repairing of all the ])ublic roads in the commonwealth, down to the minutest details, thus at single swoop taking from the local governments of the tow^nship every vestige of control over them. I think you wdll all readily agree with me that, desperate as the dis- ease may be, the remedy is infinitel}^ worsf», and that a condition of circumstances that would demand it as a last resort could only justifv such a measure. Our local self-government is not only the foundaiion of our free in- Btitutions, but is the only school in which we are qualified for our duties in a hiirher, broader citizenship, and no consideration should be permitted to relax our vigilance, or to paralyze, or even to modify, our stern and unyielding resistance to any attemx)ted encroachments upon sacred i>rovince. The moral of this doctrine of centralization, as presented in the bill referred to. is the same as was contained in the admonition of the farmer to his son, when he said, "John, if you don't take better care of that colt T gave you I will take him back." It wn'll doubtlessly be a very distant day when the people will agree that the state shall so deal w^ith us in reference to our local government. But cases have also arisen when John has rendered the colt so worthless that he was glad to give it back to get rid of it, and this is not without a striking illustration in municipal governmental matters. 62 QUAllTEllLY IvErOKT. Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. ca Was not the eiuictmeiit of the Bullitt law as a supplement to her city charter, some years since, and the bill repealing the building' com- mission act, which passed the senate last week, nothing" else, in ])lain English, than an a]ipeal from Philadelphia to the State of Pennsyl- vania, to protect her against herself? May not our local municipal governments read a moral in this, that will at least furnish a gentle warning not to drift so far in the wrong- direction as to reacli at last Philadelphia's un[)leasant dilemma. Let us therefore ])oiider the fact that nnmicipal government, city, county, borough and township, is an administrative, a business, and not a political problem, and let us learn to deal with it as such. The exi)erience of the past, as well as the unsatisfactory conditions which now confront us, certainly indicate that we have not only little reason to ho|)e for any permanent reform in our municipal govern- ments, but that they Avill continue to grow worse, until we shall con- sent to apply to the same familiar principles which succeed in the business world. Politics applied to municipal government usually determines the selection of its officers from party considerations, with little regard to their fitness for the duties imposed upon them, and makes party iii- terests the sole test of their tenure of office, frequently remosdng* them just when their experience has made them valuable ; while business men and corporations select their emjdoyes for their capacity and trustworthiness, and letain them as long as they continue to exhibit these qualifications, thus reaping the rich fruits of reciprocal confi- dence and practical efficiency which association and experience de- velop and cultivate. Thanking you for your kind attention, I will close this necessarily brief and imperfect consideration of this important subject by again quoting from the distinguished writer above named, who remarks that, ** To say that reform in this branch of our government is imprac- ticable is equivalent to saj^ing that American municipalities cannot be well conductcMl ; and that again is equivalent to saying that the dem- ocratic form of government is going to be a failure for more than half of the total po|)ulation Free institutions themselves are valuable only as means of ])ublic well being. They will ultimately be judg-ed by their fruits ; and therefore they must be made to minister fairly well to ])ublic comfort, health and pleasure and to conform in their administrative methods to the standard of intelligence and morality which are maintained by other trustees and large business agencies in the same communities." POTATO GROWING THAT PAYS. By J. C. MossFCRD, Ilazzard, Pa, (Read at Mercer Institute. ) 1 I We will not give statistics of the aggregate ])otato yield of the United States, but will give a successful method of planting, culti- vating and harvesting the crop. The successful ]iotato grower selects his ground, knows what kinds he is going to i)lant and liow he is go- ing to plant them long enough ahead to give the cro]) the best x^ossi- ble chance. In selecting a piece of land for potatoes, choose that which is more sandy than clayey, but do not make a mistake by think- ing the more sand the better. Land too much inclined to sand will leach out a great deal quicker and will not stand dioutli near as well as land mingled with loam. If possible, always take sod land for po- tatoes, clover sod preferred; scatter thirty-five loads of compost or well-rotted manure from the wagon [)er acre. Manure cannot be placed on the ground evenly enough for best results if hooked from the wagon in heaps and spread afterwards. The land should be plowed either just before winter sets in or as soon as i^ossible in the- spring. A little wetness will do no harm where freezing (luickly follows or before it dries out. When the sod is partly rotted and danger of frosts is about over, then plow crosswise and harrow thor- oughly. The way of marking, to i)iant either in hills or drills, depends a erreat deal on a man's fancy, but for an advantage in cultivating we practice furrowing* three and one-half feet one Avay by two audi one-half feet the other way That gives a better chance to battle with the l)ugs than where potatoes are planted in drills, as the tops int drills are liable to touch i\i\A the bugs can crawl from one top to an- other. When everything is favorable, pay no attention to supersti- tious whims of believers in the moon's signs, but go to planting. So far as different kinds are concerned, it mainly dei^ends upon our distance to a good market. If we are near enough a market to deliver them by wagon loads, we might grow a dozen different kinds and take^ a load of one kind every time, but if we are so located that we have to ship them in car lots, we should not have too many kinds, unless we are very extensive growers and can fill a car with one or two kinds, as- it would be too much work and cv^pense to build partitions to i^revent a mixture. Do not cast away a good, old kinds too soon and blame them for de- teriorating when probably your lack of attention has deteriorated more than the kinds you condemn. A friend of mine told me that the Early Rose had run out and urged me not to risk any more chances on that kind, but nevertheless I ])lanted them freely with a return of two hun- dred and fifty l)ushels per acre. I know a man that cuts and ])lants potatoes the size of hickory nuts and marbles because he can sell the larger ones, and his kinds all deteriorate rapidly and he seldom has any choice ones, unless in a year when he has bought seed of a matured growth from his neighbor. This should not be. Do we seed our meadows with timothy chaff I Do we sheil corn from nubbins to plant? Do we save our wheat screenings to sow to raise a good crop of the staff of life? Why then ' would we plant the poor, little immatured potatoes and expect good returns? Under proper conditions and treatment the Early Kose will yield well, and if you keep track of them in the markets, you will inid they are no laggards. Whatever kinds you i)laut, always select those tliat are good yielders and good table potatoes unless you live ne^r to a starch factory and have some enoi'mous croppers. In cuttins" potatoes for seed, two i)oints should be considered, whether the object is to raise an abundant crop in order to gain large 64 QUAKTERLY RePOKT. Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. G5 'Hi returiiKS from the land 3^011 plant, or whether the motive is to ^ain a larg-e fold from a certain amount of seed ])hinted. If the former is the object in view, take [)otatoes from medium to lar^e size, cut a small slice off the sprout end which do not plant unless at a time of extreme scarcity, then split the potato in two lengthwise. The object is to have large i)ieces with fcAV eyes, in order that the plant will have plenty to sustain it while the roots are gaining a good hold in the ground. Too numy sprouts means an overi)lus of strings and the re- sult is a multitude of unsalable i)otatoes at the expense of what might have been a fine cro]). If an abundant fold is desired from a small amount of seed, start at the string end and cut oft" single-eyed pieces till you have cut up the wliok^ potato ; now you are ready for i)lant- ing. Drop one piece in a hill and cover with four inches of fine soil, being very careful not to leave Hat stones over them. Last year I planted three potatoes the size of a hen's egii; which were planted un- der very unfavoial)h' conditions. They were of the Early Freeman kind and the returns from them was one bushel and ten i)ounds. Just before the plants begin to come through the ground, go over them with a spike-tooth harroAv, the team straddling a row, and if done riglit, the ground will be clean, both space and hill. The cultivator should be run deep and often so long as there is no danger of disturb- ing the strings. Crusts should not be allowed to remain any longer than practicable after a rain has fallen. Your reward will be in ])ro- portion to the labor and attention you give them. A man that is sparing with work will never succeed in potato growing. When the Colorado bugs begin to hatch out, take one teaspoonful of pure Paris green or London ])urple and mix with two gallons of water and apply with a sprayer or sprinkling pail on all tops that have any bugs. Two applications will be sufficient if dry weather continues, but if rain follows inimediately after the spraying, it will be of little or no effect. S])raying should always be done when the tops are dry. Bv these rules I have grown, when acc^ompanied by a moderately good season, three hundred and fifteen bushels per acre, and you can do equally as well. Potatoes may be dug as soon as the tops are dead. They should not be dug when the soil will stick to them. They should be picked u]) as soon as they are dry, and excluded from all light to prevent them from turning green and tasting strong. ISmall potatoes should be gathered up by themselves as they can either be fed to hogs or sold to bakers. In the absence of a two horse i)otato digs-er, the best tool is a flat fined fork. A man that has practiced with one can dig sev- •enty-five bushels per day without much exertion. HOLSTEIN CATTLE-THEIE ORICxIN AND USEFULNESS AS A DAIEY AND GENEllAL PUllPOSE ANIMAL By B. B. Loud, /Sinclair ville^ N. Y, (Read at Warren Institute. ) Tiie rcnioto origin of 11k> Bolsteiu cattlo uffords ii theme for unlim- ited Hpeculjitiou iiiul aiscusBiou. Accorclii.g- to tradition, Jiowever -is stated by the best uatlu>ntie.s, all that is certainly known upon the subject IS that lor an ludefinite period anterior to the records of his- tory their existed m the Duchy of Holsteiu a superior race of cattle rfved "" ""^ "'"^ "''''"' "^" ^"'"-l'° ^^'^^^^ been de! The_prescnt large improved, black and white cattle of North Hoi- land, Iries and and Oldenbui-, which all possess the same general characteristics yet present m different localities some slight dissimi- larity, have peihai.s been brought to the highest de-rees of i.erfection in the hrst named province, but all are undoubtedly descended from the original stock of Holsteius. . ^". tli.e seventeenth century, as related bv the historian Mortlev in his his ory ot the United Netherlands, the' cattle interests in H.tb land had become of prune importance to the people and were in the most thrifty condition. He says: "On that scrap of solid ground rescued by human energy from the ocean, were the most fertile Das'- tures in the world. An ox often weighed more than three thousand pounds Ihe cows i.roduced two and three calves at a birth, and the sheep four und five lambs. In a single village four thousand kine were counted Butter and cheese were exported to the annual value Ota million dollars, salted provisions to an incredible extent The farmers were industrious, thriving and independent " An approximate idea of the antiquity of this race of cattle may be deduced from the remark of a French historian wlio, writino- in 1350 says: lliat at a certain siege the besieged could only receive their supply of butter from Holland which had been famous for its dairy products for five hundred years ; and, as it is known that Holland was indebted to Holstein for its superior breed of dairy cows it is obvious that the origin of the Holstein cattle must be assigned' to a period still more remote. " =, to a It is known that dairy husbandry had been a leading feature in the agriculture of Holland and tlie adjacent i)rovinces at a very early date and that consequently special attention had been given to the selec- tion and brcrding of dairy stock that would S(ipi)ly the demands of tlieir i)eople, by supiilying milk, l)utter, cheese and beef, no* only to rnV "^"' people, but to other Euroi)ean nations. rhe population of New York is about the same as that of Holland ^Aonn„"m, "'","''«i" of cactlc ill Ncw York in 1870 was estimated at miMW. 11,0 whole amount of butter exported from the United States liom June, 1869, to June, 1870, was 2,030,488 pounds, and of cheese for the same time 47,20(i,323 pounds, thus showing 20,960,512 pounds of butter and 13,703,077 pounds of cheese in favor of Holland. This 5 |||M ii QQ QUAllTEKIiY RErORT. comparative statement sl.o^vil,g an amount of ]n-oducts in favor of Ho^ and so remarkable may be attributed in some measure to the cli- mate and soil of that country, but mainly as a result of the careful selection and treatment of the dairy cows. The importance of the dairy husbandry of Nor h Holland and the adiacent dairy districts also evinces by the unitoim appearance of S entment, thrift and wealth exhibited by the population which is exceeded by no agricultural community in the world and this wealth beingaresult of this particular branch of farming, it is easy to und.-r- staud why the dairv farmer of this h.ca ity is a person of the high<.st responsibility and when it is considered that his success depends al- most entirel/upon his judgment in the selection, bre^^^iug and caro of milch cows, it is easy to compreliend how it has come to pass that the airy stock of Holllnd has attained a degree of excellence sur- pass n" that of any other race or breed, and m view ot the inestima- ble value of the herds to the farmers of that country, it is not surpris- ing that they "give their cows preference over everytliing else ^'^ Tilts breed of cattle have been brouo:lit to a i^-reat state of i^erfec tiou ill their own country, and excel all other cattle as a -eneral pur- pose animal, not only in their native land, but exercise a strong influ- ence uver the beef and dairy breeds of other European countries. Dairy husbandry had become a leadino^ feature m the agriculture ot Holland lon^ before the En-lish breeders had commenced their efforts at improvement. We learn, incidentally, that the importation ot these cattle into the British Islands produced a marked effect and caused ^reat improvement in some of the British breeds. This view is sui)ported bv Wilson, who, in describing- the bhort^ horn breed, says : " Their oriciii in Britain belongs to the counties ot York and Durham, but is very obscurely known. " Toward the close of the seventeenth century, or perhaps at an earlier period, a bull and some cows which ai)pear to have been one source of the breed were introduced to Holderness from some part ot conti- nental Europe between Denmark [ind France. They were better milkers larger and more capable of being fattened to an enormous bulk than almost any other cattle which were then known; and on these accounts they were esteemed, propagated and intermixed with the native cattle." And again he says, that, "during the latter part of the last century numerous bulls which proved anotlier source of the present Shorthorns, but in some degree identical with the first, were imported to the counties of York and Duiham from Holstein and Hol- land. Improvements of successive stages, but of unrecorded pedi- grees, were made by crossing of the Teeswater with the Dutch and the Holstein, till a new and established breed was produced, called the Teeswater Shorthorns." -, ,, . . . , ^ Having established their ancient lineaga and the important tactor they have been in lu'oducing the wealth of a nation by the production of milk, beef and butter in their native country, and the strong influ- ence acknowledged by English authors, that their blood lias produced upon the dairy and beef ] production of other foreign countries, we will now come to our own shores and see what has been the result of their introduction upon American soil. It is to the importation made by Winthrop W. Chenery, in the autumn of 1861, that America is indebted for the ground work of the present Holstein stock of this country. Pennsilvania State Board of AoRicuLTuiiE. 67 They were procured from amongst the breeders in the vicinity of the Beemster and Purmerend, in the Province of North Holland. ' In their selection special attention was given to obtain animals of un- doubted purity of blood as well as those possessing, to the full ex- tent, the peculiar characteristics of the race. From their tirst introduction to our soil they have proved to be i)e- culiarly adapted to our climate, and by their perfoi'mance at the pail, the tub and the shambles they liave more than met the expectation of their most ardent admirers. Experience has proved these cattle to be remarkably docile. They are distinguished for intelligence and their quiet dispositions. The bulls, if rightly treated, rarely ever become ill-tempered ; while the cows are social, loving to congregate close together and are often seen drinking quietly from the same tub, or eating salt from the same dish. No other breed, grouped in the yard, or grazing in herds in the pastures or upon the hillsides will attract such universal admiration. In the early history of Holsteins in America, both English and American authors were, in general, very reticent in regard to the im- proved breed of modern times, hence they did not, until they forced their way into recognition by the unparalleled milkand butter records receive that appreciation in this country to which they were fairly entitled by reason of their unequalled combination of desirable prop- erties, especially their pre-eminent dairy qualities. Having made the chiim that the Holsteins are a general purpose breed of cattle, hit us see what evidence we can produce to prove the statement. First, we will say, they are the acknowledged milk producers of the world. Cows of this breed with milk records from eighty pounds per day number in the thousand, while there are hundreds with rec- ords of ninety pounds and upwards, and those with daily records of from one hundred to one hundred and twenty two and one -half pounds are by no means scarce. Several two-year-old lieifers have daily rec- oi'ds of from sixty to seventy four and one-half ])ound, and those of this age with yearly records of from 13,000 to 17,746 jxmnds would fill a volume, while the greatest milk production stands at the door of Picterje, and who gave in three liundred and sixty-five days 30, 318 J pounds, one hundred and twelve pounds for seven successive days. This being over twenty times her own weight, and as will l)e seen, it is over three ^ve ton car loads. We will here leave the milk and look into the butter producing qualities of tiie Holsteins. In looking up statistics we find that it is no uncommon thing for two- year-old heifers to produce from two to three pounds of butter per day, while aged cows with records of from eighteen to twenty pounds per week are as plenty as flies in a kitchen on a July day. Several have reached from twenty -five to thirty -five pounds in seven days, and Mechtchilde at six years of age produced six pounds and two ounces in one day, thirty-nine pounds and ten and-one half ounces in seven days, one hundred and fifty pound and eight ounces in thirty days, two hundred and ninety -two pounds and five ounces in sixty days. Mercedes won the challenge silver cu]^ off'ered by the Breeders Gazette of Thicago, for the largest thirty da\^ butter record, ov)en for one year to July 1, 1883, to all breeds and the world, beating the then Jersey Queen, "Mary Ann," of St. Lambert, making ninety-nine pounds and six and one-half ounces. It was also a Holstein cow Olothchilde, that won the beautiful silver i)itcber with a Jersey cow if 68 Quarterly Report. Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 69 embossed upon it, offered by the president of the American Jersey Cat- tk^ Chib, at Madison Square Garden, New York city, ior the cow pro- ducing the hirg-est amount and best quality of butter, but the crown- ing jewel in the diadem was reached when the world's butter queen, Paubue Paul, completed her year's test and gave to the world the un- precedented record of 1,153 pounds and fifteen and three-fourth ounces of butter in three hundred and sixty-live days, re(]uiring sixteen V)ounds and thiee and one-ludf ounces of milk to the pound of butter. Having established the suj)reme dairy qualities of the Holsteins, to make the general puri)Ose claim of value, we must look to their beef- producing qualities. As the evidence of those who have had practical experience with Holsteins as beef cattle, we quote the statement of E(lwards Brothers, Ottawa, Illinois, large dealers and butchers, as published in the National Live Stock Journal. They say : " We hav- ing had practical experience with them in London, England, trade, have long been aware of iheir desirable qualities as beef cattle, for thousands of them are cut in the London market ever}' year. Fur veal calves, they stand without an equal, and as mature beef cattle, we be- lieve them fully equal to any others. The fat is evenl}^ distributed over the carcass, the meat well marbled, and there is but a small per- centage of waste. We have killed a great many grade Holstein calves withiu the ])ast two years, and, although they are hardly u[) to the full bloods we have dressed in London, they are far ahead of natives and other grades to be obtained here. Full blood mature Holstein are yet seldom to be had in this vicinity to kill : our lirst opportunity occurred last week in the form of a four-year-old heifer; she weighed 1,705 pounds, and dressed 1,036 pounds of meat, and had one hundred and sixty-one i)ounds of rough tallow. She was very thick on the rib, her fat evenly distributed and the meat well marbled. " We use in our trade the best Shorthorn and Hereford steers we can buy, and this heifer was fully equal to any we have cut. We took par- ticular pains to learn from some of our best customers how the meat proved on the table, and all were highly pleased." In the winter of 1884 and 1885, three head of thoroughbreds were killed at the Lakeside farm, Syracuse, two years and nine months old, weighed on day of killing, 2,290 ])ounds; dressed beef, 1,430 pounds ; hide, one hundred and forty-eight pounds ; rough tallow, one hundred and twenty pounds ; making a total of seventy-four j^er cent. Signet weighed alive 1,470 ])ounds ; dressed beef, nine hundred and fiftc^en pounds: hide, seventy -six pounds; rough tallow, one hundred and twenty-six pounds; giving a net weight of seventy-six per cent. Little Wonder weighed alive 1,493 pounds ; dressed beef, seven hun- dred and ninety one pounds ; hide, seventy-eight pounds ; rough tal- low, one hundred and twenty -four i)ounds ; netting sixty-six per cent. At the American Fat Stock Show held at Chicago, 1886, there were twelve entries in the yearling carcass class, two of which, a Holstein and an Angus, so closely contested for the prize that the umpire had to be a])])ealed to and he decided in favor of the Angus, thus show- ing the Holstein to have excelled ten out of the twelve. The Holstein steer's live weight was 1,290 ])ounds, gain per day from birth, 2.02 pounds. From my own herd I have fattened a few head of thoroughbreds tluit had met with accidents which rendercHl them useless ^for the dairy, and in every instance the result has been satisfactory : in no case did they show less than seventy per cent, net dressed wei^^^ht. ■^<^ The evidence shown has proved that they excel all other breeds of cattle as nnlk and butter producing animals, nuiking them the par ex- cellence cow for the dairy, while the beef statistics establish the fact that they are easily fattended making the best of beef, which estab- lishes our claim that they are a general ])urpose animal. WHY AM I A GRANGEPi? By Mrs. Emma L. Kknderdine Rick, Lut/iberville^ Pcl, ( Kead at Langhorne Institute.) I am a granger because I believe the grange the best organization for farmers and the best for farmers' wives. Its beginning was in 186G, during Andrew Johnson's administration. Its founders were O. H. Kelly, William Saunders, J. li. Thompson, Eev. A. B. Grosh, F. M. McDowell, John Trimble and William M. Ireland. Miss Carrie A. Hall should also be classed among them, "as she it was who first proi)Osed the admission of women, and that they be entitled to the same rights and privileges as the men. " O. H. Kelly had been sent south by President Johnson as a representative (;f the agricultural de- partment of the government, *' to visit its farmers and see what could be done for their best interests. While there he conceived the idea of what great advantage to farmers would be an organization which would lift them above and beyond i)arty sectional lines." A few there are^ who remain without the gates be(^ause it is a secret organization. We consider this an empty reason, since every family is and should be a secret society. It is for the welfare and best inter- est for any family that its neigid)or knows not all of that which con- cerns it. The grange is only a family of larger i)roportion. In the grange are fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers, parents and chil- dren. Think you there is aught ])ehind those closed doors unsuitable for the ])ublic to know? When the husband or father says, "I desire my wife and children to become members," think you there is any taint behind the scenes? The atmosphere of the grange is lofty and pure, its teachings wise and good, and whosoever pauses therein, be it brother or sister, reaps a rich reward. Years ago people became members with the following advantages held u]) to them, financial, social, educational. This is changed. They join now with llio ob- jects in view reversed. Education leads, social and financal condi- tions follow, but they are by no means conditicms without value. It is a haven for the farmer's wife. It has broadened the lives of thous- ands of women, giving unto them as members of the order, ])ower equal to man. It has educated and u[)lifted and produced a desire to think, to know and to act ; it has made her accpiainted with herself and evolved ])owers and possibilities to her unknown before. It has made anotluM' place for her to go. Po you fully realize what Hiat may mean to the wayworn farmer's wife, to the woman who had always I to Quarterly Eeport. Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 71 staid at home? Her views upon all subjects were narrow, narrow IVom necessity. If she was a good Avoman with liigli ideals of right, she would have small charity for the shortcomings of her neighors. She could not know of their temptations. The g-range has changed all this, "Know thyself," applies to all, and the woman m the grange knows herself well. A i)rivilege or courtesy, call it Avhat you will, is granted in the grange to women which is accorded to them in no other organization, and that is the power to hold any office. This exceeds the men's privileges in the order, as there are four offices wJiich can be filled only by women. I am acquainted with two women who are masters of subordiuate granges in this state (The master is the highest office.) Although it has not been my good fortune to sit under their ruling, yet meeting them, listening to them address meeting's and speak of business with clearness and conciseness, i know they would rule wisely and well. In 1891 the lecturer of the New York State Grange was a Avoman. We heard her deliver an address (assuredly not previously written) in a large auditorium, croAvded Avith pleased listeners. Probably her own Avoids will ex])ress her ability better than any I might choose. It Avas summer. The doors and Avindows Avere open, and a brass band Avent marching* past, making a ijerfect din ; of course she could not be heard and ceased speaking. After the band had reached the distance Avliich lends enchantment, she explained " that she had al- Avays said slje could out-talk everything but a brass band." She was fluent, lively, sparkling Avith Avit and Avisdom, and the grange Avhich has her name enrolled upon its books is rich. The grange does good work for all, and the benefits accruing from it fall ui)on those Avho seek to destroy as Avell as upon those who aid. " It A^ as through the grange that the reneAval of patents on sewing* machines Avas prevented. It Avas through the grange transportation companies Avere taught that the creator Avas higher than the creature. It was mainly through grange eiforts that the oleomargarine laAv Avas X^assed. It has passed laAVs someAvhat restricting alien landlords and corporations from getting government land. It had the interstate commerce hiAv passed. Had cabinet position created for agriculture. Had some effect on local and state tax levies. Has established state arbor day. Has caused the reform ballot laAv to be passed in many states. Has increased state appropriation for public schools. Has at all times fostered the cause of free education, besides local achieve- ments, such as establishing banks, fire insurance companies, libraries and many co-oj^erative enterprises. Writers, readers, speakers and jnirliamentarialis Avithout number oAve their success to the g-rang-e." All these benefits are the result of org-anization. You Avho are fighting the milk dealers knoAv the value of co-oi^era- tion. The milk dealers know it also, and if the milk shippers Avho are not yet members of the Milk Shi] )pers' Association do not lend a hand, the milk dealers Avill gain a victory it Avill take years and years to overcome. They Avill stand together, never fear, for they know Avell the truth of the old motto. ^'United Ave stand, divided Ave fall." TJiey are paying those outside Ihe association the same ])rice those within receive on purpose to keep them out. These selfish farmers reap present results without being burdened Avitli c^xpensc^s necessary to the association. They Avill rea]) future results also Avhen they get just what the milk dealers choose to give. This sounds as if the associa- 4 i tion would lu.t live. It is to be hoped it will, but if the milk dealers can kill it they will, for their motto is, "United wo stand, divided you ^''Oioauization will win if anythinj? will, and nearly every class be- lieves in it and stands to-ether for mutual beneht Iho physicians, the lawyers, the storekeepers, the mechanics and the laborers a 1 ]om with their fellowmen, and thus secure for each class its best interest. The farmer stands alone, mutterin- of hard times and ot the success attending other callings. " In unity there is strength, in organiza- tion ther^e is strength.^ Politicians recognize this and are aomg all in their i)ower to start new organizations tor the farmer, hoping theieby to prevent the grange from receiving as many members as it might, for the grange is the largest, strongest and best organization for ^™me^s''cTubs are good and are doing good work, but their sphere is limited their influence is local. The grange is universal it reaches from district to county, from county to state, trom state to nation from the nati.m to the homes of our people; it is far-reaching and wide spreading. It is ever alert, teaching us that wlncliwe should know It teaches us the character of the men seeking ofhce, and by This teaching not long ago prevented a man aithless in his Promises from receiving the highest honor and position possible for a s ate to Jive Wo are given this instruction because in our declaration of purposes we learn that it is each man's "duty to see that "one but competent, faithful and honest inen who will uuflinclnngly stand by our industrial interests, are nominated for all positions of tiust The politicians look upon the grange as an influential bodj , and men representing each party apply to prominent grangers asking them what plank thev desire to have placed in tlien- platfoim. iliey aSerthr granger farmer no longer as "Old Hayseed from way back," for there is no " 'way back" except where the gr^"ge/lo«s not exist. They tip their hat to-day to Mr. Granger, member of the Pa- trons of Husbandry. , • .1 i. i„„,o ^t fi.ia The present demand for a readjustment 111 the tax laws of this state comes chieflv from the grangers, who through the grange organ- izaLn demand such re-adjustment of taxatioii -« - ^ ^^ '<;^^ * f ^^ from what thev regard as an unfair burden. When this demand is SS then i'ill the Eight Honorable Mr. Granger "sit above the ^""in the grange the farmer is taught not only how to be a better fairer how to get better returns for his labor, hovv to grow a crop but how to sell it ; not only how to earn his money, but ho«- to spend it to the best advantage. • • 1 1 „ i-,,^,.-^ fi,« or, any, anxiety, pride, taste, the constant rack of the social strain and the care and worry of ten thousand nameless things that belong to life in the social centers make the life of city wtmien less vigorous. It is not work so much as worry that wears. It is wot the use of muscular so much as nervous energy that reduces The washerwoman in the city, whose work is muscular, whose appetite is. good and whose sleep is sound, often outlasts tlie woman of society whose nerves are perpetually taxed witli the straiu of social inter- course. Oil the whole it is lU'obably true that women are everywhere overworked. The trouble is that we make life and its work too com- plex and artificial and not simple and natural enough. AVe make eat- ing and wearing and housekee[)ing too elaborate, so that they tax and reduce us too much. Plainer and simpler food would tax our purses, time and strength less, and serve us in health and strength and good spirits better. All our teachers on health point out a better w^ay than we follow. The true way to reform our ways and make our work easier and our lives happier and more useful is to think and talk and read more of these thins*. It is intelligence and a love of true life that leads to reform. If eadi would try to practice more good sense than his neighbor in his way of living, be more healthy, intelligent, up- right and economical than his neighbor, would try to make the most improvements in saving labor, health and soul, in being well and looking well and doing well, what reforms would be instituted in all our homes. And how soon we should reduce our useless work, ex- penses and worry. One of our troubles is that we are too much wedded to old ways, nnd do not ask whether we can find better. It is better to believe that not any of the old ways are perfect, and all need improving. And probably in nothing is improvement more needed than at our tables, in our wardrobes and the work of our households. In these things women must wake up, not to scold about things, but to think about things to improve them To study for better ways of house- keei)ing, house work and home life. They have the home in their care. They are the ones to improve them. We need more of woman's mind, more of her w^it and wisdom everywhere. And when she comes thoroughly to her senses, and follows her judgment instead of her fancy, her highest interest instead of custom and fashion, her love of her home and family instead of old ways and other ])eople's notions, we shall have new homes and a new world. Women must help one another. Tliey know each other's wants and conditions. Men are greatly given to tell women what they ought to do, what is their sphere and how they should fill it and keep in it. Men are wonder- fully afraid women will get into idaces and get some of their dignity. But just a word. Do not think that by my last remarks I am advoca- ting woman's suffrage, for that is not my^object. AVoman as a rural wife is in her most beautiful and influential posi- tion. She is invited to this place by her strongest affection and in- spired to her work in it by tlie richest hopes of her soul. Here she thinks to realize with her husband, peace, confidence, comfort and tlie joy of companionshi]!. Through a wife's iiifliience the finer senti- ments of a man's soul come into action that inspires hini to look u])- wards and wins him to perpetual endeavors. The wife who appre- ciates wliat she is callable of bec<)ming to her husband and doing for him, by the steady shining of her soul's light into his, may realize thats lie is already a queen in her own right in a realm which she % h '■' 74 QuAKTEiiLY Report. Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 75 has conquered. Surely the wife's mission is one of ])eace. She is to be the herald of peace. She is to do her work m peace and o-am her ends and influence by the arts of peace. Strife, then, is the one thing- to be ruled out. Ill temi)er, hasty speech, sharp retort aiid all the quick-spirited ways that oftend may be held m check. Have good times and hard times if you must— have hard work and poor pay— liave ill fortune and discomfort, things good, bad and mdifterent, but do not have a strife in the home. Let wives stand on their high ground of peace and womanly power and there weave a magic fabric of thtur influence in such ways as they have full mastery. The era of the wife's glory is ai)proaching, and all wives may take courage and be more wifely and womanly, and believe without a (h)ubt that tlie worth of true womanhood will be recognized and do its good work in the world. ENSILAGE. By H. B. Richards, Eastoyij Pa, (Read lit Nazareth Institute.) No other subject has been more frequently discussed during the past few years amongst the tillers of the soil than silos and silage, and yet there are comparatively very few silos in the county of North- ern]) ton. I believe myself to be one of the first to make the experiment in this county. My silo was built in 1881 and has been filled with corn silage regularly ever since. AVe liave in this time made some mis- takes, using varieties that were not what w^e desired, planting too thick, cutting too green, etc. Having paid the price of experience, I feel fully justified in saying tliat the sih) is one of the best ventures I •ever made. It is generally conceded that no other cro}) can be made to produce so much feed to the acre as corn, which can be made to grow in a heavy mass ten to fourteen feet high. How to preserve such a crop, just at the right time to utilize it to its greatest advan- tage, the silo alone can solve. There have been great objections raised to ensilage and the most marked feature of the objections are that they usually come from those who have had no ex])erience. It is true that several condenseries and •creameries have and are refusing the milk from silago-fcd dairies, but this is due to the misuse of the system of silage. Like all other scientific i)rocesses, it must be well and accurately done at the riglit time. It suffers more from neglect and mismanage- ment than ill the ordinary methods of j)ieserving fodder. What kind of corn shall we plant? Southern AVhite will produce an enormous crop of herbage, but in this climate is deficient in the ear, and the ear being white, has a corresponding effect on milk and a butter. I have tried it for several seasons and abandoned it for the above reasons and a lack of substance. Dent corn, common in this county, grows a rank stalk, but is also deficient in ear when grown close. The finest silage corn to be grown in this soil and climate is the long, eight-rowed, yellow tiint ; this corn will ear well in close planting and furnish more solid food and coloring than any other. The amount to be i>lanted to the acre must be controlled by the quality and condition of the soil— just thick enough so a very large percentage of stalks will produce perfect ears. Always plant in drills and cultivate thoroughly. No weeds of any ki^id must be allowed to grow. The time to harvest is just when the ear is glazed, as at this time it produces the greatest amount with the most nutritive value and is in the most healthful condition. If cut too green, it has a laxa- tive tendency and would be in a favorable comparison with a green apple to a ripe one, or if left until too ripe, the stalk becomes woody and is not so easilv or perfectly digested. Some fill their silos wdth wdiole stalks, and by a system of crossing, is put in perfectlv tight. It keeps well but is very heavy to handle, both in filling and feeding. The system generally adopted is to cut to one-half inch length ; some cut longer or shorter, but this length is almost universally adopted as best for the cow to assimilate. The system of ensilage has one feature which must never be lost sight of; it is the original and controlling element of preservation, the exclusion of air, or, in other words, an air-tight silo, sides and bot- tom perfectly air-tight and the silage so compact that no air can pen- etrate from the top. The silo should be so constructed as to secure height or de])th, and be small in width and length, or partitioned to be such as described, so that the entire surface exposed can be gone over at each feeding. Always feed from the top ; never feed from the sides of the mass or cut channels through it, for as soon as it becomes thus exposed, fermentation begins. Although cattle will eat it after it has become unfit, this caielessness or mismanagement has been the cause of the condenseries and creameries refusing milk from silage-fed dairies. Kemember it is the exclusion of air and the more perfectly it is done the better. Silace should be fed in scientific proportions with other feed, based on the digestive cai)abilities of the animals. It is not a perfect feed in itself, but if fed in proper proportions, will, from its succulent nature and nutrimental value, take the place of roots and save at least one-half of tlu^ hay and one-third of the grain required to attain the same results in ordinary methods. This cer- tainly means more cattle, more milk and butter, more fertilizers, more profit and more success to the farmer. WHAT AILS FARMING? Bv Wm. Shanafelt, Briyikerton^ Pa. (Read at Clinton Institute. ) Is not farming as old and as honorable an occupation as exists in the world to-day? Some of the most difficult and honorable positions m ii I ^1 ■i 7G Quarterly Eeport. Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture 77 iu ancient and modern times have been lilled by farmers. Cincin- natus was taken from the plow by thelioman Senate to command their ^reat army and h^ad it to victory ; in the history of our country, Georg-e Washington in-oved to be equally worthy of the honor of his country, whether in leading the army in tlie long struggle for inde- pendence, or as President of the United States, or carrying on his ex- tensive farm at Mount Vernon. Farming is an honorable and lawful Imsiness; there is no need to have a license or to be recommended as a suitable person to engage in the business of farming. Let us prove ourselves to be worthy and not bring disgrace on the noble calling in which we are engaged. Some of our ] politicians tell us before the elections that we are the mainstay of this great republic, the bone and sinew of the world; why is it then that there is so much discontent with farming? Is it not on account of the great trusts that have been formed to rule the markets? Tlie "big four" in Chicago that is ruling the meat market of the country, the exchanges that deal in margins, fixing the prices to suit themselves on grain, without handling a bushel. Want of equality in taxation is a great burden and a just cause of discontent. Want of economy in running the ex[)enses of the government from those in the highest places down to our township affairs, is a serious wrong. Very often the place is filled by incompetent and dishonest men for which the farmer pays the bills. Are there not other reasons? Farming to ])ay must be done better than when we had the virgin soil. It then had all the ingredients in it to i)roduce large crops with less cultivation than we must put on our land now. With the im- proved machinery we now have we can exercise more brains in our work and less muscle. In making a seed-bed which ought to be thoroughly done for all kinds of grain to make it a succsess, I believe it j^a} s to use commer- cial fertilizers. Be sure they are analyzed by our state chemist. Then we want to keep good stock of all kinds to turn our grain, hay and straw into manure. Put it l)ack on the land as we make it in the winter ; farm fewer acres, do better work, cultivate the land, attend and take ]iart in farmers' institutes, read the best agricultural and stock breeders' i^apers, join farmers' clubs or the grange, do less loaf- ing about the blacksmith shop and store, fix up things about your homes, keep out of debt, pay as you go, be honest, give good meas- ure, and make no promise that you don't intend to fulfil. If we do this, we will enjoy the farmer's life, although it is a life of toil. We have the promise from One that never failed that while the world stands there will be seed time and harvest. The over-production in wheat will very likely correct itself l)efore another harvest is over. Wheat seldom goes begging for a market long at a time. Dairying can be made to take the ])lace of raising grain very profit- ably if a neighborhood will work together and rim a creamery on the improved methods. Stock of all kinds pays reasonably well if ycui raise the very best of each kind and give them good shelter and kind treatment. m CHILDHOOD DAYS ON THE FARM. By Mrs. R. Emma Hartman, Bermudiany Pa. (Read at Dlllsburg Institute.; Its seems to me that a great many of our farmers fail to make the <}hildhood days of their children as pleasant and ])rotitable as they mi*^ht; and why is it? I have often wondered, surrounded as they are^with almost everything to make a home happy, yet how little at- tention they give it, much less to their little childern. I have seen little children yet in their childhood days toiling and working on the farm far beyond their ability, doing almost the work of a ma^n or woman without even a thought of recompense, except food and clothes, and then perhaps made to feel that they were very ex- pensive articles indeed. , Some farmers seem impressed with the idea that the farm is the place for work and work alone, and that rest and pleasure belong to some other class of society, consequently the little ones are like im- pressed and as soon as they become able, are obliged to work, day fifter day, without intermission, except, perhaps an occasional visit to some circus or something less trifling which happens to exhibit at the nearest town once or twice a year; then they are often made the butt of ridicule by the more fortunate children of towns, simply because their clothes are not, perhaps, cut in the latest fashion and their man- ners are awkward and reserved. It is no wonder they become disgusted with farm life, and when they reach the age of manhood and womanhood, leave the farm and follow some other pursuits. Childhood days undoubtedly are the happiest days ot lite, and the home of our youth is the foundation of our future character. Youth, the period of impressions and imitations, when refined tastes, noble syu]- pathies and holy inspirations are most readily developed. Why then not strive to make those i)recious days, days of enjoyment and ha]^- piness, and give to those little ones intrusted in our care, every ad- vantage that would lead to their health and happiness ; and where can we find more suitable homes for the purpose of training those little minds that are yet unsullied by sin and wickedness, than on the farm? There, and there alone, can we find a home free from the low haunts of vice and degradation of sin. ^^ • . -. Parents should endeavor to make farm life pleasant tor tbcir chil- dren • they should cultivate a taste for farming by making the work licrht'and i)leasant , give them a plot of ground as their own, calling it^their little farm; let them have the profit of a few turkeys, chick- ens geese etc., give them the entire care of them and teach them to feel the responsibility so placed u])ou thom. Combine work with play and <-iv(5 them [dentv of time for all the fun and enjoyment they wish. The young heart is boiling over with glee and frolic , God made it so and you "should provide the means of innocent recreation, and sow the seeds of love, truth and hai)piness. Make home attractive and li m t . ■■' i 78 Quarterly Eeport. iH pleasant. Mv idea of a pleasant country home is simple m the ex- treme. A cottage conveniently lar^e enough to be comfortable, sur- rounded by a yard, w(ai tilled with choice flowers I would have for each of the children comfortable bed rooms, furnished m simplicity and taste, parlor, dining room, etc., furnished likewise. I ^vould make everything just as cosy and comfortable as possible, not hlled to over- flowing witii costlv trifles which amount to nothing m the end. I would1)rovide good books, papers, '])ictures, music and every appli- ance that would tend to awaken and strengthen all that is pure and noble in these young minds. And, above all, throw open the blinds and let the sweet, pure air and blessed sunshine m. Let the childi'en have access to these ajiartments at all times. It is not necessary to have the parlor fitted up in grandeur and set aside for the special use of company and to have everything so dreadful crimpy and starchy and in order that the little folks, when there, are in constant fear of falling from grace by committing some kind of misdemeanor with their little hands or feet, which are so hard to keep still and out of mischief. Let the children enjoy their homes while they can and let them feel that their father's house is the dearest, liappiest spot on earth, and as they pass out into life's activities and responsibilities, let them remember the home of their childhood, not as a place of bitter words and harsh drudgery, where they simply ate, drank and slept, but as the sunniest spot in all the past, where their sweetest affections gather and where all their truest aspirations and their noblest princi- ples were fostered. importunate, indeed, are the children who to-day are spending their childhood days and happy homes on the farms, for on them depends the future laws and government of our country ; in every sphere and business of life they are wanted. One important feature in the pleasure of our childhood homes was almost forgotten ; it is that of the mother, dear patient mother, how much she does toward making those days a ])erfect paradise of bliss. We may discuss woman's work on the farm, but I think their greatest work is the caring for their little children and the training of those little minds ]daced in their care. How important it is then that our girls should be so qualified as to fully perform the duties that God has assigned them. Faimers, take note, don't neglect tlie girls, for their work in life is equal if not greater than that of tho boys, for she who helps make a good home does more than he who counts his millions. WHEAT— HOW TO INCREASE THE HELD. By JosiAH Gibson, Millhrook, Pa. (Read at Mercer Institute. ) Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 7^ That the yield of wheat per acre in the United States is less than it should be and less than it will be in the future, none will deny. The first im[)ortant factor in producing" a large yield of wheat is good- clean seed, plump and full, without broken or small grains. The yield of wheat may be largely decreased by sowing seed as it comes from the machine. You might as well try to g-et first-class beef from a poor, lean steer as a lirst-class stand of wheat from poor, shriveled seed. The ground where w^heat is sown must be adapted to the growing- of wheat. There are many acres of wheat sown on ground where it would be unwise even to expect a large yield. It is a well-known fact that large yields of wheat cannot be grown on ground where water lies on thifsurface. In such soil the yield can be largely increased by thor- ough underdraining. The preparation of the soil is a very important l)art. This means proper [)lowing, which should be done at least one month or six weeks before seeding, so the ground can be well packed by rolling and harrowing again and again, until the surface soil is finely pulverized. This thorough pulverizing of the soil^ not only leaves it so it acts as a mulch, retaining moisture in a dry time, but is^ just in the right condition for the wheat plant to feed on. Thorough^ cultivation is what I wish to emphasize. It pays and will no doubt increase the yield per acre. Again, the yield can be increased by bring^ing the soil up to a hierlier state of fertilitv. This can be done by a more careful saving of barn- yard manure. A little figuring- hero may help us to increase the yield. If twenty -five head of cattle were kept on the farm and allowed dur- in^r the day to run out in roads or in lanes where the manure will be w^asted, it would be a low estimate to say there would be a loss of at least one quarter ton of manure per day, which, in six months, the time stock is usually kept in winter quarters, would amount to forty-five tons. This could not be luirchased and i)laced on the farm for less than two dollars per ton, and if saved, would in six months, amount to ninety dollars, and in a lifetime of fifty years to $4,500, or enough to buy a small farm. this is another point I wish to emphasize. If you would increase the yield of wheat per acre, you must first increase the fertility of your soil ; and this can be done with the least outlay of money by con- fining stock to stable and yard and carefully making, saving and re- turning to the soil all the manure that can be made on the farm. Again, the yield may be increased by green manure, plowing down clover and other gx^ew croiis. For example, take a clover sod of the second year after sowing, and if the clover is cut for hay by the mid- dle of June and the second crop allowed to g-row to the latter part of July and plowed down, it will add to the fertility of the soil and in- crease the yield of wheat. Again, it may be increased and profitably by a judicious use of com- mercial fertilizers. Every farmer should make his farm an experi- mental farm bv using and testing- different brands of fertilizers with his wheat, and in this way find what his soil needs and what kind gives the best returns. This can be done in a small way and at little cost, and if it increases the yield enough to pay expenses, it is safe to continue its use ; if not, discard it at once and try some other kind. This hai^hazard way of using fertilizers without knowing what returns are received is not wise. The best time to sow depends somewhat on th«3 season. 11 you wish so increase your vield of wheat do not i)ut off the ]n-e])aration of the toil to seeding time, for a delay often proves fatal. This early prep- t I 80 QUAliTERLY EePORT. I i|! I aration gives us the advantages of the season. If the season is dry, early prepared soil will retain moisture and when wheat is sown it will grow at once, but if the ground is plowed late, it will dry out and the wheat will fail to germinate, thus causing delay and often a loss in yield. If the season is wet, you may fail to get the ground thor- oughly i)repared which again will result in loss. The yield may be increased by si)riiig harrowing. AVhere this is practiced it should be done with asi)iked-tooth or smoothing harroAV and done early, as soon as the ground is dry enough to work. Tlie yield may be increased by giving the bovs a chance. Encour- age them in ex])erimenting with numure and different kinds of fertili- sers. In tliis way you niay increase your yield per acre and it will be the nudving o^ the*^boys. If you want large crops of wheat, sow only on ground well prepared and in ;i high state of fertility. That poor, wet field that never raised a good crop of wheat never will until it is underdrained and enriched by a liberal use of manure or fertilizers. Use that field for grass or pasture or that for which it is best iidapted until you can make it ready for growing a paying crop. Let us concentrate our forces by sowing fewer acres, say half the number formerly sown. If you sowed last season ten acres of wheat, next year try five and put on these five acres all the work, manure and fertilizers you i)ut on ten acres before, and see if you will n(^t be better ])leased with the results. Land which is now producing ten, fifteen or twenty bushels per acre can^be made by proper tillage to produce double that number. Make wheat growing a study. If you want to be a good inventor, ^ good lawyer, a good preacher, or whatever line of business you wish to follow, if you are successful you must give it your careful study. It has been truly said "knowledge is power," and it will hold equally good in any line of business, farming not excepted. This knowledge can be obtained by reading agricultural books and papers and by per- sonal observation. It might be well to take a look across the Atlantic to the old world and learn something of their mode of cultivation and yield per acre. To do so might stimulate us to greater effort which would result in a large yield. You may increase the yield of wheat on your farm by aiming high, that is, do not be satisfied with jour ])resent yield. If you are now getting an average yield of fifteen bushels ])er acre, i)ut it u|) to twenty, wlien you get to twenty i)ut it to thirty, an hen you reach thirty ])ut it up to forty bushels, and never be satisfied with present attainments, but remember that all ])rogress both in the spir- itual and material world ends, as far as yon and I are concerned, when- ever we become satisfied with our i^resent attainments. A change of seed may produce a good effect and give an increase, but while I do not wish to discourage the changing for new varieties, I would say be careful until you have first tested them in a small way on your own farm. Pennsylvania State Boakd of Agiuculture. 81 WHY I AM A FARMER. By Davi I) Watts. (Read at the MahatTey Institute.) When we grow to manhood or womanhood and sometimes before we attain that age, we very naturally begin to study the various occu-' pations or vocations, guided sometimes by an idea established in childhood. This fancy may lead us along a short journey to an inevi- table air castle, or, i)erhai)s, this preference being established ])y a natural tact or pre-inclination, we espouse the calling of our chcuce and make it a success. Otliers seem to grasp the first opportunity to locate in a business regardless of their adaptability to the work and with energy and great perseveracne make a success of their business. As a boy in tlie teens, I lookiKl ui)on farming as not a very desirable business, especially did I think so when there came a sultry hot day in harvest. But as we grow older, we began to study the merits of the many vocations of life accessible to the average young man and concluded that the wise young man of ordinary ability should make a section of land upon which to establish a home, the first object of his ambition. Probably few men with a full knowledge of all the conditions would engage in farming with the expectation of making a fortune, yet if fortunes from the business are the exception, absolute failures in it are pi'obably fewer than in any other calling. In farming we expect less w^ear and tear on the nervous system, niore solid comfort, less sham, fewer al- luring temptations to do evil, and more real enjoyment than we would look for in many other callings in life In short, is not farm life i)ref- erabie to most others in the freedom it gives? We can there study the laws of nature, instilling in us a love for the beautiful surrounding about us in our daily life. My choice of farn] life was due largely to a love for the country and its natural attractions. I have a pleas- ure in the glories of the day and night as they pass in daily succes- sion; the setting sun, the sparkling of the midnisrht sky, the forest tossing to the storm or warbling witl' all the melodies of a summer evening, the sweet interchange of hill nnd dale, shade and sunsliine", grove and field, and the pleasing variety of the vegetable and animal kingdoms. Some one has written a stanza of poetry that voices our sentiments : *' I care not fortune what you may deny, You .cannot roh nie oC free nature^s grace; Yon cannot sliiit the windows of the sky Through which Auroni shows her brightening rays; You cannot bar my constant feet to trace The woods and hiwn by living streams at eve." So we are farming because we want a profit, because we want i^leas- ure, because we want health. Health is wealth, a healthy body, a healthy mind and healthy morals. If we wish to make the boy an honest and worthy citizen set him on a farm, get him interested in his lioine and in raising grain, fruits and fiowers and nine chances to one he will do honor to his calling. 82 QUAIITEIILY KeFORT. Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 83 I HOME LIFE ON THE FAKM. By Miss Ella Porter, Nashua^ Pa. { Read at Pulaski Institute. ) The homes of farmers like the homes of all other business men dif- fer just as the inmates of those bomes (litter. No two persons are constituted just the same ; what one takes pride in another cares noth- ing- for ; his mind and time are occupied with something- else which he thinks is much more important. We are not wearied with monotony in nature. We can easily see the wisdom of God in giviuo- to each of us individuality. This per sonality si)eaksmore plainly in our homes and home surrounding-s than, })erhai)S we are conscious of. I fear we would not always feel flattered if we knew the influence our home lives were havin<:^ on those around us. Might it not be well for us to stop and think and even consult our less practical neighbor ? Our desire to be self-reliant may have too much of egotism in it for our own good, and the g-ood of those dependent upon us. The farmer may have the theory of farming- all rig-ht, but like scien- tists his theories are liable to be exidoded. What he needs is the practical test of his theories, but he cannot afford to spend too much time and money experimenting. What shall he do'? Just what any sensible person would do under similar circumstances, consult tliose who have had more exeperience in the same business, thus being* ben- efited from tlieir exi)erience. I care not how well we may think we know how to do a thing-, our knowledg-e is not complete until Ave have performed the work successfully. The farmer's wife knows the benefit derived frcmi a consultation with her neighbor of more extcnided experience than she : it is much easier to learn how to do from those who have ijeiiormed the task themselves. Still she may and should read the best methods for can- ninir fruit, making' butter, etc., then, when she comes to put what^she has read into practice, slu^ will still need help from the g-ood sister with her large experience in just such work, to tell her Avliere the trouble lies so she may avoid it and thus save time and material. Hours spent in social intercourse with those interested in the same thin2:s we are, are not wasted. Tf w(^ do not always receive benefit ourselves we may drop a word that will lift another out of the "sloug-h of despond.*' The object of livinc is not that we alone may make a success of life, but that we may h(^l[) others to succeed. The farmer's life is the most independent and healthful life, and his home can and should be the liap])iest and om^ of the most re- fined to be found. A successful farmer must be intelligent and have g-ood judgment. Tf there be one in a family not so bright as the other members, it is a mistake to think of making- a farmer of him. If a good farmer is required, intelligence is necMled in the man to begin gin with. A successful farmer will be intelligent and a good mana- ger, a wide awake man, one who keeps up with the times To do this he must not expect to work twelve hours in the day the year around, but must take some time to read and study and im[)rove his mind ; and if he desires good health he must not be a slave to work, but manage to get pleasure with his Avork as he goes along through life. The children in a farmer's homo have advantages other children cannot have. They have so much more freedom. If they be taught aright in tlieir daily work, their physical nature may be developed a little each day, and thus they will attain a strong and healthful body. While they gain physically they may also gain intellectually. There is much to be learned from nature if they observe and think as they go along. In all tiiis the farmers' children have the advantage of those raised in the cities, also in the home of the farmer, the children can be taught all the courtesies required of any gentleman or lady, and as their work generally throws them in each others society, they have a good chance for imi)rovenient by treating each other as they would strangers It is a sad mistake to save all our kind words and deeds for strangers. If we make good use of them at home, there is no danger of us forgetting them when away from home. In regard to schools the cities have some advantages, Init not all. The district school teaches the children more independence of charac- ter and self-reliance than they can get anywhere else. A thorough district school education is the longest ste]) in any professional life, and all of this comes within easy reach of the farmers' home. It is not so convenient in regard to churches, generally, but ])erha]is a lit- tle sacrifice on the ])art of getting there may imju-ess upon our minds more fully what we go for. With all these advantages, why is there not more energy and en- thusiasm among the farmers? One reason may be their homes are too comfortable. AV^hen the long winter evenings come it is such a temi)- tation to sit down by a cheerful fire and spend the evening at home, instead of attending alliance, grange or some other meeting. Some of the most energetic farmers have started in their midst. They will excuse themselves something in this manner : " I guess I won't go to the meeting to night, I've got the cold and anyhow I'm tired, don't ex[)ect there will be many out, it's so dark ; then Mr. A. and B. will do all the talking anyhow" So, of course, he stays at home. How much better it would be if he would study up something to say and go and say it ? He would find Mr. A. and B. better pleased than when they had to do all the talk- ing for the reason that no one else would talk. Ah, for some plan to wake up those farmers who slee]), get them so wide aAvake they could not think of slumber, get them so enthused and earnest in the study of the laws of our nation, they would not stop till their voices were h(»ard. Then let us be heard, not to make the laws just to favor the farmer and a few of his friends, but for the ])enelit of mankind, hon- est, just laws for all. As a general thing our laws are made bj^ those who have forgotten the "golden rule." We would say to the farmers of to-day, organize and all work to- gether, select your honest, intelligent, christain men for leaders, let each individual use all the talent he has to aid the leader, and see how juuch our nation will adviince. How much can be added to the [i])[)earance of the farmers' homes where there is })ride taken in its surroundings? Where there is one spot kept sacred because of its beauty, and where a pro])er amount of fl!l 84 Quarterly Eeport. shade trees, on a sultry day, invite one to come and rest, and wliile resting, the eye is pleased with the carpet of green grass where the weeds are banished so as not to mar its beauty, for what ]S more at- tractive to those who dwell in the homes and to strangers passing by than a nicely kept lawn, where flowers are growing and sending forth their beauty in all corners and si)ots where weeds too often And a sheltered home. SHEEP. By Levi Wilson, Slate Lick, Pa, (Rend at KittanniuK Institute.) Because sheej) generally are believed not to be a very profitable kind of stock, you frequently hear men say, "I would not have any sheep on my farm. They eat the grass too short in the S[)ring, and I have no pasture all summer." This is very different from my ex- perience with sheei_). The closer they eat the more I have, when they eat off one spear two grow instead, and I soon get a good grass soil. I stable my sheep at night from early fall until turned on pasture in spring, and never allow them to get wet in the winter season, as cold rains are very injurious to their health. This season I am win- tering two hundred and sixty head. I keep them in separate flocks, fifty in a flock. A barn that accommodates tw^o hundred is fifty by thirty -five feet. This is divided lengthwise by a partition making two stables fifty by sixteen feet each. These are divided lengthwise by a hay rack two and one-half feet Avide, making four stables in the barn that accommodate fifty sheep each. These racks are made with a twelve inch board at the Ijottom and an eight inch board on the top, leaving a space of seven inches for the sheei) to eat. There is no bot- tom in tliis rack. In feedinir hay in this rack 1 put it below the level of the bottom board, allowing them to get their heads in on toy) of the hay. In this way a sln^ep never i^ulls out any hay and tramps it under his feet, as lie would do if allowed to run his head into the ha}'. I feed hay twice a day and grain but once, in the evening, A grain ration consists of one half peck to the sheep, a mixture of one-third oats and two-thirds corn. My grain rack is similar to the hay rack, except it is narrower, about sixteen inches wide with a bottom. My sheep have free access to both salt and water in this barn. I believe a great many farmers make a serious mistake in allowing slieei) to do without water, or eat snow in ]>lace of (Iriiiking. Sheep will not do well without plenty of fresh Avater. It is perhaps a more difficult matter to feed a flock of sheep correctly than many of us tliijik it is, Imt I tliink I heard some one say, "If I had the feed it would be a small matter to feed it." Slieei) are rather intelligent animals and need to be handled quietly and carefully. They should never be fed before eight o'clock in the morning or after fi\e in the evening. They cannot be fed after dark. I believe shee]) fed properl}^ will yield a good profit; if not, in nine cases out of ten it is the shepherd's fault. Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 85 THE VALUE OF BEAUTY IN KUEAL HOMES. By Miss Mame L. Reynolds, Scr anion, Pa, (Read at Kutztown Institute.) Beauty is a source of jov and i)leasure to the human heart. What heart does not beat faster,' what eye does not grow brighter when near the beautiful. Home includes not only the mside of the house, but the outside. Who is there that does not admire a beautiful country home surrounded by stately shade trees, whose every curve is a line of grace and beauty, bending to the heavenly breezes m summer and bowing their limbs gracefully to the beautiful snow of winter. How beautiful is the country in summer when nature has clothed all in its richest green, and the woods echo and re-echo with the sweet music of the birds, when the streamlet goes laughing o'er its pebbly bed when the golden grain rises and falls like waves of the ocean, then it is that we exclaim, O, how beautiful ! All of these are gitts from God to beautify the rural home and to gladden the hearts ot young and old, and friend and stranger, one and all Many of our citv friends do not realize the joy and delight ot coun- try life, they cannot behold the sun in all his splendor as he peeps over the eastern hills and announces the break of day, neither can they behold him as he slowly sinks to rest behind those western hills. Who has not observed the housewife as she follows the sun on his course, shutting him out at every window lest his rays ot light should fade her carpet. As he comes in at the east she shuts him out, when he reaches the south window the same fate awaits him, as a last re- sort he tries the west, but, alas, she is there and the closed windows and doors extend no welcome to liim and he sinks m dispst beliina the o-reen hills and night spreads her black mantle over all. It'' does not follow that because we live in the country there is no need of education, far from it. It is just as necessary to educate the farmers' sons and daughters as it is to educate the sons and daughters of our city friends. The educated woman can turn the darkest home into one of sunshine and gladness. Who is there among us that can listen to a sweet voice to strains of beautiful music and i/o^ Jeel liap- pier^? Who is there that does not admire paintings done by the loving hand of sister, mother or brother? Who does not feel happy and con- tented with a library of good books, with the latest papers and mag- azines within his reach? All of these can be had in the rural home as well as in the city home. . , xt xi • i . i The beauties of a rural lunne are not alone visual. Upon the mmcl and heart are engraven imnressions received from rural life which are lasting. Natuie is a wonderful teacher. She trains the imagiiuition, instructs the artistic sense, cultivates poetic instinct, gives health to the body thus beautifying and strengthening the mind. Great pictiires, splen- did poetic thoughts, grtnit prose efforts are not based on the scenes of city life but are the triumph of rural scenes and descriptions thereot. '!■■ "^ *•■■ t ♦;; .' i;. ■ I' 86 Quarterly Keport. Brvant does not, in Tlianatopsis find auytliing to describe m city life to teach his lesson of immortality. He speaks of the oak, of the insensible rock, of the great river which heaves no sound save its own laughinc^r. Longfellow, in his Evang-eline, dwells on the beauty of the rural home and country life. He speaks of the beautiful woodland, of the oak, beneath which the weary ]dowman stoi)s to rest, of the cot surrounded by a garden of roses, of the beautiful meadow and broad exi)anse of water whose every rij)ple sounds like laughter answering the wail of the forest. How much inspiration can there be to the poet or painter m city life"? How much there is in rural life, that show]] by the volumes and descriptions thereof. The evils of city life are not found ma rural liome. Here, free from the \vearing discord of urban life, the inind develops and broadens, the body invigorates itself for the triumphs of educational life. Almost, with but few exceptions, the truly great men of our nation, men in poetry, painting, science, invention and statesmanship were country boys. The foundations of these triumi)hs of great men and great minds were laid in the pure, s^veet air and sunshine of rural life. The birds, the flow^ers of the field, the woodland, the beauteous and wondrous changes of the seasons, the phenomena of all creation are here, nature's heart is visible at every pulsation. In the city, how- ever beiiutiful it may be, in some respects it is invariably artificial. It has no phenomena which country life has not. Who has not felt a pang of inty Avhen he observed the city child enjoy for the first time tho sunshine of the fields, when he picks with eagerness, not unmixed with wonder, the yellow stars in a sky of green, the homely dande- lion. Herein, under the o])en sky, in the sunshine, surrounded by vastness of space and loveliness of landscai)e, why should not the mind grow great for success in after life. Who were the leaders in our wars? The answer comes, the farmers. Where were our 2-reatest ))olitical leaders and our Presidents born? The echo answers, in the coujitry. In rural homes, fed by pure air and stromr sunlight, free from vice, men of strong bodies have been and will be born^and reared. Men who have been and will be the leaders of our nation, quick to think, willing to dare, and ready to do. KELATION OF FARMING TO LITERATURE. By G. S. Marrow, Dayton^ Pa. (Read nt Dayton Institute.) What shall farmers and agriculturists read to promote their inter- ests? In these days of great competition is it only the farmer that is possessed of every advantage which science and inventive genius Inave made available, w^ho can succeed? Almost every calling and vocation Pennsylvania State Board of AGRicui/rrRE. 8' in life has its journals and i)erfodicals that are devoted especially if not exclusively to that branch of business. The merchant reads the Review of Trade and the latest market reports. The Diiarmacist reads the Pharmaceutical Era or the Western Druggist. The lawyer always keeps on his desk the Legal News and the latest court decisions The i)hysician alwavs keep or always should keep the latest medical iournals on his table and ho finds time to read them, ihe minister receives much aid and assistance from his homiletics. Ihe mechanic keeps posted on matters pertaining to his particular branch ot busi- ness And so on through the entire list, the wide-awake mechanic, farmer or ])rofessional man and all others engaged m business always consult the literature that is devoted to their particular avocation. How many farmers take a good, live agricultural paper and hnd time to read it? Be it said to their credit, a large number of farmers in this community are regular readers of and some are contributors to some pa|)er or journal devoted to their line of business, i have liacl no practical experience as a farmer, but will try and make some sug- gestions as to how and what you should read, gathered from various sources as well as my personal experience m my particular calling. The o-eneral i)rinciples that apply to one will apply to the other. One of the first questions that presents itself in this as m every other ven- ture, is, will it i)av? AVill it yield a good return for the money m^ vested ^? You will answer in the affirmative. Some, however, will take exception to this and say they never derive any benefit from them— that thev get along e(piallv as well without them— that there is never anything in them worth reading, etc. It is such men that imagine they know all al^out farming. To all such I can say there is always room to learn, and I do not care what your occupation is m lite, the more you learn, the more you strive to learn, and the more you be- come informed the greater the willingness to acknowledge your igno- rance This class does not belong to the progressive farmer As a rule their premises, stock, crops, etc., show that they are not in the line' of proo-ress. Some who possibly belong to this class may show as much tlinft and as much prosperity as their neighbor who reads much and thinks much, but how far might they surpass that neighbor if thev did as much head work as he did? It pays m every other voca- tion and calling, and if judiciously managed, cannot fail to be prohta- ble to the tiller of the soil. ,. . . in i. i • . But what shall we read and what kind of papers shall we take into our homes for ourselves and family? First, we want something that is practicable. An agricultural journal the contents of which are all hio-h-flown theories and untriedexperimentswdlnotsuitthe busy man. He must have something that he can easily read and readily under- stand— a paper whose contributors are practical farmers. Many who are here could readilv and easily write many articles on some ot the various subjects that" are of interest to farmers that would be prohta- ble to others. , , i i i • Anv man of ordinary intelligence can at a glanc^^ see by looking through tlu^ advertising columns of a paper if the editor of such i)aper is of a good or bad moral character. If you find whole pages of adver- tisincv of wonderful cure-alls, matrimonial papers, counterfeit money and many other claptraps that they themselves Avould not dare to m- vest money in, pass them by, and bear in mind that the exlitor is one of those trees that bears evil fruit. The country is flooded with cheap worthless reading matter of all kinds. Nearly every farmer 'h IM i i 88 QUARTEKLY EErOllT. has parental duties and responsibilities which he cannot evade with- out the most serious consequences. The most important of these re- sponsibilities are his children. If your sons are to be farmers, they g-row u]) under the influences of ^ood agricultural papers with sucli a luiowledg-e of their vocation as wiJJ enable them to take their place in the front rank and successfully compete with their best-informed com- petitor. In these days of great comjietition and small x)rofits, it is only the farmer that is possessed of every advantage which science and inven- tive genius have made available who can succeed. The most valuable legacy you can leave your son in a i)ecuniary way is an education that thoroughly prepares him for his life work. One of the most effective agencies in bringing about such prejjaration is a live agricultural journal. Take any farmer who has made money out of his farm and I will show you a man who reads and thinks ; he i)lants those crops that are suitable for his soil and climate, raises the kind of stock that experi- enced breeders found most profitable, uses the most a])proved ma- chinery, takes care of his stock and tools, and still he finds time to read a good agricultural pa])er, as everything comes fresh from the field and is a lesson of actual ex])erience. By reading we gain knowledge, and knowledge is ])ower, and ])ower is mighty in the hands of the fortunate ])ossessor, and no intelligent man will den}^ that it pays to take time to read. Brain work on the farm is just as essential as manual labor. You can hardly ])ick u]) a pai)er witliout reading of some victim taken in by sharpers. The angel unawares appears to the farmer in a very slick suit and a still slicker tongue, and cpiietly pulls the w^ool over his eyes and persuades him to sign a contract, and finally fleeces him out of a goodly amount of inoi)erty. This kind of an affair is due to the fact that the unfor- tunate parties are not w^ell posted and informed. An editor of a mer- itorious paper is continually warning his readers not to sign any con- tracts with strangers. This evidently shows that such victimized parties either take no good i)aper, or don't take time to read. We nmst read intelligently, using good, sound, common sense as to what is applicable to us as individuals and what is not. The physi- cian who believed everything he read in medical literature and experi- mented with everything that sonu^ one recommends or suggests would certainly l)e a brilliant failure. You cannot try everything nor is everything in an agricultural journal applicable to you *^or your farm. I coidd cite you an example of one man who tried this, that and everything else that was presented to his mind until tlie farm tliat was given to him free of encumbrance is now mortgaged for more than its value. We must use our own judgment about these things and l)e cautious about any exi^erimc^nts that are radically new until consult- ing some one, either personally or by letter, who is more familiar with the subject. It is a Avise procedure to i)rovide the wife and children literature in which they might be more personally interested in, aside from what has already been mentioned. Perhnps they mav take a keen interest in flowers, literature or some kindred subjf^ct. If so, they should re- ceive some substantial encouragement along these lines. Your w ife works and toils early and late to contribute to vour success and she doosit nobly and unselfishly. If she has a little realm that she can call her own in which she labors se])arate and ai)art fjom her routine Pennsylvania State Board of Agricultuhe. 89 duties to make your home and surroundings pleasant and more com- fortable, give her some encouragement by way of providing her with suitable literature and she will do more work with a lighter heart and more cheerful countenance. The young folks will also appreciate something that is more particularly devoted to them. It will make their home cheerful and they will be more inclined to stay there. Good juvenile literature will interest them and do them good. They will read something, be it good, bad or indifferent, and if they have good literature round and about them, they wdll be mucli less liable to go abroad seeking something that is more harmful than otherwise. INTENSIVE FAEMING. By C J. Wasson, Cedar Springs, Pa. (Read at Beech Creek Institute. ) The farmer, like all persons of other occujiations, is supposed to be constantly trying to imi)rove his condition financially. The man who can realize as many dollars and cents as his neighbor who farms three or four times as many acres, is not the man who works for glory or pleasure. To obtain such results requires the most careful study and skilful management. That is intensive farming. An all-imi7ortant and sometimes most neglected crop is the manure crop. I call it a crop because it can be made to grow. We know that successful farming demands a large manure crop, liberally applied. There is another cro]) that does not need so much attention. Leave- it alone and it will take care of itself until fully ripened. But don't raise it, it is no credit ; I refer to the weed cro^). Intensive farming does not mean making a si)ecialty of raising any particular croi) and nothing else. In conversation recently with one- of the most successful farmers, he said emphatically, "Raise a little of everything that you possibly can." I would improve upon the ad- vice by saying, raise as" much of everything as you possibly can with- out overcrowding. Raise as many croi)s (excepting weeds) on the same ground in the same season with one applcation of manure as possible. Two years ago I ])lanted one fourth of an acre in early pota- toes ; as soon as we were done workinc the potatoes, we planted tobacco between the rows of the i^otatoes. AVheii the ])otatoes were- dug for market, the stalks were carried off and the ground, cultivated when the lot had the ai)pearance of a tobacco field. It was then sown witli turni[) seed and after the tobacco was taken off, it was a complete turnip field. The result was fifty Imshels of potatoes, average price one dollar per bushel, fifty dollars; four liundK^.d pounds of tobacco at twelve cents, forty-eight dollars: forty bushels- of turnips at thirty cents a bushel, twelve dollars; total, one hundred 90 QUAKTEULY RePOHT. Pennsylvania State Board of Aorioulture. 91 and two dollars, or ubout as luiicli as would be realized at preseut l)rices honi five acres of corn at eighty bushels per acre, or seven acres of wheat, or four acres of hay. And 3^et tlie taxes were paid for onl}'^ one-fourth of an acre. This, in ni}^ opinion, was intensive farm- in«\ The best crop of corn that I ever raised was grown on a four-acre lot on which the second growth of the previous year's clover crop was left stand and then ])lowed down. The ground was thoroughl}^ pre- ])ared before ])lanting, for I hold to the theory that ground cannot be prej)ared after the crc^]) is planted. The field Avas checkrowed or marked two ways, and the corn planted very thickly, and after it was cultivated eight or ten times with a cultivator, we went over the field and thinned down everv hill to not more than three stalks. I do not thiidv there was a vacant liill in the field. The result was six hundred bushels of corn ears (one hundred and fifty bushels per acre). Six large two-horse loads of corn-fodder and iialf a dozen loads of pump- kins, equal to about as much as is ordinarily raised on twice the num- ber of acres. The next year the same field produced a little over two hundred bushels of oats. In preparing ground for wheat seeding, I don't think that too much nse can be made of the roller and sjning-toothed harrows. If the ground can be put in such a condition that there is not a lump or clod on it larger than a hen's e^g, and the surface stones all taken off, it is much more reasonable to expect a good crop, all other conditions being equal, than if the land were covered with clods or stones. If the soil is covered with stones or clods, seed cannot grow, and you lose the same large proportion of yonr labor, seed and harvest. You know that it worries youi* team and yourself as much to ]dow your ground for a ])oor cro]) as a good one. An acre of good ground used as a market garden, if properly han- dled, can be made as profitable as ten or fifteen acres of grain. One- sixth of an acre of onions of average growth are worth as much as three acres of wheat ; the same with tomatoes. The gardeners say that -cabbage is the most i)rofitable crop that can be grown. An acre of sweet corn, for which there is alwavs a readv demand, is worth from one liundred to one hundred and fifty dollars. Peter Henderson, in his book called" Gardening for Profit," tells of a man near New York who leased a piece of land for gardening purposes on condition that the owner should be privileged to take possession at any time by paying the tenant the value of the crop on the ground at that time. When in course of time the owner wanted possession of his land, he found that the crops on it were worth more than th(^ land. The landlord, not willing to iiay more for the crops than the land was worth, was com- pelled to sell out to his tenant at a sacrifice. There is a moral in this worth careful consideration. The most economical and profitable method of keeping stock, es- pecially cows, is a question much debated. Some of the v>i<>i-''i"<^'«sive farmers think that soiling is the oidy way. They remove their fences and keep their cattle in stables or small enclosures, and mow their grass or feed and iianl it to them. Not having tried this plan very extensively, I cannot speak of tlie i)r<^fit derived. We all admit that fences are expensive and occupy valuable ground. But a fence care- fully made of good material will last a very long time, and it is a source of satisfaction to have cattle graze on stubbh^ or other land where there is a good crowth of grass too short to be cut conveniently, and also to check your neighbor's cattle from roaming over your whole farm after breaking through a rotten line fence. To ])revent the total loss of the use of ground occupied by fences, plant fruit trees along the line of the fence. While it is true that they do not make as rapid grow^th in fence corners as in cultivated land, the results are quite satisfactory. I have had quite as profitable crops of peacihes from trees in ftaice corners as from trees in the peach orchard. I remember on one occasion getting eleven dollais for the fruit of two peach trees in adjoining fence corners. Pear trees also do well in fence corners and are quite profitable. Quince trees can be made to grow to the size and shape of an apple tree and are also pro- fit able. To make farming profitable, we must raise everything that is w^orth raising, that we can possibly coax to grow. Fill u]) all the odd nooks and corners with fruit trees, berry bushes or anything else but weeds. Eun the machine under high pressure with the indicator marking a full hundred all the time. The old saying that, " God helps him who helps himself," is not so fully demonstrated in any calling as in that of farming, and the more we try to hel]> ourselves the more ready the Divine Being wdll be to help us. TUEN ON THE LIGHT. By Prof. J. W. Speer, Limestone^ Pa, (Read jit Clarion Institute. ) The first great command given in the space occupied by the solar system, was, "Let there be light," or, "Turn on the light." That light has been growing brighter and brighter, until the light of the present time is as the lisrht of seven days coiii[)ressed in one, when ring, when plowing for oats, which experience nas taught me to producer the best results with wheat following oats. By tlio'^way, I wish to state that all of my home-made manure at this 94 QUAliTEllLY EEPOirr. time will be conve3'ed and si)read on tlie oats stubble, to be turned for wheat following. Hence the imi)ortance of keeping the manure as near the surface as possible by shallow plowing, where it will be of the g;reatest immediate benefit to the young wheat plants. Sod hind should always be plowed as soon after harvest as possible, affordino- more time for the vegetable matter turned under to decom- pose and become prohtable as plant-food for the young wheat plants until needed. Contrarily, wheat stubble land should not be plowed so earlv, at least not in July, on our heavy limestone lands, as too early plowing in this case will make the wheat following iinble to be attacked by the fly, should such become prevalent, especially on such land where the previous wheat crop was grown on clover sod, that be- ing naturally very loose, and seemingly,, the tiy will occupy such earl} -plowed wheat stubble land before it is seeded. Nevertheless, poor, starved crops are also liable to fall a prey to the Hy, but this can be partially avoided, however, if not wholly, by making the plant strong and vigorous with the very best preparation of the soil, which should begin in a dry season immediately after the ])low, before the soil is dried out and continued until the seed is in the ground. By this I mean that in dry weather the spring-tooth harrow and roller should follow the plow daily, with the harrow coming last until all is plowed. This to be repeated until your seed-bed will be so firm that your team, when walking over it, will not sink over an inch or two below the surface. Much depends upon the i^erfect consolidation and thorough j^ulver- ization of the soil around the seed, to bring up the much-needed moisture to the surface, where it is to benefit the seed in germinat- ing and pushing its growth. Avoid tramping land when wet and cohesive, as that will destroy the capillarity and the means of retain- ing moisture On thoroughly prepared soil it is generally safe to sow wheat as early as the eighth of Se])tember, being about the time I usually start in, finishing as soon thereafter as I satisfactorily can. I always prefer, providing the soil is in proper condition, to have the roller precede the drill on freshly harrowed soil, greatly assisting in forming a firm bed where the seed is to be dej)osited, which should not be over an inch or an inch and a half deep at the most. Botany teaches us that the young wheat plant, after having germi- nated, cannot assimilate anv of the initriments of the soil until its leaves have come to light : if the seed is planted so deep that the plant, in its effort to reach light, exhausts the nourishment in the seed, the ])lant must die or Avill Jiave such a sickly growth than any unfavorable circumstances will cause it to die. Sliallow planting, on the contrary, enables the plant to i)usli its leaves into light before the sugar and starch is gone, and has plenty to sustain it until the roots V)enetrate the soil to seek other availaljle plant-food. Furthermore, by planting too dee]) the plant will become siibj(x^t to thefoiination of two sets of roots, one set directlv at thc^ seed and the other imme- diately below the surface, where iiatuie designs them to be. Conse- quently the lower and out of-])lace set is conducive to robbing the plant of its vigor and strength, l)y the time it reaches light, to such an ex- tent that those roots naturally recpiired to form near the surface, can- not fully develop, resulting in producing a sickly and feeble plant. Such plants, therefore, will not be in shape to endure the rigors of winter, alternate thawing and frec^zing, l)ut will be easily thrown out under the circumstances, breaking the connecting tap-roots between Pennsylvania State Boahd of Agriculture. 95 the two sets of roots, causing the plants to die. Accordingly, such plants grown from seed planted shallow with only one set of roots fully developed, will grow much faster, become vigorous and will be able to endure the ravages of the winter exceedingly better. Hence, shallow seeding is a very vital point in successful wheat culture Bearded wheat is the most reliable to raise, as it is much hardier and less liable to deterioration than the smooth varieties. I use from eight to nine i)ecks of (ilean seed to the acre, finding that quantity to pmduce the best results for me. Whenever Providence does not interfere, I always commence cutting o-rain early, as it gives us more time to harvest and better advantage of the weatiier, with very little waste by shelling when handling. By cutting earlv, the straw will be of a better quality, both for feeding and nianure' and it is conceded by farmers as well as millers, that wheat cut in the dough state yields the most fiour to the bushel, while the ^nxm will be more plumi). Wheat intended tor seed, should not be cut until fully ripe, as the nutritive matter m the straw is largely taken up and required to form the germinating powers ot the crrain It is true at these predominating hard-pan and rock- bot- tom'prices, wheat can hardly be raised as a paying and remunerative- croi) yet by utilizing all the advantages available to produce heavy cro]^k we can apiu'oach much nearer the desired results, and m time, probably not very remote, wheat culture may again become more profitable. OUR COITNTRY BOYS AND GIRLS. By Robert H. Jamison, Ormond, Pa. ( Read at Uniontown Institute. ) It is in the tillers of the soil that our boys and girls find their true friends and well-wishers. It is in them that we find the men and women in whose confidence we can fully and implicitly rely and whose unselfish admiration of zeal, intellect and manhood prompts us to noble deeds, to wholesome effort and to high as])iration. Search if YOU will, the catalogues of great business firms in our large towns and ^o-reat cities, read the bill l)oards on which apiiear the far-reaching in Tegal practice and in legal lore, a look in the conference, the presby- tery the synod and the association, at the men who stand high as great teachers and as models of truth, excellence, purity and grace ; o-o if vou will to legislative halls, see the men who by their acts, mould and shape the future destiny of our country, and ask yourself where they came from? Did um cities that to-day seem to have such a fascination for the youth ot our land produce them ? Did our towns with their dens of vice, their saloons and their pool rooms ot degra- dation and ruin, give them birth? Ah, no, but out yonder on some u If [J9I 96 Quarterly Eeport. towering hill or in some lovely valley li.es tljat aged -otW ^^- son to-day is enjoying' the oonhdence ot his ^^\1^^^^"\7^^^^'^^^ P^t success of a merchant's life. From some laim house tai lemoie fvoni the din anc^c^^ of the city where he was required to go out '::aJt^Z.^:\nU^ the cows, feed the b1-P -d ;-^^ ^j^^- before breakfast, where he ^vas taught only bims^^ Miwl iiPi'spverance can we climb the ladder ot lame oi leacn uiu !l nf.twpss^a whose council is sought, whose opin- ^"^ Rl^'fhP side of some ri])pling brook that sang sweet music to his soS"^ or X g tL bo^^^^^ some might v forest whose majesty spoke to iin of the^ greatness of He who made them, came the man who has star ed the most souls upward, onward, heavenward. It was the bless- n"s of 1 at country home, the beauty of God's creation, thai he imi^ o fthat little farm that gave him his inspiration It was the faitltul- nesftb^^^^ the plants, the ti^es and the flowers m then- nature showed to the kind, the earnest the just and the tiue, that tau^dit him fidelity to purpose and iaith m the right. ., . , Bo^^^^ greatest book before you every day that has evfi be^rghin to creation, that is the book of nature; open your 17:. and read its pages aright and it will make o Y ou a man af te God's own heart. Go awav out among the highest hills wheie lioop SL aW^^^^^ seem to take great . delight m growing their ar-es and alders thrive and tlouish, see here among this wilderness a larte ru e farm house, more remarkable for its strength and con^ venfence than for its elegance or grace ; the door swings heavily aback on its hinges and out come four strong, sturdy boys, coats olt, pants s uiTed in their boot tops, see them go to that old shed and get scvthe hoe, mattock and start for the fields, smging and whistling S d y boy with his tasty necktie, kid gloves and nicely polished shoes looking out on such a scene woidd say, " Poor disgusting moss^ back I pity 3^ our seediness. " The next winter wc see the boys at the old country school house, conquering his ground in arithmetic, grammar geographv and history, with the same ^inrit and determination that subdued the briar and the alder on that rough and rocky farm ; next wc see him in college, by his side is that self-same city boy who sneered at the rough clothes of his present classmates. In the tiist you see ambition, power and freedom of thought ; tlie second, you too frequentlv see dashing show, tardiness, a love for that which tends to his downfall and ruin. The first distinguishes himself in mechanics, art or literature, always going upward and onward; the second too often comes back to his native city to become what he calls an orna- ment in societv, but what really is a worthless character, a l)urden to his friends nnd at least a curse to himself. It wasn t the boy s tault, he is not to blame ; he is a creature of circumstances, and tor him to have become anvthing else would have been as much in opposition to nature's rule asW- an oak to bear apples, or a chestnut instead ot hanging out her own prickly burr, to produce the blushing peach Boys don't find fault with vour country home; don t think that you have 'a harder time than any boy who ever lived before you or will ever live hereafter. , 1 One of the crreatest blessings God ever gave you ^yas to have al- lowed you to be born in the country where you could breathe the tresli and pure air so necessary to make good bone, good muscle and good Pennsyt.vania State Board of Agriculture. 97 brains. It w^as a great blessing, too, that you had to work, that the fatiier every morning took good care that before the great sun scat- tered his golden rays over our green earth to see that you were u]) and doing, ready for duty's call. You did not realize it, you will not re- alize it until vou have reached your majority and can look back on those childhood days, then you will say with fulness of heart, "The days that I spent on my father's farm Avith ])low, with hoe and with shovel, the days when he taught me to work, the days when he, by his own vigor and [)ush and engery made me ashamed of my idle- ness and indolence, that was the best education I ever got ; I owe my success in life to it and thank heaven for it." One of the great problems you have to solve is how tokeej) the boys and girls at home. We heai* fathers and mothers complain because John, Lizzie, Fred or Bertha is not satisfied, always wanting to par- take of the hospitality [)rovided under another roof ; you say they are ungrateful. Are you sure that in that modest or superb mansion, as the case may be, that John or Lizzie is given anything to entertain, anything to instruct, anything to delight? Are you sure that on those book shelves there is foimd something to give those boys and girls pleasure, ambition and enthusiasm? Fathers, if you would spend the money that goes from your pockets into tobacco or goes up in smoke to i)urchase useful literature and useful books, it would not only make that home more happy, those sons and daughters more contented, but it would make of them when they grew to manhood and to woman- hood, citizens who would make the world better for living in it, citi- zens whose names would apj^ear on the roll of honor among the good, the just, the noble and the great. Farmers, if you want to raise good corn, if you want to raise good cattle, if you want to raise good horses, you must start right ; you must see that your corn is well cultivated, that your cattle are well housed and honestly fed, that your horses are properly bred and well broken, and if in that home you want to see grow up genteel boys and noble girls, boys and girls who will not only love mother, father and liome, but who will love the old farm, you must start right. Make that home a center of attraction so far as in you it lies, throw open those parlor windows and let God's beautiful sunshine and fresh air circulate in its tastily but mustily furnished corners, let the beautiful sunlight drive away its gloom, its foreboding and its awfuless, and then your sons an(3 daughters to go in and for the first time to make tliemselves at home, teach them to sing a song; and from those walls where nothing but hollow echoes have resounded since you became matron, let there come forth the sweet, ringing voices of childish laughter and childish joy. " Oh !" you say, " I'm too tired to do this !" It's because you are tired that I want you to do it. It will rest you, you will live longer and when the time does come for you to lay down life's duties, your bedside will be surrounded by loving sons and faithful daughters who will remember that mother as long as they have an existence, because she was good. And, if you want to make thos(^ boys and girls love their home, honor their father and their mother, and take a deep and progressive interest in your noble pur- suits, give them a chance ; don't expect a boy to work fiom sunrise up until sunset, week after week and luoutli after month, and wliiui Sun- day comes, want him to go to church and Sunday school in a two dol- lar-and-fifty-cent suit, a twenty -cent hat and a pair of shoes that make him sick to look at. I don't blame that boy for trying to run off and 7 I ii ,jg QUAKTEllLY llErOKT. 4^.^ or^w wlipnt to i)l()W corn, Soin^ a fish-n,^. Don't exrect your sous ^-^^^^^J,t, any ve- to build feuces aud haul hay =;"'V"^\*^«^ '%^d by that boy Avauts muueratiou, any credit or auy '^'^^^^ "-^^'J; ^^-^^ij t^ «ea. You call Inui to ^o to the city, V> l'\l!;l'. ' Vli:;\: o"r ua ural t'li^ m the .oi-ld for an unnatural sou, but that s tut, luohu ^^^^ j^^^. j,jjj^ Inni to do. Give that boy f,f\"; ^^ ^,'^„\,*;ri^-vest it as his oAvn. plant it as his own, f^^^^^^^fiet him know you have some conh- Give him some live stock to raise, ft Inm kuo > ^^^^ ^^^ deuce in him and he will have i"Oi'^«,J^\J "^^i*;"ee in his work a new beaming lu that eye a new fire; ,yi^'\.^;iVm grow brifxhter, his life ^{'^^S hlli = a^I^^ytii:^ soul will have a greater en- -s^ri^jy^iiri^^s^^^^ on farming-; enccnirage them o read it ^^ ^^.^ ^^^ work for results, ^« ^^^ l*?^*^;? >' ^^ Jhe road to inn.rovement, and I ample and precept put '«* boy on Uie i a to^^ ^1.^^ ^ ^^^^^ .^^ ^ venture to say that if yon ^^'^^^ | \"^,"f '" '"eain from him. few years he will surpass you and >«; ^; ^ ^^-Xs -row up to gushing To the mothers I would say as you dau^^^^^^^^^ girlhood --^}^--r':^;'^:SM\i^^ it^Kl. honored by the honest work IS not onhiespectwuy I ladylike, that no true just and reverenced by the 7^«' ^^^^j 'iVthem that the clothes don't ady lives or can live without work I ^^«'V^ '"'^"X the lady, that the xnake the lady, that tlie^Af ^^^^V; f,;l^" ^^^^^^^^^^ beautifulfacewithiosycheek.saidub lips ana ^1^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^ tiful ringlets of aubiiru or gold don * '";^1;« J'ly^^^^ that highest and go befoie the world as a repi-^seutata^e daiactei ot t ^^^^^^.^,^^_ most grand of all God's creation a vomai^ she il ^^^^^^ honest, loyal, kind, i-ble ^^-'^^-^^t ^ J^tion to do something and reverence father s age, sue and to be something. Pennsylvania State Board oe Agricultuke. 9'J times taught that individual rights and pleasures '^l" >",{;},, ^^^^''"'^rai on the altar of the nation's lustre, power and honor, ihe citizen as the slave of tlic rulers, the serf of the government. . The mystic pages of history down to the present era are simply a record 1 the sorrow, llu" trifds and the butchery (.f the many tor the olorv and icL;^ the cruel sacrifice of human beings Uy the mvriads for the power and honor of a savage generalor idiot king. At last 1 ese barren 'records were fertilized with =i sacred gem he Declaraction of American Independence, wherein all individna ghts were declared sui-reme. 'Uhc citizen servant was ;'>="b; ;i"S = ty- rant king was made servant. As I understand the taiuei, i'^\^^y-^' mechanic, citizen and professional man each is born AVith ami pos- sesses the same inherent rights. The citizen has a right to life wluc no kino- ,,ope or government can rightfully take away ihis light V 1 iL'conceded even in the cases of murder, treason and piracy when Jovernments are L-roperly civilized. This right to live carries w t i 1 1 a covresi.onding duty, viz: That of sustaining ife. The right to i\bcutv • nd th inu-suit of happiness imposes the duty of securing, the conditions that promote these rights Mark my idea, tliat every right includes an insei.arable duty like tne sunlight aud shadow. Man is known to be a social being, and as ^^.^^J'^^^^^ ^^ farmer has equal rights to society privileges witli the nch, oi city Ezei which right most certainly includes the duty of culturing, de Xing and maintaining rural society. Eegular |;f -ers and ^ tertaiuments are possible in every community, and the farmer mal - cio sly robs himself and family who fails to secure these educational amusements A liberal education is also the birthright of every citi^ zen ot™every farmers' son or daughter. Educating youthful brains and dh-ecting their social lives is the parents' best method of lead- in"- their children from crime to useful and honorable lives. t FAEMEES' EIGHTS AND DUTIES. Bv S. S. Brock WAY. Jamestown, Pa, ( Kead at Greenville Institute.) The citizen's rights, privileges ^-^^l^^^!:'::^^^i;::^i::::Z S and are continually tuned to conserve the ^'^ , '^.^^f. *^. f," ..j.ts, however, nilers, or the necessities ot f ^ro'imcui ludi ulu^^ n^^^^ .^^^ are naturally immutable and ."^te"^ "/ j^ '^^^^^t"^;^,^^^^,^^^^^^ and noblest of them have been. so unstable. -^/^^ ^Jr'i^^^^^/,,!- ^l^ i.,„nan gov- duty of a Eoman citizen was to «"«tani t f .^^^^ /^j^^'^^ ,,^1,1,, ^f the ernmeut. The most profound statesman aiui iutn« EDUCATION THE GREATEST NEED OF THE FARMEK. Ry -W11-1.IAM J. Rice, Ickesbur;/, Pa. (Read at Mlllersburu Institute. ) We are living in an age of progress, competition and intelligence, ind the p.M-son who succeeds in any calling must be well qualihod tor that cal in- He must have the will of i)erseverance, the power of eudnrauce as well as the science of observation and general mtelb- crence There is no calling that has a wider field for perseverance, 011- durauce, observation and general intelligence than farming The farmer s brought in contact, more or less, with ,dl tl,,. .-u-ts and scieiuL of the world and the more knowh.lge of th.'m he has the bet- ter prepared is he for farming. Pennsylvania State Boauu of Agkicultube. 101 100 QlTAltTEllLV llKl'OUT. ,.t tin... we fnul tliiit there ure no posi- Lookiii<'- upon tlio past a-es of ti»":. '' .V j ),,, h^s not been called tioVlK>n.v, i''«-''- e-i^rS PU Ltckl of Jethvo, yetin at^er to occupy. Moses, tllcla^ -gnei,^ o ^^^^ ^j^^ e^ of t^ c years the niat;-.cian's era t, *_ « -^ ^^^' ^ ^^efore his ^vand ot ).o^^el Lean, became imp., ent =; '^^.^^^ ft fbe a great kinp. How inanj David, the shei.herd boN , ^^'^^ ;\';.^,' in,e Washin-ton, A\ebster, Claj ::ulSd o;.:n to tL educate<^^^^^^^^^^ .^^ ^,,^^^ ,, ^ , , life. I shall uo^^■ consider l^'lf^^~,,,y of reading fluently By read- First, tlu^ farmer should l'^\^,.\^,\} "''''ti.ou-ht in its visible forms as ii,\r tluentlv I mean the power to fY'^'V' '„ s If ho can do this he is pi^.m.tly and clearly as m ^^-^^£^[,i iutellectual life is oi>en Lved from a crippled hie ^i. "^ ^^j*; \,,i,at are the mountains, hil s, to hin>. If he travels, ^^l^'^^l^^^ of material things to hm. who valleys and towns, but =^ ^e se t? Lother world appe.irs ai.d ^^^^^^„,^,y of man. The of his' mind --\n^^^««"^r.i '.: "eomSy jo with the scenes before Inm literature and history of tl\\*. ;,",(> than the pilgrimage ..f a tianii._ and nnike his survey Bomethign^c^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^.^.^^ ^^^ ^j^ ^ I Second, the fanner wi 1 ^'« ^ l'\ ^h ^ is of coiirsehasits place ameai donotmeanpennuu.slnp,a hou htm ^^ pron>ptly and the power of expf'^f-"-^^^'V;'j;.', J, '-fanners we all know who have clearly as in audible forms. Ho^^ m.ii J » , . troubled when it but tie difHculty in conversation utaie^oie> ^^^^ ,,ondrous comes to writing, ^^^-'-^Sf ..^i^f^t^'^^'S ost miraculous as an ele- niiracle of " talking papers ??^i*alion Third, the farmer who can ment of the ^^^'^'^ V''"^* d.-nlSs o^^ promptly and ac- „ot perform tl'f o';^^'"^ ^ ''^ ."^^a h^ farm oi>erations. A little curately, is to hat ''^t^" ' '^" l^'Jf.ow you what a large measure of ig^ observation will be ^"fti"«" /" "^y^l^^ respect. Fourth, .the science lu.rance there IS among fain eism^ ^ ^^^^^ ^^ seeing and co- of observation is essential m i'^^"'"'."-, ,,• ^^ the power of getting ^rdinath.g things with, the eye o^ "^f^^oi the world, the power beneath mere sur aces "'to tl^la a ^^^.^^^^^^ ^^^ atones ^r^ -fii^rl " tons-ues m trees, books in i \^^^''\ p ^^idgLlin'^everything" iBav.^^^^^^^^ ^^^.^^^, ^, tho.present It appears to me that it is n?ccssaii i observations in order day tJbe able to read, write «1^ « JY^^'^^^tfi^.ts of the educational to be in any. degree a ^"'"^^f^: .^J'^f -^'lio home and in the school in compass should be fully (|eve o « ' " "|' j ^ ^^ open to higher early youth. If they are ^H^'^'l^Vriook it the position on the farm eduJation for the famer. Let u^ \ paiiial view of education wh ch labor affords as an e'^^^f*^ ; JjV iml spe sul,h- as they are, do the assumes that books and schools ^" msi ^^^^,,,^ ^,„^^ ^t.H ,vhole w1 " and contrive, to adapt means to end in a great va- vie V of wavs and under constantly varying circumstances, "lie n Sities and struggles of the farm ^l«'"-"^\.l^";,tienc.e ai.l pej - J.XXVJ i-x ..i,.,v.wf^^ . "Wlimu. thove is a will there is a way. Veiy latiroi he ^t'me^^^of \he'uint:i' States, like AVashington, Web - ste- Clay and Lincoln, grow up on the tar.n and gained there an m :.auablo^lisciplino for the -f i^;--;},-*'-!™' ^ "of e farmer, ren^rf^Sr^^iK^^ iS^Tat^ii^n^^"'^ hS i^iilr^^^iuiX t:^:ti son eSn^s changes'every clay . The knowledge .^j;/^^^*.!. ^d o do^ mestic animals will amply pay tor the loss of *""«' t^.;';^{i "tS im of the health and physical training thus secured ,))/*, all tucm proved gymnastics none is better than manual ^.^^^ ^^^ '^" 1^" if , « lormed cheerfully and intelligently, and c^P';''^ l^^^X ^^P. mi" habits of industry, once formed «" ^l"* ,f,^"' • *^[ ' V ui"^^ ^ shai>e all the future, e ling one to va no t"fj^'J«/^X^ ^re odd moments," scorn sloth and love labor, i'-l^^^^^^^, J'"" l.lessiu'- t wins, and as idleness is always a ciirse ^vork may lea bles in Certainly, industry is essential to thrift and vi tue o the cult the mental as well as moral nature. Men ot ""'"/^ ''\^,^T i..telliared with the grand field for development in your chosen vocation through the ex- ercise of the intellect ? Wliih^ man has become a master in mechanics, while machinc^ry is his willing servant, in many of its branches doing the lal)or of thous- ands of men, yet the vast field in which he must exercise greater in- tellect than in all other trades combined is that by which the earth itself will be completely subject to his wants and gratifications. i^ENNSYLVANIA StATE BoARD OF AGRICULTURE. 105' What a sublime picture of man's relationshii) to the earth with and without the exercise of his God-given intellect ! But of man void ot intellect, we need not speak, for from the beginning he has shown his superiority over all other living matter, and all his life has been en- gaged in the making of tlie earth and its resources pay tribute to his material wants. -. « ^ ^^ £ ii The im])ortant question therefore to-day for you and all ot us alike is whether or not the fruitful earth, the farmer's machine, is periodi- cally yielding ui) such results as its cai)abilities will permit Enthu- siasts in mechanics tell us to-day that this science is m its infancy. Thit thou^'-h wonders have been accomplished m the ])ast,yet greater winders await its future develoi)ment. Why should we not say that though satisfactory progress has been made in the science of agricul- ture ill the past, yet there lies before us possibilities ot advancement that are limitless, to be worked out by the votaries of tins divine call- ino' It is material for us to inquire if the earth, the soil, is receiving such treatment at the hand of man, which, when combined with the dews and blessings from Heaven, will bring about the best possible results. It is fondled, nursed, cleaned up, rubbed down, ted and oiled as the engineman does his locomotive which he admires and cares' for as though it were a thing of life. Have the productive pos- sibilities of the soil been fully tested^ It is certainly known what the sin<^le grain of wheat may reproduce under the most favorable condi- tions What part mav electricity, or other scientific agencies play either in the tillincr of "^tlie soil or the production of crops ? How many crops may be harvested in one season thi-ough the stimulous ot agen- cies never yet a[)plied? ., I, 1 11- The scientific farmer of to-day, I mean the farmer who works his intellect as activelv as his muscle, will evolve the solution ot these in- quiries, and show greater progress in the science ot agriculture in the present generation, than has been displayed in many generations here- t OTOT^ 111 mvtliolo and lier Lothrr i,i the pestilence that followed She was a devoted fol ower of him who first taught asrriculture, and when he died she carried foi- ward this divine calling. One by one tlie men of the forest threw aside the bow and arrow an,l placed themselves under tl^* t" 'Uge <^ this beauciful creature and became tillers of the ««•!•. ^^T'^^'^'y J «. forests disai>peared and iu their i)hice were seen faelds of waving- IOC) Quarterly Eeport. Pennsylvania State Board or Agriculture. 107 -rai]i fruitful orchards and comfortable homes. Even m her lifetime she seemed to become divmely fair in the eyes of these converts to a-riculture, and after her death " they were not unmindful ot the ben- efactress who had -iven the first impulse to then high career. ih^J assigned her a celestial parentage. Tenii)les were erected to honor her^ They believed that, thouoh her honu^ had ong' been hxed among- the stars, where she still presided over thc^r attairs, and pleaded their cause in the senate of the gods. Ihey painted her he- ure as they ima-ined it, all radiant with supernatural beauty, her hand bearin- the horn of plenty and her head oarlanded with ears ot wheat They worshi})ped her with all the fervor of idolatrous venera- tion and for a long lapse of centuries they knew not that the hibors of th(3 farm were blessed and rewarded by a g-reater deity than C eres To this day we keep her memory alive by calling: the most useful ot ao-ricniltural ])roducts after her name— the cereal g-rains. °Huch is the fancy picture of the progress of ag-riculture ; but though woven from mytholoirv it is none the less true and marks the advance- ment made since the dawn of civilization in your adopted calling. What the future of agriculture may be depends largely on your own intellectual exerticms. Its possibilities are in your hands, i bid you study the soil and studv the things that are friendly to its culture, ns by so doing its possibilities are converted into the most certain yearly X^roducts. THE SUCCESSFUL FAEMEK. By Philip J. Shoemaker. (Read at Clarion Institute.) I As the farm is the source from wdiich the chief sustenance of man- kind is obtained, the question how to make farming a success is one of universal interest. We do not claim that it requires as much execu- tive ability nor as com]n'ehensive a business system to manage a farm as a railroad, but we do claim that if equal talent was broug^ht into requisition, farming: w^ould be far more remunerative than it is at ]iresent. • i i. • r Industry is the key to success. By industry I do not wish to inter that a man must toil incessantly, but as I w^ish to express it, it means mental as well as phvsical labor. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? There can be but one answ^er to tliis, and that is in the negative. I do not know of a single instance in my recollec- tion where a man ever g-athered successfully from indolence or idle- ness. We often see the plan tried, but the scheme is never successful. A maimfacturer of lailroad iron, when asked the secret of his suc- cess, answered that his success lay in his persistent endeavor to make each succ(H3diiig batch of iron better, if possible, than the^ last one iind that all should ai)proach as near as possible to an ideal standard or model of merit as a manufacturer could produce. This princii)le of honorable success so api)licable to the manufacturer who success- fully manufactures his goods after an ideal standard, is no less ap])li- cable to the breeder, the stockman and the g-eneral farmer. The farmer, like the manufacturer who is ambitious to be successful in his calling, should ever be guided by an ideal standard or model of merit which should lead him onward and upward, not only morally and socially, but also as to his farm, its management, equi|)ments and conveniences. • i -i i • ir n Tlie selecting-, breeding' and marketing of his stock should be m tuli heart and sympathy with this spirit of progress, and always profiting by his own experience and also by that of others gained in social intercourse and through the press, with that foresight and discerning judgment which becomes the progressive farmer, he should endeavor to make every step taken one of progress. This must be done to in- sure future prosperity to the farmer of this country. Farmers too frequently make just this mistake ; too manv of us do not do enough of independent thinking, and, acting like drowning seamen, we are too apt to grasp some ])rospect of bright promises that iinex])ecterlly looms up and swamp it to the inconvenience and privilege of the majority. i i r i • r The man w^ho is continually changing the standard ot his tarm oper- ations, shifting from one si^ecialty to another in constant pursuit ot that line of farming which ])ays the best at the time of the change, usually hoes a hard row. The successful farmer is one whose buildings are in good trim, his fences good, fence rows clean, his land m a good state of cultivation ; to have matters in this shaT)e he must be a man that is not afraid of work ; he must, in our county, ai^^^ly lime to his land and not allow any manure to go to waste. He will do his work at the proi)ev season, not ])low when the water will run after him in the furrow, as I have seen some of my neighbors do, but will wait until the ground is drv enough and then get at it in good earnest. Possi- bly when the ground gets in a good condition for ])lowing, this neigh- bor will be loafing at the village store or blacksmith shop, or perhaps he will have to go to the mill. The successful farmer will have all his chores done when seed time or harvest approaches, so that no time is lost when the crop is to be put in the ground or harvested. To sum up the wdiole matter, the man wlio has one hundred acres of land in a good condition, reared a family, given his children a good, common education and has all the farming machinery he needs and some capital in bank,surely has made farming a success. 108 QuAiiTEiiLY Report. ROOT CROPS FOR STOCK. By 1. W. Allison. ( Read at Mercer Institute. ) 111 discussing the relative value of the ditieient food erops raised we are a])t to -ive too much attention to what we call our mam cro})S \n intelligent farmer surveyin- tlie different parts ol our country will find that in one part cotton is king-, in another corn, and m still an- other wheat. .^-,11 m ^' -^ ^ The farmers of western Pennsylvania find that, as a rul^ diversihed farmin- pays when followed intelligently. We find that the raising and feeding of stock is still followed, though to a limited extent, a& the profits are not as large as they were before the Nv^stem ranges were opened and came into competition with the east. Ihe inquiriet:> to which we would like an answer are, " Is there any method by which we can still raise and feed stock at a profit? Ai;e there other crop^ that are more profitable to raise, and that will give better results at less cost than hay, corn and oats?" AVe think there are and among these and at the head of the list for winter teed are the dilTerent kinds of roots, notably, mangel-wurzel for cattle, carrots for horses and turnips for sheep. The growing of these crops for teed is not tol- lowed as largely as it would be if we better understood their value tor feeding purposes. i • ^ xi * i » In some parts of the world they enter as largely into the feeders calculation as the hay or grain ration. In England they enter into th(^ farm rotation the same as any other farm crop. In portions ol Canada, notably in the county of Ontario, they are grown exten- sively ' This is not the case in western Pennsylvania i think Tins is a ^reat mistake on the part of our farmers. A single trial will con- vince any farmer that a larger amount of feed can be grown per acre from roots than any other forage crop. . Take the mangel of the beet family and it is no uncommon tiling for growers to raise fortv tons per acre. This, of course, is a large crop above the average, but so are three tons of hay, one hundred and fifty bushels ears of corn. Tak(^ thirty tons as an average and we will get five or six times as much feed per acre, hay averaging one and one-half tons, at two or three times as much as one hundred bushels of corn ears per acre. 1 . -, 1 i? Experiments made by careful breeders gave the teed value ot man- o-els in coini^arison with good timothy hay at twenty -five to thirty percent. Dr. Collier, of the New York State Experimental Farm, gives tlie following values: One hundred pounds of good timothy hay equals tlii(M' liundred and sixty-eight pounds of mangels, or sixty -two pounds of corn; assuming the one hundred pounds of hay equal to four liuiidred pounds of mangels, we have from one acre of hav, average two tons i)er acre at twelve dollars per ton, twenty-four dollars , one acre of mangels, average forty tons i^er acre at three dol- lars per ton, one hundred and twenty dollars. Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 109 The different kinds of roots can be grown successtully on any well- drained soil but the best soils are sandy or clay loams, with well-en- riched stable manure. If the manure cannot be obtained, from iour hundred to iixe hundred pounds of a high-grade commercial fertilizer, sown broadcast before harrowing, and one-half of that amount sown in the drill with the seed, will give good results. The seed shouhl be sown in drills from twenty -four to thirty-six inches apart; the richer the ground the wider apart the drills. If sown with a seed drill,man- ^els require from seven to eight pounds of seed per acre, it sown by iiand, from nine to ten pounds, as they cannot be sown as evenly by hand as by the drill. For mangels and carrots the ground ^1h>^^1^1J^^ idowed immediately before seeding, and m this latitude the seed Should be sown as early as the ground can be worked, bow m April if Dossible After seeding, the ffround should be rolled. Cultivate as soon as the plants are ui>. Thin out the plants where they are too tluck to about six or seven inclies for mangels, and about four or five mcheb for carrots Where plants are missinj?, transplant iroia where they are too thick. The cultivation of these crops is about the saiue as for corn or potatoes. The dryer the season the oftener they should be cultivated. Continue cultivation uuti 1 the last of September Turnips should not be sown until Jiily 1, from tlu^ 15th to tlie 3()th a few days more or less makin- but little difference A very grood plan is to take of¥ a crop of early potatoes or tlK^yji"/;; 'T JJ i"^/ <;roi> where you intend to break your sod for corn the follouins sea- son In the latter case the ground should be manured the previous winter The manure will not hurt the hay crop and it keeps the ground moist, so that the seed will grow if sown, as soon as the Iround is plowed. The harrowing should be done before seeding and the seed covered by rolling. The harvesting of these different crom should be deferred as long as possible. In storing for winter use the best i.lan where there is no barn -cellar is to cover them in lo"f - ^;- Towpits. The covering should br plenty of straw with but little earth onlv enough to prevent freezing. . In conclusion,! would urge these farmers who do not ^_aise roo^s o +rv the evoeriment Do not depend so much on corn. lurpose. I dig the hole two or two and a. half feet in diameter, taking otVthe top soil and placing it m a pile to one side Then one si)it of the sub-soil is thrown out (ten inches) and th(^ hole partly filled witli top soil (big near the pile of sub soil. Upon this the trees are set, filling in the dirt first thrown out, shaking the tree well, and working the dirt in among the roots carefully with the hand and afterwards tramping solidly until the hole is tilled. Trees should be set at same depth as they grew m nursery Imm a. pint to a quart of fine ground raw bone is sprinkled upon the dirt as it is being filled in among the roots. In addition each tree should have two forksful of good barnyard manure spread near the tree alter it is planted, and repeated every autumn until the trees are thor- oughly established and are growing rapidly. After-fertilizatioii should consist of applications of a good brand of super-phoshate, with addi- tions of ground bone or potash. i . i 4. All side branclH^s should be pruned from the newly ]>lanted tree, and the top cut off at the middle of the leading shoot of last year s- o-rowth They will then need no stakes to hold them m place ex- cept, perhaps^ an occasional one with poor roots, which even a stake will not save for usefulness. ,. ^ r . ^ i. Apple trees should be not less than thirty-five feet apart, pear trees twenty peach eighteen, (luince and plum sixteen. Apph- and peach may be planted alternately, the peach failing before the apple trees come into bearing. , , i 1 i.r i.i i: Some slow growing varieties might be ]ilanted closer than the dis- tances given above, while others might recpiire even more room. Smith's Cider apple trees will do at well fhirty f(>et, while the Lawrence pear would require twenty-five feet. Good thrifty trees properly planted cultivated and fertilized, will generally not need any wash to keep 'them free of scale, lice or other insects. An occasional tree may be affected, when an application of simple whitewash to the trunk in June will be all sufficient. Other washes may do as well, but lime is the cheapest and most easily obtained and answers the pur- pose perfectly. ^ ,, , ... ,. Every year all fruit trees should be carefully i^runed, cutting them • into shapely trees, taking off all suckers, and thinning carefully even to the ends Of the branches, makinir the top oi)en to sunlurht and air This can be done at anv time after the leaves fall m the '\''^'\'\''\ ^^V^l! they put out new ones in the soring. The prunings should be lett Ivino- upon the ground for the rabbits and mice to eat, when they will very^-arely attack the trees. For pruning we use a long pole pruning hook and an ordinary stiff -backed carp(^nter's tenoning saw and large prunino- knife. The tools should be k(M>t in order, the saw f^et wide and knife sharp. Nearly all the work is done with the saw. Nothing i| 112 Quarterly IIepoht. is put on to cover the wound, life being- too short for that and nature being" very ])romi)t to repair the daniag-e. If the trees are thus care- fully ])runed every winter there will be very few lars^e branches to be topped oft aud but little to be taken off at one time I'have not found any wash a perfect protection against borers 1 liave used tarred paper Avitli some success, cutting' it in strips a foot wi(h\ i>lacing- it around the body of the tree slightly below the surface of the ground and drawing the loose dirt against it to hold it m place. But I have abandoned all api)lications and go over all ai)ple, quince and peach trees twice every summer, in June and September, •digging- them out and destroying- them. This is work I am obliged toTo myself, never having found a man that could find them all. My men dig- the earth awav with hoes and I follow with a g-ouge, an inch wide, and a light mallet taking oft' suckers and digging- out the pests. The peach tree borer is always found in or under the bark, never bor- ing- into the wood and is easily found. The apple and quince tree borer does not bore into the wood until the third summer and is easily found the first or second summer of his existence. In the sprmgr of the third summer they bore into the wood near ,tlie g-round, pass- ing- upward throug-h the wood, from a half inch to an inch under the fAurface, emeriring a perfect insect, during the late summer. The hole of exit can readily be seen about sixteen or eighteen inches from the ground. They do little or no harm to the tree, after entering the wood, the damage being done the first and second summers. In T)lowing-, the ridges and deal furrows should always be made in the middle, between the rows of trees. The ground should be plowed five or six inches deep, excepting near the peach trees, and k(q)t thor- oughly cultivated with plow or cultivator until September, the plow being frequently used. I always use a Wiggins plow. No. 8 or 9, the low with a hook. For tracers I took old leather ones from carriage harness, screwing or nailing them on the back of the tree and drawing them around over the ends. They are fastened to the ordinary working harness by a strap at the horse's flank. I liave sometimes given my orchards the regular rotation of farm •crops, keei)ing tlie ground near the trees plowed and cultivated, wid- ening the cultivated s])ace as the trees grow larger. Even in the care of small trees it should never l)e less than eight feet. This plow will answer very well for two rotations, in the apple or pear orchard, but not in case of the peach. But do not forget to let the fertilizer extend to the trees. Some budding and grafting will be necessary on every fruit farm. The art can b(^ much easier learned by seeing it done than by any de- scription that could be given. It is not difficult to learn ; failure re- sulting oftener from the conditions of bud and stock than from want Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 113 of skill in the operation. It is generally' better to bud the stone fruits. In the case of grafting the cherry, grafts should be cut very early, and kept in a cool, dam[) place until wanted ; in the ice, house upon ice, covered with the damp sawdust, being a good place for them. If kept dormant they need not be put in any earlier than apple or pear grafts. I use a grafting wax made of four ])ounds of rosin, one i)ound of beeswax and three-fourths of a x>int of raw linseed oil, all melted to gether slowly in any iron or tin pot, poured out in cold water and pulled as you would candy until white. It is made into "sticks" and laid away u])oii greased window glass. In using it the hands should be oiled. All wounds upon grafts and stock should be covered care- fully. If the weather be warm it may be carried in a pan of water. The grafter should always have an assistant to do the w^axing. Gen- erally it does not i)ay to graft over old apple trees. Better plant a new orchard. Make the most out of the old ones you can, and cut them down. The tops of old pear trees can sometimes be grafted over to advantage ; younger trees generally doing nicely and making fine bearing trees. Budding may be done more rapidly than grafting, and in some cases is preferable, as in grafting it is of more importance to have the conditions right than to have it skilfully done. The buds should be well matured. The leaves should be cut oft' as soon as the buds are out from the tree. Tliey should be very tightly tied. Good strong, soft twine is best for the purpose. Strong overgrowing suckers should be carefully kept off. Thinning the fruit when the trees have set too full is of first im[)ortance, especially u]^on young trees. They should be carefully gone over when the fruit is about one-half grown and all the small or wormy fruit removed. It is much better to err on the side of taking off too much than too little. No rule can be given for it, but leave no more on than the tree can carry without breaking or ex- hausting its vitality. If you allow a tree to overbear, it will inevitably in the end result in loss. The money value of the crop will be great- est if you give every single specimen of fruit a chance to perfect itself. It is no more work to i)ick tln^ fruit and throw it on the ground than to pick the same fruit after it is matured and really there is little time lost. It only needs the little care and forethought of the enterprising fruit grower to make it pay handsomely. KNOWLEDGE FOR THE FARMER. By J. H. Cessna, Bedford, Pa, (Read at Bedford Institute. ^ "The secret of thrift," says the late Charles Kingsley, "is knowl- edge." The more a person knows th^3 more he can save himself and 8 114 ' QUAKTEllLY llEFOKT. '' TUeTrlication of these remurks ^^v ,^« '-^"r/°t'in LV^'f briul, richiug nlmost every department ot iinnau 1 te b m^^o '^ »^. ^le pursuit are they more forcibly uclai. ted th:ui to that ot the tillei ^f fwlnil or the furmer Hi« work is so varied and partakes of so m.t otli avoclti r^^^ knowledge is needed at every step. An- Xr -reat Sadefines knowledge to be power and says it may be n ^ood oi -i bad thing, just as it is used. If knowledge is rightly ap- ;S i^is a bles^ni: but if ap,.lied to evil purposes, it is a curse; h^ offices, about half of the county offices and some ot the state offices are generally filled by farmers. This is just as it should l>e except that if anything, they should fill more of the higher offices. They as a rule have the burden of the public expense to bear and the> should have the management of the public business or a large share of it As a ruhi they manage th<^ schools, the roads and the hnancial affairs of the county, adjusting the valuation of property for taxable purposes. Thev very often have charge of the elections m farming localities All of these are very imi.ortant duties and to do them will require intelligence and the finest of judgment. Farmers' voices are frequently heard m the legislative halls of the states, and sometimes in the congressional chambers of the nation; an.l there is no reason that we can see why more of them should not fill these hidi places of trust and honor, unless it is that they have not worked tluinselves up to a proper standard of q.mlification : and we sometimesthiuk th.^standard of <,uulihcatioi. neednotbe very high to find one to fill these places as well as they are sometimes filled bj persons from the different professions. Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 117 Some representatives do nothing that we can see but answer to the roll call, ride back and forth on passes and draw their pay. There is not a farmer in all the country that could not do that. When wt; look at the list of great men who were born on the farm and in other huni- ble stations and who became eminent by the great things they did and the hiirh places they filled, and whose names will be remembered while time lasts, there is great encouragement for the farmer and his children Capt. Cook, the circumnavigator of the globe, was born m a mud hut on a farm : Columbus, the great discoverer of America,, was a noor weaver : Homer was the son of a small farmer ; Daniel Defoe, the author of liobinscm Crusoe, was a hostha- when a boy ; bhake- speare, the greatest of English writers, was the sou of a wood-cutter ; Robert Burns was the plowman in Ayrshire and was called from ti)e plow to the palace : Mohammed, called the |)rophet, was born in the country and was called the driver of asses ; Cmciunatus w^is plowing in his vineyard when the dictatorshii) of Home was offered him; Daniel Webster, the great exixjunder of the constitution, worked on a farm when young; Henry Clav, the great pacificator, was called "themillboy of the slashes;" Abraham Lincohi, the emancipator of 4 000 0000 slaves, was the "rail splitter" on a farm ; Commodore Van - d'erbilt who died worth $85,000,000, earned his first money plowing a stony batter. Our own immortal Washington was fonder of the sickle than the sword and he unhesitatingly pronounced agriculture the most healthy, the most useful and the most noble employrnent of mail." Hundreds more could be mentioned who were called directly from the farm to places of eminence and honor. r^ I FARM STOCK FOR PROFIT. By L. R. McMiLLEN. (Read at New Bloonifleld Institute). To succeed in this line depends lar^^ely on the man, the circum- stances under which he is placed and the early training to which ho has been subjected. Well has it been said by some author that " eter- nal vigilance is the price of liberty," and I might change this expres- sion and say that unabated watchfulness is the royal road to success in stock-raising. Many of our farmers have more money iu their stock than in their crops, yet they niak(^ tlieir crops of primary iiii[M)rt;uico and the stock of secondary considoiation. ^ From oersonal observation and conversation witli many ot tlio farmers of this and adjoining counties, whih^ purchasing stock, it seems that many farmers teach tlieir boys to be careful and energetic in plowing, harrowing, in short in all kinds of crop-raisnig, but allow them to remain extremelv ignorant in regard to splint, spavin, curb. 118 QUAHTERLY RePOKT. ringbone or any of the diseases to wliioh the horse or any of the stock are habitually subject. . ,, . .1 1 j. „.a;,.^l,r The education of our children m this respect lies almost eutuelj upon the parent. AYe should hold ourselves 111 readiness to droj) any other work and see to our stock whenever it needs our care, i lie suc- cessful storekeeper waits ui.on his customers as speedily as i-ossib e, and the doctor, anxious to succeed in his profession, ans^vers all ca Is regardless of the night or the terrors of the storm ho nuist the farmer be, yea. even more so, for the customer makes known Jiis wants and the patient gives a knowledge of his disease by teHii'S' 1"« <'om- Dlaint but the stockman must ascertain the wants and detect tlie ail- ments of the animals under his care by self-reliance and careful obser- ^'Nve need more home training in regard to the care the diseases, the quality and the vahie of stock. By education our chiklren or tliose under our employ, become more useful to us and a zeal, an interest a love for the carin- of stock, is created within them whicli will m the future insure, them success. I am opposed to much doctoring, but every farmer should have on hand a few simple remedies lor colic, wounds etc., for we do not have veterinary doctors m inaiiy localities When your stock is sick, stay with it all the time, ni^ht and day and so far as possible, observe eveiy action, and act not in an excited and heedless way. Take the motto of the man who could not earn a bv- in^ by work, but, being a good talker, who was advised by a Iriend to go'out west and hang cmt a sign as a doctor,andin giving medicine, to make this his motto : '' If it will do you no good it will do you hami. He met with great success, and, in after years wrought a marvelous operation u^ on the man that had give him this advice. , When a horse takes colic or becomes sick from over-eatmg, it is better to administer a little salt water, soda or assafoetida, than to ])rocuresome unlearned horse doctor who will pour m sulphuric ether laudanum or other strong medicine that should not be given without a good knowledge of the effect likely to be produced. There is more in careful nursing and dic^ting m the human tamily than in doctoring. This is especially and equally true m regard to stock. Diet on bran-mash or whatever suits best till you ascertain tlie disease. , . , . n i Some wear out their teams on the farm, but generally you can clo better by selling the horses that have arrived at maturity and retain- ing the valuable brood mares and younger horses. In raising horses we cannot compete with the grazing lands of the west in cheainiess, but we can in quality and disi)osition, for as educational ability is trans- mitted from parent to child, so is docility bred in the brute. We sometimes imagine that we could make more money out of im- ported stock, but our exi^ectations often exceed our realizations. Breed for beautv, good form and usefulness, regardless of the name, unless you want to make a specialty of the business. Pennsylvania State Board of Agkicultuiie. 119 THE MOTHER IN THE HOME BvMissTiLLiK Maurer, Stoyestown, Pa, { Head at Somerset Institute, ) Upon the mother depends in a special sense the education of the familv I use the word education, of course not as api flying to liter- ary and scientitic training, sucL as is imparted l)y the schools, but in the broader sense in which it is used to signify the laying of a good foundation upon which the course to be pursued and the success to be attained in future life depends. i -,. ^ ti i Many of the mothers who reign with queenly dignity did not enjoy in early life the advantages of our modern school system, in the schools of their day little more was taught than orthography, reading und writing, yet, notwithstanding their lack of educational advan- ta^-es they have proven their (lualitication for the responsible posi- tion of mother and teacher, by the character of the sons and daugh- ters who to-dav rise up in their various fields of usefulness to call theik blessed. ^It is true, it may be said, of those wdio are achieving the greatest success that they did not receive a 1 their training at home Some were educated in our state normal schools, and others have enjoyed the advantage of a college training, but wdiere is the in- stitution of learning that can do more than build upon the foundation laid within the sacred precincts of childhood's home? Early impressions are the most lasting, and whether they l)e good or evil they are sure to liave an im])ortant bearing upon the cliarac- ter and conduct of future life. Such impressions depend more u])on the care and teaching of the mother than upon any other circum- stances connected with the period of childhood. It is true, the father has an imi>ortaiit duty to perform in giving direction to the impulses of the child bat from the consideration that he must give his atten- tion to the management of the farm, or the control of whatever other business he depends upon for the sui)port cf his household Ik ^ has less time and opportunitv to give attention to the habits ot thought and action that are being formed by the younger members of the familv than is possessed by the mother. Nature seems to have or- dained that the mother should be the first teacher. To her is com- mitted the care of the child before the dawn of reason, and the tact that th(^ first lesson it learns is its dependence upon her, gives to her an influence and ai>ility to direct aright the youthful iniiid and heart that no one else possesses. But the responsibility oi tlu^ mother does not end with childhood. ^.1,1- Her sons and daughters need the care that only a mother s loving heart can prompt when they have reached the period of more advanced vouth It is not uncommon in the spring time to see a piece ot broken -round within an inclosure that is used for pasture. 1 he corn or other'croi) may be planted, but the farmer in the push and hurry of sprino- work tl'iat must be done in season, neglects to fence the piece i 120 Quarterly Eeport. Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 121 of ^vomul ])lMce(l under cultivation until tlie planted seed be^^ms to ^row and attracts the attention of the cattle ^razm- ui)on other parts of thetield, and then everything else is hud aside, all Jiands^x) to work to ijut up the fence, for the growing crop is in danger and dehiy would prove fatal. 80 the i)rudent njother watches the developnieiit of childhood into youth, she sees with satisfaction the opening blos- som that gives promise of fruit, and while she lifts her heart m thank- fulness to^God for the evidence that her efforts have been attended by liis blessing, she realizes more than ever the danger and temptations that beset her loved one, and endeavors by every means withm her reach to strengthen imd retain her influence over them, that it may be as a wall round about them by day and by night, to shield them Irom danger. She clings to the confidence of her sons who are now devel- o])ing into mauhood with an earnestness that is equaled only by her devotion to her Maker. Every act of her life in which they are con- cerned is so directed as to show them that she is influenced only by a desire to promote their interests and secure their highest good. As evidences of the weakness incident to the period of life they have attained are discovered by the father, he may become harsh and petu- lant, but the mother never wearies, and though tears may moisten her pillow by night, she meets her boys with a smile in the morning and begins the day with plans for their comfort. She seeks to make their home so pleasant and attractive that the path of the destroyer l(>ses its charms, and in almost everv instance when her ])art is thus fa_ith- fullv performed, she has the satisfaction of seeing her labor rewarded. Her sons will learn to properly estimate lier devotion and recognize the unselfish principle from which it s])rin2-s, and instead of being won from their mother, they will hate the influences that they knoAV burden her loving heart, and turn from them as they would shun the poison of a deadly viper. I may be wrong, but I doubt whether any man is capable of being a really bad man who is fortunate enough to have a reallv good mother. .. ,,xt Some one in givincr advice to young ladies has said, Never trust your happiness in th(^ liands of any man until your acquaintance with iiim is such that vou have reason to believe that you know him thor- oughly." This is good advice, but may we not safely add that you can know no man thoroughly until you know his motlu^r. Whih^ the influence of the mother is the principal factor in the formation of the character of her sons, it is no less important in tlu^ i)roper training of her daughters. When they are at home, she is their constant com- iianion and, unconsciously 'to herself, her example is influencing their habits and her entire self is being reproduced in the characters they are forming. Nor is it by the influence of example alone that she is cultivating" the dispositions and minds of her daughters. Her con- stant association with them affords Jier an opportunity for more habitual training in everything that pertains to the grace and delicacy that iM^long to female character. The bond of affection existing be- tween them inspires their confidence and she has i>owerto mould their characters, even as the " potter has power to mould the clay into ves- sels of honor or dishonor. " DOGS. By John McDoweli., Washington, Pa, \, Keaci at Annual Meeting. ) I am on the programme for a subject that is not popular and that I don't like. To me it seems like swapping sheep for dogs. You ask, "why do I write on a subject I do not like?" Well, I'll explain, in the month of October. I received word from Secretary Edge informing me 1 would be placed on the] )rogramme for the annual meeting, and to- send him mv subject. About this time two dogs got after my fancy and best sheep, and killed and wounded eighteen out of twenty one I valued these sheep at fifteen dollars a head. I put the dogs ott and followed one of them, a large Newfoundland, to its home 111 less than twenty minutes after I i)ut the dogs off. The owner refused to have her killed. I was sorely vexed, but I did not swear, tor i never used a ])rofane word in my life. Just previous to this i tlioucht I would take " sheej)" for mv subject for this meeting. After sultering this loss of sheei) I mailed my subject, "Sheep," but the secretary put me on for "Dogs— their care and management with a shot-gun 1 thought he was joking till he produced my letter, and true enough he was"right and J was wrong. . ^ , , , , Mr Blaine tells this story : When he was m London, he went to a- play The house and gallery were crowded full of people. The scene acted was one of Fausts'. Faust claimed to have great power ; that he had a contract with the devil for twenty -four years m which he was to have his fill of earthly pleasures; as the play went on, they tried to show their power to raise or conjure up the devil who would take people off to purgatory or the bad place; the play seemed sa much like a realitv that the aduience became spell-bound. Away up and far back was an Irishman who looked on with intense interest and who was taught to believe there was a place of future rewards jmd punishments. In the floor of the stage there was a liole. As the play became more exciting, all at once the devil appeared on the stage and hurried the actors off, one by one, down this hole into purgatory. The last one had what the boys wickedly call a " big bay window ; the devil laid hold of him and soused him into this hole; he soused him up and down but he couldn't get him through. The Irishman seeing the difhcultv, cried out, " by garry, hades is full ! I am glad theie is no room for me !" Now, Mr. President, I don't mean to say that those who have preceded me have gone down through that liole, but the programni(3 is full and there is but little room for me or my dos" subject. , -, -n- i ^ -i There is no animal that iias separated willingly from its own race like the do^- and showed such tidt^lity and allegiance to man from the earliest his'torv of the world. The variety of breeds exceed fav above one hundred. ^ Naturalists are divided as to the origin of the difleT(Mit breeds, some assert they originally sprung from the shepherd dog; ao-ain others deny this and say the race sprung from the wolf . others i\ 122 QUAltTEllLY EErOKT. Pennsylvania State Board of Agkicultuhe. 123 .are undeeidea and an impenetrable veil of mystery han-s over the ori^^in of the doii" that never can be removed. . From the most remote period the do- has always commanded re- :spect, nor is it ever likely to occur that this respect or ^^^^^1^^^^^^^^ will ever become exhausted or die out ; the Iriendship of dog and man seems mutual and abiding. The cause of so many varieties of breeds is no doubt due to crossing. Climate may also have its ettect. A pure bred dog- of any breed is bec^omino- rare and our whole country L fast filling- up with mongrels. As a genera thing mongTelsaie useless, but there are exceptions in certain breeds, t lat the admixture has proved valuable. Of the great number of dog fanciers, some are for one breed, some for another, so that all breeds, as well as mon- ^n-els or worthless curs, or poodles, or ])Ugs find some person ready to take them liome with them, though a homeless or stray dog, until there are but few families but what they have a dog. It is a fact, with very few exceptions, that all persons, no matter what their position, rank or calling, rich or poor, have a likmg or ]>artiality for a nice, well-bred dog, and fabulous sums have been i)aid lor the particular dog that is admired. This of course applies only to pure 4nd well-bred dogs. A handsome dog may not be well-bred, lor even mongrels may be handsome and selected as a companion, dropping out (7f sight the purity of blood. . , -,. -.- ^ -l It has been said that the dog partakes of the disposition of its mas- ter, whether pleasant or friendly, sullen or snappish; one thing is .certain, that women and the pug dog are very fond ot caressing each other, and I have actuallv witnessed more kissing than bitmg ; but the bussing was all on one side, the dog fondly submitting. Dogs are a necessitv for watching and for protection ; he is man s faithful guardian of his property and of his flocks. It is not our purpose to champion any particular breed i he great Tariety we see everv dav is proof of the varieties of taste or likings -among men for their favorite kind of dog, as nearly every dog ot pure breed has its owner or keeper. There are, however, and we regret to -say it, manv mongrels running wild in our streets and otten m the country. These dogs have no home and forage around tor a living They are more apt to attach themselves to towns and become general scavengers. Like the pugnacious English sparrow, tliey become more bold and tamer as they continue the work. Dogs ate the crumhs that fell from their Master's table in the time of our Saviour, ihe crumbs and waste about the jails and eating houses furnish a large su])]dy for these homeless dogs. i i • An(')ther reason whv dogs leave their homes and become homeless is ihe inhuman treatment they receive at home. Scolded, kicked and beaten about continually, with no words of kindness, no caressing, no bed but the cold snow, they are compelled to stay out in the ram and cold and hunt slu^lter and food as best they can. Here, then is the cause or the secret that leads dogs to kdl sheep. ^ A starved dog will rand)l(' and lead ofTat night a well-fed dog from its warm brd to join in the race for the slaughter of the defe;iseless sheep. V\ hen two or mor(^ dogs engage in this work, if not prevented they will de- stroy the whole flock, and there is no remedy but to kill the dogs. A rambling dog is of no value, but is a nuisance. . , . Great care should be given to all young dogs m their training. Scolding and the rod should be avoided. Short words ot conimand, spoken kindly, should be used at all times, and see that the dog obeys; but be careful that anger and harsh words don't destroy pa- tience. By observing this rule you will soon succeed. The matter of taxing dogs has for many years been a subject of dis- cussion. At present we have a dog tax law which is very imperfect. The act was passed on the fifteenth of May, 1889, for the protection of sheep. Section two requires "that the assessor or assessors m each township and borough shall annually, at the time of assessing other taxable uroperty, ascertain and return to the commissioners of their resi)ective counties, a true statement of all the dogs in their respective townships and boroughs, and the names of the persons owning or keeping such dogs, how many of each sex owned or kept by each personrand rei)ort the number owned or kept to the commissioners, giving'the names of the owners or keepers." The defect m the law is to find the owner. The head of the family desires ownership and as- .sessors t;ike no notice of the word keeper, and the consequence is that more than one-half of the dogs are not taxed. Another defect in the law is a provision recpiiring all dogs to have a collar on necks, or an ear tab, collar or tab to be nambered, and when returned, the number to be entered on assessor's book. All dogs w^ithout collar or ear tab to be killed by the constable, who shall receive a compensation for each dog killed. Dogs hunting with collars may fasten or hang themselves, but w^ith an ear tab they will be safe. It would be interesting reading to know the number of dogs m the United States and the amount of food required to feed them. Want of time and correct statistics have prevented me from getting an ap- proximate number of the dogs in each state. I have no doubt what our dogs consume would feed the starving millions of our race m Eussia. Tin • ii in regard to the number of sheep annually destroyed by dogs m the United States, Mr. Lewis, in his able article on sheep husbandry, states a total of 716,678. From this we learn that the dog has more friends than the defenseless sheep. Wherever dogs are in the ma- jority, as they are in many of the states, the sheep raising industry is passing away. DOES IT PAY TO USE COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS By Gkorqk E. Beaver. (Read at Mlllerstown Institute.) Somci say that the purchase of commercial fertilizers is taking too raucli money out of the country. Might not we as well say the same in relation to buying our wearing apparel? Our grandparents made their apparel by their own firesides from the raw material. We have found it best to supi)ort those who make the enter])rise a specialty. Many are afraid to use commercial fertilizers for fear of possible fu- :i' 124 QcAIiTERLY EkPORT. tare bad effects upon tlieir sc.il. You i>eed have no fear of "siiig it. The nrinciiKil ingredieats are anmiouia, phosphoric acid a id iiotasli, ^vhich ek>meuts should be present in all manures because they are ac- tually needed k r the production of vegetation and cereals. 1 he am- ir miia acts as a stimulant, an.l if used too freely may cause your ^vheat croi. to lodge. In that case you have a shriveled berry for want. oT^fficient phosiThoric acid and ,,otash, .vhicli elements are required in producing the' berry, and in the stiffening ot the straxv. It also hastens early ripening while ammonia retards. ,>i.«mrM-,l All our barnyard manure and the plowed down clover by chen cia analysis and practical experience, prove a deficiency ot pliosphoiio a id for a full wheat crop, which accounts for the iix^quent failures o£ apimently good fields of wheat before the filling and ripening process, be-an We must therefore use practical judgment, especially in ap- plying ammonia, when our soil may already have a Bufticient amount by i.lowing down clover, or when you can supply it with barnyard "' l"pai'd dear for mv experience by i. lowing down a heavy crop of clover and using a fertilizer containing foui^^to fave per cent, of am- monia and defident in phosphoric acid The result was a tangled mass of straw and wheat, and that shrunken and imperfect I ha^e •also had the same result by freely using stable manure that furnished a surplus of ammonia and not enough phosphoric ficul. , , • , To avoid this in our eastern counties where the fertility is of a higJi standard, they use stable manuie for corn where tne suridus Hmmonia is of greater necessity, and then use commercial fertilizers foi the '' ius daVmed that by turning down clover and a judicious use of stable manure, the fertility of our soil can be kept up, but on all re^ peatedlv cultivated lands there is almost invariably found a defa- ciency of idiosi.horic acid, unless we buy and teed large proportions ot o-rain from other men's farms, and even then the ammonia is often in excess of the phosphoric acid needed for a fine, i.ertectly-matured '' iTpavs^io use commercial fertilizers if we buy all the needed plant- food We cannot otherwise return to the soil a sufficient supply to. ensure a full crop of wheat, and by repeated tests I hml it pays to purchase a small amount, say one to two ]_)er cent, ot ammonia and potash with phosphoric acid for wheat. To ens^ure a strong root o-rowth in the fall, to withstand cur hard winters and backw-ard sprin^-s and by having it in reach of the small wlieat idants it hastens, stooling and thereby enables the wheat to overcome the ravages ot the Hessian ffy. When the fly was in my wheat I observed that the fer- tilized portion stoolod much faster and that the stools took root before the main stalk died. I got a good crop, while the plots not fertilized were eaten up before they stooled, died out and proved almost a total failure. . ., -i x • * .,4. Owin" to the atmospheric action on the soil a one or two year s test amounts to little, for many of you have in some years not been able to tell much diffen^nco between applications of barnyard manure and unfertilized ground, owing to some cause enabling the plants of l.otlr plots to avail thems(4ves of tlu^ plant-food scattered through the soil HO that both plots gave a good crop ; yet, in other years the plot not. manured will be almost a total failure. In some seasons the crop with commercial fertilizers while growing, by the appearance of straw and Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 125 size of heads, may not look as good as others with stable manu e yet when threshed, the bright berry and number ot bushels prove tlie tei- tilizer's vtilue. Consequently, the only way to arrive at a practical conclusion is to make precise notes through a series ot years, wlucU will give you what you want. li. i n Mv experience of twenty-seven years, noting yearly results, both with lime and commercial fertilizers, warrant me in advocating the use of commercial fertilizers. My general rotation and system of cul- tivation was nearly the same. I always i»lo wed down considerable clover. I was not a heavy cattle feeder, only fed the tew I raised and sometimes a few extra head. My only special chancre was from lime- iu" to using commercial fertilizers. Myfather had limedhis farm with -o^od results, but in after years when I commenced farming the crops showed a decline. During the twelve years I farmed the place 1 used over sKh mired dollars worth of lime, besides the expense ot hauling and spreading, or a cash outlay of over fifty dollars per year. During these twelve years my average acreage was thirty -nine acres of wheat, with an average of fourteen and one-t^fth bushes per acre^ My ou- est average for one year was eight and one-halt bushels and the high- est twenty -two bushels per acre. My corn crop during that time averao-ed eight v-uine bushels ears per acre and the oats thirtyhve biXls. I then moved to the adjoining farm. I farmed six years with an average of forty-six acres of wheat per year and my average •crop was fifteen bushels per acre. My lowest average was "i"« |^"« i" els and the highest twenty-one and one-half bushels Deracre Mv co n averaged seventy-five bushels ears per acre and oats thirty -two bush- els, making a series of eighteen years with an average of only abo t fourteen and one-half bushels of wheat pcraci;e, which showed no gain For the last three years T had averaged only a little over eleven busliels per acre. I then concluded to try commercial fertilizers and was pleased with the results. i • i i. c i„i After nine years' trial,! have spent five hundred and eighty -five ch^l- lars for commercial fertilizers, making an average outlay of «ixt.v-hve dollars per year. I have increased my average acreage to fifty -three acres per year and in nine years I raised 10,151 bushels of wheat, or an average of twenty -one bushels per acre. My poorest year s aver- age was fourteen bushels, and the best year's average was twenty- efght bushels per acre. My corn ci;pp, the last nine years, averaged ninety one bushels ears per acre and oats thirty-six bushels I used all the fertilizers for wheat and not in greater (piantities than was needed, which accounts for the increase of corn and oats not keeping pace with the wheat. . , j. i-i- j. „„ „,.„^ This would give me, since I used commercial fertilizers, at an a\er. a<-e outlay of sixtvfive dollars per year, an increase of from fourteen and one-li vlf to twenty -one, or six and onehalf bushels per acre, and on fif -t nc.e acres, a.i average crop, it would make three hundred and foVty-four bushels per year. This at eighty -seven and one-half cents per bushel, the average price during those nine years, would give me three hundred and one dollars annual increase. 1 1 'I I 12G QUAllTERLY EErORT. PLANTING AND CARE OF THE OKCHARD. By Gko. O. DeGkaw. (Read at Harford Institute.) Years a^o when maiiv of the farms of Pennsylvania were just merg-- ino' from the forest, the first object and ambition of the hind owner, afrer ehnirinir the timber, was to phmt an orchard, many ot them crrowin^ their trees from seeds. Some of the trees were grafted while others were allowed to grow and bear their own natural fruit, much ot the fruit in those days being used for cider. To-day, after nearly a century has passed, we lind many of the old varieties still retained and considered equal if not superior to very many of the newer kinds To o-ive a list of desirable varieties for the state may seem an easy matter, but so limited is the field in which some varieties Hourish that it IS unsafe to recommend them even for an adjoining locality, iako the Noithern Spy, which is counted among: our best and most hardy winter varieties, for example. In some sections it is one of the most profitable apples, while with me it is almost worthless. In nearly all localities there are a few favorite sorts because of their doing better than all other varieties. ....... ^ ■ ^ 4. ^4. To plant an orchard you should hnd out what kinds are most profat- able and grow them in preference to those of unknown value, ihe pleasure and profit from fruit plantations under any and all circum- stances, depend upon the judicious selection of soils, situation, trees and their varieties, and their proper arrangement and care. These are verv essential points and every man who contemplates pLiiiting to a greater or less extent, should seek to avail himselt ot all the liizht which experience has shed ui)on this subject before making- the tirst move toward the execution of his project. The situation of an orchard with regard to exposure requires very little consideration in some parts of the country, while with many of us it is of vast importance. To those whose farms are situated where late spring frosts do not i)revaih tln^ mam difHculty they have to c-uard against are the high winds of the north and west which injure the blossoms and blow oif^ the fruit before it is matured. A\ herever it is possible, choose a situation where it is protected from destructive winds Instances occur every vear where sheltered orchards beai* full crops while those fully exposed to the winds fail entirely. Where late and fatal spring- frosts prevail, the selection of a situation is a very im])0]tant point. In such localities an eastern and southern ex- posure and low grounds should be avoided. Every one who has noted th(^ action of frost on vegetation is aware that an elevation of two or three feet of one portion of the same field above the others frequently proves a ].n)t(iction from an untimely fiost. As an instance of this 1 liave grapes ]danted on a piece of ground sloping toward the south. Tlie lower section is almost annually injured l)v the frost, while the upiK'i- portion is but seldom affected. In a dry and firm soil vegeta- tion is more exeniL)t from injuries by frosts than m a damp, spongy Pennsylvania State Board of Agricut/pure". 12' soil, though on the same level, not only because trees on dry soil are more mature and hardy, but because the soil and atmosphere are less charged with water particles which form the frost. Large bodies of water and rivers have a favorabhi influence. Along the valley of the Susquehanna there will frequently be fine fruit grow ing in abundance, while here the crop is a failure. In all localities where fruit culture has made any considerable pro- gress there is generally experience enough to be found to guide us in fixing" upon suitable sites for orchards, and no one should venture to 1)lant without giving* due attention to the suV)ject, as exi)erienee is the only true and reliable guide. No farm and no locality need be without an abundance of fruit if pains are taken to choose the different varieties that suit the locality and the proper cultivation is bestowed upon th(i trees, and necessary warfare maintained against its enemies In planting an orchard, after choosing- a suital)le location, there should be a thorough pre[)aration of the soil before the trees are set out. In traveling- I observed orchards which had been set in unpre- pared soil with little or no care. After a hard struggle some trees died while those that survive are in a stunted and dwarfed condition antl not only the labor and capital is thrown away, but years of time are wasted in waiting for fruit wliich will never be produced. The soil should have a deep and thoroug-h plowing- and loosening and a good dressing- of manure, if it is not otherwise already enriched. This should be done at least one year before setting- the trees. There is much truth in what a good farmer once said, " There is too much good horticultural sweat wasted in digging- holes for trees when we dig so deep and wide as the fathers in horticulture taught us." There are unimproved sections where, in planting an apple tree, it may be necessary to remove a load of gravel or rock, and substitute a load and a half of good soil to g-row trees as it were, in pots. P>ut would not it be better to pack our bagg-age and decamp from such places? Do not allow the tree to be robbed by some nimble-rooted green crop, under the guise of cultivation, or by g-rass or foul weeds of that nutri- ment which tl\e tree so sorely needs. There is nothing- that will (^iiliance the beauty of an orchard more than to set the trees in perfectly straight rows. This can be accom- plished wdth very slight trouble. By a little ingenuity, this import- ant matter may readily be accomplished. When setting the tree, use the rich surface soil and it cannot fail to make a good start. When young- trees are taken from the nursery the roots are very much shortened, so in transplanting-, the tops should be cut back in proportion. The ap])le tree will bear severe pruning. I have in my exi^erience found it an excellent j^lan in starting youn^- trees to cut the top back to two or three buds on each branch, allow ing- these to grrow until they g-et a grood start, then prune thosc^ that are not needed. In this way a person with grood judgnient will form a fine, uniform tree th(^ first season. Some branches will be inclined to reach out too far at th<^ expense of others. This is easily remedied at this time by pinching tli<^ni ofi* when they have reached a ])roper length. This will causes side shoots to start and form a bushy head, also will also throw some of th(^ sap into the weaker branches. The ground in a young orchard should be kept under cultivation with some lioed cro|), using ])l(inty of manure s])read broadcast and worked into the soil so that the crop taken ofif, which \*ill pay for the cr fc 228 QUABTEKLY llB:P01iT. labor of cnltivatin- tlio orcliard niay not "'H'overi.ai the soil By constantly stirnn- the soil the plant-toocl becomes l»"f «;,/"^^*';; roots can more reaaily take it up and tue tree will make a moie '^"rli^lleSm of varieties must in all cases be n}-V;e,V'tu'o" to the si)ecial iiuvpose for which they are intencle(l A veij' ""POit- u.t' uestion to settle in plantin.. out fruit i«. whether it is for home ,«P ov for the market. If for home use, it is best to consult the taste f Youi^elf a f your family and make your selection accordinsly Thernremay choice varieties of the different kinds of fruits, and if c-re^s taken L the selection with re.^rard to a succession a person w ith bu a s^udl piece of land can have fresh frmt c^'""'f ;1^« ^ H^';^ year, and with the convenient markets whatever «"7;1 » 1?« ./"-^ .. have ran be disposed of at very remunerative prices. If cultnatm^ orthe market, then the market he wishes, to supply "'"«* ^« ^ sultecf Ohoose as many of the leading varieties as you hud can be i„ t,^ Tn the selection of trees, low, stout trees are always preferable to tall smuTer trees Inexperienced planters are often more particular about tbehSit than t^iie diameter of the trunk, but it should be iu ; the Averse. A short stem or trunk with p leaity o^^o^d roots es oeciallv liVinms roots, are very important points m the &<;ltctioii o -tee^ In elevated or exposed sit.uitions, the wind cannot strike them wUh such force, and when they come into beanue, the fruit can be fTMtlipred with trreater ease and iiiucli less cost. , , . , , .11 ^'Snale is1.e who makes use of each year's t-ehm^s and st^^^^ more fortunate if ho has the means and the will to add to tliem the vexperience of otliers. Pennsylvania State Boaku oe Agkicultuke. 129 CAUSE AND EFFECT. By Jasper T. Jennings, New Milford, Pa, (Head at Montrose Institute.) Most of the older people in this assembly have heard of the old- .fashioned method of solving certain classes of mathematical problems hv" cause" ml ettecd." That is, that by a certain system of correct .l\soXl c^rtahicausesuill produce certain effects. It ,s a short Ur^d 'at first thought mi.dit seem f^^l^^^^; ^ote ami •litth words like the tlnve jrolden hidund topether, and they cover nune ground -th" most any other words in the En-bsh lanyuape 1 wo studv the bom.dless realm of nature we find these words ap- rdcabh-o every hand, and the ceaseless and eternal words of God s j Iv p iic ple^ The .change of seasons-the balmy air of spring, the heated term of summer, the cool and i)leasant fall and the freezing rit^ror of winter, are effects caused by the earth's inclination to the plane of the ecliptic and revolution round the sun. The a])})arent ris- ing' and setting- of the sun and the consequent changes of light and darkness — day and niglit — are cifecls i)roduced by the diurnal rota- tion of t le earth upon its axis. The ruins of Johnstown marked the effects c i that teriible disaster in a manner not to be mistaken. It takes n > philoso})lier to trace the cause to the foaming* bosom of the angry flood. The riven oak and shattered dwelling arc silent evi- dences cf the effects of the lightning's bolt, the coming of which was proclaimed Avith thunder tones tliat shook the heavens. The dreaded cyclone which plows its path through fields, forests, towns and cities, leveling everything to the ground and s[)reading d(^ath and desolation along its course, is the effect produced by certain conditions of the at- mospheric currents, and which is itself resolved into another cause to produce an effect well calculated to nndce mankind shudder with horror, and wring- tears of anguish from soriowing friends and survivors. Thence we see how de])endent and closely connected each term is with the oth( ••. There could be no effect without a corresponding cause, and no acti\e cause without producing its corres])onding- effect. The rain, the de V, the river with its majestic waterfall, the waving tree-top, the vai ^gated flower with its showy petals, the towering mountain peak ai d the lovely valley with its delightful carpet and myriad forms of vegetation, the smiling fields and beautiful effects of chemical com- binatio'i and crystallization, the terrible eartlujuakcNiiid fiery volcano, the voice of which has been heard to the distance of nine hundred and seventy miles, all fui-iiisli food for contem[)lation and study, and no- ble lessons among the grander and more sublime o])erations of cause and eflect. The earnest seeker after truth finds sublime themes to oc- cupy his«attention, and as he grasps new ideas and theories, and ad- vances from cause to cause, his mind becomes elevated and aspires to higher and nobler fields beyond ; and as he looks and studies for the first great cause of all, his mind is directed from nature up to nature's God. We liayo thus brought to your notice a few of the more prominent and striking examples from the field of nature by way of introduction. They might be extended until volumes could be filled with their men- tion, but on this occasion I propose to call your attention to a few of the more prominent exam[)les of this great law more immediately connected with the Avoi'ks of man ; and more particularly with that de- partmiMit of human labor and industry with which we as farmers and laborers are more intimately connected. And first let us direct our attention to the health of the farmer's family, for it is upon this point that his success or failure hirgely de])encls. The farmer' s occui)ation is a stalwart business, and it requires brjiin and nerve power, muscu- lar st^-ength, energy, enterprise and ambition. Of cours(^ tliere are thousinds so constituted througli constitutionjil defects that they liave not the necessary strength jind vigor to properly carry on this branch of lnl)or, and tliey should engage in some oi\\Qv i)ursuit more adapted to their ca])acity, but if we inquire closelv into the cause that lu'oduce sickness, we sh;dl find that much of it might be averted Doc- tor's cliarges are high, much higher, we believe, than the state of the times demand, and when compared with the farmers' prices for pro- duce, they are sim])ly ruinous. Witli the ])resent depression in the markets of the world and exorbitant tax demands that the fjunier 9 P g(j QUABTEKLY REPORT. , ■ • .l,r nnv niiiizin left above his liviu?: expenses, and boars, there is scarcely ^^^^ ^^^\^."Y,milv makes a seri(n.s uiroad ui ..u even a snutU tit ot f ^"'^"ess in 1 is amilj n .iKe^^^^^^ ^^^.^^^^. .^^ his prosperity aiul !"'l«f« .^.^.^^L sheiiff to his door. Why is it tlutt it may be quite likely to bimff the ^1 «m o ^^^^^^^^ .^^ ^j^^ some families are sick nearb '^l^, V'*, *';"g^;,,ia before it may be due neif?hb(n-liood are scarce y f^'^'^f ^^J^ ..^j'-t ? tei erally confined to one to c;.nstitutional defect, ^'f "'/^^^^^^^^f^;* ^ "Z^hle family, but in or two of its members, and "ot ffenerauy ^" „ j^ tlieniselves nK>st cases it is due to some ^^^her cause Ett^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^ ^^^^.^:^ painfully apparent, ^^^^'^^^H^^.^f^,'', C^L^^*^ ^^ ^-^S^^^^ *° ^"^'^^ and investigation ^« /"^j'^-^^f^ ',Tt^anipoi ranee to otir hap].iness and matters which may be ot sucl yi^'^| " 1 , awellinff. And right here prosperity. It may be in «?« 7;^^ ° . f J^^erSieir T}iey s a point too often neglected by « " *f V^^^^'ft^^ i,e^iect to take into seek for a pleasant l«^^t\«"i ^^"iJ^^J^^i ,,t^^ consideration the i,estilential vapois t^ „3i or pond of stagnant serpent.4n.matenal surround^^ 1 during the hot , water that is lial)le to become |;'"'' ,,^ i: n .^vith an abundance weather of mid-summer IS ^^"erallv well ^^F^ ^^ \^ ^^ situated tliat of decaying vegetation ^^ "\ IL 'Sf effluv a to the dwelling, tlie the prevailing ^.\n^^%^^-^ \ H"J^^^^^^^^^ blighting breath, and deadly poison will mfeci tlie l'""^^^*"^^" ,/' ni f,,no"v in its tram. If sickniss. and chil s and f^^'^^' f " J^f f^ j ^ ,1, such a situation as you value the hea th of yourse '^^^^^^^' g^^^^ tlie laws that gov- you would tlie poison sirrocco %«;f ,.^^f^^,^ ^ .ifford to overlook this all- important step. The most clc^aij <-ii ^^^-j ^^^^ pestilential mud of xhe bottom o some ^}^^\^l „,alignant diph- whole neighborhoods are s ncken ^^^^^^^^^^^ breathhig the im- theria, typhoid fever and ,l^»^™i^SoninJ of the bkiod. Some pregnated atmosphere and consequent poisouiii^ .^^ years since, the wealthy P'-oi'^ft^^-V^fi.r-resXce on the banks ^ew York city constructed a splendid ^ 4;^t^i^^^g'tl ousand dollars, of the Hudson river at ^^y-P^^^^f^^fil tl^^^^^ nature afforded No ex- The site was o^^,^^, t^.^-" °'^5f.^^anl ^^^^^^^^ "It could be seen pense was spared in tmisli, st^le an". ; afforded near and for many miles around ^^ ', ° ;/^^.!};;^'So r " But the death-deal.ing distant views, ^vhich delighted e^ery^lSltol its with- malarial poison came tf 7;f,f « /,^*^^^^iT^;i^ery a^^ mourning to such ering eflects filled its stately halls ;^ "i miser> ^^^^^ an extent that it was abandoned, ";^^\«™^; | „°^;;,, thousands with i,,.. Such is only a single ">-^?; '^<^^. '^ |rr il 'S^ to study the which the country ^bouiu s JV " <^;^^'y eir n .^.^^^^^^^ ^^ , causes that "l"^"}""^,"," .^\\r" As o value the health of your fam- <.ffocts too painfully n>pam;t- J^^^,^^^ protected by timber or ^^^d^^'^^^^^r^^ aiuf'elhalation of the pond L ;ou ;^.nld the deadly folds of t|e cobra. ^^ .^^ ^^^,^_ But with all these- l''-'^^'=^"t^°"f'.*^„^,,^tnual 4^^^^^ fevers keep the times make their ^^'ri^^^'f^'lT^^^^^U the effects continue aifferent men.bers f * J^.J^^^^^'^irano her quarter. Examine the Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 131 their effects manifest. Eemove them, sweep away the cobwebs and dust, whitewash the walls with a o^ood coat of lime, secure proper ventilation, and the unoleasant effects will vanish. The expense m removin- the cause is but trilling-, and the benefit derived tliereirom may be priceless. If you do not find the cause in the cellar, seek tor it in the water you use. Is it pure and whcjlesome? Is it in times of droucrht shut back in leaden pipes to be drawn therefrom after stand- ing:? Is it impregnated with lime or other mineral substances? Is it so situated that excessive rains fill it with surface water? If so, tliese may be the inroortant causes that cast their blig-htmg- effects upon you. Eemove them and you may bring health and lia[)i)iness to your family. There are thousauds of other causes connected with sickness and health, such, for instance, as ventilation, sleeping rooms, ex])Osure, high living, over exertion, cleanliness, bodily care, anxiety, contentment, etc., which will readily occur to every thinking mind Give a portion of your attention to them, and you will find it will perhaps be as important to your success as your bodily labor, -i Some people go about the world fretting and stewing constantly. They banish all happiness from the household, fill the atmosphere of their social surroundings with the cold clouds of discontent, render the burdens of life oppressive, and eradicate the bettpr i)urpose of life and nobler aspirations of humanity. Do the best you can, but if you. cannot attain the objects you aimed to accomplish, do not comidam.. If you can [)revent reverses and evil consequences, do it cheerfully, but do not find fault and render others miserable where it can do no- g-ood. It is a worthy quality in any man or woman to labor diligently in the cause of right ; but it is a no less worthy quality to govern the feelings in times of adversity. Worry has killed more people than hard work. The kind mother worries over a wayward son until her heartaches, and the "silver threads among the gold" proclaim the state of her mental anxiety more forcibly than pen can indite or tongue can utter. Its effect is seen in her shattered nerves and tot- tering footsteps. Many a mental wreck has been accomplished tiirough gloomy suffering and worriment of this kind, which none but a fond mother's heart can know. Don't do it. It accomplishes no good, and brings a chilling gloom over your life and the lives of those who surround you. Never cross the bridge before you reach it. There never was a cloud so dark but that it had a silver lining. Look on the bright side of life, do your duty as your conscience tells you is right, hope for the best, and leave the result with God. %ome farmers labor diligently, are blessed with good health, never grumble or find fault, are good neighbors and citizens, and yet finan- cial distress keeps them down continutally. Others in the immediate vicinity do not labor as hard, suffer as many reverses, and yet they prosper financially, and get along well. Why is this difference? The effect is apparent, let us seek the cause. The soil appears eipially good, it is well cultivated, crops are good, and fences in re])air. There must be a leakage somewhere ; where sliall we find it? We find the mowing machine and horse rake standing in the field where they were used last summer, and the i^aint is gone from the wood work and the rust is corroding the iron Next year they will not work as well. Several small sums will have to be paid for repairs, and new ma- chinery will liave to be purchased before it is half worn out. The effect enters the pocket of the owner and little by little carries away his cash. We find the hoes rusty and weather-beaten among the / \ Pennsylvania State Boaud of Agiucultuue. 13:^ ^.jO QXTAIITEKLY EePOIIT. .oeds iu the fioia wbero the boys fi^^^y^^ ^tt' pr.iSfl"? pot.does, and .vheu they a.yvai.te^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^. ^1 ^^, , uiiht or iise. \N hut is ^'\^,i';''"^^ ", /" „ -..^^ „^ „.„od if they had beeii ^vhou tl)e old ^>"f ,Y^"^i f ]; la^eor Toss to ho fanner's pocket, taken care of aiul «'e effect ssheca loss ^^^^^^.^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^.^^^ His wagou stands m his luiinaui <^M"^^" , -^j proiier Ll in ten or fifteen years l'« ^"^;-,' ^''^^^^.^i^,^; " H ^' „lu^v Itan ds care, the le- tinies, and is able to place his ^f "*^>".^^^^e j,,\!kest night, without a lantern, it is the man anuu ciu fpvfilitv It is tlie man ^vho and place nothing ^^^ TndwaSof'his manure piles, who provides against the /ecUiin^ ai excessive amount propeily shelters his «to^i " , ^V'^'^.J^^ired boclilv heat, who watches of fodder V^^'^^^'^^'y ^•'iA "^,h,or S^ f"""- «"^^ ^^»'0 ^''^''■ ^^ll^colfomraiSti!^^^^^^^^^ that conies under his obser- ^liotlier great cause that -rks witM-ow^^^^^^^ cess of thousands. of our ^'r^^^^^'^^ ^TL proud-spir- There is no dodging Uie f act t^^^* ..s a peop e ^^^^ .^^^^ Neighbor A., "1 %nS o7 monev at his "o^mand, builds a fine house and fur witli plenty or moncv xr^.iohbov B who can command l)ut nishes it in a superb malln(n^ ,^«^shV°;^f{,e outdone bv him. He very l^tilo moneys reso-^^ -t J-J^tdo^.^^^.,^^^^^^^^^ proceeds to erec ^^^^^^"^^J^t^v '., f,,„, house, and long before it ■ T'-"L^1 1 e r.i- S es fns home, and chains to himself a debt he isfinishedhemoit a„c^s lis '^ ^ ^^^ ^j.^, ^^^cts are soon made can nev-er Pf^-^^.^/J^^,.^' fong '-l''' '^ load of interest he can scarcely manifest. Ho %*"^';i' , omet he is crushed beneath the overwhclm- pay adayotadn.>it c.mes le sell ^^^,^^ ^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^j^^ n^ iMUxlen and he sW^^^ ^^^^ ,^^ ^^^^^^ ^,^^y ^^ cur- last piece of <=o^tly fmmt.i e loi as ^ ^^ ^j^^ ^^^^^^ tail Ins expenses fT-.JV^^i^^'^'^/t, east, and the consequent effect won d l'-«J-- i;f ^''i\^t"n "m iK.l do it, and by the simple dis- renaered h'ss seve e I3ut m themselves to degradation Suisery I heilcTtii -AarkLly a^few days ago, and you have all lieard it often, no doubt, that, " A person mierlit just as well V.o ()ut of the world as to be out of the latest style in dress. :Now isn i that as-reat idea, that the world should jud-e the worth ot a man or woman by the style and cut of their cU)theS? And yet among- tar t<30 many of even our rural iK)])ulation this tiimsy vanity is carried so tar as to be considered the chief end and aim of earthly existence, and the young hidy that can display tiie most gold bracelets and dnimond rings has the most admirers, and the youn^ man that can show the costliest gold watch, exliibit the tiuest waxed moustache, and twirl his costly little cane in the most elite and fashionable nuinner, are considered the real and only "upper ten" ladies and gontlemen m fashionable society. Why, do you know that this lolly and bane of all true society had reached such a i)oint a lew years ago that there was no word in the English lang-uage that could express it and so the world went to work and got uj) a new word for oui- vocabulary, and that was the word " dude ;" a worthless fop, and as near as can be, a blank in the world of humanity. Their lingers are considered too daintily formed for work, their feet too delicate to walk properly, and their lips and tongue too exquisitely puckered to speak only m the high toned maimer peculiar to their ideas of language, iliere is more true worth under a single battered straw hat or faded sunbonnet than tliere is in a regiment of such nobby and fashionable votaries ot tlie latest Paris style. There is only one thin- that I meet with on our streets that fills me with more pity and disgust than one ot these ex- tremists, and that is the drunka^'d. What is the effect of all this vam show"? No one is ever made better by it, but thousands are made miserable. Its cold hand alienates friends and neighbors, it prevents harmony and sympathy, and the full and better carrying out ot the nobler works and aspirations of humanity, it engenders coldness and indifference where kindness and affection should reign, it divides hu- manity into classes, and sets up antag-onism where love and respect should be enthroned, it warps the judgment and eradicates ijrmciple, it creeiis into society and the holy sanctuary of the church where thousands go more to see and be seen than to hear and pmht, and where thousands of the better classes are driven away from tlic house of God by their taunts and jeers refirarding the i)atclied coat or last year's hat, and the higher and holier principles of true manhood and Womanhood stultified and poisoned by its blighting touch, i would not have the peoi)le go back to the days of tow cloth and ox sleds, to log houses and pole cabins, to cake boards and tin ovens, but i would have them avoid extremes, and live within their means. I would not have them stingy and mean, but in times of plenty I would have them provide for future contingencies, for times of sickness and adversity will surely come and if wo have not made proper prei)aration its et- fects will overwhelm us in hopeless bankruptcy. As long" as we can live within our means we are safe, but we should avoid debt as we would the chains of slavery. If we cannot pay for the pleasure car- riao-e and silver-mounted harness now, betteruse the market wagon and farm harness until the time comes when we can. If we cannot pay lor the silver spoons and castor now, better use the common ones until we can We can better afford to forego the piano, and brussels cari)et, and elegant parlor set for the present, than to involve ourselves m debt that may work our overthrow. We can aftord to wait an tie as a farmer There is no money in the business m this section, his cloth- n"beeoimL tattered and torn, ammunition and dog feed l-od"ces a const lilt drain on his scanty i.ocket, and he ultimate y dr fts into pr^gacy and vagabondism' If he has a fa^i ^^g^ ^^ wife and family in future years are quite likely to suflei i"ort, oi less Tor clThinnud necessariL tl.^ averted it the evil i-,ri.i>eiisitv for hunting had not been cultivated. ^^ . ., ^ Ke iJnoVse of bringing forward the effects of drunnkeness ; they are patent to all. Therels nothing that brutalizes and ^:^^-^-J^-^ better qualities of mankind mp^e t utn mtempera ce The diunkeii brwl the bloated v sage, the toolish gibberish, the hlthj Deastiincss, the nidlngld revel, tho^iasphemous utterances the ^--w^,«\^,«;« wrecked and ruined home, the woe and misery ot the iliunkaul s wii< , ti e Shi eri g a.Kl starving children,.the untold angiush and suffering othdis-raced and ruined family, the gaunt spectres of want, deg- ruVttio ami contempt, disgrace and ruin, the poorhouse, the court room tlieenientiary and the gallows are the wretched scenes that evr'maik^the drunkard's career. They have been truthfully por^ Graved by the world's orators from pulpit and rostinim, ten thousand t mes Thev need no further reiteration here. No fai™^'-n^l?' v w hiTlife h s humanitv, his success, his home and family, will think for H moment 0 1 dulging in this filthy destroyer of honor happiness boTlv ind soul Beware of ti.e first glass as you would death itself f!?i hi it ImSa cause as potent as satau to lure you and all you hold niuibl'Sufiliat helps to fetter the financial success ot niany of our farmers is the habitual use of cigars and tobacco. ()t course it is not tteuV^d with the distressing effects that liquor produce, but at best ^is a filthy habit, one that causes a constant dnun on the pocket and is certoinly'not productive of the l-'^f , f^-^^* ^^ f^^ ; Jt'^^^rse pver ^ton to think how much a person addicted to this habit worse thmfooUsblv throws away? We will suppose he only moderately m- d hies in fou- cigars in a day, and that they cost only five cents a ece S is one dollar and forty cents per week, over ^i^^^oUars X month seventv-three dollars per year. In ten years it wou d \mo lit t seven hundr.-d an.l thirty dollars. In thirty years it would amm nt $2 Wo. Enough to pay for a good farm, all gone up in ZX The' simple amount paid f<.r four -^?;-^l^^^;:^i^ ^ .liciouslv invested, secure you a good farm in twenty years, anci yei mv manv are trv no- to secure a home and carry this burdensomo a it"dong at the same time? In close times like the present it jus about lake; their margin of profit, and --'^ Y^^ <'"i^,f ^J^/'^'f ^'^i"^ condition no better than it was the year previous, llie cost ot on y one cigar a Wy will in ten or twelve years put a princely library in Pennsylvania State Boaiu) of Agriculture. 135 *i your house, an endurini^' nionuineiit for doing- good, ^vllere your cliil- dren may gain knowledge and your grandchildren derive beneht where it may be handed down from generation to generation, ever I)otent in doing good, and never ceasing- in its educating power to make the world wiser and better. Don't grumble, brother farmers, about the little you have to i)ay for educational puri)Oses, while you even throw away live cents a day on so trivial gratification as what you get in smoke. Snufling and chewing, though not quite as ex- pensive, must be classed in the same list. There is need of reform all idong the line. There is need of reform in national circles, in state affairs, in politics, in society, in the school room, on the farm, and around the family fireside. Let us begin at home. The boys and girls that are now among us must soon take our places in the world. The mind must be fed as well as the body. If we do not supply them with reading, be sure the devil will. Let us see to it that they are sup- plied with good, wliolesome literature that will educate and elevate, literature that will instruct as well as entertain, that will bring out their better natures, that will create loftier thoughts and nobler aspi- rations. Let us in the dawn of the new year resolve to forego the pipe and tobacco box, and turn this item of expense into a new channel. In one year we will have saved enougli to j)urchase a good cyclopedia or establish a small family library in every household. I assure you in one year we would not go back to the old habit for ten times the l^leasure we ever derived from it. The effects of the new course would soon be manifest on every hand. The young folks would find pleas- ure and x)rofit at home, ignorance would gradually succumb to educa- tion, a growing spirit of righteousness would have a tendency to check evil designs, a more enlightened citizenship would spring up and a higher and purer standard of morality mark the generation soon to shape the destiny of our surroundings. SHOULD THE SLAUGHTEE OF BIRDS IN THE INTEIIEST OF FASHION BE ABOLISHED? By Mrs. W. S. Mechling, Bay tony Pa. (Read at Dayton Institute.) It is no doubt tru(^ tliat we oftener err from want of thought than from any want of feeling, and so we are likely to be carried away l)y the "Inst of the eyes and the ])rid(^ of life" until we find we have di- verged from that which is ]n'udent and commendable. It is an in- born princix)le of our lives to admire the beautiful, and anythinir in nature that attracts admiration is eagerly sought by its admiiers and appropriated to some use, more as an expression of our love of it than of any thought of wrong doing. However thoughtless the great Y^Q QUAHTEIILY EePORT. • 'i. . u . ;.. .IvH'HiK^ iwav from the path of rectitude, there are TZ^S^ uUev'er hc'adi'o soaull the ulann that causes au ™\ t a .loul.t but that tlie c-ustoin of ^veal•mg• buds as orna- „ien s ti ha s ami b lout. has been largely due to the ove and amni- Xn of £e Utt"e cveatures, and so for the years that we have ad- ;, ved tlem for this vurposJ and worn them as well, we can only plead oi e of Scts\^ thoughtlessness in the matter. I ^^<^^^ .:: u e to shudder at the sight of crueltj ^"t^f"'- Adhere i<^ior.m^ l... 1 a woman wearing on her head-dress a dead bird. Ihe biid liaU nrtihci eves ai?d itswings and tail were spread out so as to give it a bfe 1 1 -nn^ea anee. It was a snndl stuffed bird, but its in roduction is^ai: ornament in fashionable society was -f received wihtav^^^^^ first althou.-h the wearer succeeded in attracting attention to litisui bv the s "ularity of her adornment, and from this act of a vam woi ml as extended a custom until all classes of women have conned r Id parts c.f birds in their love of fashion. And. "."le^;^. ^^^.^ over of the beautiful, nothing displays the handiwork ot God n le th m the plumage that adorns the birds of the dit^ernt species, ihe «nft del ■' te texture of their plumage, so finely interwoven and alrnS 1 everv si de of color Lid all the blending in sudi exqui- s to urinom dis^ indeed the infinite touch ot then- Creators h- nd Sr^^^^^ ^""S-« ^^^i^' to us these pretty little fea Led songsters, filling the air with V''^";"^^ "^V^XaebVl tTt early morn to the close of day, and our hearts bound with delight at the sio-ht of them and the melody of their s^yeet songs. Some one has trulv said: "A garden without tlowers childhood without li-hter, an orchard without blossoms, a sky without color, ws wi ut pe'rfunio, are the analogies of a country ;v>t nmt song Wrds '' We Je accustomed to see them on the wing, Hitting fron branch to branch, with chirp and song, V'n''''%''"^^'T-/ +^^0^^ 1 u .iness ; a-ain wo see them in the markets so true to lite that they are only ^vanting n motion and melody to be the same sweet song- sters aiuUo for the verv love of the beautiful, women have indulged in a custom which has brought about the severe and well deseTved criticism of those who are familiar with the facts connected with tneir alnno-hter and tlieir prev)aration for the market. As ui aTtention has leen turned to this sad practice as 1 has been can-ied on for years, we are led to wonder why wb did not think fox om-selves i this matter. An awful wrong is surely back of a custom Zt urnishes bi ds of the most beautiful plumage for the mark<>t by fnionr These birds did not die a natural death for m every s icl case the i>lumage is ruffled and bleared and presents everything but an attract ve appearance. Foul means must be employ.-cl for the srke oV btSin^ the^ for the market. We are told that m 8t. Augus- tine and its luughbcnlu.odf ()r miles around, there is (limng every winter and spring a raid made upon red birds nonpareils and other small \TuW. men am busy at the work of extermination, and tliese dead b ds mean dollars to the feather dealers who would stifle the gush of sonlii t le hroat of a bob<.link with as little comi'unction of con- scrence as he would crush a mosquito. It is not likely that these men Pennsylvania Sxi^TE Boakd of Agricultuke. 137 t.,theirmisc^i-abh fate ilK^<. et I killed, many fly ITwthose beneath hini climbs highest towards angelhood and it I ?]u.nAit irH the youug ro^th sis more than counterbalanced by the good they do m de- sSoying graXppers, cut worms and harmful insects as well as field stioymg „ ass I 1 J . ^ ^j t ^f the agrciultural depart- mice f"^"i^ J^.tV^r w^rLad "The protection of hawks and owls destmlve to thf f arnShan birds and that they multiply much more fan Ih wecauS^ estimate what would be the consequence ot hrffiiruaio" of iiawks and owls tla-ouglu>ut the ^^nn^^^^J^^ fereut sections of this country it is reported that V^^.^^^ iVossible hir.l^ h-LH been carried on to such an extent that it is haidly poshiblc to misL any k 1 d of fruit, even grapes and apples being too >vormy to use Tt^s est mak^d tha they save to agricultural ,nirposes alone, an- ilv \ vl.?SoOO 000 in tiie United States. In many sections m- Tt 1 fe^ stm SunH a^ U";"an life almost unendura tie In other sections it is only kept iu check by birds and the e is r,o nlace in which were this check removed, it woidd not greatly hold Z baknc" of po^er. The number of Hies, mosquitoes, gnats and other man insLts destroyed in a single day on a ^™a -e- by ^|^r^ Wf^rs swallows and fly -catchers alone, is beyond description, iiom dayfigrt n iUhak all through.the summer months, .t'^e^e ^/jf ;:;;,^f « n incessant war on the enemies of man. It is said of the bw a low +/ofW will actually "boycott" places where they are destroyed for ?hdr lun^Lol In a cerUin locality on the Ehpne, ^yhere was he g eat iSig place of swallows coming f-"?, ^, "-' V^ ^.^ t efr Cvith electric batteries were arranged to await them; tued with tneir fliVht over the Mediterranean,they perched upon t^^se wires and we instantly killed ; their bodies are then prepared f"^«jf ^^"^^5^^*',^^^^^^ t^hole crates of them shipped to Pans very year With a strange in- stinct the^ ha e abandoned that place and go elsewhere, and as a re- suit -reath jury has been done to agricultural pursuits. It would be dLult to exaggerate the danger which would conie from the increase Stm destroylfg insects and the desolate condition which ^vo^l'^o^- ■ ?ow And yet to tiiis we are coming if something is not ^^o"" *« f;,^^^ IhP wide snread and terrible destruction of birds. A great Fiench Mnn^r tv 1 an stated that there could be no vegetation and conse- i y nrmr H birds were all destroyed. There is much ^vork to be done but the first thing is to stop the . demand by i-ef^smg to wear birds'as ornaments. We cannot Pl-'Vn1?XsT'oV'll e "suEg ant matter, neither are we heartless and careless ot the sutteimg which must result to human beings as well as birds. . There is reason to believe that much good has been accomidished .nTlfrnt W grTat extent .both fashion and intelhgence --united X 1.,..,. ^^^c, ncA nf liirrls for ornaments, xet tnere is biiii j^it^au KH^Uo'r in e ",: :2^lt "It is ex,>ected that the i"fl;-;« «/ ^i, risti in tv will craduallv change this sad and sinful world, but noth- tn"^s more cert .Tn than tl.at its full and perfect work cannot be ac- com diXd un the doctrine of mercy and consideration for all Ss creatures is more systematically and universallv diffused Bovs sSd be tLurht wherever and whenever they can be reached riot to «1 Srov^.ird's nests or to kill the birds, and try to persuade women, ohler and younger, to wear no bird's plumage and discourage the slaughter of birds in every possible way. Pennsylvania State Board of Agricultuke. 139 COEN AND POTATO CULTURE. By Weslky Dekshamer, Glenburn, Pa. (Read at Dalton Institute.) Bein^ supplied in a good sod of either clover or timothy, how shall we proceed to raise a crop of corn ^ Timothy sod should be ploughed late in the autumn if possible, especially if there is a heavy clay sub- soil, or very early in the spring, so that the frost may pulverize the lumps and clods. ^ ., p -u 4.1. If the field is sloping, by all means have the furrows run with the slope, not across it. This will give you as many surface drains as there are furrows. This last statement will suggest the well-kiiown tact, that corn cannot thrive in soil that is saturated with water. I wish to make the point emphatic, that the longer the ground lies broken before plant- ino- if broken in the spring, the better will be the crop, it you ques- tion this plow part of your field a month before planiing, and the re- mainder only a day or two, and note results during the first six weeks of growth of the crop. , -. ., n ^ xi i. i. i I have never seen, heard of, or even had a field of my own that had been too thoroughly pulverized before planting corn. Under some circumstances it may appear to be necessary to |)/oi^ when the land is a little wet, but in no caee can harrowing be safely and satisfactorily done, unless the soil is dry enough to crumble, and not to Marking the field for planting is of more importance than is generally conceded, if I may judge by the crookedness of rows, as seen m far too great a number of fields. Use a three-legged marker with strong thrills, firmly braced to a width suited to the size of the horse. 1 mark my rows three feet four inches apart each way. Insist on having the tirst rows straight— and please keep in mind there is only one geometrical definition of straight— and by care the remaining ones may 9,^ kept so, even to the last. I consider this important, for it greatly facilitates the cultivation of the crop, especially during the early stages of its growth. The planting should be done as soon as the ground is warm and dry. This in some instances will not occur until as late as the first of June, und \vill still yield a good crop if the weather is favorable during August aud September. , . ^ t mi j 4. Great care should be taken in the selection of seed. The soundest and most perfect ears should be saved at the time of husking, and hung in a warm dry place. I prefer seed that is two years old, if it has l)een properly cured. Always test your seed before planting to ascertain the percentage that will germinate. , , ., Upon the method of planting depends very largely the success or failure of the crop. I do not expect a full yield unless I put a pint ot well-rotted stable manure, or half that quantity of rich compost hen manure with land plaster enough to make it handle nicely to which may be added, the same day it is to be used, wood ashes, m the hill. An experiment saved me a crop and taught a lesson for iuture use. The sprin^^ of 1888 was cold and dry at planting time and continued so QUAKTEKLY llErOKT. 140 for some time after. My ^^ ^°^S"''" 7 dir/ed iHwo'cf i wl^^^ to put iuto the hill under the seed so I 'J "PP^'^^y^^^^^fred it the same away from the intersection of the check ™'"f^^' 'J"*' "'Lcks The com time I did the cm-n, which -- -PP- h-a^*^^ ^ne .fc^^io dropped was a Ions- time lu commp up, but it al «ime. a „ ^.^.^^^^.^ lr^erm\;^r%rceni:iir^^^^^^^^^^ -^ -- «-^^ about four-fifths of it was fertilized in he ^"1^;^^^^* J^i^X mended above, and the remaining P^^^^^^^^ ,P^^?X\ame qualitv and Before the com came "P- l'"^f,f ' ^X^oUhe unf-ertiS part. What quantity -- ,^1^-l]l|^^^^^^^^^^^^^ and Vapidly de- was the result i ilie nrsi; piciuieti ^.c ., / ^ j o'\me ud slowly and veloped wide, dark green ^ade^ -liile ti e^^^^^^^ .^ ^ , ^ very unevenly, and developed «™;;.i^^^^^ in the size hill than wh(ni used otherwise ^i ,^„Mdv as deep as the natuio of \^tn^™if s£ nS i:::^^^iis- ^-^ "- soil may be loose and 'P-ll^-, ^,;;„^^|P,t tt^ The next woi-k to beta ure. I^vasledtpadopttlii^m.mioa^^^^^ coarse manure was spread the summer ot 1891^ Part «* ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^ gt^^^k with blight, and gave on one corner of th^^^^^^^^ ^^ the p,rt that wa^ tops remained green until trost. ;Y^\\ ^/^'^^^^^^^^^^^.u ^^"for corn as the After top-dressing, harrow ^^*^ "' t"* ^n\wTies bdow the reach of tramping of "^eJXth^th^ \\' ^-^tiT^l' ^d ^^^^ T nrefer to drop the fertilizer first, covering it ightl> ' ^hen tl e s xci o toj IJf Uus covering. A part of my ear y P"^;^,^' P^-^^;^^^^^^^ son was done in this manner. I dropped ray P^^ajoes ami cover ^ about an inc^i in d-i.th, then < '"PP^^^ f^^-^'l'^^'',"^" * '^^^^^^^ burnt I watched these closely and lound many sprouts that weie baaiy u by coming iu contact with the fertilizer. lil Tennsylvania State Boaku of Aguicultuue. T t 1 llo.l in imp eommercial fertilizer in the hill for potatoes, LltuSEn^^^^^^^^ cast, as otherwise they are almost sure when io bo rou2:h and scabby. SUCCESSFUL FARMEES. By S. C. Watts, Curwensville, Pa. (Read at Curwensvllle Institution). S,» «. kik to Kood idvicc. Most of tlwir opimous :«<, wor li raise a family Probabl>thc^^^^^^ y ^i^^^^st of them, T:\Zt ZfooToZr^^S: ^ «. farm and so have a right to '^'I'^S^l^Z:^^^':^/^^^ about the most important ^'''il^y^^tll^i^Ze parents have bequeathed a robust, vigorous body 1 .vTh H "a^Mind iud-ment. The young man who has natural fitness and ^\ .th It a so nui ]U( mt^ut j the voung man whose tastes, ^n^« ^"1'^ Uh° it^^r^'g^nu'VE" l-« the necessary Sven in tl is institute who think that our young men should seek us I .; «, 4 wav to spoil a young man is to send lum oil the; farm toi an f in,7 T have only to say that a young man who can be sp.jiled education, i "fy, ' , '\ '". ,^,^ +,,,> f,.f,n If he cannot stand .'ontact oil The farm, by all means keep him there. J42 QUAKTERLY REPOET. Let him set his educatiou iu the country 8chool, and on the villege streets kt him get his ideas and his ambitions from ns associations ; let £ £rn cSeuship in a lo^ camp and statemanship rom the own- shin rin- boss; let him depend upon others to do his thinking, make his aws and advance his race. He will have company enough The countrv ts full of such cyphers. They furnish the opportunity for sharper but less conscientious people. Now I may say some disagree- able things but they are the truth To-day farmers east and west, north and south are groaning under unfair burdens, a great wail about unjust LlTs Wd. ^ Whosorfault is it. The ^ a-ers out-numbe^^^^^^^^^^^ nUa^ l.iit nflier fellows run the government and tlie larmers too. lyo Sier ntereS nor aU the other interests combined equals farm interests and vet the farmer is seldom found holding offices that concern him more than any other class. Either the farmer isn't smart enough or not Sey enough to get office, and certain is that possessing the power of a maiorfty he does not use it and then raises a howl of distress when the K feUow take advantage of him. Our young ^-.^f * ^^f ^^ J^?^^ success means more than raising crops or stock. He must bear in mfnd th^t his concerns expand beyond the measure o the acres ho cul- tivates, that success in raising crops does not of itf Jf "^^^l^ ^^^ ^^^^^ cessful farmer in the broader sense. He must ^« ^ n.-rofsuch v ta\ young men in intelligency and in grasp of affairs that aie ot sucli vital moment to himself and his country. , . i i.„ „„ j tTio time has come when the farmer must ^now what he wants ^nd must have the smartness, not the trickery, to get it. Our young man must ave equal chances with other young men, therefore we will send ^^^ftatchool K it spoils him we will content ourselves with the re- flection that t is an unVomising plant that is easily destroyed ; we will brencouraged by the fact that not one boy in a dozen, equipped as our young manis with moral courage and fortitude by years ot wise parenta tiaiufng, is going to be spoiled if sent to a well selected schooh We wdl send him An agricu tural school will be selected. For Wirt e jears lie wil be fn mentaC technical and experimenta training. He shall study «! the branches necessary to give him a well rounded education that w 1 plaSm on eqiml footing with the professional in every phase of Toe etv po litTcS and business Mfe. He shall have a. general knowledge of comm science. He shall be well informed in agricultural chemistry. He shaUgivo special attention to scientific research in the realm of agri- culture Ho shall study soils and plant foods he shall study sock and feeding. He shall avail himself of the accumulated wisdom of the world so far as it relates to his calling. , , , . •, -rr^ -,] „„_„ j „^^. Then his hands and his eyes are to be trained. He will spend con siderable time in the mechanical department of the school. He.wiU learn to hanX tools He will actually learn to work in wood with a pTeclSn and neatness and tastefulness of design ^-V'the \ iSmUh ance the carpenter could not equal. He will go into the blacksmith shop and under the instruction of an expert acquire the ability to handle Sehammeraml tongs that will serve hfm well in after years. Ho will have a^c^ss to a magnificent library filled with just the information he needs He wdl take an active part in the school's societies and debating clubs he will not feel himself Abashed because he is taking thoagncul- W iusteld o t U classical course. Ho will find incentives to make the very most of himself ; lie will be spurred to do the utmost in h.s power Helmfmd nobleassociates, if he wants them. He will be i™Portu-d to identify liimself with christian associations. He will have every chance to make of himself a man among men. Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 143 Then let him return to the farm ^f he ^™ ^^ -^ s^SificlJS F-Ci^r mSrone^^io ^^^^^ -^ ^- ^- -^^^ ^« ^ Sir still, a student still, -^.f^rw 11 bS 'n to make himself felt But there is one thing he ^^i^^ptiio lawyers do his thinking. He will in public f -rs. He win ^ot t «i^^^^^^^^^ teacherous know what is good tor liimseu m ^ trusted leader in his com- advice of scheming politi.-^f ^^.^^ ^^^^e^Si It Si not be safe to ignore munity. His coiinsels will «f "^yj^^^-ftiie key to solve the great pro- his influence. Our young J^.^n carries jne k y ^^^^^^^^ ^^^ aiffi- blem that so perplexes ^J^^XuaSr and at the same time has the NECESSITY OF SYSTEMATIC FARMING. By D. Holderbaum, Cessna, Pa. (Read at Everett I nstiiute.) s,!' sriTS ." if ' Moo's/oX:^'' ^x. »c. wood, ^hl wonder. „^„ ? -Rnt most of all we need a knowledge of What beauty m astronomy t But most oiai -^ ^ ^^^ chemistry.^ We are taught ttiat know^^^^^^ in other voca- \Zs^f^t''^:C''^^Zt^XLius.n^ hands, and it pays to cultivate one as well as the other j • ^ ^ ^^ are paid by Here is one great truth. J^^ and consequently must buy. If we a poor quality and small ^"^i^tity and conseque^^ ^.^^^^ ^^^^^^ r .S£'rffie'Z.tS;» SSy, .i«. e».ploy-« ^ one-half of our population. necessity of becoming educated. We should impress on our minds the 'lecepiYcan for all the people. i£es*ra,;;nStttTi:^'ais:S "■»-'»^Se .... ui«. and not from birtli or calling. . . | cheaper cr QUAliTEKLY llErOUT. 1 r ti.on flu. swonl • ami that the art of prodiic more noble to nso the P'^^X «i^» * .^\°\^. ^{,ove the art of destroyiug iuff the comforts audhixunesolhtc lb ^tiw^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^.^^ oppressed by the wealthy i HITS AND MISSES. By Prof. D. W. Lawson, Dayton, Pa, (Head at Marlon Center Institute. ) The thoughtful student of Instory <^^S:;:^:::^:^:^ the inhabitations of this Pr^at "a ion we ^^U ^^ ^^ ^^^^^^ Upon the none occupies so important 'i PO^'^'^^i'lf ^'a the life of nations and result of his ^■'^^^<^^: ^^I'^^'^Y"'' KnZTll'^^^^^ be supplied; the inhabitants of the earth Human "«c?s|i^ ^j stoppin- of the and a failure in crops me'^"^ ^'^^^ « '" .^^^^^^^^ ^e^th. While it ^vheels of conmiei;ce human « J.^^'f^f^^*™ Ttion and of all a^es, that is an undisputed fivct m the l'^^^^>XTor people, tlo^^^^^ when the agricultural interests of '^^ff^^^^iXi proportionately ; yet parlments of legitimate business ^re stimulate^i pr P ^ ^^^ \here is not -o"- cl^^^^^ pressed as the tillers ot the sou. /-''^ ^. . i occupy a more promi- Lt these wealth producers ^'^^f. «^\^\^. /Xsto be ^t least, semi-surfs nent position, i^^te'^l^o^P'^™'""'^^,?^!^^^^^^^^ Itiscertainly not be- aud bearers of unjust and unreasonable burrtens X j ca^c they lack numbers "O'^ bf^^^P^^'^^^e^^^^ laclf brains, but use it, nor can ^.e beheve '* f J^^f.^^^^'^t fo^^^^ No, it is because we have f ""Jl^^ "^ /^ ^^^pS and demandinp:, in our brains and consciences oi -am/ n;ye^ J^^I ^ ^j ,,.,,1 iu order to make market they crowd scores ot J *«« elio^^ s to ti competition, their control moi;e complete and kill the spmt ^^j^^.eiful syn- The little fellow is doomed, ^"f^^« ^"fj ^^ n necessities. If we want dicat..tlKdsqueezestensof n n onso^^^^^^^ sugar, (envelopes, glass, tin U^il, ^°.PP®f;f 'Tf'ts and be'g them to serve us „o^wUustd.n^>urhatsto hesen^^^^^^^^^^ at their own price ^ook . tt on ^„^„,^,„ity taking advantage mean war aS'">'»t,tbe best h -t^ 01 u ^^^^^ ^^^^^^^.^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^1 of human necessities If ^ve '''' j *; "' 7, ;.,,rt,^ fighting, abolish ns. It may be a long ^^I't ;n^1 ^^< n'^ ' - -^ ^^^ unfeeling Society should and inust '« Protected trom th g ^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^ oppression of «y"« l^'^t- .-^^^^^ fouudation iipou bed My jellow-citizens our on^hdh^^.^u^e^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^ i,,^ ,1 rock, ill wisaom ami in he *«^ ^^ "^. 7°^ ' ^^ the world has ever beheld, grandest and most dui;abl(; "''!'''' !:ir.,T.i blessing to mankind, capa- beautiful in desi.^ni, noble m i;;;|T«^^.i^'^ ^J Ws! elevating humanity ble of supplying our secular '"^"^^ *^ "Xe,^^^^^^ ^rawn from His from ffi-ovellins- sur dom to be ;^;^;f^\'^^4°^^,, that are dependent bountiful store a rich s"^^-^^"^^^ "^^f^ .ve >dll make a hit that .vill save upon the help of ^^'^i^'^.^^y '"^"ft; tlose principles and blessings tlie nation and hand down to P^f f|;yj"°,.*:tarnisl ed, to iis. Or w(i .vhich our ^-V^^S^^^^^X::^^^^:. cries of the op- may make a fatal miss oy lauiuK tv pressed; God hears them and will heed tliem. ^^^^^^ ' Nineteen English andlordso J 1,3^^^ 1^ ,,1,^ producing lands. All of this ^^^-^^^f ^o tuensriiose only interest in us are loyal to our country and ^>\«'^ ,5^;\\*;^gV me^ or their decendants is what they can get out of us. ]^, *X tenlnts =^d a man's eligibility will have control over the votes of then t«^.';°^g^'Ja<,jninant landlords. to congress will ^^eP^i^'l «" l'»^7*ti Jv a e 4e S^^^^^ ^''^'^ left his wife and children a prey to « ejteed ^"^^ ^^'^^ ^j^g le The birth of a nation is the .*>»t^7,7j V^^SSruth cmshed to earth, will stand oppvessio. o a e^ am ^^ W^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^, .^ ^,,. will rise, and a ^^^ipH ib boin. i ^ farmers are organ- critical politicians, it IS i,ii^l««''^ ''^*'^" i^^j" i„,. ,.:„iit and denounce the iziug and have the moral courage to declaic toi iigni ana wrong. ., ^ , iniiumanity to man makes countless The poet has truly said, ^f°/^'^'^"?'f "j,^t being faitliful and true millions mourn." We l^^.^^ /«'^^^^^,,'^^'J^/,^ot supported and encouraged to our friends, as we should be ^e lave not su^^^^^ thonsand hon- Ku^^^P^iStte^J^ ^^ -^^^ instead ol' party organism. Press on, surmount tlie rocky ste«4>s, Climb boldly over the torrent's areh, He fails who feebly creeps, He wins who dares the hero s nianli. ''That which a mau soweth, tliat shall he. also reap," is as true ol na- tious as it is of individuals. We can never be too careful. What the seeds our hands shall sow, Love from love is sure to ripen, Hate from hate is sure to grow. Seeds of good or ill we scatter, Hcetilessly along our way ; But a glad or grievous fruitage Waits us at the harvest day. Whatso'er our sowing be Heaping w(i its fruits must see. ^Tnj.v Statk i3().\i:i) OF A(ii;icri;i I iiK. irr INDEX BY AIJTIJORS AND TOPTrS. Page. Atkinson, James Q. — Planting and (Jare of J^'ruit Trees, 110-113 Allison, lj. W.— Roots lor Stock, 108-llU Beaver, Geo. E. — Does it Pay to Use Commercial Fertilizers, 123-125 Beek, William F.— Vital Points in Wheat Culture, 92-95 Bisler, Dr. William B.— (German Car}), 28-32 Broc'kway, S. S.—Farmers' Kights and Duties, 98-99 Carnhan, J. K.— Clover, 3r>-37 Oessna, J. H.— Knowledge for the Farmer, 113-11< Dt^Graw, George O.— Planting and Care of an Orchard, 120-128 Oershamer, W.— Corn and Potato Culture, 139-141 Downing:, Hon. S. II. — State Ai)propriations for Public Koads, 13-14 Downomoyer, M.T.—(trape Growing, 50-52 Esh, N. H, — Care of Farm Animals, 48-50 Fulton, .lanu^s — Qualities that (Constitute a Successful l-'armer, 25-28 Gable, Mrs. 3Iary E— House Plants, 33-34 Gates, Luther — Dirt Koads, 11-13 (iait hers, P. H.— Tlie Farmers' Machine, 103-106 (iibson, Israel— How to Increase the Yield of Wheat, 78-80 Goeut ner. Miss E. M. — Sermons in Stones, J6-21 Hartnian, Mrs. U. E. — Childhood's Days on the Farm, 77-78 Hartison,.!. D. — Potato Cullure, 4t>-47 Holderbauiu, 1>. — Necessity of Systematic Farming, 143-144 ,Ja<'kson, W. A.— Rotation of Crops, 39-n .Jamison, R. H. — Country Boys and CJirls, 95-98 Jennings, J. T.— Cause and F'lVect, 12.S-135 linouse, W. H.- Kquitable l.aws, 21-25 liawson, D. W. — Hits and Misses, ' 144-140 liloyci, Hon. W. Penn—Municipal Government, 58-(J2 Lord, B. B.— Holstein Cattle, 65-r>9 Marrow, G, S. — Relation of Farming to Tjiterature, 86-89 Mauicr, Miss Tillie— The Mother in the Home, 119-120 Merliling, Mrs. W. 8. — Should tlie Slaughter of Birds in the Inlerest <.l Fashion be Abandoned, 135-139 Mow ell,. lohn Dogs, 121-123 McGar\ ey, . I. . I. — I'arm Journals, 14-16 MrSpai'iaii, <'. 1^. — Dark and liright Side (W' Farm IJfe, 37-39 M