Title: Quarterly report of the Pennsylvania Board of

Agriculture, no. 29-30

Place of Publication: Harrisburg, Pa.

Copyright Date: 1885-1886

Master Negative Storage Number: MNS# PSt SNPaAg017.5

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QUARTERLY REPORT8

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OF TIIK

PENNSYLVANIA

Board of AGRicui/niiiE,

UCTOlil'R, NOVI'Ml'.KR c^' DI'XEMr.l-R, I885.
lANr ARY, FEBRUARY & MARCH, 1886.

HA H IM S n V II G :

EDWIN K. MEYERS, STATE T>RINTER

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TWENTY-NINTH AND THIRTIETH QUARTERLY REPORT

OF THE

PENNSYLVANIA BOARD OF AGRICULTURE.

PENNSYLVANIA BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 1886.

/

Members E^x-Officio*

Adams, ....
Armstrong, . .
Beaver, ....
Bedford, ....
Berks, ....
Bradford, . . .

Bucks,

Butler, ....
Centre, ....
Chester, ....
Clarion, ....
Clinton, ....
Columbia, . . .
Crawford, . .
Cumberland,
Dauphin, . . .
T>elaware, . . .

Erie,

Indiana, ....
Jefferson, . .
Juniata, ....
Lackawanna,
Lancaster, . . .
Lebanon, . . .

Lehigh, ....
Luzerne, ....

Lycoming, . . .

Mercer, . .

Montour, ....

Northampton, .

Northumberland

Somerset, . . .

Schuylkill, . .

Sullivan, . . .

Susquehanna, .

Tio^a,

Union

Venango, . . .

Warren, . . . .

Washington,

Westmoreland,

Wayne, . . . •

York,

I. Garrettson,

Hon. R. E. Pattison, Governor,

Hon. J. S. Africa, Secretary of Internal Affairs.

Hon. J. B. Niles, Auditor General.

Dr. E. E. Higbee, Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Dr. G. W. Atherton, President Pennsylvania State College.

Appointed by the Governor.

Term expires.

Col. V. E. PioUet, j^^^

Col. James Young, V^

Dr. John P. Edge, ^^^^

Blected by County Agricultural Societies^

Term expires.

Bigler, 1»88

1889

.' A. L. McKibben, . . . . Green Garden, 1887

. J. E. Noble, Watertown, 1889

. J. u. Zerr, Geiger's Mills, 1889

. H. L. Scott, Towanda, 1889

. E. Reeder, New Hope, 1887

. H. M. Wise, Harmony, 1888

.E.W.Hale, Bellefonte 1888

Thos. J. Edge, Harrisburg, 1887

J. F. Brown, Clarion, 1888

J. A. Herr Cedar. Springs, 1887

. Chandlee Eves, Millville, 1888

M. W. Oliver, Conneautville, 1889

. C. H. MuUin, Mt. Holly Springs, .... 1888

G. Hiester, Harrisburg, 1888

. E. Harvey,

. J. C. Thornton, .

W. C. Gordon,

J. McCracken, Jr.,
. D. Wilson, . . .

H. H. Colvin, . .
, H. M. Engle,

Chester, 1889

Avonia, 1889

Black Lick, 1889

Frostburg, 1887

Port Royal, 1888

Dalton, 1888

Marietta, 1889

' C H Lantz, Lebanon, 1888

; ' J.' P.' Barnes Allentown, 1887

. J. B. Smith, I^.^"F^^''"' ; J««s

. D. H. Foresman, . . . . Williamsport, 1888

. . R. McKee. Mercer, 1887

. . Thos. L. Clapp, Limestoneville, 1889

. . A. D. Shinier, Bethlehem, 1888

. . W. C. Packer, Sunbury, J888

. . C. C. Musselman, Somerset 1889

. . J. S. Keller, S'l^TJ^??^''^' f^l

. . L. B. Speaker, Hill's Grove, 1888

R S Searle, Montrose i8«y

; ; J.* W. Mather, Wellsboro', 1889

. . P. Frederick J,^?,^?,^"'*^' So

. W. Gates, Oil City, 1889

. . F. R. Miller, Sugar Grove, 1889

. J. McDowell, Washington, 1887

. . F. Y. Clopper, Greensburg 1889

N. F. Underwood, .... Lake Como, 1889

W. S. Roland, York,

1889

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i

P5q

Quarterly Report,

OFFICIAL LIST.

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. (

M. W. Oliver,

Hon. R. E. Pattisott,
H. M. Engle,
R. McKee,

H. M. Engle,

Dr. J. P. Edge.

J. P. Barnes,

E. Reader,

T. J. Edge, Secretary.

J. P. Barnes,

President.
Hon. R. E. Pattison.

Vice Presidents.
D. Wilson,

Executive Committee.
J. A. Herr,
G. Hiester,
J. McDowell,

Advisory Committee.
G. Hiester,

T. J. Edge, Secretary.

Secretary.
Thos. J. Edge, Harrisburg.

Botanist.
Thos. Meehan, Germantown.

Pomologist.
I E. Satterthwaite, Jenkintown.

C/ieyni-st.
Dr. F. A. Genth, University of Pennsylvania.

Consulting Veterinary Surgeon.
Prof. R. S. Huidekoper, University of Pennsylvania.

Veterinary Surgeon.
Dr. F. Bridge, West Philadelphia.

Microscopists, Ilygienists, and Food Inspectors.
Dr. H. LeflFmau, Philadelphia, Prof. C. B. Cochran, West Chester.

Entomologist.
Prof. W. A. Buckhout, State College.

Ornithologist.
Dr. B. Harry Warren, West Chester.

Meteorologists.
Prof. I. T. Osmond, State College, j. L. Heacock, Quakertown.

Mineralogist.
Col. Jos. Wilcox, Philadelphia.

Geologist.
Prof. J. P. Lesley, Philadelphia.

Stenographer.
Col. H. C. Demniing, Harrisburg.

i

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

3

MINUTES OF THE WIlS^TER MEETING OF THE

BOARD OF AGJilCULTUKE.

Held at Bloomsburg, Pa., December 2 and 3, 1885.

Wednesday, December 2^ 1885.

Board called to order at 9.30, a. m., by lion. II. E. Pattison in the chair.

By a call of the roll of members, the following were found present:
Hon. R. E. Pattison, Dr. J. P. Edge, Col. V. E. Piollet, and Messrs. Gar-
retson, Patterson, Zerr, Reeder, Herr, Eves, Oliver, Hiester, Colvin, Engle,
Barnes. Smith, Foresman, McKee, ISechler, Shimer, Miisselman, Keller,
Frederick, Gates, Underwood, and Secretary. Later in the session,
Messrs. Atherton, Hicks, McDowell, and Speaker were present.

The Chair named Messrs. Dr. Edge, Reeder, and Barnes, a committee to
receive and report upon the credentials of members and delegates.

Reports of standing and specia. committees having been called for, Mr.
Reeder of Bucks, on behalf of the special committee appointed to repre-
sent the State at the twelfth annual convention of the National Cheese,
j^utter, and Egg Association, at Chicago, presented a full report of the
proceedings of that body ; on motion of Mr. Smith, seconded by Mr. Mus-
SELMAN, the report was accepted, and ordered entered on the minutes as a
portion of the proceedings of the meeting.

The Committee on Credentials presented the following report:

We find that the following delegates are present with proper credentials :

Light Street Grange. No. 5/.— Joshua Hartzel, J. H. Hartzel, Samuel
Hartzel, David Stroub, and p]lizabeth Brown.

Valley Grange, No. J^.— Ezra Eves, P. B. Eves, T. C. Wilson, F. B.
Masters, and Rachel Young. .

Sugar Loaf Grange. No. 105.— \Y. L. Harlinger, C. A. White, and C.

L. Kite.

Rohrsburg Grange, No. i{?5.— Charles Kester and W. W. Parker.
Columbia County Pomona Grange, No. 5.— VI. G. F. Khink and F. E.

Brock way.

Montour Grange. No. 792.— D. P. Deil and Michael Breakbill.
Catawissa Grange. No. 216.— "Si. Hartman, Samuel Fisher, and Susan

Martin.

Bloomsburg Grange, No 322.— K\\ Barton, John Yerdon, and B. 1^.

Gardner.

North Abington and Glenburn Farmers' Club.— J. W. Tiffany and 11.

W. Northup.

Columbia County Agricultural Society.— Yrc^s Fowler, C. L. Sands,

and IJaltis Sterling.

Pleasant Valley Farmers' Club.— ]:>hn IToffa.

Pomona Grange, No. 5.— J. B. Patton, G. W. Supplee, and W. J

Martin.

The committee also reported that F. Y. Clopper presented the proper
credentials as a member of the Board from Westmoreland county, and that
he was entitled to his seat as such.

A number of other delegates were present without credentials.

t i

4 Quarterly Report.

On behalf of the Colnmhia County Agricultural Society and the citizens
of IMoomsburg, Rev. 1). J. Waller welcomed the Board as follows :

It becomes my very pleasant duty, sir, and my privilege, in the name
of my fellow-citizens of Bloomsburg and of Columbia county, to express
to the members of this Board, especially to His Excellency the Governor
of the Commonwea!t\i of Pennsylvania, president, ex-officio, of the State
Board of Agriculture, and to say that we cordially welcome them as repre-
sentatives of the Commonwealth of Rennsylvania to this classic ground.
Campbell wrote :

•'On Susquehanna's side fair Wyoming," &c.

I do not know how thoroughly all the members of the Board may be ac-
quainted, or perhaps some of the yonnger generation of our own citizens,
with the fact tliat we are in that Wyoming. The forty-lirst parallel of lati-
tude ffills just across the river south of the town, and this was part of the
original townsiiip of Wyoming. The water of the Susquehanna flows
through a large extent of that valley, but the geographical boundaries have
been changed.

It may be an interesting fact to state that Charles Miner, in his history
of Wyoming, states that Colonel James McClure, who was born within
sight of the place where we now are, was one of the first three white chil-
dren born in Wyoming.

We are, sir, upon one of the great highways of the warriors of the
ancient times. Fishing creek, emptying from the north into the Susque-
hanna, and Catawissa creek, emptying from the south, the two only a mile
apart upon this north branch of the Susquehanna, constituted, in the early
time, one of the great highways of Indian travel from the (Jreat Lakes
towards the great shores of the mighty ocean ; and the indications of their
travel are still found, and the evidences of their sojourn along the banks of
these streams are abundant. Some of them have been gathered, and they
are yet to be found.

And this, as the county seat of Columbia county, is now a place of great
interest to the people dwelling in it, as I believe every other place in Penn-
sylvania is, as a progressive and as an improving community. It is a
peaceful community — but there was a time long ago, and long ago for-
gotten, when it was far otherwise. We are just upon the borders of that
valley which was a ground of strife between two nationalities. How many
of our own people have heard of the old enmity and Yankee war, in which
not only strife but bloodshed indicated the earnest contention of the New
England settler with the claim of those under the grant of Penn, who
would assert their authority over the whole territory finally made to the
State of Pennsylvania?

We are sorry, your Excellency, that we cannot present the town of
Bloomsburg, at the present time, in its best clothes. One of the evidences
of its progress you have doubtless seen in the condition of our streets.
But it is in the line of progress, and an electric light and steam-heating
company is in possession here, and in possession lawfully — for we are a law-
abiding people — by the direction of the town authorities. They are prepar-
ing us f r the enjoyment of more light, and of more genial warmth. Had
your nu'cting been in a more favorable season of the year, we would show
you, sir, that we are not only interested in manufactures, but that we are
largely interested in all of the subjects that belong to the province of your
association.

A few years ago, one of the editors of the American Agriculturist came
to Bloomsburg, and, calling upon me with a letter of introduction, de-

\

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture. 6

sired to know something of Pennsylvania modes of farming. As T had
just then entered into the fraternity of farmers, after a full generation's
period of exclusive devotion to preaching of the Gospel, I was happy to
meet him, and explained to him, at his request, the rotation of crops in
Pennsylvania, and showed him the process of making and applying lime to
the soil as one of the agents of fertilization ; and took him over some of
the lands of the country here, and gave him letters of introduction to agri-
cultuial men further west in the State. How creditable to the other States
visited I am not prepared to say, but it was very pleasant to me to receive
a letter from him, after his return to New York from a journey of some
two thousand miles, when he said that alter leaving this region of Penn-
sylvania he had gone to two or three or four of the Western States, that
he had seen larger fields of growing grain, and far more extensive, but he
had seen nothing in the w^ay of agriculture that was, to him, so interesting
and so instructive ac that which he had seen in this portion of Pennsyl-
vania.

We are here, sir, among the foot-hills of the Alleghenies, and while you
see the hills arising around you, it may be well to remember that this
country is not all a very rough country ; for when the citizens of Blooms-
burg desired to obtain a supply of pure water for drinkincr and other pur-
poses, they could find no elevaaon within six miles of Bloomsburg that
w^ould aflford sufficient fall to give them a su|)ply of water, and a down flow^
to raise it into the upper stories of their houses. I desire to say this^ be-
cause of the impression upon those who may not have been here before,
sir, and of my brethren in this Society. I belong, not to the State Board
of Agriculture, but to the Agricultural Society of i^ennsylvania; and those
with whom I have been acquainted in that association have said to me
that they have never been here before. I desire them to understand that,
under more ftivorable circumstances, the impression made upon them would
be far different than the first glance of this territory now would cause them
to make up their minds to. We have here, in addition to the north branch
of the Susquehanna, streams coming in from several directions; and to
those who can afford time we can show some of the most varied valleys in
the Commonwealth, or the broad Union.

There is one thing that deserves notice here : that there is no portion of
the whole United States in which I have ever been that presents, through
a larger portion of the year, roads so inviting, so smooth, so well con-
structed ; and yet I know not of a single turnpike gate within thirty miles
of Bloomsburg. You will not be called upon to put your hand in your
pocket on a cold day, after pulling off your glove, to get a half dime, or a
dime, or a quarter to pay for your road way ; you get it free, and it is one
of those things in which we here rejoice. But our people here are so ac-
customed to it that I do not feel they half appreciate it.

But, sir, as I would not occupy the time that 1 know is valuable, and in-
terfere with the proceedings of this Society, I would simply call attention
to the fact that the people of Bloomsburg are a moral, religious, and largely
an intelligent people, and we hope, very earnestly, that the members of
this Association mav allow themselves time enough not only to discharge
their direct duties "for which they are gathered here, but to intermingle
with our peo])le.

In regard to our churches, we have a variety, according to the tastes and
religious proclivities of our people. We have some nine or ten well-organ-
ized churches, and, I believe, all well supported. An educational institu-
tion exists in our town that, perhaps, has some claim, as a State institu-
tion, upon the attention of the members of this Board who are olficers of

6

Quarterly Report.

the Commonwealth. It was our privilege to welcome here a predecessor
of your Excellency, the Governor of the State of Pennsylvania, some fifteen
years or more ago, to lay the foundation of the normal school of the Sixth
district of the State of Pennsylvania; and very few persons come into
Bloomsburg who do not discover that there are ample buildings for the
accommodation of such an institution, and for the training of jyupils, under
the control and legislation of the State of Pennsylvania, for the education
of the teachers of the common schools of the State of Pennsylvania. We
hope that the oflicers of this Society will acquaint themselves with the
workings of this institution. We have the visits, annually, of the members
of the school-board here, who give their attention as officers of the State
directly appointed for that duty ; and all who are interested in tlie affairs
of the State are certainly interested in the progress and development and
success of these great institutions of learning, and especially the institu-
tions of learning that are calculated to reach down and mold the primary
instruction of the youngest of the children that attend the schools of the
Commonwealth.

We hope. Mr. President, that the meetings of your Board will continue
to interest the people of 131oomsburg; and, according to the intimations
given, that they will consider themselves invited to attend the sessions,
and to listen with attention, and those who are members of agricultural
associations of any kind, as I understand, are invited to participate in the
discussions that arise in this meeting. We trust that your attendance will
not only be profitable to us, but that it will be satisfactory and pleasing to
yourselves. Our people understand, especially by the interesting report
that has been read here this morning, that it is not simply the turning of
the furrow, that it is not the swinc:inu- of the cradle, or even the reisr of
the modern improvement that has superseded the cradle, that it is not the
simple planting and gathering of our crops that belong to the Agricultural
Board of the State of Pennsylvania, but that they have a legal control, to
a certain extent, over all that enters into elevating the health, happiness,
and the progress of our people.

We, therefore, are deeply interested in all the subjects that may come
before this Board ; and when we are told here something about the fearful
adulterations of food, and perhaps here, before we are through, something
of the more fearful adulteration of the drugs that are administered to us,
and of the nostrums that are spread before us, we can understand that we
are interested as individuals and as a community in furthering the inter-
ests of this Association, that are committed bv the laws of the Common-
wealth especially to its care and studious attention under the direction and
management of the Supreme Executive of the State of (Pennsylvania.
[Applause, t

On behalf of the Board, Governor II. E. Paitison replied as follows :

Dr. Waller, Citizens OF Bloomsburg,and Members of the Agricultural
Society of Columbia county : There was once a Governor of a Western State
who, in commenting upon the relation of the public ofllcer to the people,
declared that all pul)lic officers are servants of the people. And he held
that the Governor is the "principal servant." I stand somewhat in that
relation to the State Board of Agriculture of Pennsylvania. I am called
Upon to do their l)idding on such pleasant occasions as the present. If I
am the '' principal servant," then I must see to it that I set the example of
obedience to the commands of the Board, and, however much I may be
inclined to excuse myself, submission to their will, as the example of obedi-
ence, must always command me.

On behalf of the Board, I gladly return thanks to the citizens of this

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture. 7

place for the kind words of welcome with which we have been greeted. I
only voice their sentiments when I say that the Board rejoices in the abund-
ant marks of progress, and in the growth of this community so evident
around us. I refer not only to the material prosperity that is presented to
view in the buildings adjoining your town — your churches, school-houses,
public edifices, stores, and residences— but also to the fact that in intelligence
and public spirit there are evidences here of a greater and more permanent
growth — a building for the future — for as you have taken the place of your
fathers, so your children will come after you, and as a foundation was laid
for you, so you are broadening that foundation for them. The develop-
ment of mind is an eternal thing. What is evolved is lasting in its inthience.
It is like a building " not made with hands." And so we sincerely rejoice
with you in that kind of mental development which distinguishes the people
of this section of our State.

I am impressed with the fact that the Indian made no mistake when he
selected for his favorite hunting grounds the beautiful Wyoming valley.
In looking over the history of the State, I discovered what had not occurred
to my mind before, that wherever the Indian planted his wigwam and
marked off his hunting ground, there was not only fertility of soil, but
there was the richest and healthiest of sections. Truly, he was wise in his
day and generation. Over in the valleys of Bedford county, comparatively
short and narrow, yet opulent in soil and rich in productiveness, the Indian
discovered the famous waters of that region a hundred years ago, and
thither thousands have gone during all these subsequent generations to
enjoy them. There he gathered with his fellows and derived the benefits
which those waters yield, and there are still to be seen a variety of herbs
and nuts and other\'egetation taken there from many points of our com-
mon country by the Indian. And so the Indian, with his natural foresight,
settled in this "section of the State where we stand to-day. This county,
reaching from the Susquehanna over to the counties of Lycoming and Sul-
livan, is rich and fertile to this day. Doubtless, this feature may have been
one of the causes of the many sanguinary conflicts which occurred between
the tribes and others for its possession.

Here, too, if I recollect aright, lived Tammany, the great Indian chief,
who gathered his tribe of Leni-Lenapes and marshalled his warriors. That
was an organization of the primitive times, which has since been dis-
tinguished by a powerful political society of our own day in assuming as
its title the 'name of *'Tammanv.'' It has its branches in many parts of
the country, and on the roll of the original society appears the names of
some of the descendants of these same Indians. The brave Logan, another
prominent chief, was once a resident of this section. Here he pitched his
tent and pursued his game. Logan was distinguished as one of the most
remarkable of natural orators, and many of his eloquent utterances are still
preserved in the literature of the schools. It was here, also, that there
lived a woman who combined in herself a mystic character. I refer to the
celebrated Madam Montour, after whom Montour county is named. Her
individuality appears to have been confounded with that of two other
women ; but she is recalUd as one of the most interesting persons con-
nected with the history of Pennsylvania. She was well known and highly
appreciated by the best social circles of old Philadelphia. There she was
a welcome and fre(iuent guest, and many reminiscences of her life are re-
lated in the fanulies bv which she was entertained in the olden time. Her
judgment and tact was far above ordinary. Familiar with the red man's
'language, she often acted as interpreter between him and his white brother.

8

Quarterly Report.

and, by her great indiience over the savage nature of the one, she frequently
saved the other from the deadly knife and murderous tomahawk.

Many other interesting events connected with tlie history of this section
might take up our time to our profit ; but we are here for other purposes.
While these matters are pleasant to recall, yet we must say that in the
hearty welcome which has been extended to us to-day, we see that which
is greater than anything the history of the past offers. We stand in the
midst of modern intelligence and prosperity, and we rejoice in the faith
that the future holds in its embrace, for you and your children, a still higher
civilization.

The agricultural board bears a close relation to you, for this is an agri-
cultural region, as well as one devoted to mining and manufactures. As
you have said, sir, the line of industry this Board represents lies at the
very foundation of our general welfare. The food we eat, the clothes we
wear, and the comforts we enjoy, may be traced directly to it. The Board
is composed of gentlemen from all parts of the State. They come from the
north, south, east, and west. And they come not only for' the transaction
of their regular business, but to impart to you, through their proceedings,
such information as you will do well to heed. They do not bring you mere
book knowledge. That is within your reach as well as theirs. But they
come with the practical knowledge Ithat is obtained at the plow, in the field,
and amid the rich gatherings of the harvest. They come from the labora-
tory, the workshop, and the market, and while they present the fruitage of
their observation and study, they will be anxious'to learn from you what-
ever it may be in your power to contribute toward the great object they
have in view, that is, the higher advancement of the agricultural interests
of Pennsylvania. I sincerely trust, sir, that when our session ends, it will
be found that on both sides we have pitched our common tent "a day's
march nearer home."

Again, sir, on behalf of the State Agricultural Board, I tender their
thanks for the kindly welcome you have extended in the name of the citi-
zens of Bloomsburg and the Columbia County Agricultural Society. [Ap-
plause.]

On motion of Dr. J. P. Edge, it was resolved that, at this session, no
member should speak more than five minutes at one time, nor more than
once upon the same topic, until all wishing to speak had an opportunity to
do so.

On motion, J. R. Townsend of Bloomsburg then read an essay on
'' Grapes for the Farm Garden," the subject-matter of which was discussed
by Messrs. Piollet, Townsend, Engle, Herr, Hiester, Smith, and Keller.

On motion of Mr. Smith, seconded by Mr. Frederick, Dr. James Calder
then read an essay on '' Quince Culture," which was discussed by Messrs.
Smith, Oliver, Engle. and others.

Mr. Hiester, member from Dauphin, then read an essay on " Fruits for
Family Use," which drew out discussion from Messrs. McDowell, Hiester,
Walter, Herr, and Zerr.

On motion of Mr. Engle, seconded by Mr. Clopper, adjourned until 2,
p. M.

Wednesday Afternoon, December 2, 1885.

Board called to order at 2, p. m., by Hon. R. E. Pattison in the chair.

Discussion of Mr. 1 Hester's essay on '' Fruits for Family Use " resumed,
and participated in by Mi ssrs. Dv\ Edge, Piollet, Barnes, Engle, Hiester,
Herr, and Frederick.

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

9

On motion, William Fairweatuer, of McLane, Erie county, read an
essay on '' The Best Breed of Dairy Cattle," which was listened to with
more than usual interest, and was discussed by Messrs. Piollet, Reeder,
Oliver, Fairweather, Smith, Northup, Engle, Dr. Edge, Musselman, Hicks,
Harvey, McOovvell, Colvin, Keller, and Secretary. ^ ^ .u ^

A telegram having been received from Colonel Jameson to the effect that
he was unable to be i)resent with his essay on - Pure Bred Horses," on
motion of Mr. Eves, Dr. Harvey, member from Delaware, was mvited to
address the meeting upon the same topic. Dr. Harvey's address was
listened to with interest and called out much discussion.

On motion, M. P. Lutz then read an essay on " Poultry for 1 rofit and
Pleasure," which called out discussion from Messrs. McDowell, Tewksbury,
Lutz, Harvey, Barnes, Zerr, Smith, Oliver, and Engle. ^ ^^

H. H. Brown, of Light Street, then read an essay on '' Bee Keeping,
when, on motion of Mr. Engle, adjourned until 8, P. m.

Wednesday Evening, December 2, 1885.

Board called to order at 8, P. m.

Prof W A BucKiiouT, Entomologist of the Board, delivered an address
on '' The Life and Habits of Insects." The lecture was illustrated by large
diagrams and drawings, which served to make it plain to all present. Ihis
lecture was listened to by one of the largest audiences which has yet greeted
the Board.

Thursday Morning, December S, 1885.
Board called to order at 9, a. m., by Hon. R. E. Pattison, President,

in the chair. _ . , . t-i • ^^^ft-

On motion, the essay of M. W. Oliver, '' Experiments in Farming left

over from the afternoon session of the preceding day, was then read, and

its subject-matter discussed by Messrs. Barnes, Engle, Underwood, Keller,

Little, Smith, Musselman, Foresman, and Secretary.

An essay on '• Farmers* Mistakes" was then read by E. M. Tewksbury,

and was followed by a general discussion of the points of the essay.

By a vote of twelve to ten, it was decided to call up essay TSo. 3 ot the

printed programme, and, in accordance with this decision A. Z. Schoch,

Esq., then read an essay on -The Best Wheat from the Miller's Stand-

^^On motion of Dr. Harvey, the regular order of the programme was then
taken up, and an essay upon - The Insurance of Farm Buildings read by
Samuel Neyhard of i3loomsburg.

Mr. Smith then called up essay No. 5 of the programme, and Dr J. 1 .
Edge of Chester read an essay entitled -The Answer to the Prophecy,
upon which discussion was deferred until the afternoon session.

On motion, adjourned until 2, P. M.

Thursday Afternoon, December 3^ 1885.
Board called to order at 2, p. m., by Hon. C. C. Musselman in the chair.
Discussion of Dr. Edge's essay, " The Answer to the I'rophecy, resumed

and concluded.

(Governor Pattison then took the chair).

10

Quarterly Report.

I A !

I ,

^ Oil motion of Mr. Smith, A. P. Young, Esq., of Millville, read an essay on
' How to Bring np a Worn-out Farm."

Mr. Frederick of Union presented the following resolution, which was
referred to the Committee on Legislation :

Whereas, The winter meeting of the Pennsylvania State Board of Ag-
riculture has been called and the same published in the Farmer's Friend
recognized (Grange paper;

And whereas, The Patrons of Husbandry of Union county take interest
in the current agricultural questions and agricultural progress of these
times ; therefore,

Be it by this body of representative forv\ers unanimously resolved. That,
as we look to the duly constituted State Board for redress of grievance
and pioneer effort to correct abuses, we hereby respectfully suggest that
the secretary of this convention of delegates to'the Union County Council,
P. of 11., request our county member of the said Board, Mr. Philip Frederick,
to bear in kindest greeting and present at the aforesaid Board meeti'fig our
friendliest acknowledgments of its very valuable labors in the past and
our reliant and hopeful waiting in relation to the future, and as all history
of reform progress confirms the fact of necessitous tardiness, sacrifice, and
step-by-step accomplishment, we, therefore.

Resolve^ secondly, That the said Frederick be and hereby is delegated as
the bearer of the unanimous wish of our convention that some efficient mode
of enforcing the statutory laws regulating the manufacture and sale of com-
mercial fertilizers be as speedily as possible secured, and that such legisla-
tion be asked for by the Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture as shall
require the phosphate manufacturers to give the source from which nitrogen
in their goods is obtained, and so mark their packages as not to subv^ert
the objects for which the present government in the trade was instituted ;
and, further, the importance of cotton seed and linseed meal to our fiirmciis
justly demands, at the hands of our '' law-makers," such statutory protec-
tive provisions as will compel manufacturers, venders, and agents to mark
the package, barrel, or sack so as to give the purchaser clear and definite
knowlege of the rate per cent, of ammonia and phosphoric acid contained in
the said agricultural goods. •

(Signed,) JS. Q. Grove,

E. Shorkley, Secretary. Worthy Master.

On motion of Mr. Eves, seconded by Mr. Smith, it was resolved that
the time for the commencement of the evening meeting, as announced in
the printed programme, be changed from 8, p. m., to 7.3t», P. M.

Mrs. F. M. Eves of Millville then read an essay on "The Farmer's
Family — Past, Present, and Future."

On motion of Dr. Harvey, Mrs. Mary Y. Bowman of Berwick read an
essay on " The Education of Farmers' Sons and Daughters." These two
essays attracted an unusual amount of interest, from the fact that they were
the first in the history of the Board presented by lady essayists, and they
were listened to with marked attention.

D. J. Waller, junior, then read an essay on '* Industrial Education,"
which was discussed by a num])er of members and delegates present.

Col. y. E. Piollet presented the following resolution, which, after par-
tial discussion, was, on motion of Mr. Oliver, seconded by Dr. Edge, re-
ferred to the Committee on Legislation :

Resolmd, That this P>oard recommend the farmers of the State to me-
morialize Congress, in any adjudication of taxation ui)on iuq)()rts, to give
due consideration to the interests of agriculture, and particularly to avoid
all discrimination against agriculture in favor of manufacturing or other

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

II

j

interests not more meritorious or deserving of the attention and favor of
Government. That it is the opinion of this Board that, along with duties
on manufactures, reasonable, but substantial, duties should be imposed upon

wool, hides, eggs, and ores. . ^ r^ xxr k

On behalf of the Committee on Work of the Board, Dr. G. W. Ather-

TON, chairman, presented the following report : ^ ^ ,, ., , .

'^ This committee, in accordance with the instructions of the Board, at

its meeting, October 1, U85, respectfully submits the following report on

the standing committees, and the subjects to be submitted to them :

The list as given in the last annual report of the Board, with the sub-
jects and the respective chairmen, in the order there given, is as follows :

Legislation.— .\. D. lli<dvs.

Work of the Board.— G. W. Atherton.

Silk and Silk Culture.— ^)ohn P. Edge.

Fruit and Fruit Culture.— H. M. Engle.

Grass and Grasses of Pennsylvania.-^^, F. Underwood.
' Forests and Forestry.— \N . S. Roland.

Apiary and Bee Culture.— M. W. Oliver.
• Dairy and Dairy Products. — E. lleeder.

Useful Birds.— C. C. Musselman.

Cereal Crops.— J). H. Foresman.

Roads.— J. W. Mather.

Wool and Textile Fibers.— J. McDowell.

Fences and Fence Laws. — ^ .. t> i ♦- +u^

(The last-named committee was elected by vote of the Board at tbe
Lancaster meeting, but no chairman was appointed.) ,. , ^ , . .

The committee have carefully considered the foregoing list of subjects,
and while it seems already more extended than has proved practically
useful for working purposes, they are not prepared to recommend the
omission of any of the topics named, without the direct instruction of the
Board. On the contrary, they suggest the addition of two important sub-
jects not now expressfy provided for, viz : Farm implements and ma-
chinery, and farm animals."

Any objection to the present arrangement of standing comniittees that
may pivvail among members of the Board is not to be removed by a mere
redistribution of subjects. It must be met rather by the adoption of more
definite and binding recrulations respecting the duties of committees, es-
pecially in the matter of making reports. As a i)ractical and practicable
beginning in this direction, the committee respectfully submit the follow-

ino" recommendations : .i v • ^^«

1 That the Fxecutive Committee be required to announce the chairmen

' of the several committees at some time during the first session of the an-

nual meetin<r of the Board, and each chairman so appointed to announce

the other mcMiibers of his committee before the close of the meeting.

2 That, in the failure of such action by either the Executive Commit ee
or the respective chairmen, the then existing membership of the committee

continue for the succeeding year. . • •,• f looaf ..nno n

3 11uit every committee be required to report in writing at least once a
year unless excused by express action of the Board, and that, m order to
avo[d undue multiplication of reports at any one meeting the committees
be divided into three groups, corresponding to the annual, the summer, and
the autumn meetings, and the groups required to report at these respective

""T^That the following distribution of groups be adopted at present, with
the 'changes indicated in one instance, in the title of the committee:

12

Quarterly Report.

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

13

t'i

Annual meeting.— Jjegislation, Work of the Board, Roads and Road
Laws, Fences and Fencing, and Farm Machinery and Implements.

Summer meeting.— ^\\k and Silk Culture, Forests and Forestry, Useful
Birds, Farm Animals, and Wool and Textile Fibers.

Autumn meeting.— Gyslsscs am} Fodders, Apiary find Bee Culture, Dairy
and Dairy Products, Cereal Crops, and Fruit and' Fruit Culture.

5. The committee also recommend a thorough revision of the rules of the
Board.

(Signed) George W. Athertox,

J. P. Barnes,

D. II. Foresman,

E. Reeder,

William (iates,

Thomas J. Edge, Secretary.''^
December 2. 1885.

Mr. Barnes of Lehigh then offered the following, which was unanimously
adopted :

" In consideration of the aid and assistance bestowed to our comfort and
advantage while sitting here during the time of holding the meetings of the
State Board of Agriculture ; therefore.

Be it resohied, That we hereby tender our heartfelt thanks to the local
member, Chandlee Eves, for his untiring efforts in behalf of the arrange-
ments made for the comfort of the members of the Board during our agree-
able stay at Bloom sburg. ^

To the county commissioners for all privileges conferred to the advan-
tage of the Board.

To the county agricultural society and to the citizens of Bloomsburg for
procuring the opera house in which to hold our meetings.

To the editors of the respective newspapers published here for their
favorable notices of the time and place of holding our meetings, and for
publishing the proceedings of the same.

To the delegates of the agricultural societies, granges, and farmers' clubs,
so numerously represented, who so closely and continuously attended and
took part in our discussions and proceedings.

To our host and hostess for their kind attention and ample provisions
made for the inner man, and for comforts provided while staying here.

To the essayists of Bloomsburg and vicinity for the valuable assistance
in providing and reading interesting and instructive essays, which proved
such a help to the success of the meeting.

To the ladies who, for the first time since the organization of this Board,
have contributed essays, which were listened to with marked attention, and
to the ladies and gentlemen in general for their constant attendance, there-
by encouraging the Board in its work, thus helping to advance the cause
of agriculture.'^

On motion, adjourned to meet in Ilarrisburg, the fourth Wednesday in
January, as provided by law.

MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEETING.

Held at Harrisburg, Pa., January 21 and 28, 1880.

Board called to order at 10.30, A. M.,by Governor B. E. Pattison in the

chair.

Present. Governor Pattison, Secretary J. S. Africa, and Messrs. 1 lollet
of Bradford, Reeder of Bucks, Hiester of Dauphin, Wilson of Juniata,
Colvin of Lackawanna, Barnes of Lehigh, Smith of Luzerne, McKee of
Mercer, Keller of Schuylkill, Speaker of Sullivan, Frederick of Union,
McDowell of Washington, Underwood of Wayne, and Secretary. At a
later period in the ses^sion. Superintendent Higbee and Messrs. \ oung of
Dauphin, Garretson of Adams, Hale of Centre, Eves of Columbia, Mullm
of Cumberland, Lantz of Lebanon, Foresman of Lycoming, and Herr of

Clinton were present.

The Secrktary announced that the terms of membership of the members
from the counties of Armstrong, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Craw-
ford, Delaware, Erie, Indiana, Lancaster, Montour, Somerset, Susquehanna,
Yenancro Warren, and York had expired, and hence the names of these

members were not called.

The (hiAiR named Messrs. Reeder of Bucks, Herr of Clinton, and Barnes
of Lehip-h, a committee to receive and report upon the credentials of newly-
elected members, and of delegates from local agricultural organizations.

On motion of Mr. Fri^derick, a recess was then taken to permit the
Committee on Credentials to examine the certificates offered, and to make

their report. , . , . ^

The Committee on Credentials reported that credentials m proper torm
were presented by the following members: J. C. Thornton of Erie, W. C.
Gordon, of Indiana, M. W. Oliver of Crawford, H. L. Scott of Bradford
R. S. Searle of Susquehanna, 11. M. Engle of Lancaster, J. G. Zerr of
Berks F. R. Miller of Warren, W. S. Roland of York, Thomas L. Clapp
of Mo'ntour, and C. C. Musselman of Somerset, and that they recommended
that these gentleman be granted membership as the proper representatives
from their respective counties. They also reported the following delegates
present with proper credentials: Chester County Agricultural feociety,
Alfred Sharpless, W. P. Hazard, and Edward Brinton ; Columbia County
Agricultural Society, Freas Fowler, C. L. Sands, and H. Y. White ; Union
County Agricultural Society, E. Pontius; Lancaster County Agricultural
Societv, J. H. Landis, Johnson Miller, Joseph F. Whitmer, ami W. S.
Clark- Union County Council, P. of H., E. Shorkley ; Grange No. 045, P.
of H., George West; Pomona (Jrange, No. 22, P. of IL, J. B. Kirklunde ;
Pomona (Jrange. No. 5, P. of IL, E. IL Little; Penn Grange, No 5%, 1 .
of IL, H. (L App; Huntingdon County Pomona Grange, 1. ot ^L A. 1 .
White; Farmers' Association of Adams County, Amos \\. Gnest ;
Guernsey Breeders' Association, Henry Palmer, W. P. Hazard, and Silas
P>etts- Farmers' and Housekeepers' Association, Elwood Conard ; 1 hi a-
deli)hi'a Produce Exchange, (ieorge E. Paul, William C. Barker, niid Joliii
J. Habecker; Goshen (Jrange, No. 121, P. of IL, E. J. l>HnH'\l ; South
Abington Farmers' Club, \. J. Ackerly; Solebury farmers Club, Altred
Paschal 1.

14

Quarterly Report.

The committee also reported that credentials of W. L. Archer as mem-
ber-elect from the Burgettetown Agricultural Society of Washington
county, and of R. G. Kshinka as member-elect from theNorthern Colum-
bia and Southern Luzerne Agricultural Society, had been presented to
them, but as no vacancies existed in the representation of either of these
counties, they recommended that the seats should not be granted. Report
of the committee accepted, and ordered to be placed on tile.

On motion of Mr. Smith, seconded by iMr. Keller, the Board then jjro-
ceeded to the election of oflicers for 1886.

Nominations for Vice Presidents having been called for by the President,
Mr. McKee nominated M. W. Oliver of Crawford, Mr. IIerr nominated
David Wilson of Juniata, and Mr. IIiester nominated Dr. J. P. Edge of
Chester. On motion, nominations closed, and the Secretary directed to
cast the ballot of the meeting for the three nominees, who were accord-
ingly declared elected.

Nominations for seven members of the Executive Committee having
been called for, Messrs. Engle of Lancaster, McKee of Mercer, Herr of
Clinton, Hioster of Dauphin, McDowell of Washington, Reeder of Bucks,
and Barnes of Lehigh were named, and, on motion of Mr. Smith, the nomi-
nations were closed, and the Secretary directed to cast the ballot of the
Board for the nominees, who were declared elected.

Mr. IIerr of Clinton nominated Thomas J. Edge for Secretary, and, the
nominations having been closed, the Chair w^as directed to cast the ballot
for the nominee, who was declared elected.

The minutes of the preceding meeting were read by Mr. Hiester, and,
on motion of Mr. Smith, approved as read.

On behalf of the Committee on Legislation, N. F. Underwood, chairman,
made a report as follows : " Upon the subject of the matter submitted to
the State Board of Agriculture by the Patrons of Husbandry of Union
county, in relation to the use of ' leather scrap ' as a source of nitrogen in
the manufacture of commercial fertilizers, wiiich subject was referred by
the Board to the Committee on Legislation, we report that, according to
information received from Prof. Genth, Chemist of the Board, he has made
an analyses of some fifteen hundred samples of commercial fertilizers, and
has only found leather scrap in one sample, and in that only to a limited
extent. Under these circumstances, your committee do not see the neces-
sity for further legislation upon the subject.

*'In relation to the resolution offered at the Bloomsburg meeting by Col-
onel Piollet, we would recommend its passage, with the following amend-
ments :

'' Besolved, That this Board recommend that in any adjudication of taxa-
tion upon imports, due consideration should be given to the interests of
agriculture, and particularly to avoid all discrimination against agriculture
in favor of manufacturing and other interests not more meritorious or de-
Berving of the attention and favor of the National Government, and that it
is further the opinic^n of this Board that, along with the duties upon manu-
facturers, reasonable but substantial duties should be imposed upon all raw
materials and products that come in competition with our agricultural in-
dustries."

The committee would also report for adoption the following additional
resolution :

Resolved^ That the present depressed condition of sheep husbandry is
entirely owing to the unfortunate and unwise changes in the tariff laws in
the act of March 3, 1883, and that nothing short of the rates of 1867 on
imported wool, or its equivalent, will be satisfactory to the flock-master.

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture. 15

Report of the committee adopted.

The Executive Committee reported the following as chairmen of the re-
spective standing committees for the ensuing year :

Legislation.— ^o\\\\ P. Edge.

Silk and Silk Gulture.-^^. P. Barnes.

Fruit and Fruit Culture.— G. Hiester.

Grasses and Fodders.—^. F. Underwood.

Forests and Forestry. — W. Gates.

Apiary and Bee Culture.— M. W. Oliver.

Dairy and Dairy Products. — E. Reeder.

Useful Birds.— C, C. Musselman.

Cereal Crops. — Joel A. IIerr.

Wool and Textile Fibers.— ,] ohn McDowell.

Fences and Fencing. — C hand lee Eves.

Farm Implements and Machinery. — I. Garretson.

Farm Stock.— Dv. E. W. Hale.

The committee also recommend that the Committee on the Work of the
Board be dropped from the list of standing committees, as its work prop-
erly belongs to the Executive Committee.

Report adopted.

The Elxecutive Committee presented the following financial statement as
the result of an audit of the accounts of the Secretary by the Advisory
Committee :

Expenses of members.

Expenses of Towanda meeting, June 17 and 18, 1885 $343 08

Exi)enses of Lancaster meeting, September 30, 1885, 372 48

Expenses of Bloomsburg meeting, December 2 and 3, 1885, . 423 06

Amount yet available for annual meeting, 188G, 361 38

Total appropriation, $1,500 CO

Expenses of local institutes.
Amount expended to date of annual meeting, 1886, .... $41036
Amount yet available for institutes to June 1, 1886, .... 539 64

Total amount of appropriation, $1 ,000 00

Investigation of disease of domestic animals.

Amount expended to date of annual meeting, 1886, .... $148 15
Amount yet available up to June 1, 1886, ^^1 85

Total amount of appropiiation, $^^^ ^^

Office expenses.

Amount expended up to date of annual meeting, 1886, . . $392 84
Amount yet available up to June 1, 1886, ... 357 16

Total amount of appropriation, ^"^^ ^^

Report of the committee accepted, and ordered to be incorporated in the

proceedings of the meeting.

The Executive Committee reported the following list of honorary ofhcers

of the Board :

Botanist.— Ihomv.s Meehan, Germantjwn, Pa.

16

Quarterly Report.

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

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Pomologist. — E. Satterthwaite, Jenkintown, Pa.

Ghemist.~l)i\ F. A. Genth, University of Pennsylvania, West Philadel-
phia, Pa.

Consulting Veterinary Surgeon.^Vrof. R. S. Huidekoper, University
of Pennsylvania. West Philadelphia, Pa.

Veterinary Surgeon. — Or. P.. Bridge, West Philadelphia, Pa.

Entomologist. — Prof. W. A. Huekhout, State College, Pa.

Microscopists.—Dw H. Letlniann, Philadelphia, and Prof. C. B. Cochran,
West Chester, Pa.

OrnilJiologist. — B. TTarry Warren, West Chester, Pa.

Meteorologists.^Vrot I. T. Osmond, State College, and J. L. Heacock,
Quakertown, i*a.

Mineralogist. — Col. James Wdcox, Philadelphia.

Geologist.— V rot J. P. Lesley, State Geologist, Philadelphia, Pa.

Stenographer. — Col. H. C. Demming, Harrisburg, Pa.

On motion of Mr. Frederick, the list of honorary officers, as presented
by the Executive Committee, was elected.

On motion of the Secretary, the revision of the by-laws, as recom-
mended by the Committee of Work of the Board, was then taken np, and,
after discussion by Messrs. Foresman, Wilson, Hiester, Keller, Smith,
Garretson, Engle, McDowell, Searle, and Secretary, the old by-laws were
again adopted without any material change.

Mr. Searle of Susquehanna then offered the following, which was
adopted :

Resolved, That a standing committee on water-supply for farm buildings,
and farm stock and irrigation, to embrace the whole subject of water-supply,
be appointed and instructed to prepare a report on the subject, to be pre-
sented and read at the next meeting.

The Chair then named R. S. Searle as chairman of the committee, with
power to name the members.

The Secretary then presented the invitation of the Philadelphia Pro-
duce Exchange to the members of the Board, to cooperate with them in an
endeavor to induce the National Butter, Cheese, and Egg Association to
hold their next annual meeting and exhibition in Philadelphia. After ex-
tended discussion by Messrs. Piollet, Barker, Ilarbecker, Oliver, and Smith,
it was, on motion of Mr. Oliver, resolved that the Chair be authorized to
name a committee of three to confer with the committee of the Philadel-
phia Produce Exchange, and report to the Board as soon as possible.

The Chair named Messrs. Oliver, Scott, and Reeder as said committee
of conference.

The Secretary presented a request from the Secretary of the American
Agricultural Congress that the Board would appoint delegates to attend
the annual meeting of the Association in Xew York, February IS, 1886.

The Chair, having been authorized to appoint three delegates, named
Messrs. Oliver of Crawford, Piollet of Bradford, and Reeder of Bucks.

On motion, adjourned until 2, p. m.

ii

Wednesday Afternoon, January 27, 1886.

Board called to order at 2, p. m., by Hon. R. E. Pattison in the chair.

In accordance with the request of the Executive Committee, the chair-
men of the respective standing comniittees announced the members of
their committees as follows :

L^gislation.—J . P. Edge, J. D. Hicks, J. McDowell, M. W. Oliver, C. C.
Musselman, N. F. Underwood, and W. Gates.

Silk and Silk Culture.— J, P. Barnes, W. S. Roland, J. P. Edge, David
Wilson, and R. S. Searle.

Grasses and Fodders.—-^. F. Underwood, E. Reeder, J. McDowell,
P. Frederick, W. R. Shelmire, J. A. Herr, Thomas Meehan, and J. C.

Tliornton.

Forests and Forestry.— W. Gates, D. H.' Foresman, R. S. Searle, F. R.
Miller, A. J. Ackerly, W. C. Gordan, I. Garretson, II. M. Engle, and E.

W. Hale.

Cereal Crop.s.— J. A. Herr. M. W. Oliver. J. C. Thornton, J. McCracken,
Jr., L. B. Speaker, W. C. Gordon, P. Frederick, J. G. Zerr, Col. J.
YounL^ and C. C. Musselman.

Useful Birds.— C. C. Musselman, W. S. Roland, J. S. Keller, B. Harry
Warren, J. P. Barnes, M. W. Oliver. A. D. Shinier, and G. Hiester.

Farm Implements and Machinery.— i. Garretson, J. A. Herr, M. W.
Oliver, A. W.Griest,ChandleeEves,C.C. Musselman, and N. F. Underwood.
Wool and Textile Fibers.— J. McDowell. M. W. Oliver, John R. Miller,
John McNarv, John M. Stockdale, and J. W. Axtel.

Farm Stock.— 1^. W. Hale. C. C. Musselman, 1. Garretson, Col. J.
Young, M. W. Oliver, and H. L. Scott.

Fruit and Fruit Culture.— G. Hiester, H. M. Engle, D. Wilson, I. Gar-
retson, C. C. Musselman, M. W. Oliver, W. S. Roland, N. F. Underwood,
J S. Keller, J. A. Herr, J. McDowell, and E. Satterthwaite.

Dairy and Dairy Prodacts.—E. Reeder, M. W. Oliver, C. C. Mussel-
man, I. Garretson. H. L. Scott, and Chandlee Eves.

Eoads. I. W. Mather, J. D. Hicks, D. G. Foresman, H. L. Scott, J.

McDowell, C. C. Musselman, J. E. Noble, I. Garretson, J. A. Woodward,
J. A. Herr, and Thos. J. Edge, Secretary.

Fences and Fencing —Chandlee Eves, N. F. Underwood, L. B. Speaker,
M. W. Oliver, J. D. Hicks, and Thos. J. Edge, Secretary. .

Apiary and Bee Culture.— M. W. Oliver, I. Garretson, William Gates,
J. Shallcross, Arthur Todd, Mrs. M. L. Thomas, G. Prizef, W. Hotten-
sein, and H. H. Brown. t t^ t^j

Water Supply to Farms.— U, S. Searle, J. C, Thornton, Dr. J. P. Edge.
On motion of the Secretary, the Board then proceeded to select a place
for the spring meeting, when Mr. Colvin named Dalton, Mr. Frederick
named Lewis1)urg, and Mr. Gates named Franklin; after discussion, Mr.
COLVTN withdrew the name of Dalton and substituted that of Scranton, and
Mr. Gates withdrew Franklin. A vote was then taken, resulting in the
choice of Scranton bv a majority of thirteen votes.

On motion of Mr. Keller, the last week in May was suggested as the time.
Not agreed to. When, on motion of Mr. Smith, the time of the meeting
was left to the Advisory Committee and the resident member of the
Board, Mr. Colvin. Motion discussed by Messrs. Colvin, Searle, Wilson,
Keller' Dr. Edge, Smith, Frederick, Herr, Gates, and Secretary.

The' Secretary presented an ollicial invitation from the managers and
stockholders of the Chester County Agricultural Society for the Board to
hold its autumn or winter meeting at West Chester, which was, on motion
of Mr. Barnes, placed on fde for reference at a future meeting.

Essays and discussions having been called for by Mr. Keller, Mr.
Musselman of Somerset, on motion of Mr. Olivkr. read an essay on
"Book Farming,'' which was discussed by Messrs. Smith, McDowell,
Young, Garretson, Governor Pattison, Searle, Wilson, Musselman, Piol-
let, and Keller, when, on motion of Mr. Hiester, the discussion was closed.
il. ir. Colvin, member from Lackawanna, then read an essay on '^ Ex-
2

!'J

18

QuAiiTF.Ri.Y Report.

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

19

N

"U.

I

?l|.

poctiitioiis and Experience," which elicited discussion upon the part of
Messrs. Hazard, McDowell, Keller, and Gates.

Mr. Underwood, member from Wayne, read an essay upon " Boundary
Lines," the subject-matter of which was discussed by Messrs. Searle, Zerr,
Oliver, and Dr. Kd^e.

Dr. J. Calder, Lecturer of the Pennsylvania State Grange. P. of H.,
read an essay on '' The Bights and Duties of Farmers," whicli called out
remarks from Messrs. Musselman, PioUet, Keller, Wilson, Calder, and
others.

'' Questions and Answers " then being in order, Mr. Keller of Schuyl-
kill asked whether any one present knew of the following: '- Is there any
stock upon which the apple can be worked which is borer-proof? "
Messrs. Engle, Iliester, Oliver, and others all gave a negative answer, or
to the effect that any such stock would dwarf the tree.

On motion, adjourned until 7.30, r. m.

Wednesday Evening, January ^7, 18 S6.

l^oard called to order at 7.45, P. m., by Tlon. B. E. Pattison in the chair.

Dr. E. W. Hale, member from Centre county, presented an invitation,
from Dr. G. W. Atherton and himself, for the J^oard to liold a meetinir at
Bellefonte, with one dav s session at the Pennsvlvania State College.

On motion, referred to the Secretary to be placed on tile for future ref-
erence.

On motion of Mr. Foresman of Lycoming, W. P. Hazard of Wes-
Chester read an essay in answer to the question, '' Pnn Women find Profit,
able Employment in the Dairy, and in l\aising Thorough- i^red Stock?"
Its subject-matter wns discussed by Messre. Searle, Hazard, Zerr, Barnes,
Carter, ('olvin, Kshinka, Dr. Edge, Piollet, and Secretary.

Dr. E. W. Hale, member from Centre, read an essay upon '' What I Saw-
in Euro]ie," wliicli was discussed by Messrs. Foresman, Landis, Seailet
Hazard, Dr. Edge, Wilson, and Keller.

After the transaction of several items of miscellaneous business, on
motion, adjourned until 9, A. m., January- 2S.

Thursday Morning, January 28^ 1886.

Board called to order at 9, A. m., by Hon. B. E. Patiison, President, in
the chair.

Mr. Frederick, member from Union, read an essa3^ on " Progress in
Methods and Besults in Agriculture."

Committee on Credentials j)resented the credentials of J. D. Hicks,
member-elect from Blair, which, not being in the form adopted by the
Board, were referred to the Secretary, with instructions to return them to
Mr. Hicks with the blank form adopted by the Board.

Mr. KsiiiNKA, who was elected by the Northern Columbia and Southern
Luzerne Agricultural Society, then staled his case, as directed by his so-
ciety ; when, after discussion l)y His p]xcellency the Governor and Messrs.
Barnes, Keller, Oliver, Hiester, and others, it was decided that the Board
had no choice in the premises, but must be governed in its decisions by the
law under which it was constituted.

The committee appointed to confer with a committee of the J'hiladelphia
Produce Exchange reported that a conference had taken place, and that
they were of the opinion that the Board would not be authorized in ex-

tending a promise of pecuniary assistance, as it had no funds appropriated
for such a i)ur[)ose. The committee recommended that the l>oard should
cooperate with the Produce Exchange committee in any possible way.
Report accepted, and the committee continued, with instructions to assist
the Produce Exchange in any possible w^ay within the limits of the instruc-
tions of the Boaad, and the law forming it.

On motion of Mr. Foresman, it was decided that it was best to omit the
lecture arranged for the evening session, and the Secretary was directed
to so inform the lecturer.

On motion of Mr. Smith, the regular order of essays was then resumed,
and Hon. George W. Hood of the State Senate read an essay on '' Fence
Laws of Pennsylvania," which was listened to with unusual attention.

On motion of Mr. Foresman of Lycoming, the discussion of Mr. Hood's
essay was deferred until after the reading of the next two, upon similar
topics, on the programme.

Mr. Beeder of Bucks then read an essay on '' W^ooden Fences— Their
Cost and Durability," and was followed by one bv John L Carter of Ches-
ter countv, on '' Wire Fences." At the request of His Excellency the Gov-
ernor, Col. James Young of Dauphin addressed the Board upon the subject
of" Stone Walls." After which the discussion ranged over the whole sub-
J2ct, as covered by the four essays, and was participated in by Messrs.
Barnes, Brosius, Garretson, Searle. Secretary, Thornton, Wilson, Engle,
Keller, Kshinka, Hall, Little, Governor Pattison, Musselman, Whitmer,
Shorklev, (Jates, White, Calder, Colvin. Hiester, and Foresman.

On motion of Mr. 13arnes, the Board then took a recess in order to
permit of the presentation to Governor Pattison of a cane, from the mem-
bers of the Board, as a testimonial of their esteem and regard for him as
the President of the Board.

On behalf of the Board, Mr. McDowell of Washington presented the
cane in the following language:

Governor: The act establishing the Board of Agriculture has brought
representatives from almost every county in this great Commonwealth to
meet in sessions to deliberate and devise by discussions and essays such
methods, and give such results from practical tests, as will help on and
further develop the interests of agriculture in ail of its features.

The act also wisely provides that the Executive of the Commonwealth
shall be its presiding officer. As members of the ]5oard, it gives us great
pleasure to see you, at each and every meeting, enter on and continue in
your part of the work with us with so much zeal, earnestness, impartiality,
and fidelity. Vou have, thereby, infused into its members the spirit of
progress, and a wdlingness to work. ''As iron sharpeneth iron, so doth
man the countenance of his friend." We no longer rock in sleepy ease in
the cradle of our infancy; we have grown up; you have had much to do
with making this Board a power in developing the agricultural resources
of this State. The science of agriculture will, however, be the study of
ages to come; we are progressing ; we think that we are not claiming too
nuich when we assert that the agricultural interests of this State, through
this Board and other valuable aids, are equal to, if not in advance of, that
of any other State in our Union.

As'members of this Board, we cannot too highly appreciate your valua-
ble services, as its presiding olllcer, in guiding us in all of our transactions ;
therefore, at this, the last annual meeting of your term of office, we. the
members of the Board, present you with this gold-headed cane inscribed,
^' Presented to Governor B. E. Pattison by the members of the State
Board of Agriculture of Pennsylvania, January 28th, 1885," which we

Ill

20

Quarterly Report.

most willingly do as a testimonial of our appreciation of your faithful,
able, and etiicient service as our presiding oificer. and when you retire from
oiiice and 3'ou lean upon this staff, or stand it in its place, may it revive in
your memory old associations of warm friends, never to be forgotten.
Governor Pattison replied as follows :

Mr. McDowell and Members of the Hoard : I fulh^ appreciate this pleas-
ant evidence of the feeling you entertain for me as your presiding otllcer.
This is my fourth and last year of official association with you in this
Board, and 1 wish to say that our acquaintance has been exceedingly
agreeable to me. These years have been frauo^ht with much information,
which I value highly. I have not only been favored with the pleasure of
your society, but 1 have been instructed through your numerous papers and
discussions. And what you have been to me you have been to the people
of the Commonwealth, for the results of your work here have been distribu-
ted, generally, over the State. 1 have watched, with great satisfaction, the
progress of your good work, and I am sure that T am not in error when I
say there is a growing interest in it among the people. They are cooper-
ating to a considerable extent, and, as the Board may extend its field and
widen its influence, the results to the people will be correspondingly greater.
Permit me to say that I am much indebted to you ; that I am grateful for
your kinduess, and that I appreciate the nature and importance of your
work. Our paths diverge to-day, and we return to our homes. If any of
us should not meet again in annual session, I trust we shall meet in that
country where all are neighbors, and where all neighbors are friends.
Gentlemen, again I thank you. [Applause.]

The Board having again come to order, the following questions were
taken from the question box : *'Are there any Pennsylvania farmers who
believe that wheat will turn to chess or cheat? " The discussion, which
was confined entirely to the negative side of the question, was participated
in by Messrs. Keller, Searle, Smith, Musselman, Whitmer, Landis, and
Secretary.

Mr. Eng.e of Lancaster asked : " What is the proper season of the year
to cut timber to be the most durable? ' The discussion of the answer to
this question was participated in by Messrs. Speaker, Smith, McDowell,
Zerr, J]ngle, Barnes, Brosius, Mus'^selman, Palmer, Wilson, and Miller.
The substance of the discussion indicated that the majority preferred Au-
gust or early September.

On motion of Mr. Barnes, adjourned until 2, p. m.

Thursday Afternoon, January 28, 1S86.

Board called to order at 2, p. m., by lion. R. E. Pattison in the chair.

Elwood Conard, delegate from the West Grove, Chester county, Farmers'
and House-keepers' Club, asked for an expression of'opinion from the Board
in answer to the following question : '^ What are the practical advantages
of crushing the corn-stalk for provender for cows over the ordinary metliod
of cutting it from one to two inches in length? " Answers in various forms
were given by Col. Young and Messrs. Conard, Little, Searle, Whitmer
Lngle, Zerr, Oliver, Thornton, and Secretary; all agreeingthat the only
advantage which could possibly be claimed was that of a saving of labor to
tlic cow. This discussion brought out the opinion that the portion of corn-
fodder below the husk had but little food value except as a means of dis-
tension, and that this small value was due to a small percentage of suo-ar
which remained in the spongy center of the stalk, and the flinty covering
or envelope had not food-value at all.

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

21

Hon. John A. Woodward of Centre county then read an essay in
answer to the question, " What Does the Farmer Most Want to Know? ''

W. P. Hazard of West Chester read an essay on '• Raising Grapes,*'
which was listened to with marked attention, and which caused considera-
ble discussion.

Hon. W. Gates, member from Yenango, read an essay in answer to the

lollet, and

question, '' How to Bring Up a Worn-Out Farm ? " The sr.biect-matter of
which was discussed by Messrs. Young, Whitmer, McDowell, Pi(

Secretary.

Col. Piollet then addressed the Board on the subject of taxation, when,
on motion of Mr. Searle, seconded by Mr. (Utes, the Board adjourned,
subject to the call of the Advisory Committee.

ESi^AYS AND DISCUSSIONS.

ADDRESS.

By Hon. A. N. Perrin, at the Local Farmers' Institute.

Held at Titusmlle, Pa., December 22 and 23, 1885.

I have looked forward to this day with feelings of pleasure. I have been
very anxious that this Farmers' Institute should be a success, and that our
meeting together might result in profit to us all.

I esteem it an honor to address a few words of welcome to our friends,
w^hose presence with us to-day is an assurance that all that we had antici-
pated of good is about to be realized. This is the first Farmer^' Insti-
tute held under a provision of the Legislature of this Commonwealth,
made at its last session, placing a fund at the disposal of the State Board
of Agriculture for -'the actual and necessary expenses of conducting local

farmers' institutes."

In assemblies of this nature, where men come together for mutual bene-
fit, it is most imi)ortant that the greatest freedom be enjoyed by all. That
all may feel at perfect liberty, I wish first to say to our friends in the city,
and to those from near and from far, that a general and a universal invita-
tion is extended to them, not only to listen, but to ])articipate in the pro-
ceedings and discussion of this institute — all are welcome.

Again, representing the Oil Creek Yalley Agricultural Association, I
desire especially to extend an earnest welcome to our friends from abroad,
who have come* here in our interest, to speak words of wisdom and counsel
in order to educate and advance us in the arts and sciences of rural and

agricultural life. 1, i n-

For the time allotted us in this world this is our chosen walk and calling,
both for usefulness and support, and desiring as we do to make the most
and the best of life, we gladly receive and welcome you to aid us in the ac-
complishment of this purjiose.

1 trust it will not be considered out of place for me to make brief men-
tion of the early, continued, and indispensable aid rendered us in bringing
about this meeting by the most energetic and eflflcient Secretary of the
State Board of Agriculture, Mr. Thomas J. Edge. He first called my at-
tention to the act of the Legislature making the appropriation, and ad-
vised us to put in an early application for an institute to be held m Titus-

22

Quarterly Report.

villc. From that time until now, Tiotljin<i: has been withheld or left imrlone
on his part to secure the timud opportunity we enjoy to-day. You will be
areatly disappointed to learn that he cannot, on account of serious illness,
be present with us at this mcetino:. It was his purpose to have been here,
and it was not until yesterday that he informed us, finally, by telegraph
that he must give up, and remain in (piiet at home.

While we are deprived of both the i)leasure and benefit of his personal
presence, the essays are here prepared by him, and will be presented in
their re;L?nlar order.

My friends, I hardly know what further to say in the few moments of
your time 1 shall occupy. As often in the past, so now again, I assure you
that r feel a deei) interest in the cause we have met to promote. In the
country, on a farm, was the place of my ])iith. It was the callincr of my
father to be a tiller of the soil, and that calling I followed until I passe'd
my majority. I have never lost that interest, nor ceased to love the fields
and the herds, and what I enjoy and love affords me pleasure to see per-
fected and possessed by my fellows. While it is twenty years since I left
the old home and took up my abode with you, I can sav that I experience
no hours of greater comfort than when roaming over the fields still re-
ta'ned by us, and made sacred by the remembrance of the toil and savino-
of a father for his children. °

Quite a number of farmers' sans— young men— have been in regular at-
tendance at the monthly meetings of the Oil Creek Valley AgrFcultural
Association, during the year just closing, and some of them are present
here to-day. They are thrice welcome. They h.ave some evidence of mv
interest in young men. I have experienced and passed thiouoh all the
struggles of which they are now in the midst. 1 know almost every hope
and throb of their hearts. Desiring as I do their prosperity and happiness,
I have been inclined to speak as I have, hoping to strengthen and inspire
thein to an increasing love and respect for the place ot their childhood, and
the avocation of their fathers. I will not take your time by arraying facts
and fiiiures to prove the wonderful magnitude and importance of the ancient
and honorable calling of agriculture, and its bearing and iniluence upon all
the employments and engagements of man. This lias been done from time
immemorial, and the evidence of it is recorded everywhere. The best, the
purest, and often the wisest, men ot all ages have found comfort and happi-
ness in the quiet pursuits of agriculture. As it was the first, so it must be
the last industry to engage the human race. It has had its ebb and flow in
all the centuries past, keeping measure with the advances and declines of
the inhalutants of the earth. Somewhat in this regard, we have a peculiar
history of our own in this part of the State, and I want to speak a word in
reference thereto. While we, as a community, have to acknowled^re our
hap|)y and prosperous condition as having been produced by various causes
we owe much of our present security, and our hope in its continuance for
the future, to development of the agricultural interests about us. Our
forefathers were not planted in the (harden of Kden. Xaturally our soil
was not over-generous in yielding its fruits in response to the tiller's hand
and limited in means, as early settlers usually are, it took lono- years of
patient, self-sacrificing toil to show much improvement. *

Something less than one hundred years ago, this country, then an almost
unbroken wdderness, was penetrated by sturdy men. ^Phe Kerr's Curry's
Ridgeway's, Titus', (Jilson's, Stewart's, Irwin's, and llancox's,'together
vvith Tiiany other honorable names, were the first representatives occiipyirvr
the hills and t!:e valleys about us for permanent homes. Originally thei^
was a great wealth of timber here, but when made ready, f-? use and for

PkniNSYLvania Board of Agriculture.

23

market it brought but little money, while the lack of near consumers, and
the want of transportation, postponed the day of prosperity. But that
day has come, and while tlie father-heroes sleep, I see before me their eliil-
dren and thMr children's children in the full enjoyment of the prizes they
fought to win. But this is not all of our story. As you have come here
to help us, we want you to know a little more of what we have done for
ourselves, and the time we have had to do it in. It was not until within
about twenty-five years that the first material change a])peared in tlie con-
dition of the country, and that change was as disastrous to agriculture as
the fires and the floods. Its cause and hisiory are so familiar to you all
that I will not speak of it, excepting in brief, as it had an iniluence and
bearin<r on the subject we have met to consider. The breaking out of the
oil excitement in this country, in the years of 1859 to l>^6i, opened new
channels, and altered the course of all our affairs. For five to seven years,
over a laro:e area, there was almost a perfect cessation of all efforts to cul-
tivate or produce anything from the soil. Hence there was not only no
proirress made, but much that had been accomplished in the years that
were passed was swept away and lost, the earth alone being left. Every
farmer w^as looking for a customer for his lands, and, sooner or later, he
found him. Thus there was a change of possession and ownership, either
by lease or sale, of nearly all the farms for miles about us. Then a second
change came, and as the lands proved either improductive for oil, or be-ame
exhausted of the rich treasure, our thought turned back to the old ways,
and many came into possession of their old homes again, and the process
of reb'.iilding commenced.

This has been going on for fifteen or twenty years. The results for the
time jdven have been marvelous. Meanwhile, railroads were built, this
beautiful city sprang u]), and our agricultural society was organized, all of
which afforded ways and means for the advantageous and profitable devel-
opment of the country about us. Taking all things into consideiation, i
do not know of a more progressive agricultural community than the one
assembled to dav to receive your counsels.

In contemplation of our improved condition, and the blessings we enioy
to-day, we must not forget the debt of gratitude we owe to one who has
passed' from our midst. A useful man in all the affairs of life, our constant
friend and helper, the lion. M. C. Beebe did more than all of us to estab-
lish the society that has done so much to stimulate our thought, and put
forces in motion to develop the agricultural interests of this section. He
was known all over the State, through his connection with the State Board
of A"-riculture, and the many valuable contributions he made at the meet-
ino-s of that body. Besides all else, he was to me, as to many others pres-
ent a warm, true, personal friend. Blessed be his memory, and ]ionor be
to his name, while we will all join in respect and sympathy for his family.
But we must go on and occupy, giving heed to the living questions of the

JBecanse we are farmers, we should not be limited in our researches or
accomplishments. While it is necessary t<j be especially informed in the
line of iiKlividual pursuits, we also realize the importance and the advan-
tao-e of a broad and a general education. We want to know equally as
much to be a good farmer as we <lo to be successful in any other calling or
i)rofession. It is not what a man needs to know simply to be a farmer, a
])hysic^an or even a teacher or other men. but rather his needs to become
a 7yja^?, broad, intelligent, wise, useful, and helpful in the world, and then
whatever he may choose to engage his faculties, he will, by his force and
power, bend events to his own improvement, and command success.

24

QcARTEiiLY Report.

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

25

As we have already made our choice, the theme of greatest interest to
us is ai^riculture, and how to produce and enjoy its full and legitimate
profits and benelits. Knowledge is power, hence we need not only to know
how to produce the most and best, but, after having done that, we need to
know how to retain and protect the fruits of our labor. It is a fact, as it
has been stated, that of all the great fortunes owned by so many American
citizens, not one has been made directly by agriculture. All of them have
been made in one way or another by the handling of the products of the
earth alter deducting a scanty support for existence by the patient, toiling
millions who sow the seed and gather the harvest, who blast the rocks and
smelt the ores.

Our labors and anxieties cease not with the producing. We must find a
market, and here enters in the great problem of commerce and exchani^e,
the legitimate fruits of which have rarely, if ever, come in full to the right-
ful owners. 1 will not attempt to discuss the question at this time, but%y
simple reference, direct your attention to wnat seems to me to be one of the
most important and dillicult problems for American statesmanship to solve :
'' What shall the tolls be over the bridge spanning between the producer
and the consumer, and how shall they be regulated in equity and justice to
all concerned ? " It seems to me certainly not '^ all the traflic will bear,"
particularly and especially where the privileges are secured by the develop-
ment of rights obtained by concessions or grants by the many to the few,
called the '' imperial right of eminent domain." There seems \o be a limit
beyond which there is a reserve to the State, and the people are the State.
The various means resorted to to defeat justice, and deprive the producer
of his fair share in the good things of a bountiful Providence, are all inde-
fensible, and 1 earnestly hope to see the evil, in a great measure, corrected.

1 have taken the liberty, w^hich, I believe, is usually conceded on such
occasions, to refer, in a very general way, to the subject under the call.
We have gentlemen present with us who, by essay and speech, will ablv in-
struct in the way we should go, and in the thinsrs we should do to make
our calling and election sure. Again, and finally, I say welcome, for our
free latch-string never was drawn in against any child of Adam's kin.

Please accept my thanks for your kind attention.

THE KIND OF FARMING ADAPTED TO OUR VICINITY.

By Hon. W. B. Benedict, Enterprise, Penna.

Read at Titusville Farmers' Institute, December 22, 1885,

It is a matter of great importance to agriculturists that they carefully
study their soil and climate, that they may be qualified to judge intelli-
gentlv of what is to them an essential element to their success. Have we
members of the Oil Creek Valley Agricultural Association, made the ques'
tion of adaptability of soil and climate for certain kinds of farminff a
thoughtful one? Have we carefully studied what our soil is best adapted
to producing with a profit for our capital and labor? Have not some ot
us been fighting ohl Dame Nature for many years by attempting to raise
crops for which neither soil nor climate are adapted, and have not some of
us been badly worsted in the combat ? And after the defeat, has there not
been much growhng and grumbling and fault-finding, attributinir all fail-
ures and mishaps and disappointments to the dear old lady v This class

of farmers continue in the same way, year after year, and acquire no
wisdom by experience. Experience is said to be a good but expensive
teacher, blit some farmers will not profit by the teacher, even it the tuition
is free. That class of men remind me of the ^' log-chopper's dog. 1 hey
won't see anything until they are smashed by their own heedlessness. It
does seem that tliis class of farmers would learn what crops or stock suc-
ceeded best in their vicinity, and be governed in selections and cultivation
by the experience of their neighbors, if their own has availed them nothing.
To those who have thoughtfully and wisely observed, it is indisputably
the fact that this vicinity is peculiarly adapted to the growth of grasses.
Our native grasses are white clover, red top, and June grass ; all ot whicii
grow spontaneously wherever the rays of the sun penetrate. Each of these
natural grasses are very nutritious, and furnish the best of pasturage.
How frequentlv we hear it remarked that young cattle running m the
woods and hi<diways become fat much earlier in the season than those in-
closed in i)astures. This is a fact, and the reason for it is, that they have
access to these succulent and nourishing grasses in all their freshness and
sweetness, as they grow by the side of the cool, shaded brooks, and m the
wooded openings where once waved the towering plumes of the origina
raonarchs of the forest, whicli had been removed by the axeman, who did
not spare. Our section of the country is naturally adapted to the growth
of grasses. There are no better grass lands, outside of the IJue-grass re-
gions, than those of this locality. Timothy and clover can be, and indeed
are grown here equal to that of any locality in the continent, then with a
country ordained by nature for a particular kind of agriculture, with a
natural soil and climate adapted to the growth of all the superior grasses that
cannot be excelled for pasturage and fodder, why should we not utilize tins
lavish gift of nature's hand to our profit and comtort, and to the materia
advancement of our loved country ? The plow is an important and useful
implement of agriculture, but in our cold, clay soil it must be used with
iudgment, tempered with a goodly supply of discretion.

Too much plow has been the bane of many a farmer m this locality, and
we have many striking examples of this in the worn-out and impoverished
farms of many of our early settlers. Our lands, once well and richly
seeded to grass, can be kept in fertile meadows as long as man lives to at-
tend them by frequent top-dressing. i • i •

I firmly believe that a great and serious mistake has been, and is being,
made every year, bv trying to produce certain grains for which the soil or
climate of this vicinity is very far from being adapted ; for instance,
wheat and corn. How much profit is there in growing these grains in this
section'^ To be sure, once in a while, a man who has fertilized liberally
and heavily, with an exceptionally favorable season, will get a fair crop ot
one or both of these cereals; but how much more frequently he fails to
secure a paying crop of either. The same amount of fertilizing and labor
will bring more money in grass, five years out of six.

We have a country especially adapted for grazing. It I can read the
si^ns of nature correctly, she would have us devote our energies and labor
to" the proper utilization of our grasses. She would have us cover our
hills and valleys with flocks and herds, and by so doing partially compen-
sate her for her generosity. Our county is among the best watered ones
of the world. Sweet, soft water flowing from almost everv crevice in the
rocks, as ])ure as the air, and as cold as if from an Arctic fountain added to
the rich and nutritious grasses, can but give me the strong and finn im-
pression that we have a section that has superior advantages tor a first-
class dairy country. Why not so? Is there any other locality better

20

QiAUTERLY Report.

adapted for dairying than owrs ? Has Herkimer, Onondaga, or Ohautan-
(ina any better srrasses or water than ours ? Has Chester or Mont<romerv

n!^nlef''r?n'V" r"ff"'' 'i"' '?^'"'^' *° '''"'"' "f "''''^ except those of
n.aiket faclities / Dairy farmn.ff or stock-raising does not deplete and

au'ir^d ofr h' 'f ""' '^T ?,'•!''"■'•«'«*"«' »'■ grass-grovvin;. either, where
all IS sold off the farm and noti.m- returned to earth for compensation

I hope to live to see the day when, in our valleys and on our liill ti.i)s
there will |,e creameries and cheese factories by the score, and dairv far'
mersenon<rh to amply supply them with pure and wnadulterked milk made
from the sweet and juicy jjrasses that -row in their n.idst.

.Sheep-raisinp: can ),e made a pro itable i>art of our ao-rieu!t:!re and
should bean .mportnnt part of our stock.rkin,^ for our lands a.e hi"
an d,y , n-jth -ood pasturage, and a home niarket f.r the wool and mutton
hose who have a love for the most noble of all .lomesticated ani mls-
the horse-can breed them here with a profit, if they pay proper atten ion
to the.r business, and use care and discreti.,n in seLctins tie r sires and
dams, w uch ,s essential in the breedin,ir of all livestock, "it is a so.frce o f
great satisfaction to me to observe themarked improvemen Lat 1ms beer
made, during the ast decade, in the live stock of our section and I arn
hr nly convinced that the thonirhtful and intelligent part of our farmers
wdl agree with me when I say that our section Ts well adapted to sock
raising and d.airying, and those that have been, and are, engaS 1 n e ther"
of the two will bear me witness that their farms have improved under tin
system and th.at those farmers who have f^rown grain exo Siv 1 ave m
poverished their laud with only a few exceptions of a'unnl^ !:not man
however who have been so highly favored as to have easv^ccess to the'
barn-yards of the good citizens of Titnsville I would IZ 1 1 ?, n i . t
as recominending the aban<ionment of all gVain-gr" w i^ n , iT .iSt;
bat I would have all farmers study what they can.'and do, ^row to a D oflV
Oats do well upon our soil, if properly sown and cured for So Hn'^,..
wheat and potatoes. All of the Vegetables hat a e neident to this at '

Wh?.W l\'?' '''"1 ™'^"->' ""^ ''^^"" ^'^ cultivate.1 and ™ to a prof "

What I wouhl have the farmers of this vieinitv do is to stn J tL'

selves to their avocation, tliev have failed to obpv H .r^fl * J^\

erb, '^ Man, know thyself." ^ faiica_to obe> that oft-repeated prov-

THE JERSEY-THE DAIRY AND FAMILY

FUTURE.

COW OF TUB

•1

By J. C. SiBLtY, Esq., Franklin, Pennn.

^ Reai at Titusville Local Fa r'n^ Institute, December 22. 1885.
Neither my education nor cnllino- in lifo la cnr.'i na +^ i-r

.vou an .address which will tickle thL e' ^r Xa^s" £ 'w?' %

those araoncr rnv fellow lor^pv v.,...o.i i ^ '^^^^ ^'^^ fancy. There are

hnvo ll,e pk,^,„,e „r ||,u!„|„, to „„.l, , ;„ ". , ir? !i"i"' '"" '"'l-'l'' ""'

Pennsylvania Boaud of Agriculture.

2t

from the bottom of the well, wbere she is said to lie hidden, and by the in-
terchanire of thoiioht, the p^enlle friction of one's ideas and experiments
with another's, welhall do much toward perfectino* and polishing the set-
ting which encircles the precious gem.

Another and most hopeful sign is the agricultural press of to-day. The
one hundred and upwards of agricultural papers published, most of them
of hii^h order of merit, and, presumably, financially successful, are indica-
tive of the fact that the American farm'er of the present is keeping posted
on what pi'rtains to his vocation. Some one asked one of the old master
artists with what be mixed his colors to produce such grand effects. " I
mix them with mv brain," came the ready response. The farmer of to day
is not, necessarily, any longer a mere drudge. Tie is mixing the labors of
his hands and brain. ' Some great statesman, years ago, spoke of the great
future of this countrv because the schoolmaster was abroad in the land.
The agricultural press, the great educator, is abroad in the land, and he
who neglects the advantages to be dtrived from reading some of the
papers will do so, not alone^at an intellectual loss, but a pecuniary loss as
well. As well may the would-be statesman refuse to read history ; tlie
lawyer, Blfckstone and Chitty ; the politician, current politics; as the far-
mer, the latest achievements, the records of the successes and failures of his
brethren. Experience is a dear school ; and he who can profit by the ex-
l)erience of another is the truly wise man. I do not say for you to believe
all you hear and read in the agricultural papers; but I do say that he who
cannot, l)y taking two or three of the leading papers of the country, get
out of th'eir columns, in dollars and cents, ten times their cost, is the man
who is blind either in his eyes or his understanding.

As I have before remarked in public, the time has gone by when tne fool
of t!ie family is made the farmer. He is now reserved to be the speculator
and the poUtician. The farmer who would succeed must keep step with
the music, and near the van of the procession. There has come into the
mind of the Eastern farmer owning high-priced lands the question how to
compete with the cheap and fertile lands of the great West. Clearly, he
cannot compete in their specialties, and, therefore, must school himself to

the new order of things. . i- , i r tt

lie must make one acre of land produce double what it did before, lie
cannot izrow beef as cheaplv as it can be done upon the great grass ranges
and- the fertile corn-fields of the West ; but he can produce an animal which
will give him twice the (piantity of milk, butter, and cheese that his scrub
cow has been yielding for him. Thousands of carefully conducte.l experi-
ments, always with similar results, covering a period of over a century m
this country, clearly prove that the Jersey cow can perform this self-same
task of doubling the products of the dairy. This is a matter of vital im-
portance to all thoughtful and prudent men, and I trust will command your
attention, while I ao into it in detail. The early history of the Jersey
breed is obscure. From their delicate shadings, large and mild eye, and
fawn-like appearance, arose, no doubt, the tradition, which is still cherished
on the Island of Jersey, that the breed originated through a union of the
cow and the deer. It at least remains, as their history, that over one thou-
sand years ago their peculiar (pialities were such as to excite among writers
the presumption that they originally came from Normandy, as many of the
characteristics of the breed are observable in the cattle of Normandy and
Brittany. The difference existing to-day is, doubtless, owing to the differ-
ence in climate, care, and surroundings. It may be of interest to some if
I irive a slight history of the home of these cattle. The Channel Islands
are four: Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, and Sark. They have been part ot

II!

l!»

28

Quarterly RiTORT.

IV

4

the possessions of England since the days of William the Conqueror

They are in the English Cha.uiel, sixteen miles from the coast of France

Ibese islands washed as they are by the Gulf Stream, possess, i)erhaps'

n or, .""'t, ",T !f t^,^°'•ld, ^ith the fruits of the tropics anil the lar'

north. lie Island of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, is but

seven mdesw.de by eleven miles long." The total am<,unt of tillable land

IS but twcnty-hve thousand acres, and the population, sixty thousand • or

upwards ot two persons to each acre of land ; knd one cow to each one and

i halt acres of land. This may seem like close fanning. Nevertheless

these islands produce suflicient for their own needs, au<l these peo, e p/r'

capita are he richest agricultural community in the world. NecessardT

the cul ivat.on of this land must be of the highest order, and tEvaikble'

^r %'T * "^''i ^l"" '"'possible to state the methods of rotation and till-
age bucl as are interested, I would refer to the Encyclopedia Brittanica
01 to an admirable essay by Col. George W. Waring, published by tC a'
J. C C. ,Sun,eo to say that the rich and succulent forage. Ion- continued'

Stter'b^eed 'Tno'tf ^"^^ ''T 'i" ^'i^ ^--•oP^-tl.f this mar "e ol
Ditter breed. Another aid m the development of this distinct species is

lis CO V 't 1.7 H "^'- ^T' «'^"^''=f«'-' «° ''ishly has the Jersev m fprlzed
his cow,that their most ancient laws enact the most severe Diinishment for
the importation of any cattle to these islands, even a ship for amlhio- such
Z^fol ' ""^'"' '"^ coniiscation. So m'uch for tlJ original K of

The history of the Jersey cow in America covers but a comi)irativeIv
brief period, the first importation having been made iiil.50? Ce an
mals were bought more for beauty than for any belief in their dairy cana'
b.l-ties; but one gentleman. Hon. Thomas Motley, was so m pressed wftt
the earnest protestations of tlie Islanders upon the rfchness of the breed
that he was, in 1853, induced to sef the milk of one of hTs cows seoarate

commenced looking into the churn * '^'''^^*'^ breeders

th:;''hirrw^ti^';i:;rSy1i;?;;rd^tf "' ■"*° "'^ ^'"-"' -^^ ^-"•'

days, and sevfn lunu e Hn f fiVe .Ss i^a''ve^'%,"'■ '^""'" V" ?f^«"
tas looked into the churn ..i ,1 f,?„ ? • ^ ''''■ ^^^^ °'^"*''' ^^ Eura-

seven days, and s^ven 1 n Ir^ ^nd sevLTv^^i '"'^"^-two pounds in

dropped a live calf; the hi/d.est^^ain VppH f^^^ Pounds in a year, and
^liole year, havin./been i- It o,f-.rt. Tf °' ''"'•^ 'T ^^y, during her

Lambert loked into 'rcl in aid found tr"'' "I ^^'''^' ^^"'' "^ «*•
of ground oats dailv h\^ oZ' ^^1 , ^*' *"' •'■"''""■'' •"'^' "^^ 'I'larts

month, and dgh lu'n ed Id Tvt ' '"""^''"^ '""' '^'^ P°""^>« '» one

quartet ounces' ii! :zl::is,r:S{'^' rrv::T'''' ■ '^'^ '"••^"^

thir.y-six pounds twelve end one half ol'^cJ^i^^Jln cL^l'Tda oT St'

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

29

Lambert i^ave thirty pounds two and one half ounces in seven days; and
Princess 2nd, forty-six pounds twelve and one half ounces in seven days.
Oxford Knte gave thirty-nine pounds twelve ounces in seven days. There
have been separately tested something over fifteen hundred cows that have
produced from fourteen pounds to forty-six pounds twelve and one half
ounces in seven days; and right here allow me to state, that all these
greater tests havt; been oflicially conducted by committees appointed by
the A. J. C. C; by agricultural societies, and by th^;se,in many instances,
who were loudest "in their criticisms. The rules providing for the ollicial
test of cows are so stringent that there could be no deception, were the
owners ever so anxious. I do not wish to be considered as boasting in
referring to our own herd, for we recognize the fact that there are many
herds equal in butter production, and I merely refer to it as showing the
uniform butter-[)r(>ducing power of this breed. Last season, we set sepa-
rate the milk of nineteen cows, and but two of the nineteen failed to give
from two to four pounds of butter per day.

These tests have been on moderate feed, not on the high-pressure plan
of risking the life of the cow to make a great test. We wish to be dis-
tinctlv understood. We have some poor cows in our herd; but we want
it also to be understood that no man can pick out of our herd two cows,
excepting onlv some very aged or injured animals kept onlv for breeding,
that cannot make over three hundred and sixty-five pounds of butter in
one year. This statement is made in absolute confidence in its correctness,
and we think it is under, rather than over, stated ; and we doubt if there is
a herd of average excellence that cannot do as much or more.

It is a matter of some extra trouble to set the milk of cows separately,
for long periods, and churn each by itself, but many of our cows, by tests
for shorter periods, have indicated a capacity of over six hundred ])Ounds
of butter per year. We have one cow, Matilda 4th, that, for the present
twelve months, we expect will make between nine hundred and one thou-
sand pounds, without forcing. For the eight months to December first,
the lowest possible estimate on her production is six hundred and fifty six
and one quarter pounds. Her milk was set by itself for periods from one
day to seven days in May, June, July, September, and November. For
i\\\ the time prior to October, each day w^as estimated at less than her
lowest tested day. Since that time, she has been estimated, daily, by the
average yield in' the subsequent tests. ITer feed has been precisely the
same, both in amount and kind, on the days when her milk was churned
bv itself as when it was churned along with that of the other cows in the

herd. . ^^ t o i

But it is urged against the Jersey cow that she is small, and ot no value
for beef. Allow me to repeat what I have stated on previous occasions:
that as yet 1 have to find the owner of a Jersey cow who i^ desirous of
converting her into beef. So long as she will breed, she is more valuable

for other purposes. ^ ^i ^ •

But let me be clearlv understood in the following statement, that give me
a Jersey cow dry— if it be possible to dry her off— and 1 will make beef
cheaper and quicker than with any other breed with which I am famihar ;
and that beef will be of as delicious quality as man ever put into his
mouth. We grew tired of hearing the claim that the Jersey cow was no
use for beef, and gave it a practical test, worth at any time a ton of theory.
We took a cow wliich was no longer a regular breeder, and, on a feed of
three hundred and fifty pounds cornmeal, increased her live weight two
hundred pounds in eight weeks. Now that I have shown yon the fact, I
will give you the theorv, which is this : The Jersey cow excels all others

: I at
,1 Bi

i

30

Quarterly Report.

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

31

•tf

as a butter producer, because of lier perfect organs of digestion and assimi-
lation, wliieli extract the fat from her food and deposit it as butter in iier
udder. That which, in the ordinary breeds is laid on the carcajs. is in the
Jersey put into the churn. Wiien tlie Jersey cow is dry. you have to reduce
her allowance, and use the greatest care in the interval i)efore calvinf that
she does not become too fat for safety in calving. Thnt which she ixi't into
tlie churn wlien milking, she is, when dry, putting on her carcass. When
a cow that makes nearly seven pounds of butter per day goes dry she
places that fat on her ribs; and 1 guess she doss it as quickly and as
cheaply, jwund for pound, as any cow in the world. Pardon mv dio^res
sion, for 1 am not advocating the Jersey cow for a beef breed. The^^lirst
cost IS too high. The cow is worth more for other purposes ; and the
i.ast, with high-priced lands, cannot compete with the plains of Kansas
Colorado, and Texas in tlie production of beef. And yet the averao-e
dairyman says he don't want the Jersey cow because she can't make beef
U hat ( oes he want? He is not in the beef business. What would you
think of the man who would say he would never buy a sulky hay-rake "but
won , stick to the wooden hand-rake, because when it vvas vvorn out it
would make a mop handle ? Hut it is said that while the milk of the Jer-
sey cow is rich, she gives but little in quantity.

We will grant that there are some larger records in other breeds but
It must be borne in mind that very little attention has been paid hith'erto
to the amount of milk that Jerseys would give, the interest havin-r been
centered, principally, in the amount of butter that they would'make
iSevertheless, we believe that Jerseys are far above the avera"-e even in
the amount of milk yield. The following are some of the yields in our
herd: One cow has given sixty-seven pounds of milk per day, an.l aver-
aged oyer sixty-five pounds of milk per day for a week. Another has
given sixty pounds of milk per day, and averaged over fifty-seven pounds
of milk per day for a week; another has given fifty-six pounds ner dav
and averaged (ifty-three poun.ls for a week' Many of our^corLve gfv Jn
from forty o forty-eight pounds per day. All our milk is weighed just as
soon as milked, and all tiie records kept of every cow. Here are some of

beri'r'sf \v ?'""r f>"' 'V!"^ '^""''^ ''' '^'^ '^^^' months to rcem-'
her f.rst Will probably yield over 16,000 pounds for the twelve months

without forcing. La Petite .Mere 2d, 10,32!) pounds in one year, on onHna y

feed, in calf seven months of the year; with a little extra feed we be ieve

le-t'uTloT"?' '^ -"'m''^' ':•"*" ""•'"<^« P'''--V««'-. Fawn of St. Lam!
belt, 10,101^ pounds with her first calf, in twelve months endiii.^ before
three years od ; had extra feed for four months only. Que^ensboro
8,622 pounds m eleven months ; in calf eight months. Cil I, of Glen Rou'e'

in)VH;n";on'"7r6r"'' r"" 'r\ ^^'^ «" ^--"'"^^-^ ^'-'-.V feed. Duel efs'
of J arlington, 7,9.^6 pounds in twelve months, ordinary feed- in calf ei<rht
months. B.itterl y. 7,806 pounds in eleven months, ordinary eeduca
eight months. Mary of Pleasant View, 7,655^^ pounds in ten months -in

etht"mo"tr"'r-,r'''7"'''''^"'^'''" P'^""^^ '" ^•--" monUis- i'cal"
eight months, (.nhh-n /oe, as a ten-year-old cow, 7,227 no-inds in elnvpn

months; ,n calf seven months. Xerissa of Nyack ' 7, 3, ounds b ten

mouths ; in calf seven months. Goldstraw .Sd,'7,0.8( V pounrin ei.rht ..n

a hall months ; four and a half months in calf. Our cow Ida of sTt Lam

bert, who has milked sixty-seven pounds per day, and Im averaled sixtv

ive pounds per .lay for a week, gives indicationJ'of yieldint fori L ^r

between eighteen and twenty thousand pounds. 1 will prom'isc yo. beilre

hand too, that she shall not be fed one drop of milk,'^,r hateany st mu

lant, tonic, or drug of any nature, for the purpose of c eating an a bno mal

a

appetite, or How of milk. I do not wish to throw discredit on the per-
foriiKmces of other breeds, but it is nevertheless current statement that the
highest records in some breeds have been obtained by tVeding milk in large
qiuintities, and bv abnormally stimulating the appetite. In the public
prints, time and again Jersey breeders have called upon the owners of
some of these great yielders to state what articles the animals were fed, and
so far have not been favored with replies.

The Jersey cow is a persistent milker from one calf to another, and it is
generallv necessary to force her dry. Many we find it impossible to dry
at all. The diminution in their How of milk does not seem to imply a cor-
responding loss of butter. It is often found the case that a cow giving
twelve quarts per day is making more butter than when she was giving six-
teen quarts per dav.*^ But tliere are those who tell us that if they were to
feed their cattle of other breeds as highly as Jerseys are fed, they would
make as much butter. Well, my friend, you try it and see. 1 predict that
you will not have as much butter within a great many pounds, and you will
probably have a dead cov/ if you feed one half as much as some of 'hese
jerseys have eaten, one cow during an otilcial test having been fed as high
as fifty quarts of grain in a single day. The Jersey cow, with her perfect
organs of assimilation and digestion, will take care of such a quantity of
grain as would kill the average cow. High feeding to this extent is not to
be commended. But many of the largest tests have been made on ordi-
nary dairy feed. The high feeding only shows the powers of the cow to
assimilate a vast amount of feed and convert it into butter-fat.

To return to the question of whether it is the breed or the feed which
makes the butter cow, 1 beg to quote from Professor Jordan's address to
the State Dairymen's Association, February 12, 1885: '' Experience is the
test of theory, however, and on the point under consideration careful and
extended investigations are not wanting. I know that the verdicts of
German investigations have been much criticised, and even their correct-
ness has been doubted ; but I feel sure that some of this criticism and dis-
trust has resulted from a misunderstanding of the facts as they really are.
I have noticed, within a few weeks, in two of our agricultural papers,
statements to the effect that the German experimenters claim that the milk
is not inlluenced by the food. Nothing can be farther from the truth. The
results of these searching and elaborate investigations declare, if they de-
clare anythinir, that while in certain respects a cow has certain fixed char-
acteristics which are beyond the intluence of food, in other respects it may
be greatly modihed by the kind and quality of the food. There is no far-
mer of ordinary intelligence who does not know that some foods produce
milk richer in f^at than is the case when other kinds of material are fed. It
would be useless to claim that one hundred pounds of milk from a cow
well fed contains no more fat than one hundred i)ounds of milk from the
same cow poorly fed, for all experience would deny the claim. The fol-
lowing are conciusions which the German investigations certainly warrant:
1. The percentage of total solids in milk is greater with a rich ration than
with a poor ration. 2. The composition of milk solids is, on the other
hand, little inlluenced by the amount and character of the food. In other
words, if these solids are one fifth fat when the cow is poorly fed, they will
be one fifth fat when well fed, although the total (piaatity of the fat will be
greater in the latter case because the total (luantity of solids is greater.
Let me illustrate. My cow gives milk with twelve pounds of solids to the
hundred when I feed her on timothy and roots, but when I begin to give
her a liberal amount of a mixture of corn-meal and cotton-seed-meal the
percentage of solids increases until one hundred pounds of milk con-

fl

32

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Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

33

%

tains fifteen pounds of solids. The solids were one fifth fat in the first in-
stance, and all previous experiments give me no reason to suppose that
they will vary in composition under the intlucnce of the richer ration. 15 ut
one fifth of twelve is two and one half, while one fifth of fifieen is three, po
that the liberal teeding has caused an increase of one half pound of butter-
fat to each one hundred pounds cf miik.

This hypotlietical case illustrates exactl}' what takes place in actual prac-
tice. A cow produces more milk when well fed than when kept on short
allowance*, but this is not because the solids in the milk chan<]je in compo-
sition, ])ut because- there is more of them. When one constituent of the
milk solids increases, they all increase in about the same proportion. 1 do
not mean to say that there is absolutely no change in tliC composition of
the milk solids under the influence of different kinds and qualities of food,
but I do mean to sav that the food is unable to overcome, to any ofreat ex-
tent, the fixed constitutional habits of the animal. You cannot by any
manner of feeding obtain Jersey milk from a Shorthorn cow." Such evi-
dence as Professor Jordan's is well worth your attention. It simply gives
facts without bias as to breeds. It will never do to train Maud S. tor a
draught mare ; nor a Clydesdale for a trotter. Each has its sphere of excel-
lence, outside of which it is as worthless as the veriest scrub. He is a wise
man who can accept accom})lished facts. Suppose you were to say ''My na-
tive horse can trot as fast as a Ilambletonian," or some of the other fami-
lies of horses that are recognized as carrying speed in their blood ; and
upon that theory you would commence training Pete and old Dolly. How
long will it take you to breed a family of trotters trom that train V Why,
my friend, you would lose the last nickel in the venture, and in the end
your horse will not be able to trot fast enough to keep you ahead of the
sheriff. But some wise and prudent farmers say that Jerseys are held at
fancy figures, and that no man can get his money out of them for the dairy.
Let us make some computations. The scrub cow costing thirty dollars,
and making one hundred and fifty pounds of butter per year, will make in
ten years, fifteen hundred pounds, which, at twenty -five cents per pound,
equals three hundred and seventy-five dollars. Will drop, in ten years, ten
calves worth, when two months old, three dollars each, equal to thirty dol-
lars. She will herself sell for thirty dollars. Total received, four hundred
and thirty-five dollars. At thirty-five dollars per year for keep, the cow
will cost in ten years three hundred and fifty dollars. The first cost of the
cow, thirty dollars. Total paid out, three hundred and eighty dollars, leav-
ing a profit, on thirty dollars, of fifty-five dollars, or one dollar in the same
has brought in one dollar and eighty-three cents.

The Jersey cow costing two hundred and fifty dollars, and makingfour hun-
dred pounds of butter per year, will make in ten years four thousand
pounds, which, at twenty-five cents per pound, equals one thousand dol-
lars. In ten years will drop five heifers worth, when two months old, one
hundred and fifty dollars each. In ten years will drop five bulls worth,
when two months old, twenty-five dollars each. Will herself sell for beef
for twenty-five dollars. Total received, one thousand nine hundred dol-
lars. At thirty-five dollars per year for keep, in ten years amounts to
three hundred and fifty dollars. Original cost of cow, two hundred and
fifty dollars ; total expended., six hundred dollars, leaving a profit of two
hundred and fifty dollars of one thousand three hundred dollars. Every
one dollar invested in Jersey has cleared five dollars and twenty cents.
This calculation, although making a showing for the Jersey far preferable
to the scrub, is, nevertheless, unjust to the Jersevin placing the same price
on the butter, which is of a high quality, as on that of the scrub, which is

of a bad quality. As a matter of fact, in any large market, the Jersey but-
ter will bring anywhere from five to fifteen cents per pound more than
scrub butter. Taking, however, this lowest amount of five cents per pound
diff(u-ence, and reckoning as before, we shdll have as a showing of a profit
for the ten years for the Jersey cow six dollars for every dollar invested
in her, as against the one dollar and eighty-three cents profit to the dollar
invested in the scrub. If interest be reckoned in each case, which is the
more fair method, the result will be strikingly more favorable to the high-
priced Jersey. If the females in each case be retained in the herd until
the end of the ten years, and interest reckoned on the butter-produc-t
each vear, the results would be so amazingly in favor of the high-priced
Jersey that I fear none of my hearers would believe my figures to be
true until verified by actual computation. IJntit is said by some that the
Jersey is delicate and must have warm barns, etc. W\41, let me say, I have
ever yet to see the breed of cattle that would lie profitable in the dairy if
their only winter shelter was the south side of a straw stack or a fence cor-
ner. The Jersev, at least, is not that kind of a cow ; but she has shown
that Nova Scotia, Province of Quebec, and Province of Ontario, of Can-
ada, with fair farmers' stabling, have produced some of the largest tests,
and that with the thermometer twenty degrees below zero. She seems to
do as well in Montreal as in Mobile ; as well in Maine as in Maryland and
Virginia. It is said, '' Well, they may be good enough, but they are so
small." Well, do you want a Jumbo ? Among men David was small. Na-
poleon was small ; 'but size is not always the true measure of value. A dia-
mond is smaller than a cobble-stone. I attended a fair last fall, and on
the grounds was a steer that, by long feeding, had been made to weigh
over two thousand pounds. On the same grounds was a little Jersey cow
making within one half ounce of four pounds of butter per day. More
people%'ent to see the fat ox, at an admission fee, than looked at and ex-
amined the marvelous dairy cow free of cost ; and, I suppose, one hundred
coveted the possession of the fat ox where one coveted the cow. The one
had neither pride of ancestry or hopes of posterity. From the womb of
the latter may come many whose descendants shall enrich the land. Put
it is further said b v some that they will wait ; prices will be down. That may be.
I, for one, hope so. Prices may go down to one third what they are now,
and yet we will make more out of Jerseys than a like investment will yield
in anv other legitimate business with which I am familiar. However, it is
not to be considered within the probabilities that prices will grow much
lower. Let us look at some statistics :

The American Jersey Cattle Club Herd llegister was established in 1808,
seventeen years ago. At its establishment many animals of extreme age
were entered; also, many dead animals have been entered to complete ped-
igrees. At present, not far from 33,000 females appear as registered. Is
it not fair to presume that about one hundred and twelve of these animals
are dead or non-breeders at this time'/ leaving but, say, 17,000 living fe-
males. The number of milch cows in the United States, as per the census
of 1880, was nearlv 15,000,000. These cows produced, in that year, 1,300,-
000,000' pounds of butter and 450,000,000 pounds of cheese.
The value of the butter, at twenty cents per pound, would

The value of the cheese, at eight cents per pound, would be

$260,000,000
36,000,000

Aggregate value, $296,000,000

The\'alue of the butter produced exceeded the value ol the cheese as
seven to one, showing that it is the butter cow rather than the cheese cow
3

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84

Quarterly Report.

that is in demand. We ask : Is it not fair to presume that, as the merits
of the Jersey cow come to be better understood, she will, within the next
twenty-live years, displace and rei)lace at least twenty-five per cent, of the
scrub cows? To do this, the 15,<)00 Jerseys of to-day must increase to
8,M(*0,00() in order to bear the same proportion to the lu(>,0(0,0JO of resi-
dents of the United States in the year 19« 5. While prices on Jerseys may
not rule fabuhjusly high, yet we confidently^ believe that, for the next
twenty-five years, the business of their breeding and development will ])rove
both a pleasant and lucrative branch of agriculture. That for the family
and for butter, the Jersey cow is preeminently the animal, I cannot doubt.
1 believe in the ITereford and Shorthorn for beef. In the scrub cow to help
us on to poverty ; but as the choicest morsel to the eye, of all the bovine
tribe, for milk for children and invalids, delicious butter and cheese for the
table, and for money in my pocket, the little Jersey cow, first, last, and all
the time.

Thanking you for your kind attention and patience, and assuring who-
ever may visit our herd a hearty welcome, 1 close the stable doors of elo-
quence to allow you to carry out such as have been talked to death, and
those vet living to see liov^ much the winter wheat has arown since 1 com-
menced.

WHAT I DON'T KNOW ABOUT FARMING.

By J. H. CocJGSWELL, p]sq., Titus ville, Pa.

Bead at the Titusmlle Local Farmers'' Institute^ December 22, 1885,

When Byron D. Benson, Andrew X. Perrin, Jesse Smith, and myself
were good little boys, we were instructed in biblical lore, at least so far as
to answer tlie ([uestions, '' Who was the strongest man T' '• Who the meekest
man ?" " Who the most patient man ?*' and '' Who the wisest man?" We
answered glibly, no doubt, but if we had been requested to tell why Solo-
mon was the wisest of all men we could only have instanced the way by
which he discovered which was the true or real parent of the ciiild claimed
by two mothers, for we had read the picture that told all about it. But
since we have older grown, other evidences of Solomon's wisdom have
been found out. Perhaps 1 should speak of myself only, as I am not sure
that the other three have " searched the Scriptures " much lately. Byron
is now pre«-ident of a i)ipe line to the ocean, Andrew is president of an
agricultural association, Jesse is vice president of a bank or two, but for
myself, I can aver that I came upon one of the great king of Judah's nug-
gets of wisdom lately, and it is this: "' la all labor there is profit, but the
talk of the lips tenddh to penury.''' If my i)astor, Rev. J. A. Maxwell,
should take the latter part of this proverb for his text some Sunday,!
know he would advise us not to take the time of an audience to utter words
merely — not to attempt to speak till we were sure we had something to
say, and much moie and better to the same eflfect. The street arab, the
gamin, as he is sometimes called, oft astonishes us by his quaint and sharp
sayings, driving right to the point, with.out any circumlocution, and, in his
peculiar vernacular, he has embodied this same truth enunciated by Solo-
mon three thousand years ago, for when he hears a person using words for
Die sake of filling up the time, he is cpiite apt to tell him to '' stop talking
with his mouth !" O" there be one of those shaip critics in the audience
at present, I hope he will not interrupt me, but let me enjoy the pleasant

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

35

delusion th&t the words of my lips this evening will not tend to the im-
poverishing of any, but rather that some may be benefited.

At the risk of being called a plagiarist, I can say most truthfully that
what 1 don't know about farming and farmers would fill a book as large as
Web3ter's Unabridged, Encyclopedia Brittauici, American Cyclopedia, and
several other works of equal magnitude rolled into one. Had President
Perrin allotted to me the task of telling what I do know about farming and
farmers, bolh you and I would have gotten ofi^ easily. By this time I
should have subsided and you would be enjoying the remarks of the gen-
tleman who is to follow me and who will tell you about mending your ways.
It is only about a year since the members of the Oil Creek Valley Agricul-
tural Association elected a certain gentleman of this city president, and
how they could retlect him, as they did a few weeks ago, is a mysteiy. He
is such a tyrant, so determined on having his own way that I, for one, am
growing restive. Let me give you an instance of his autocratic way. He de-
cides that this Farmers' Institute and convention shall hold a meeting in Ti-
tusville, and then steps up to a man and says,'' We wanta speech or an essay
from you !" It is of no eartlily use to make excuses, to say '' I can't," or
" get somebody else ;" 3^ou have got to do it or die in the attempt. When
he approached me on this matter 1 thought to shake him ofiT, but it was of
no use. The " old man of the sea " was on my shoulders. I told him
finally that I '' would see him again " — '' see him later." Well, 1 did see
him again, or rather he saw me — not only later, but earlier — and often, and
ere I was a; ware he had me yoked up with Willis Benedict, Prof. Streeter,
Capt. Emery, S. W. Stewart, and others, and here we are. 1 shudder to
think of our fiite should we try to '' turn the yoke." I f ever 1 vote for him
again to be our President, and find no amendment in his ways, I >vill set to
work and organize a revolution at once, like a South American Republic.
I don't think he would have been so successful with me but for theniceand
easy way in which he put the case : '' Only a ten minute speech," he urged,
and I yielded; but when I came to my senses, if I had any, tha dilemma
in which I found myself was appalling. To think of boiling down and su-
garing off a sreech — an essay — a paper in a ten-minute limit ! That is only
a little more time than Hon. William M. Evarts wants for one of his single
sentences ! President Perrin, in his estimate of my ability, reminds me ( but
to look at him you would hardly suppose it) of a certain gushing and beau-
tiful school-girl I once heard of, and the story runs in this way. The young
lady was attending a large party, and when supper was announced, it acci-
dentally fell to her lot to be escorted by a celebrated college professor,
whose chair was that of ancient and modern history, and as she took his
arm she exclaimed, ^'How fortunate ! I am going to graduate in a few weeks
and have got to write an essay on history; won't you tell me all about the
history of the world as we are at supper '?" My task, as the length, breadth,
height, and depth of the subject of what I don't know about farming and
farmers, looming up before me with it3 elaboration confined toa ten-minute
limit, seems as formidable as no doubt the professor's task did to him when
asked to give an acc^nnt of the events of six thousand years in the supper
hour.

It is not my intention to tell farmers how to plow, when to sow, how to
hoe, or when to mow; or to tell farmers' wives how to make bread, butter,
or cheese, how best to make roses, pansies, or chrysanthemums flourish, nor
am I going to bestride my favorite hobby, ycloi)t " fruit-culture," and charge
down on you Sancho Panza-like, with lance at rest, till you wiil all agree,
under pain of extermination, to select, plant, and care for apple trees ac-
cordino- to the rules laid down in my talk to you at our winter exhilution

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36

Quarterly Report.

of fruit last February. I shall not discuss rotation of crops, ensilage and
silos or under-draining, nor will 1 invade the domain of the house-wife and
descant upon pickles, jams, jellies, or crazy quilts. Perhaps at this moment
some of you are mentally inquiring, "Then what are you going to bore
us with ? " I can only reply, " What I don't know about farmers and farm-
ing.

I don't know why there are so many farmers who apparently take so
little pride in their occu])ation,the oldest, noblest, and best work men ever
engaged in. I don't know wh}^ so many of them seem to deprecate their
calling and act as though because they labored hard in the hot sun, brown-
ing their faces and tanning their hands, that somehow for that reason the^^
were less the peers of the men who pore over law-books, address judge and
jury, and just before election make your school-house walls ring with their
fervid eloquence, *' proving this side all right — the other stark naught."

1 don't see why there are so many farmers who sesm to act as though
selling their own farm products of fruit, vegetables, grain, butter, and
cheese in bushel or pound quantities made them less the equals of the man
who weighs out a pound of nails, sells them a hand-rake or a whetstone,
measures them oft sheetings and jeans, or counts out a dozen seamless
bags.

I don't know why there are so many farmers who seem to consider that
all the daylight hours they pass away from their farms— all the hours not
spent in actual toil, the results of which are evident— must be called lost
time, never to be recovered.

I do not know why so many farmers ne^jlect the cultivation of the gar-
den, giving as a reason therefor thit " it don't pay," when it can easily be
demonstrated that from a comparatively small amount of time well bestowed
in April and May, and occasionally through the summer months in the
garden, better results can be obtained, and a higher percentage of profit to
cost be secured than is ever realized from broad acres of grain, the average
meadow, or full crops of potatoes. I want to see the time come when all
the farmers of this Association can look with pity upon us town folks who
have to put up with wilted vegetables, mussed-up strawberries, picked-be-
fore-ripe-and-brought-from-a-distance tomatoes, while they are regaling
themselves with all these and many other luxuries, crisp, fresh, and luscious
from their own gardens.

I do not know why there are so many farmers' boys who dislike farming,
and embrace the first opportunity offered for work^n some other employ-
ment, unless it is because they are treated differently than General Grant
says in his memoirs he was. I quote his words : '' When about eleven years
of age I was strong enough to hold a plow. From that time until seven-
teen I did all the work done with the horses, such as breakino- np the land
furrowing, plowing corn and potatoes, bringing in the crops when har-
vested, hauling all the wood, besides tending two or three horses a cow or
two, and sawing wood for the stove, etc., while 8till attendino- school For
this I was compensated," (and I wish every father and mother present to
let this go deep into their minds,) " by the fact that there never was ana
scolding or punishing by my parents; no objection to rational enjoyments
such as hshing, going to the creek a mile away to swim in summer 'takinir
a horse and visiting my grandparents fifteen miles off in an ad)(>inin<r
county, skating on the ice in the winter, or taking a horse and sleirrh when
there was snow on the ground."

Or it may be that some boys find their farm life irksome, and hence cret
away from it because their experience is epitomized in the story of the
farmer and his boy which, if 1 remember right, was this- The boy

I

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Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

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^' Father, can't I go and see the circus thif; afternoon, all the other boys are
going, and it only costs a quarter? " Father : " No, my son ; but if you
Will liurry up and get your ' stent ' done, Til take you to see yor.r grand-
mother's grave, while the mare is being shod.'* '' All work amino play
makes Jack a dull boy," runs the old saw. I'he bow continually bent loses
its elasticity. When you give your son a holiday, or concede to his de-
sires for recreation, do^t not grudgingly, but with a hearty good-will, and
you will double his pleasures"; and when he again takes hold of the plow.
It will be with the determination to better win and secure your praise.

1 don't know why the farmer, soliloquizing, should not say as did Roder-
ick Dhu, when describing the condition of the Highlanders, (of course,
bearing in mind to make the sentiment jibe, that the sword has been beaten
into a ploughshare.) —

'* T tjjivo you shelter in my breast,
Your own good blades must win the rest."

Or, in other words, '' My lot is cast upon the farm upon which the dews
descend and the gentle rain ! To me has been given not only a strong arm,
but a mind to study and comprehend the many and subtle iniluences that
cluster around the germanation, growth, and fruitage of the seed from the
hour 1 hide it in the well-prepared soil till the glorious harvest time ! My
farm is my realm ! My willing subjects are earth, air, water, and fertil-
izers! They shall acknowledge my kingship and yield homage to my
scepter, an implement of agriculture, as I may yield it industriously and
intelligently. My realm shall not only win for me good crops by the skill-
ful application of' labor at the right time and in the right way, but it shall
afford me some leisure hours for reading and study, and, perhaps, some
time for travel I Chautauqua's opportunity shall not all be lost to me, or
the lectures in my vicinity. While recognizing the truth of the saying
that ' he is a public benefactor who makes two blades of grass grow where
but one grew before,' I will not be content with success in that direction
only. I shall feel that I am not living up to my privileges, am not properly
filling my niche, if I am not conscious within myself, as 1 pass the mile-
stones of* life, that I am intellectually, aye, and morally, a better man than
I was but awhile before ! "

Mr. President, I do not know but that I have gone beyond ray ten min-
utes limit, and 1 will trespass on yo.ur patience and that of my auditors
but little loniier. I am confident that I have demonstrated how little I
know about farming, and I am profoundly thankful to all who have so
kindly given me their attention thus far, and will add, as a parting shot,
that if I have started a train of thongiit in the mind of but one of my
auditors in the direction of any of my random fiings, which shall result in
any good, 1 shall feel amply repaid.

'More than two thousand years ago a writer said : ''How can he get wis-
dom that holdeth the plow, and that glorifieth in the goad, that driveth oxen^
and is occupied in their labors, and whose talk is of bullocks V

But that must not be said of the farmers of to-day. The crooked stick,
making hardly more than a mark in the ground, has given place to the most
improved steel plow : the heavy spreading bush that I used to see dragged
over the ground fifty years ago, has given place to the ingeniously-con-
trived harrow, mellovVing the soil as never before; the slow-cutting scythe,
with a back-breaking snathe, has given place to the machine so deftly con-
structed and admirablv adapted to its purpose; the sickle, cutting but a
hand-frasp of wheat at once, has given place to the wondrous reaper ; the
ancient fiail, which made the barn floor resound all winter long, has given
place to the thresher and separator, which asks now only wood and water,

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Quarterly 'Rei'ort.

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

39

as It turns into the ban; a bushel of grain or more per minute ; tlie native
^rarle of cattle is fastgiving place to the Durham, the Devon, the Ilolstein
the.Iersey, ortheAMciney; the horse with large head and narrow chest
IS being superseded by the best strains of the Norman, the Mcrcan the
Clydesdale and the Messenger; the very long-nosed, razor-backed porcine
IS no more but in his place, is found the Berkshire, the Suffolk, the I'oland
China or the Chester White; the sour apple tree, with its tasleiess, unpal-

H e n'l'i i" '1 ""'t' ' I':','='^^,r°g '■'■"it, has been grafted or supplanted with
the Baldwin, the King, the Greening, or the Spy; the big wheel with its
monotonous, droning hum. and the unsightly loom appear only 'at "The
l.oan, while ten thousand spindles an-l flying shuttles in the great facto-
ries give better and cheaper fabrics ; the stiteh, stitch, stiteh, all dav Ion-
an.l far into the night, making literally true the remark that " a woman's'
work 19 never done " recognizes the superiority of the needle with the e- e

of all the'li d.f ^ ' . r* "? '"'r' '" '^f ''"^ "'^'' '''' ««" t'^ke advantage
A f ..^ If * chemistry has revealed unto others and may unto him?

beheld fh/'*' ^rrf ' Y* ''"''" "''*''^ ^'^^^ ^^'"^''^ ^^ ^ master; and, as he
beheld the beauUful work upon the easel, asked : •' Will you tell me sir

what you mix your paints with to produce such beautiful colors ?" 'The
reply was : " Brains, sir ; brains ! " » • i ue

1 do not know why the farmer may not cultivate his farm with so much
skill, genius and intelligence that when some visitor, admiring his boiii ti
tul crops, asks what fertilizers he uses to bring about such splendid ^1
may not receive the same reply : '• Brains, sir : brains ' " ^^'^"'''^ '^'"""''

HOW TO BRING UP A WOr.N-OUT FARM.
By Wjlliam Gates, Oil Ciiy, Pa.

Head at T.lusvtUe Farmers' Inslilute, December 22. 1885.

1 ^i 1',^^ 'f f" ,=1 serious problem with many farmers to know how to restore

and that has been exhausted by a bad system of tilia-e Tie pioneers of

this section of the country were poor people, an.l to^make homes iiM^

w rtrorLZi^'s'liirVr'- ;'"^"*"''^ investigation and book fa ni^
were not known. Sui able implements to cultivate the soil were not to be
had, and a system of doable cropping and pasturin.r conti uTe.runtil notl?

ooaras, or wire. Ky so doing, sixty psrches of land will bo added fa fil
age on a ten-acre field, and saved to cisarout the old fenL cornerf of" im
lous weeds and usslew brush and briirs The n-vi «Van a^? . V
should heunderdrained: this can beXie cleanh th, s'^ Hi T'^^T^
and a half to three feet deep and eightee", ithes V'id "^rTm •,^,;\'' ^'Tr
source of supply, and place a stone about one foot ill ".linst one fi'd/
and another stone errliteen inclie<» nn ti.o ^fi „ .^ "''^"/'S'l"^st one side,
the first stone, to serve as a brace to ho d ?£ . ^f\ *'' '•''''" ''''''^ '"^S'^'^^t

brance from your land -md ^oo .nO^ U.Zt ' ' ^^^^^

yuur una, and, second, by placing them out of the way and

raakino; a good and efficient drain. But if you do not have the stone on
your premises, buy tile, or use any other material that will bridge a cavity
to conduct the water from the land you intend to cultivate. It will not
pay to cultivate land that is constantly saturated with spring water. After
drainage has been made, plow neatly the depth of the soil, (and, if avail-
able at reasonable cost, apply one hundred l)ushels of slacked lime per
acre, to neutralize the acid in the ground and prepare the soil to feed a
growing crop) ; plant to corn or sow to oats or barley ; if to oats or bar-
ley, sow mammoth clover. Let clover stand till ripe; cut the top for seed,
with reaper; plow under the clover stubble, j)ulveri7.e thoroughly, top dress
with manure, and sow to wheat or rye ; follow with corn, plow late, pulver-
ize thoroughly, check-row three and a half feet each way, drop three grains
in a hill, cover with a hoe, (if early, four inches deep, if late, two inches
deep,) work the corn early and thoroughly, follow with oats or barley,
plowing two inches deep in the fall, to deepen, the soil and bring to the
surface^a clay sub-soil that will prevent too rank growth of oats or barley.
The clover seed that was plowed under with the stubble will probably seed
the ground sufficiently ; if so, let it stand until next season, and cut the
seed as before, and top dress with manure or commercial fertilizer, and sow
to wheat or rye. By following this course of rotation of crops, you can
secure a crop every year, and your land increases in fertility, provided,
always, that you do not let any stock run over it and tram]) the life out of
the soil. It is useless to spend time and seed in cultivating laud in a care-
less manner and expect remunerative croi)S. Thorough cultivation is re-
quired, on the best of lands, to insure large results. No hay, straw, or
feed grain should be sold from the farm, but should be fed to the stock that
will pay to keep and feed, and the products of the farm converted into live
stock, dairy products, poultry, wheat, and meat. Horace Greeley, in his
lifetime, told a great deal of what he knew about farming, and, among other
things, said that the best larmer was the one that made the most manure.
A great loss is sustained by many farmers by letting their ynanure lie in
the barnyard for months, and sometimes for years, and when it is carted to
the field 'there is nothing left but the fiber. Manures should be carefully
collected and kept under cover ; care should be taken to keep it from burn-
ing while decomposing ; water should be applied with a hose or otherwise,
to wet it, but not enough to leach it. By close attention to it in this way,
the li(iuid will be absorbed and the ammonia retained. The man who sells
hay. straw, and coarse grain oflT his farm may accumulate money while times
are easy, and while his farm has so much of the richness of the virgin soil
left that it can endure a few years of absolute starvation wit^out immedi-
ately giving evidence of the extraordinary strain that is being put upon its
resources, but sooner or later the day of reckoning must come to the ftirm
that is systematically starved in this way. Clovers of all varieties are the
best green crops to plow under for fertilizing the land, but too many farm-
ers deceive themselves and cheat their farms by sowing clover to fertilize
their land, and wlien haying time comes cut the clover, make it into hay,
and sell it oflT the farm : and still worse, turn in their stock to eat the blade
and tramp the ground as hard as a board, and wonder why their land won't
produce good crops. It seems to be the prevailing opinion that timothy is
an impoverisher of land, but your writer is not of that opinion ; it is a ten-
der plant, more easily killed than wheat by late frost. We seeded four
acres with timothy arid mammoth clover, as they mature at the same time,
excepting that in'two or three years the clover would be killed out and
disa[)pear, but close observation taught me a lesson. In a warm-growing
season and no late frost, the grass was nearly all timothy, and when the

•«I'J

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Q UARTERLY I * EPORT.

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

41

4]

season was dry and late frosts, the j^rass was nearly all clover. I^Iiis lot
was not pastured by any stock except shoep in early winter. Alter ciiitin<-
a good crop of grass for eleven years, I plowed down the sod, top-dressed
with manure, sowed to wheat, had a good crop, followed with corn ; sowed
clover the last time the corn was cultivated ; catch was i^ood : the next sea-
son the clover and other green stuff was so heavy that it was diflicuit to
plow under; sowed to wheat, had heavv crop, followed with corn, etc., etc.
You must feed your land if you want it to feed you, and the cheapest' way
to do this is witli manure and green crops. It\yill not do to depend on
ground lime, or even slacked lime, for neither possesses plant-food. Nor
will It do to depend on commercial fertilizers. It is true that they will
stimulate and help the plant to start and increase the crop, but they cost
too much, and can be sui)j)lied with other material more lasting on the farm
Recai)ituIation : ^Fake olf all obstructions, underdrain all wet land apply
lime t ) neutralize acidity in the Land, plow well, harrow well, top dress
with manure or commercial fertilizer; sow wheat, rye, oats, or barley and
seed to clover to plow under when ripe; follow wheat and rye with'corn •
follow corn with oats or barley ; after oats and barley, wheat. ^ By followin^r
the above rotation, you can get a crop everv year provided that you do not
pasture any stock on the land, you cultivate in field crops, and your land
will increase in fertility.

LIFE AND HABITS OF INSECTS.

Abstract of a lecture delivered by Prof. W. A. Buckfioit, Entomologist of
the Board, at lUoomsburg, Pa., t)ecember 2, 1885.

It has seemed to me that at a meeting of this kind the consideration (.f
the ge^neral lue history of insects will be of more value than the considera-
tion of special cases, for there is much popular misapprehension as re-ards
insects, wl.at they were, how they live, how they may be destroyed &c
Moreover upon the facts as derived from a study of the life history of in^
sects are based the special means employed in individual cases whereby
noxious kinds are destroyed and useful ones protected. Insects are found

Srblo t'; "T"'f ""T ''" ""'^^^ '''''''''' '''' '''^-'^ conditions a e
favoiable to their developments and sustenance. It is scarcely necessary

:^uXs 'TtTs'nor ''' [rf '''''' ''r''''' frequently present i'n enormou-I
iKiinbers. It is not so well known that there are also enormous numbers

dedritr/h '^'''^?- r^ ''"?^' ^^"^'^>'' ^^' '''' ^^^tles, contains not 1 un-
dreds but thousands of species which have been, to some extent at least
stiidied and collected. Although so numerous in both species and indivh -'
nais there are certain characters in which they are alike sul stan d
though ranging greatly in minor details. Insects are re at i^ve y ^^^^^^^^
mals, and have bodies which, in the adult state, are dl ded nto th ee weU
marked regions, head, thorax, and abdomen; thev have also ioi ted Ws
and one or two pairs of wings, except in occasional instance ()f^
value than anything else, however, is the metamorphosis which is ino le or
less conspicuous in all this class of animals

cis" "The'e^ri'ofTnZJr' """^ «^^"^^^^^"t exceptions, are reproduced from
eggs. I he eggs of insects are necessarily small, but they vary verv much
in numbr, shape, size, and markings. When many are placed tocret^eithev

irotfcTs'S f^^^^^^^ ^.^ ^ .Wutino\/:nVstance"wtii^

piotccts them from moisture. The eggs are not layed promiscuously, but .

are placed with considerable care, and for this purpose the female insect
has generally peculiar or special appendages at the posterior end of the
bod3^of sucii shape and general structure that as the eggs issue from the
onduct they slide ea«;ily into the designed i)lace. The inpositing apparatus
varies from a simple one used only for guiding and placing eggs in regular
rows to a very complicated one where hard material, even the hardest of
wood, is i)erferated, in order that in it or perhaps beyond it the eggs may
be placed. In common with the instinctive and inherited methods of egg-
laving, all insects make abundant provision for their young, either by pro-
viding food for them before hand or by placing the eggs in such positions
that tlie young can easily reach the food fitted for them. Pausing to note
whatever of practical value can be derived from the general life history
of insects the question is at once suggested to what extent, if any, can
injurious species of insects be held in check by destroying their eggs.
Where eggs are rendered somewhat conspi{aious. either by reason of their
size or the manner in which they are grouped together, it may be practica-
ble to collect and destroy them. A number of the moths, whose cater-
pillars draw the leaves from fruit trees, lay their eggs closely together,
covering them with a thin coat of varnish to protect them from the weather.
From small trees such egg-masses can be collected, particularly after the
leaves have fallen, and it is unnecessary to say that small trees are the ones
which leel the ravages of such insects most sincerely. The little white tree
cricket lays its eggs in the stems of various trees and shrubs, particularly
such as have a large pith. The affected branches are seen quite easily and
can be cut off and burned. W^ere all fruit-growers to do this the injury pro-
duced by this insect would be reduced to a minimum. , • n

The hatching of the iigg gives rise to a younir form which is technically
known as the larvir. In most cases the animal is worm like, and the com-
mon name worm state is often applied to larvie. However unlike their
parent these larvic may 1 e, they are their natural progeny, and the worm-
like appearance is merely superficial, since this state is but a transitory
one oivino- rise to the adult form in due course of time, and hence, bear-
incT to it tiie same relation which infancy bears to manhood. These lar^vte
ha'^ve a remarkably good development of some organs, while others are but
poorly represented, if at all. The respiratory system is well developed.
Alon^- the side of the body are small mouths which communicate with tubes
runniTig inward, then lead*^to larger tubes running lengthwise of the body,
which divide up inti smaller and smaller tings, which are hollow and so
extensive that they make a fine net-work running through the whole body.
\n order that a liberal supply of air may be conveyed, these tubes are
everywhere held open by a delicate, spirally wound fiamant of horny mat-
ter ' Their breathing is not done through a single mouth at the end of the
head but through these lateral mouths and into their communicating hue
tubes Equally well developed is the digestive system of the larvae. It is
capacious and Well fitted for disposing of large quantities of food at fre-
quent intervals. To sav that larvae are possessed of enormous appetites
and are gross feeders is but poorly stating the case. Some larvae are fitted
for livinrr upon soft, juicy material, only their mouth parts being very sim-
ple and'inable to make use of food of any other description ; others read-
ily Vat and masticate ordinarv cellular tissue as found in leaves and fruits,
but are unable to use hard, woody tissue of stems and roots. Stdl others
find wholesome food in the hardest parts of tree triinks, through which
they cut with ease, and upon the nutritious parts of which they live. De-
tails of structure differ so much in larvji' that they call for individual de-
Bcription, and can be considered best by taking up individual cases, bince

42

Quarterly Report.

a large share of the injuries done by insects are done by them while they
are in the larva* state, it is then that some means oi* destruction is called
for. When it is at all practicable nothing can be more effectual than pick-
ing and destroying by hand. It may excite a smile to speak of trying to
exterminate insects by hand, but there are frequent cases where it is not
only the best, but the only practicable course. The oft-repeated case of
the apple-tree b^rer is precisely in point. Here we have often but a single
larva in a tree, definitely located at or near the base of the trunk, in a bur-
row whose position is marked by the discolored dust which the worm is
constantly pushing forth. Since the burrow runs for the most part upward
and, moreover, is more or less clogged by the wood libres and saw dust
which the knowing worm has displaced, it' is useless to attempt to disturb
him by throwiu": any corrosive substance into the burrow. It cannot reach
him. Vou must cut open the burrow, thrust into the enlarged opening an
iron wire bent into a hook at the end, and draw the worm out to be crushed
under foot. No better means have ever been devised, and, so long as no
preventative measures are taken, this must stand as the most effectual means
of ridding our trees of this formidable enemy.

The use of such substances as Paris green, whale oil soap, Ive, (fcc, is
founded on their well known corrosive effect, and as larva% are generallv very
tender skinned ; a comparatively small quantity or weak solution of such
substances may be quickly fatal. In practice, the difficultv of applying or
projecting these materials so that they shall accomplish the desired reslilt,
IS the most serious one. since so many larvae are shielded by living on the
under sides of leaves and beneath projecting scales, that it is not always
easy to reach them. The application must be determined by the circum-
stances in each case. Of late there has come into use a substance lon^^ known
and employed in eastern countries— pyrethrum powder. It is obtained by
grmdmg the flower heads of pyrethrum— a plant not unlike our common
ox-eye daisy. When this dust is drawn into the breathing tubes it proves
a very great irritant; and most insects are seriously affected by even a
small (piantity of it. Fortunately, it has no injurious effect upon oiher
torms of life, and hence can be used without fear of injury to anvthino-ex-
cept the insects. The drawbacks to its more frequent use are its cost, \tl lia-
bility to deteriorate with age, and to being adulterated by dealers. So
many insect larvje are found living in the ground, and sometimes so many
are found hibernating there, that it has been a common recommendation
where cut-worms have become bad, for instance, to plow late in the fall so
that the worms would be upturned, and being thus exposed, would be de-
stroyed by the trost of winter. The idea appears reasonable, but, unfor-
tunately, such experiments as have been made, do not seem to verify it
In other words insect larvje are able to withstand a degree of cold much
greater than ordinarily supposed.

Resuming the matter of general life history we find that, should the
larva, live out their allotted time, which varies greatly in different species
they pass gradually into a second or pupa state. .In some cases this is at
quired without any marked change in habit or actions, but in the majority
of cases their is formed about the body a special case or coverincr, either
of something picked up and built about the body, or of somethiuLr which
IS secreted by the larva itself, and exuding from the bodv fonns a s ken
cocoon which enwraps it. The protectionl)f the body seernsc^^L the use
of these coverings. Within them the larva gradualh^ beTomes chin d'
the body shortens, the true legs, wings, antenn.T, and' other parts appear
At the same time the internal organs become correspondin dy mortffied*
and the whole character of the insect becomes changed, whereby it is no

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

43

longer fitted for life, habit, &c., of a worm; but for those of an adult in-
sect. Through all these changes the cocoon serves as a most ellicient pro-
tection from the weather and from the attacks of enemies. However, co-
coons sometimes betray the presence of a pupa, when it would otherwise
escape notice ; and there are some instances where a ready means of de-
stroying injurious insects is found in collecting the cocoons and burning
them. It is, however, true, that many of our largest and most conspicu-
. ous cocoons are of harmless species, or of those which have never been
known to be present in so great numbers as to be specially injurious. Should
pupjc not meet with any serious obstacle in their growth, they will, in time,
become full grown adults; \\hich are technically known as images, thus
completing the triple existence which insect economy illustrates. Adults
show the highest development of bodily structure, and upon them devolves
the process^of reproduction of their kind. Indeed, this seems to be the
chief function possessed by them; and in many cases the whole time and
energy of image life are spent in making provision for the construction of
the s^iecies— no food being taken at all, or only that of the amplest kind;
so soon as pairing and egg-laying have ceased^ they die. For the most
part it is the shortest period of insect life. It is no uncommon thing to
find the first or larva life running over several years, the pupa as many
months, while the image lasts only as many days.

Thus liave been sketched in a 'familiar way the life-history of our com-
mon insects, simple enough to erne whose study and attention have been
frequently rewarded by seeing with li'S own eyes these different forms, but
ever a source of wonder, not unmixed with incredulity, from those whose
observation has been slight, and whose attention has been engrossed by

other things.

Realizing the difficulties in the way of a good understanding of this
method of metamorphosis, which is the key-note of all insect-life history, I
shall ask vour indulgence while I try to illustrate it again and in a some-
what different way, namely, by taking examples from the principal families
of insects and explaining them somewhat in detail. The simplest classifi-
cation ol insects groups them into seven great (arailies, each of which is
named after some character of the wings. They are Neuroptera (nerve-
winged insects,) Ortho})tera (straight-winged,) Ilenoptera Chalf-winged.)
Cleoptera (shield-winged,) I)iptera,^(two-winged,) Ilymenoptera (joined-
winged.) Examples of each of these families were then considered and
explained by the use of diagrams, injurious species being, for the most
part, chosen.

INSURANCE OF FARM PROPERTY.

By Samuel Neyhard, Esq., Bloomsburg^ Penna,

Bead at the meeting at Bloomsburg, Pa., December 3, 1885.

The business of iusurance of property against fire has so grown in pro-
portions during the past one hundred years, that it is now considered by a
majority of property-owners a necessary and ordinary incident in the ex-
pense account of property-ownership.

Insurance of property is that system of guarding against unforseen and
possible loss, by paying a certain sum for a specified period, as the price of
indemnitv in case the loss should occur. In effect, it consists in taking the
airgregate loss of property in general, and, by comparing the loss with the

44

Quarterly REroRT.

total value of property considered, we find the percentage of dan^^er. By
addinir to this percentage tlie probable percentage of cost in the manage-
ment of the business, we get a basis for determining the prol)abIe cost of
insurance. There are two general systems by which the business of in-
surance is carried on. One plan is kiiown as the stock plan, and the other
as the mutual plan.

In the stock plan a fund is raised, or supposed to be raised, as a capital,
by tiiose interested, and they assuming, as a matter of business, the in-
demnification for losses, agree to reimburse those who insure with them
upon their paying a specified sum, which is based upon the percent-
ages above mentioned, and to which is added such further sum as by expe-
lience may be necessary to cover the risks of capital and the profits de-
sired or attainable on carrying on the business.

In the mutual plan, there being no capital involved, and the risk of loss
being mutually undertaken by all who are seeking insurance, only a small
sum is charged, in the first place primarily to meet the incidental expenses,
and, secondarily, to be used toward the payment of losses. The losses,
however, are over and above what the small first payment affords, made up
by assessments pro rata among those who have, by their connection with
the association, become mutually liable, one to the other, for the losses as
they may occur.

Each of these systems have their advantages and disadvantages. I will
only remark here that, on the one hand, tiie insurers in mutual companies,
being really the owners and controllers of the affairs of the company, and
being widely scattered, it is claimed can never give its affairs that^ close
and careful attention that stock-holders do who have their money in-
vested in the stock, and looking to their capital for profit, must necessa-
rily attend closely to its management in order to protect themselves. On
the other hand, it is claimed that this verv matter of seeking larj^e profits
from capital invested, necessitates the laying of high cash premuims, and
that, unless the stock companies do get in a revenue much larger than the
actual risk, they become unsound, and are swept away by any unusual con-
tingency. ^ ^ ./

U a mutual company is carefully and properly managed, the saving in
profits on capital, and the greater amount of security by having all the in-
sured property liable for each particular fire or loss,'is certainly a great ad-
vantage. This is a great consideration for the farmer, whose small profits
at his business makes the slightest gain at any point important.

With reference to the risk, farm i)roperty is much more desirable than
town or city property, notwithstanding the great danger to farm property
fi:orali.irhtning,Mnd the want of facilities for putting out fires in isolated
buildings when started, and the inflammability of much of a farmer's personal
property, yet, in a town, incendiarism and nearness to other buildings with
the aggregate carelessness of many people, as well as the various more'dan-
gerous vocations carried on in towns and cities, makes the risk in town
property as has been shown, far in excess of that on farms. It has been

m. . ." : V............... v.v.^aou.uuu uj' uusmess losses and hard times.

I his, in towns and cities, affects not only those who are moved by such
tempations, but the property of innocent owners, who are aflfected by the
burning or destruction of their neighbor's property. The farmer, however
IS se Idoin the gainer by such fires ; his buildings are generally too valua]>le
to the farm itself to be sacrificed for their own intrinsic value, and the in-
convenience of being out of house and home, or shelter for stock as well

Pennsylvania Board of Agrtcultlre.

45

as the danger of losses to uninsured and uninsurable property, go, a great
ways to prevent the ofi^er of any temj^tation to get out of financial difficulty
by incendiarism on the part of the insured.

If the farmers can have a well-conducted mutual company of their own,
they can certainly insure each other much better than by any union of
operations with town or city property-owners. But herein comes the dif-
ficulty to be met, their very business separating them over a wide extent
of territory and tying them closely at home, is in the way against careful
and prudent management, and makes them liable to being misled by pro-
fessional sharpers, who organize for their own pockets, and soon lose sight
of the interest of their patrons.

Yet if fanners can unite and find a way of close supervision over their
business, they can, by mutual companies conducted entirely among them-
selves, make insurance safer and more economical than by paying stock
companies large profits, or joining miscellaneous property owners. One
way of accomplishing this object is to join an intelligent farmers' associa-
tion or order, and unite in the discussion of subjects there brought up ;
such an association gives you a better acquaintance with your neighboring
farmers, gives you a wider acquaintance, and opens your eyes to a great
many advantages to be derived in your business that you would not think
of otherwise; it also trains your own powers of thought and observation,
and enables you to see the ins and outs of a great many things. Then if
you find that those with whom you are associated are live, active, thinking
men, you can join with them, either in organizing a mutual insurance com-
pany, or in goins: into one already organized, but have no great unwieldy
affair, that depends on some central management of a large and boundless
extent of territory.

The company should not extend any farther than the intelligent manage-
ment can personally oversee without neglect of their farm duties; for ex-
ample, suppose a company organized with a central management chosen by
the whole body of insurers and the insurers in a small section, say one or
more townships had the right to vote for the selection of the agent for that
district, all subject to the approval of the central organization, give no per-
centage to agents to stimulate them to take large amounts, perhaps beyond
t le capacityof the property, but pay them for their work the same price
on each policy, big or little, and let their pay be about what they could
intike on their farm if not called away to attend to your application, and
you will find that you can wonderfully simplify the subject of insurance,
know more about what you are doing, take less risk, and pay less for your
insurance; such at least are some of the results accomplished heretofore,
bv pursuing such a polic3\

* Too large an insurance company, like too large a farm, is dangerous to
the farmer. In insurance of farm property, like farming itself, the more
he gives it his own personal attention, and the more convenient he has it
it fo*- his own personal attention, the better he will be satisfied with results.
On this basis farmers have been enabled to insure their property for ten
years at an average cost of less than six dollars per thousand dollars of in-
surance on each five-year policy, or a little over one dollar a year on the
thousand dollars. This has been done by farmers and by farmers alone,
and it can, without any doubt, be done again; it shields you from profes-
sional sharpers, because you do not have any such to deal with ; it protects
you from putting too much insurance on the property, because you have a
greater opi)ort unity to know or learn of the value of property in the dis-
tticts you insure ; you can know also who all in your neighborhood are in-
8ured,'^and equally liable with you, and you know that the same policy i>ur-

46

Quarterly Report.

sikmI in tlu' various districts in vvliicli joiir compan3' are working, are su-
pervised vvitli equal care as in j-our own.

Organize your own companies, and in such a way that you Lave your
own supervision, and do not leave that supervision to. well paid officers,
whose main object in the business is to make money, and you will find that
you are greatly the gainers as far as insurance is concerned.

GRAPES rOR THE FARM GARDEN.

By J. R. TowNSEND, Esq.. Bloonuburg, Penna.

Bead at Bloomsburg meeting.

I do not propose to give a long, or attempt to give a learned, essay on
this subject. I do not propose to trace the ori«in of the grape as we all
know It is one of great antiquity, and a fruit that is, at present, exten-
sively grown throughout the civilized portion of the world, and there is
proliabiy, no branch of horticulture, at the i)resent time, in the United
states which IS receiving so much attention as the cultivation of native
grapes while the large increase of acreage in some of onr States shows that
tiie cultivation of the grape is fast becoming a source of great wealth, and
It IS one of the principal features of this essay to draw the attention of mv
farming friends to the advantage that may be derived from the cultivation
of grapes in the farm garden. I simply i)ropose to give the result of several
years of experimenting with different varieties of the grape, in order that
varieties of grapes may be planted that are suited to our county, and that
my friends may plant grape vines that they can rely will produce fruit to
perfection. On many occasions, while traveling through our couhtv I
have frequently observed a very much neglected portion of seme well-Vul-
tnated farms and that portion was the farm garden, a part of the farm
that IS so closely connected with the domestic part of the farm that it
should by no means be so neglected. ■

tf,!/f " '""r "t^'™Pt a description of the usual farm garden, but only state
that, from fre,p,ent observation, 1 have noticed the entire absence of gra, e
vines and when, by chance, they are found in the farm <rarden tl ev are
mostly of an inferior variety, or in a very neglected state.l'roducing'^ery
little Irnit, and being, in fact, of no profit to the farmer "^

tiv^tln^lraref w/'rr'"' ^'f'' V'""*^ '^'''''""^ '"^' '*''«•"•« t'""^ '" «"!-
inatiiig grapes, and I have obtained considerable |jractic'3l informofin,,

from repeated experiments with different varietie o gi^^es until T think
I am in a position to tell my friends what varieties of^he gje aVe most
profitable and suitable to our county. At our county fair Aad on exhi W
t.on nine varieties of grapes, each one, or all. of wli ch 1 can confident v"
recommend as being profitable to raise, and for the benefit of my ?riends i
"T ^'^'' '"r"*'!'"*^' °*' ^^"^ ^'ff«'-e"t ^'^rieties. For ear y Irenes I td
The Early Hnghton " and "Moore's Early" are ursuLfscrijotl o1
them being tiinlty growers and prolific bearers of fV I 1 i

grown and tested several of " Rogers' nvbrids "M^L ol \ ''''"

and not subject to mildew like' the slow growing vLltie1™"f^
"Agwam," or "No 15," excellent, and for blauty'^of c SoT and llavo. of
berries can hardly be excelled ; while the " fealem '' n iV, i . i ^V .

native and " Rlack Hamburgh" is pro. oiuK^.d ln'ti,p L r '"V"''"" T
have tried it,.to have no eqiral'amolg th^llull^r^u^vSLViiCf I'e^or:

Pennsylvania Board of Aoriculture.

47

the i)ublic. There are many other varieties of -^ Rogers' Hybrids," all of
a ditferent flavor, and each possessing merits the others do not.

The '• Hartford rrolific " 1 lind very good, vines are vigorous and ex-
eeedindy productive. The '' Martha," a i)ale, yellow berry, a seedling ol
the ''Concord," but ripening earlier, and better in flavor, I have grown
with great success ; and last, but not least, the '^ Concord." Of all grapes
I do not know of any that can equal the '' Concord." It is a sure and safe
bearer, easy of growth, hardy, visjorous, and productive, and less disi)osed
to mildew than any other grape I have grown. Suitable for the table, or
as a wine grape, it may lack in flavor, but, as a prolific bearer, I have never
grown a grape to Cvqual it. When some other of my varieties may fail,
I can always rely on tlie "Concord " for grai)es. As wine grapes, I find
the '-' Eacciius " and the " Clinton " are among the best, being extremely
prolific, luid making an excellent wine.

While the grapes mentioned ])y me are varieties that are noted for their
excellent quabties, I do not wish to detract from the m.erits of many of
our new varieties that are constantly being introduced by our grape-
growers, such as the '' JefTarson," '' Lady Washington," '' Niagara," and
many others.

My farming friends may tell me they have no time to spare on grape
vines. Let me tell them there is very little time required to grow grapes ;
almost any soil is suitable, if not too'^wet, and there are few fruits that re-
quire so little care, and that gives such widespread enjoyment as does the
grape. A'ines can be grown within half a foot of a fence or building, and
many a corner and unsightly spot can be made to produce grapes, and the
little attention that is necessary is at a season of the year when the farmer
can do very little %rm work, while the summer care of grape vines is one
of the most pleasant occupations for ladies or other persons who cannot
perform the heavier duties of the farm.

Hygeinists agree in pronouncing grapes as among the best of fruits.
The grape possesses several rare qualities ; it is one of the most nutritious
of fruits for those in health, while physicians frequently prescribe it tothe
invalid. Let me assure my farming friends that grapes should be on the
table as often as they can be procured through the season, and not merely
on special occasions, but as an article of food that is wholesome and nour-
ishing.

I have now told you what to plant in the farm garden, but time will not
permit me, on this occasion, to enter into any details as to pruning and
training the vine, or as to the merits of the diflferent systems adopted by
grape growers. In conclusion, let me urge my hearers to plant out a
couple of dozen urape vines in the coming spring, and I think you will
find that, with care, this delicious and healthful fruit will amply repay for
the outlay in the farm garden.

POULTRY FOR PROFIT AND PLEASURE.

By M. p. Lutz, JUoomsburg, Pcnn^a.

Bead at Bloomahurg Meeting.

Nobody knows when or by whom fowls were first domesticated. There
are at most only two or three allusions to them in the Old Testament, and
these are of doubtful import. However, in the time of Aristotle, who
wrote three hundred and fifty years before Christ, they were evidently com-

48

Quarterly Kftort.

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

49

mon, for he speaks of them as familiarly as a naturalist of the present day.
The wild origin of our domestic fowl is entirely unk jvvn. The race is prob-
ably extinct. Tiie domestic turkey is not so far removed from the wild
state as the domestic chicken. There is no dispute about his origin, the
wild turkey not being yet extinct, and not dillering so widely from the
tenants of our barn-3^ards as to give room for doubt on that point. In fact,
if kept in the neighborhood of hirge forests they will often stroll thither,
without any desire to return, such is the natural wildness of their species.
The domestic goose has acknowledged the sway of man for ages, perhaps
since the days of Noah. Homer mentions them where Penelope, relating
her dream, says : *' 1 have twenty geese at home that eat wheat out of water,
and I am delighted with them." Their cackling, it will be remembered,
saved Rome from the Gauls three hundred and eighty-eight years before
Christ. Their wild origin is unknown, the wild geese of the present day
being of a different species. The origin of the tame duck is not a well
settled point. Dixon sui)poses it to have been imported to England from
India and China in or about the year 14 9>{.

We can hardly suppose that man has cared for poultry for over two thou-
sand years, and yet not be fully satisfied that they are* either a profit or a
pleasure. Yet this question is so often asked, and by so many different
kinds of people, that to answer it intelligently requires some explanation.
As facts are abundant I need not offer theories. Some people condemn
theories in toto, and when anyone is bold enough to advance a new one
they go for him with a vim which nearly frightv?ns him out of his wits and
theories alike. What a great mistake to thus condemn theory, for it is one
of the best things, when properly used, which the Creator has endowed us
with. What is successful practice but theory practically demonstrated ?
Theory must always precede practice, and all our discoveries, both great and
small, are the result of theory successfully carried out, and one is intimately
connected and dependent upon the other. What we learn may be taught us
by some one who in turn was taught by some one else, but if we trace it
back far enough we will find that some one with brains, having tried the old
way so long, thought there ought to be a better way. Straightway theory
came into play and by working out the theories carefully, new methods and
plans were developed and then put into general practice. Theory is only
distasteful and objectionable, as well as pernicious, when it has no founda-
tion and where there is neither opportunity or inclination to develop it into
facts ; but, as I have said, facts are abundant, and I shall not indulge in
many, if any, theories. I believe I am safe in saying that in no other de-
partment of the farm has there been such advancement of late years as in
the poultry yard, for one reason, that in no other department has there been
such neglect and abuse, and another is that there has been a general awak-
ening among the people to the interest of poultry— commonly called the
hen fever— the result of which has been to ^ive her a higher place. It has
been quite a common idea for a long time that poultry needed but little or
no care, and the idea was fully carried out in practice, insuitable arrano-e-
ments and wanton neglect characterized the general farm management ''of
the chickens. It is thought hy many that any old shed which will not
answer for a pig-pen, cow-stable, or dog-house, is plenty good enou^rh tor
fowls, and the fowls often show their better sense in choosincr the fences
anc ai)ple trees outside, rather than accept the palatial homes offered Tins
style of houses is not such as will tend to make the keeping of fowls either
pleasant or profitable.

Poultry keeping is no exception to the ^eneral principal in all business,
that neglect is very expensive. I speak with assurance on this subject, for,

as a boy, on the old farm I saw the results of the faultv manairement. Later
I have reaped the fruit of a better system. Nor was my father's manage-
ment of the poorest ; I doubt if there was a better in the vicinity. He
gave the chickens a warm house and always had them well fed, faultless
roost poles were in position, and cosy nests were arranged to tempt the egg
laying, but for a good part of the year it was only this and nothing more.
Cleaning from under the roosts, except at corn planting, giving warm drink
in winter or any drink at any season, feeding meat or vegetable food in
winter, or making the house light with ample sunny windows — all this was
never thought of. We got abundant eggs in summer when egsfs were almost
worthless except to aid in pastry and add a relish to the table, and had the
c^hicken stew, the roast, or the ftimous chicken pie whenever desired, and,
all ignorant thai more was possible, we learned wherewith to be content. I
would not say, nay, I am of the contrary opinion, that even with such care
chickens are not a desirable addition to every farmer's home, but would say,
and emphasize the truth, that there is a better way. Under the old system
poultry on the farm is, in some sense, a convenience and a luxury ; but un-
der a better system the convenience is increased, the luxury augmented, and
there is also a considerable profit. The poultry and agricultural press of
the country are doing much good b}' calling the attention of the farming
community to their especial interests. But farmers are very slow to aban-
don old usages and methods in keeping a breeding domestic stock. No
class of men have better facilities for raisingpoultry. Ample runs, orchards,
meadows and grain fields to roam in and pick up what is left after the plow
and reaper, and to feast on the grubs, insects and worms that infest the
vegetation and fruit trees of the homestead.

Now, if it pays to keep cows, sheep and swine, most assuredly it will pay to
keep good fowls. I know that on a farm a bushel of grain will feed a hen
a year and I know that it don't cost the farmer over fifty or sixty cents
at most. I know also that any of our modern imj)roved varieties will with
care lay at least ten dozen eggs during the year, these at twenty cents
a dozen gives the farmer a net profit of about one dollar and fifty cents for
each hen. Many of the failures and bitter disappointments in poultry
raising, as well as in other branches of human industry, can be directly
traced to not starting right. If you do not take the right road you will
never reach the desired point, no matter how hard you may push your way
along. The first step to success is to procure some prime fowls though
they may cost more than dunghills and mongrels. There are so many dif-
ferent breeds of fowls that there is certainly an opportunity for all lovers
of poultry to suit their fancy. The Asiatics are best fitted for limited runs
in cold and wet weather. They are good winter layers, well-behaved, quiet
and kind mothers. The Plymouth Rocks would doubtless suit many; they
possess a happy medium between the Mongolians and the non-setting breeds,
they are good layers, good table fowls and hard3\ The Leghorns, Ham-
burg, Polish, and Spanish dispute the superiority of the others, and ask for
a fair trial of their merits to prove that they are equal to the best. The
Houdan shakes her tufted crest in derision of such selection, and reminds
you that they have no plebian blood in their veins. I might go on and re-
view every variety and find excellent qualities to recouimeud them. The
best breeds are those which return to the owner the most money for the
labor and food expended. It is not necessary that the poultry-house
should be elaborately finished, either inside or out, nor any particular
style of architecture. A snug warm place in winter with glass windows
fronting the eastern and southern sides of the building; a box of road
dust, in which sulphur and insect powder are mixed, dry leaves, short straw,

60

Quarterly Report,

or chaflf strewn on the floor, a box of gravel, slacked lime, old mortcr,
broken bones, crushed oyster shells, and some charcoal or charred corn
constitute the chief articles needed for a winter poultry-house, or where
fowls are confined during other seasons. Nothing expensive or hard to
procure. A year's subscription to a good poultry paper or magazine should
be added, and yet the bill is not large. The dust box should be placed where
the warm rays of the sun will heat it.

Small grain thrown among the leaves, or other litter on the floor, give
the fowls exercise, and keep them busy during the cold days that they are
not allovred their freedom. Exercise is essential to good health, it promotes
a healthy action in the whole fowl economy, gives a natural warmth to the
body, thereby stimuhiting the e^yg functions to generous activity. This is
not all, do not crowd too many into one house ; keep the place clean. The
horse and cow stables are cleaned every day, why should not the hen-house?
Wash the roosts frequently with kerosene oil and whitewash all the wood-
work. An absolute necessity is a supply of good fresh water at all seasons
of the year, they should have it fresh daily, which can only be insured by
making it a point to furnish it regularly as the feed is given. When that
plan is once established it becomes a part of the regular routine and is not
neglected. Have some arrangement for watering, so that the young chicks
will not be tempted to drown themselves in the water-trough where the
horses drink. I presume some of my hearers will shrug their tired should-
ers at what I have presented, and with the thoughts of an already irksome
life, will muiter " too much work." But it will pay. To expect'that hens
will lay well in winter, when egg sare most desired on account of high prices,
without a correspondingly liberal amount of food and care, would be folly
in the extreme. Every year we see a constantly increasing demand for
fresh eggs, for they enter more largely into the cooking arrangements of
every household than any other thing we can name. I do not ask you to
engage in an enterprise that is already crowded, as we never hear of over-
production in the poultry business.

The supply is far short of the demand. The imports of eggs for 1884,
amounted to sixteen millions two hundred and eighty-seven thousand and
two hundred and four dozen, valued at two million six hundred and seven-
ty-seven thousand and three hundred and sixty dollars. Must we continue
to use the cheap labor of foreign hennerage, or shall we send a delegation
to Washington to secure the passage of an '^Anti-Foreign Hen Fruit Bill ?"
While the lobby is getting in its work let us press everv available hen and
pullet into service and persuade them, by good care andfeeding, to do their
best to increase the domestic Qgg supply. The egg trade of the country is
immense. It is estimated that the inhabitants of the United States con-
sume forty-five millions per day. New York alone consumes forty million
dozen annually. The question, "Does poultry keeping pay?" can be an-
swered much more to your satisfaction when I can point to particular in-
stances where care is repaid by profit. From reliable experimental records
kept by ten farmers one year, I find an average profit of one dollar and
nmety-six cents for each hen, the first cost of the hens being fifty cents
each. Here is about four hundred per cent, profit If ten farmers can
realize as above, why should not ten thousand do the same thino-? The
egg sui,ply of this country, as already shown, is over sixteen million dozen
short. o make up the deficiency we need about one million Ave hundred
thousand industrious pullets in addition to the present supply. So 1 feel
sale in saying that there will be a handsome profit for those who devote
more time to the care of poultry. Poultry culture is also an ennobling in-
dustrial pursuit. It gives permanent pleasure and recreation from its in-

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

61

cipiency to its termination. It refines the grosser part of our nature, it
aids us to appreciate their usefulness and to see with clearer mind and eye
those lovely objects })lumed in the most varied and transcendent gorgeous-
ness. Jf we only have our hearts fully in accord with our work we can find
real genuine pleasure in the pursuit of any calling or business, and breed-
ing poultry is certainly no exception. If a person does not find any pleas-
ure in feeding his fowls and caring for their want^ and needs he had better
give them up entirely, for the fowls are sure of being more or less neglected
sooner or later, and neglect or carelessness eft*ectually checks profit. Breed-
ing fowls for profit is not incompatable with breiding them for pleasure
too, and things generally go hand in hand. If you go at it to make a
profitable business of it and find no pleasure in your labor other than
that brought by dollars and cents realized, you stand a fair chance of fail-
ure. As a means of recreation for the hard-worked business man it aflfords
rest as well as diversion. A change of scene or occupation to the man of
care and business is a relief, a soothing balm to his burdened mind. Like
unto the tired and thirsty traveler who falters on the arid waste of the
Lybian desert, sighs for an oasis wherein he may rest his wearied limbs
and cool his parched lips. The man of care finds a pleasing relief after
the wear and tear of every-day life, to muse and look awhile on the varied
objects of nature. We see him now returning from his ])lace of business
and he becomes as if lie were a child again, gazing at this bud or flower, or
listening to the song of some caged bird. But what a change awaits him
at home ! Theie on the green sward stands his flock of feathered favorites
waiting his approach.

They see him 3ome and instinctively know he is wearied and out of sorts
by the furtive glance he casts aside. Cheerful creatures, they are nowise
selfish. The presiding chanticleer, like a faithful sentinel on the watcli
tower, gives one of those peculiar screams of warning, the\^ rise on foot and
wincrand flutter around his fe«'t. The mind of our care-worn man receives
a new impulse. The labors of the day are forgotten, and the thousand and
one odds and ends of business which weigh on his brain like an incubus,
are lulled to rest as if by magic. Cold selfishness gives place to syin])athy
and kindness, and worthy asj)irations bow in humility to the Creator's
works before him. What a change ! I'he groveling and speculative man
who, a few hours before, thought of nothing save the manipulation of stocks
or a corner in some speculative enterprise; see him now in the midst ol his
pets talking to this or that bird like a child ; see him stroke the glossy
plumage ol his Leghorn pullet, and hear him interrogate her on the number
of eggs she has aid thus far ; see him smile when the consequential l^antam,
with trailing wings and on tip-toe, steps in front to receive his caress ; see
him yield to the gentle pressure of the hand, how pleased he seems when
he hears his master say, " that Seabriiiht is a clever fellow." One by one
they pass before him in review. He examines the comb of this one to see
that it describes a perfect arch, or the lobes of another if they are free from
spots and wrinkles ; see him now balance the Langshan in his hands, and
hear him mutter to himself, '' This fellow, if he keeps on, will beat Jumbo
yet." The coquettish Iloudan hen peers from behind her turbaned veil like
a Moorish maiden and bides her time. She is recognized by her ornamen-
tal dress, and is dismissed with the words, *" Good layers, those Houdans."
The sprightly Haml)urg, moving like a clipper ship in full sail, receives well-
merited praise for its beauty and productivensss, while specimens of lesser
n3te file along the smooth turf in their best appearance awaiting a Kind
word from the care-worn man. But the shades of evening are drawing
nigh, and as the birds depart to their accustomed roosting place, a serene

52

Quarterly Report.

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

58

I!

I
,1-

i

\

smile seems to play on the man's face as he enters his mansion with a
lighter heart and lighter step for being in company with his fowls, and for-
getting for awhile the cares of life.

BEE-KEEPING.

By 11. 11. Brown, Esq., Light Street, Penn'a.

Bead at Bloomahurg meeting.

Bee-keeping is a pleasant and in-odtabie pursuit to those who determine
to make it a success, by devoting time and labor in becoming fullv ac-
quainted in all the details of its management. And I feel assured" that
millions of dollars worth of honey is lost every year, of which the farmers
of this country might avail themselves to a great extent, and for their
trouble and expense receive from twenty to one hundred per cent, profit on
the investment. It needs but little capital to begin with, and they can be
kept on a very small space of ground, for many are kept, profitablv, on
roofs in large cities.

And farmers caYi keep a few colonies, and, by giving them the proper at-
tention, and, at the proper time, can secure from the blossoms and flowers,
which are to be found in abundnuce in rural districts, secreted with honey-
ready for the bee's visit to gather for its own and keeper's use.

l^he farmer will not only be the gainer by the honey gathered, but also
by the visits of the bees to the blossoms of his orchards and fields, as it is
necessary for some insects to carry the pollen from the male to the female
blossom to fertilize them, or otherwise they would be barren, or nearly so.
If at the time of the blooming of onr apple or cherry trees we should have
a week of cold, stormy weather, so that the bees or other insects cannot
work on the blossoms to assist in the work of fertilizing, we will not have
a full crop of fruit. And again, if the bloom of the buckwheat contains
much of a secretion of honey, the bees will work daily upon it, and the re-
sult will be the blossoms will become fully fertilized, and there will be a
large yield of buckwheat. The white and alsike clover have very short
blossoms, and they secrete large quantities of honey, and the bees work on
it from morning till night, and by this becoming fertilized are well tilled
with seed. It is not so with the red clover, as the blossoms of the first
crop are deep and very narrow, so much so that the bee's tongue is too
short to reach the honey there secreted. And as the much-abused humble
bees at that season of the year are very scarce, as it is the only bee that
has a tongue long enough to reach the honey, there are but few blossoms
lertilized, and the heads are barren.

And thus it plainly shows that the bee was created for the purpose of
assisting the fertilization of the different plants, and that the honey was
secreted to induce the bee to visit the flowers to gather the honey and
pollen, and thus we secure through the bee the delicious honey

The location does not so much depend on the successful kcopinir of bees
as the manner in which they are kept. Many farmers keep t.ieir bees in
such a way that you conclude they are either too indolent or icrnorant to
make them a success. The kind of farmers who can keep beel_at least
colonies enough to furuish honey for their own families, if not to sell are
the ones who have the sense to prepare theiV ground and plant their crops
m the proper season, instead of waiting until the moon gets in the ri^ht
8i,n;n. To be successful you should have a love for bee-keepincr and you

should do the right thing, and at the right time, and that requires knowl-
edge. And you can acquire that by reading some standard work on bees,
and by the use of practical observation. Where bees are kept on the prin-
ciple that it is a business, and that it requires some energy to care for
them, tliey will conclude that for pleasure, health, and profit it will com-
pensate them well for the ti-ne and attention given to them. Bee-keeping
seems especially adapted to women, as it requires patience and attention
rather than strength. There are many women to-day engaged in bee-keep-
ing, and they have not only made it pay, but have gained much useful
knowledge, besides enjoying a pleasant out-door exercise by caring for
their bees. Many, with limited means, can procure a few colonies of bees
and, with the proper care, can make quite a profit \At\\ a small outlay, and
idso have a supply of pure honey for their table. Mrs. L. Harrison, one
of the most noted writers of agriculture, whose health, at one time, was so
reduced that her physicians said she could not live, but apiculture did for
her what her physicians could not do, restored her health, and gave her
such vigor that she has been able to work a large apiary for years. Mrs.
L. B. Baker, of Lansing, Mich., who has kept bees successfully for quite a
number of years, says : She has tried both keeping boarding-house and
apiculture, and she gives bee-keeping the preference as more profitable,
healtliful, independent, and enjoyable.

The fear of that terrible bee sting, which every bee seems to know so
well how to use in self defense, and in protecting its stores, may prevent
many from bee-keeping. But by the use of a bellows smoker, and a bee
veil, you need have but little fear of being stung.

Wax is one of the products of the bee, and is produced by the bees con-
suming about twenty pounds of honey to make one pound of wax. The
wax exudes from the under side of the bee's abdomen in thin flakes. And
then the bees, with their mandables, press and work it in the comb to store
their honey, and rear their brood in. Wax is used by the bee-keeper in
foundation for starters in the brood frames and surplus section. It is
made by running thin sheets of wax through a machine consisting of two
rollers, and it forms the base of the cells and slight side walls, thus ena-
bling the bee-keeper to secure straight combs by its use. A colony of
bees consists of the queen, workers, and, at certain times of the year,
drones.

The queen's place in the colon}' is simply to lay eggs, and she is capable
of laying from two to three thousand a day, and slie can, at her will, lay
either worker or drone eggs. The life of a queen is from three to five
years, and the life of a worker is only from three to six weeks in the honey
gathering season, and a colony contains from thirty to forty thousand bees.
It j)lainly shows, to meet the great loss of workers, the queen must be a
proliiic layer. The queen can be hatched from any Qgg if not over six
days old, that would have produced a worker bee, in twenty-one days by
enlarging the cell containing the q^^^ and supplying it with food called
royal jelly. The queen, six to eight days after hatching, will leave the
hive on a pleasant day on her marriage flight, and, if successfully mated,
she will begin to lay about the second day after her return, after which she
will not again leave the hive unless to accompany a swarm. The worker
bee will hatch in twenty-one days from the ^'^g. and their labor for the
first two weeks is in the hive, to care for the feeding of the larva', sealing
of the cells, and receiving honey from the bees as they come in loaded, and
deposit it in the cells, and seal them iq) when the honey is properl}^ ripened,
after which time they become honey gatherers. The drone, or male bee,
lives on the labor of the worker, and is only of use to fertilize the young

54

QCAKTERLY REPORT.

queen, and as soon as ti.e honey flow slackens, the workers drive tliem out
ot the hive and kill them, as they are only considered as consumers It
Has always been a query how the bees could store tlieir honey in the cells
and have it remain there without running out. Tlie past season I observed
a bee begm storing honey, in a cell next to tlie observation glass, in one of
bZo o7h' u !r'' "".^''o^e examination, that the bee had covered the
ttovot.trllr'' %^'""' tenacious film, and when the bee wished to
fnH inWf 1 .? ."'"''•^' '""'''^*'*' -ts tongue through and under the coating
and njecte.l the honey beneath, and. as the cell lilled the film, moved out-

to cf 'o'^r """ ''°"*'^' "' '*'''°'' """' *'''' ''''" ""^^ ""'■'' '^"^ '■^^af'y

JmoTZlIZ, *? ^Tl- ^''' '^ '" necessary to adopt a hive with mov.able

wil be n nni •■'■']"■? 7°" '"".'•"■"'^ '" constructing it the better it
wii be And of the kind of bees to have, after having the black Ifdian

or'i;i "pi: pSe'r" An"' ^""" ''Z'' ' '''"^'^^ *"^ lea'ther-col^rti UalTan
lor all purposes. An inexperienced person should not begin with more

than one or two colonies, as they will increase in numbers perlia^ s as fast
as us experience and knowledge increases. The best time'^to p^ relmse s
n the month of May, and then do select on account of weight as to o nan
t.ty of bees the colony contains. For, at that season of the y^a, ft is lest
npcfr/^ colony strong ; for, if yo« have plenty of beesf you may ex
pect early strong swarms and surplus honey. The swnrrain.^ season Is one

nier" Vben'The'rl '' " """ '''' ''''■''''^'' ^^-"^ '- increaTeof eolo
r^!l *i \ , ^ ^^^^ ^^'"■™ '^^"e« it is accompanied with the old oneen
and the bee-kee,,er should be in readiness with a hive and ■ s soon asXv'

to'lLtf "hi'el'Z;'";""/" i''^"' r' ""' -^ the 'sti which thy't^
hv wfiP' ^ * *"^ ^"'^'''*' ^""y^ a'^ter the first swarm issues you miv

tt. firs ouein H ?' '' ""^ f^' °'" *''^ '"^•*^' ''^'^^ '^ peculiar pe;, in" fo\'

S: s atr !Ie' l:.. g 'of X S-s^^^^a^S i"^*^t 1 jncrlase'thereS
the cells removed exeent one aL TLT ^.f ^'"''^ '"'^"'^ ^^ ^Pened and all

and storing in them VVhln fh. I., n '"P-^ *''"" ^"^ ^''g'" '^"'''""S comb
removed, o^r the i.ees movW ove S ^^Z'l'-?''^,^''' ^'""^^^ ^"«"'^' ^e
bee-keeping has been the winte ing of them sa e'l v U-^'%' f"iculty in
the average loss in wintering tl>„ LII ■ f^ /' ^' '^ ^^'^ to say that
twenty to fifty ,e cen ^IW, ; f ^^e northern States has been from

twenty to twent>'.flvo ?> unds of 'honr'*'''';'^:, ^""f"^ '" ^''''''ff' ^"'1 ''«ve
winter'ed at a loss' not e!: "tgl'rre^em '' The n'7":^ "•-"'^^^ ''" "'
not lost a colony wintered in bovP«L 7 • . P*^*^ ^'^^ winters I have

and fifteen inchis I igh at L rTaT m riir'-^'f" ^^^'t I«nfr,two feetwide.

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

65

facing one way, and have a tunnel from each entrance, so the bees may fly
out whenever they desire ; and so you can remove the entrance-block and
remove all dead bees during the winter. I prefer no upward ventilation,
but cut a winter small passage through the combs, about two inches below
the top-bar, so the bees can get from the outer combs to the cluster. Do
not let the entrance become clogged with dead bees or you wall lose them
by smothering. In conclusion, ''the number of colonies in the United
States in 1881 was three million, and the honey produced for that year
more than two hundred million, and the cash value was sixty million dol-
lars. And this nectar would all go to waste if it was not for the bee-
keeper and his bees. They thus save to the country that which would
otherwise be lost. Apiculture is thus adding immensely to the productive
capital of the countr}', and should receive the fostering care of the State.

57

EDUCATION OF FARMERS' SONS AND DAUGHTERS.

By Mrs. Mary Y. Bowman, Berwick, Po.

My desire to see farmers' sons and daughters educated into fine typos of
broad-minded, strong-natured manhood and wcir.anhood, influenced me to
accept 3^our courteous invitation to write a paper for this occasion on the
*' Education of Farmers' Sons and Daughters.''

Proteus, the story goes, could assume many shapes to escape the inter-
viewer. His many sons and daughters no doubt inherited his propensities,
and passed them on to succeeding generations. When members of the
family first came to America is not clearly ascertained. Perhaps with the
great navigator, whom they may have granted to be now Colombo, and,
again. Colon, or Columbus, and to lie buried at the same time in two differ-
ent places, for a perplexity to the archjeologist. However that may be,
here they have been found in increasing numbers ever since, assuming
forms, corporeal and incorporeal, as multiform and elusive as their great
original.

According to ad accounts, Proteus must have been a most exasperating
person, and certainly his descendants have proved, like him, a perplexity
and a plague. That they should be such to the rest of mankind is not sur-
prising; for, like the dwellers in Plato's cave, they are for the most part
satisfied with the shadow, ignorant, or indifferent if there be a reality be-
side.

Strange to say the foes which baffle us are often of our own household
and among closest friends. You have a suspicion that all is not honest
about them, and that they are but the shadows of some cunningly devised
scheme of wrong and conceal their identity. With the best motives, how-
ever, we may well consider whether the gain resultant can compensate for
the loss and confusion which are likely to arise.

Hence, we must take humans at their face value, and regard them as

what they claim to be, and do that which seems best in view of the peculiar

circumstances in each individual. But, while my sympathies are enlisted

in the best interests of farmers' sons and daughters, yet I am tempted to

make this short and pithy quotation from St. Anthony*s sermon to the

fishes :

*'Tlio pikps went on stealing:,
Tlic eels wont on eolin^,
Miu;b (leiigbted were ihey,
]5ut preferred the old way."

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Quarterly Report.

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

67

II

1

On reflection, however, there is advanced thought among farmers regard-
ing the education of their sons and daughters, and many tliink, as a wise
ohl book says : '' The world is saved by the breath of school children,'' and
desire to make this breath of life sane, strong, and pure. He was prudent
who, in answer to the can't about not prejudicing a child's mind, replied
that he would prefer to ' prejudice ' his garden plot in favor of straw^l^erries
thnn leave it to chance of purslain.

It seems to m9 education is commenced at the wrong time. It should
begin in the cradle, and that presupposes educated mothers. It requires
years of study and preparation to tit persons for success in secular trade
or profession, if they set up in business without careful preparation, we
would wonder at their audacity. Yet, how many parents are ignorant of
their duties, and have not given ample time to preparation for a life work
requiring such a diversity of gifts, and involving so much responsibility in
si)iritual and secular things. The best men and women of the past and
present are those wh<) have had educated mothers, truly, '' the hand that
rocks the cradle moves the world."

Mothers do not discriminate, do not observe the different treatment ne-
cessary in educating the vigorous and the weak child, many have not in-
formed themselves at what age education should commence; and that the
powers of growth must not be interfered with, but obsei've cases commenc-
ing earlier \^ith some and later with others, and not allow time to pass by
to make good and useful impressions if it can be done with j)erfect safety
to the general health, and that the mother education consists in developing
the articulate capacity, in cultivating an interested observation of surronnd"
ing persons and things, (for the activity of the eye is verv early,) and the
child should be taught to connect names with the various objects, and
mothers should realize fully that the further they advance a child in these
three branches the belter is it fitted for the more methodical instruction of
the school. But, say mothers, ''Oh, it takes so much time." Why just
think of it ; they are rearing men and women who are to live through time
and eternity. They should not let their children be left to the chances of
unreasoning custom, impulse, fancy, ana the suggestions of ignorant nurses
and prejudicial counsel of grandmothers. Parents should get nearer to
their work away with doing it by proxy. '' Every man is a debtor to his
profession, and in no position in life is it more true than in mothers and
lathers, their personal influence, where does it end ? It has been well said :
' It 18 only the educator who can appreciate the influences which have gone
before his own, which are running parallel with them, and will come after
them, that is in a position to judge of the course to be pursued."

And now the only hope of improving our schools is by improving our
teachers Here is the first step for the advancement of popular education.
Good schools, through the administration of ignorant and unskilled teach-
ers, are impossibilities. You cannot get good teachers for small pav, and
school directors and others should take for their consideration the reply of
a certain irate domestic to her remonstrating domestic : '' You can't expect
a good cook and all the christian virtues for two dollars a week " The
personal equation of the teacher may easily become the exponent of the

fo Zw II 1^"'? P'"r """^ f ^^^' '"'^^^^' '-^"^^ ''^'-^^ ^'^ inspiration it is
to tha well-qualif,ed teacher and mother if there is a chain, and every day

an added link, from the home to the school. Farmers have on their table
agricultural newspapers and magazines in which they gl an hovv best to
raise cattle, and are their children not of greater valued L^d^it not as
necessary to have educational journals also on their table and herein st id v
well, how best to rear their sons and daurhters ^ ^

Let us glance at a few definitions of education. We find the ideal of the
founders of the Prussian national system is given shortW as " the harmoni-
ous and ecpiable evolution of the human powers." James Mills says : ^'The
end of education is ' to render the individual, as much as possible, an in-
strument of happiness first to himself and next to other beings.' "

From the farmers' families of the present, in ])osse^sion of a rich inheri-
tance from the past, we will pass to the farmers' families of the future;
from this age of invention, to the age of culture, and draw aside the mys-
tical veil, and invade this ideal realm of the future, to find that the possi-
bilities of tlie ])ast and present will, in the future, become realities. With-
out recapitulating we will remind the farmers present of uni)erformed
duties. Surely the wisdom of the generation we have just passed from,
will protect the farmers' families, by w^holesome laws that will control or
subdue the awful traffic of intoxicating licpiors, that blasts the hopes of so
many families, and casts a shadow over every heart. The culture of the
tobacco plant will also be prohibited by law. Its pernicious use will no
longer im])air the physical and dwarf the intellectual powers of those upon
whom the burden of maintaining this government must rest.

Tlie question of the inferiority of women will no longer be mooted.
Time, women, and intelligent men will have grappled with and settled it.
In her true sphere, she will, in the future, be the acknowledged equal of
man, in religious, domestic, and civil aflrairs,and in all of the reform move-
ments and lawful avocations of life.

Compulsory laws will exist in regard to attendance at public schools,
where industrial training will form the true basis of all teaching. This
kind of training will iielp all to become self-supporting, and thus suppress
vagrancy and crime in this favored era. Protection to the sanctity of the
homes scattered over this great prairies of the west, on pleasant hillsides,
and lovely vallevs of the east will be secured. Then, indeed, will the
farmer's family become the bulwark of the great republic. His will be an
Arcadian life, such as inspired the poet Longf3llow, and we will all aspire
to that ''true grandeur of nations," of which the gifted Charles Summer
had prophetic visions, and, freed from the harassing cares and anxiety of
city life, will form such home centres that no member will ever wander
from their over-shadowing arch.

*'No clierislied ^ood has earth.

8o dear to man as home, wife, children. All
It liolds beside, to iiim is little worth,

If these he may not call
His own, by riu^ht divine.

And woman loved, whatever else she lack,
With liusband, riiildren, gathered at her shrine,

Wins the lest Eden back.

FRUITS FOR FAMILY USE.

By G. HiESTER, member from Dauphin,

Head at Bloomsburg meeting.

In my former papers on fruit culture presented to the Board, I have
treated the subject as viewed entirely from a business stand-point, and have
urged the growing of fruit as a pleasant and prolitable occupation. I now
propose to make a few suggestions as to the importance of planting fruit
in the 'garden, and its use as an article of every-day diet for the farmer.

58

Quarterly Report.

Pennsylvania Board of Agricllture.

59

It has always been a matter of surprise to me, in travelinj^ over the coun-
try, to see so many farms that are almost entirely destitute of fruit trees,
and to see lar^e families of children raised on bread and molasses, their
diet beinc varied occasionally with salt })ork and salt beef, the only fruit
they ever taste being such wild berries as they can gather in the woods and
along neglected fence rows ; and this, too, in a country where an abundance
of choice fruit for a large family can be liad the whole year round for less
cost than is required to raise and fatten one hog lit for the butcher.

In the general distribution of labor on the face of the earth, a great deal
of hard, unpleasant, and not very remunerative work has fallen to the lot
of the farmer. It is generally admitted that even with the best of manajre-
ment he cannot expect to make any large m.oney gain as compared with
many other vocations. At the same time he is obliged to suffer many pri-
vations by reason of his comparative isolation from society, and many dis-
appointments and losses from unfavorable seasons; but to counterbalance
these disadvantages, a kind Providence has placed Avithin his easy reach
the choicest fruits in almost endless variety, and, ripening at all seasons of
the year, we cannot help but know that they were given for his own
sj)ecial use, and to compensate him in a measure for the many disagreeable
tasks he is obliged to perform.

Who has a better right to the choicest of Nature's stores than the class
of men who, by their unceasing toil, force the earth to yield food for their
entire race? Who, by careful study of Nature's laws, have acquired the
knowledge that enables them to multiply varieties at will, so that from a
few wild fruits given as a start, they have created thousands of varieties,
beautiful to the eye and delicious to the taste. I claim that the best of
everything raised on the farm is not too good for the use of the farmer
himself.

It is a duty that every man owes to his family, to make his home as com-
fortable and attractive as possible, to surround himself with every luxury
that his means will admit of, or his farm be made to produce.

As my topic is fruit, I will confine myself to that one item, although

there are others, equally important, that are as much neglected in many
localities. -^

It is unnecessary for me to take up valuable time now trying to prove
that ripe fruit is wholesome; this is a fact long since admitted by every
one, as is also the fact that a diet composed largely of fruit is the most
comfortable and healthful that can be adopted, especially in warm weather.

Besides, there is nothing more convenient to have in the house ; it is
capable of being served up in so many ways, and presented in so many dif-
ferent forms, that it is quite a relief to the lady of the house, in plannincr
the great number of meals she is obliged to prepare each year, if she can
have her pantry well stocked with canned and dried fruit that is out of
season, and the garden constantly yielding its supply fresh from the vine
and tree. And, as often happens, a friend will call just at dinner time on
a busy day, when, to save time, a very plain meal has been prepared, now,
by simply addmg a nice dish of preserves and a can or two of peaches or
pears smothered in cream, if berries are out of season, this lAam meal is
turned into a lunch fit for n king, and no apology is necessary. Your
friends will enjoy their nnal and the farmer's wife will enjoy their visit,
with nothing to regret or be ashamed of.

Take away the fruit and .you take away one of the chief attractions of a
country home-you turn a paradise into a barren waste, and make a home
.^^rl , f ^!/^»^'l^ ''^n will ong to get away from, (iive your children
plenty of fruit, and they will always cherish the memory of their child-

/IS

hood's home they will leave it with regret, if they leave it at all — and it

will always remain a green spot in their memory.

Eyery well-regulated farm should have a kitchen garden, fenced in handy
to the house, which will vary in size, according to the size of the family
and nature of the crops raised on the farm. In this a bed, at least thirty
feet square, should be devoted to strawberries. Two hundred plants will
be required to start it, if ])lanted in rows of three feet apart and one foot
apart in the row, and should contain one hundred of a good early variety,
such as Triumph of Cumberland, or Cresent Seedling, and one hundred of
a late variety, Kentucky, or (Jlendale. After the bed is once planted, you
can always get ])lants to start a new one when desired, and this bed thirty
feet square, if properly handled, will yield enough fruit to give a large
family a nice dish of berries each day during the entire season, besides a
few jars of iam, for use during the rest of the year. A row of currant
bushes can be planted in a border along the north, east, or west fence, the
room will never be missed, while the jelly made therefrom will be very
grateful along with a nice fat duck in the winter, or a leg of spring lamb

in the summer.

Two rows of raspberries, thirty feet long and six feet apart, one Hlack
Cap, and the other anv good red* variety, will yield all the raspberries re-
quired for table use and preserving, and will require two dozen plants for

On a trellis thirty feet long, running north and south, you can plant four
grape vines, two Concord, one Salem, one Pocklington, while around the
kitchen porch, or on arbors alongside of the out-buildings, can be planted
a few more Concord vines ; remember that with grapes, as with everything
else that we grow, a few vines well cared for will give a greater yield of
good fruit than a larger number if neglected. , . . ^ ^ i

In addition to the space taken from the garden, whicb is thirty feet by
fifty-five feet, occupied by small fruits, an acre of land should be fenced off
at some place convenient to the house for an orchard, in this can be planted
ten apple trees, forty feet apart; we will say, one Early Harvest, one Red
Astrachan, two Summer Rambo, two Smokehouse, two Baldwin two \ ork
Imperial; ten pear trees, twenty feet apart, we will say, one I y son, two
Bartlett, one Seckel, two Howell, two Beurre d' Anjou, two Lawrence;
ten cherry trees, twenty feet apart, three Black Tartarian, three Early Rich-
mond four common *sour-pie cherries ; eleven peach trees, eighteen feet
apart,' two Early York, two Early Crawford, four Late Crawford, tliree
Smock ; eleven plum trees, eighteen feet apart, four wild goose, three green
eao-e three German prune; eleven quince trees, eighteen feet apart six
OranW and five Rea^s Mammoth; and, in addition to these, it would be
well To plant two or three dwarf Duchess pear trees in the door-yard, where
they will be useful as well as ornamental.

1 have mentioned the above varieties not because I believe them to be
the highest-llavored, finest-grained, and in every way the choicest fruit that
grows but because they are all good hardy varieties, that succeed well in

entire season, ineusteaii i>e vancu i,.^ s.-..^ •■■■.r .•'. ,, ,

nnv individual. Just here, wliile on the subject of varieties, let me say 1
believe tlie leadinir cause of failure in fruit culture araonR our farmers is
the iilnntiug of untried sorts. They all want to have the last and the best
now fruit. The tree agent comes around with a book hill of (me pictures,
and tells wonderful tales about the hardiness and productiveness of his
new varieties, and the result is he buys the trees or vnes represented by

60

Quarterly Keport.

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

61

the highest colored pictures and also the highest price. A fter waitino- three
or four years for them to fruit he finds that he has made a mista^ke, his
trees do not bear the same kind of fruit when planted in the ground as in
the agent's book, whereas if he had bou«lit the same numl)er of trees of
some old and well-tried sort, he would have saved money by the operation
and would now te gathering fruit from them, both pleasing to the eve and
grateful to the palate. *^

The varieties of fruit tliat I have named above, will furnish strawberries
Irom about the Ist to the 2^t!i of June ; raspoerries from the middle of June
to the middle of July ; clierriesin July; peaches from the middle of Aucrust
to the middle of October; ])lums from the last of July to the last of Sep-
tember; grapes all through September and October; pears from the last of
August until March; apples all the year round, from the 1st of July until
the ast of the following June, besides dried, canned, and preserved fruits
m abundance the year round.

rJ\V'?^ cost of the trees, plants, and vines for this plantation, includino-
freight charges to any part of the State, will not exceed twenty-seven dof-
lars ; when properly planted and cared for no additional ou'tlay will be

h:;?!/^" :^1 f!^!!!^ ^!:"!' ^^ ''''''"!' --^ -"^l^- - -ality two dol.

not nff..rrl f^ ..V ^"'^- -..,.,,y. »v liui larmer is so poor that he con d

not affoid to spend so small an amount for this grand luxury even if noth-
ing was saved by its use ? ^ ^'^

1 leave you to draw your own conclusions on the subject.

BEST BREEDS OF DAIRY CATTLE.

By Wm. Fairweatiier, McLane, Erie county, Po,

Read ot Bloomsburg Meeting,

Ihe best known breeds of dnirv f^ni^^^ \r^ 4-\ •
ropresei.t the Brontcst amount of «,ht inraU hT , "'"»"»'" »<1

b, «™.<, the Hc, „.„., cow, r„ ,. ,.e„;,';,;L'rr!i, ,'„!;° .tTgr g3

f.n.ii, 0,0. „. aooooot of' ,„o ,.piTL''.r«rr r,;; g"3ri"u,f "^

'3

1

4

rapid concentration into a tough, leathery mass which will not again easily
mix with the milk, and Jersey skim-milk is a thin, blue, and not particu-
Lirly appetizing-looking compound. Another peculiarity of Jersey milk,
and one which is a source of great trouble to breeders, is the effect it has
on young calves, causing them to scour nearly all the time during which it
is furnished them for food. Anyone who is familiar with Jersey calves will
have noti'jed the unlhrifty ap])earance which they present while being fed
on the milk of their kind! 1 will here relate a little incident about a Jersey
calf. A friend of mine had one shipped to him from the neighl)orhood of
Philadelphia. On getting it home he was very much disappointed with it
on account of its unthrifty api)earance, and mildly wrote to the shipper,
asking what he fed his calves on, or whether he fed them at all. The char-
acteristic reply came back, that Jersey calves were always thin, it was a
peculiarity of'the breed. My iriend decided to try if he couhl cure this
*• peculiarity," as far r.s this particular calf was concerned, and put it on
an Ayrshire cow. In a few weeks it was as plump and sleek as anything
in his barn. This idea has not, I believe, been patented, and Jersey
breeders are at liberty to use it freely.

The breed next the Jersey in numerical strength is the Ilolstein. They
are a large, heavy-boned animal, and, on account of their size, have filled
the popular eye. The qualities of the Holstein, with one exception,
may be summed up under the heading of the adjective large. She is a
large cow% with large bones, a large milker, and a large feeder. The ex-
ception to which 1 have reference is her butter-producing qualities, which
are small. But, as there is a place for everything, there is a ])lace for the
Holstein. There is no doubt but that her native home of Holland is the
most concrenial to her w\ants, and that, wading in the luxuriant grasses of
that country, she is a more profitable animal to her owner than she can ever
hope to be'in this country, with its dry, hot summers and sunburnt pas-
tures. Yet, in the Western States, where grazing is free and corn is so
cheap that they use it for fuel, she may be made profitable, for she has,
without doubt, 'an enormous milk-yielding capacity, but it requires heavy
feeding to sustain it. Notwithstanding that individual animals of the Hol-
stein family have made good butter yields, the fact still remains the same,
that, as a breed, they are poor butter producers. Their position in that
respect being the lowest among the dairy breeds. Samples of Holstein
milk, from cows exhibited at the dairy shows, Islington, London, from
lh79 to 1888, showed, by analyses, an average of 2.96 per cent, butter Tat
and 1 1.8 solids. The average^iuality of milk sold by the Aylesbury Dairy
Company, of London, as determined by daily analysis, was 3.74 per cent,
of fat and 12.96 per cent, of solids.

In this paper, I have carefully avoided giving private milk or butter
records, for the reason that I consider them of no value in determining the
position of the breeds. I have, instead, given the most reliable tests, by
competent and disinterested authorities, which I could obtain. There arc
exceptions to every rule, and it would not seem a difficult matter for the
owner of five hundred head of cattle, to pick oui half a dozen, or even a
dozen cows, feed them high, and get returns out of all proportion to the
average yield of the breed. He then unfurls his fiag to the breeze wilh
the legend inscribed— T/ie largest milk and butter producers on earth.
Such has been done, and many have been deceived thereby. It will, there-
fore, behoove the wise farmer to make careful inquiries into the true in-
wardness of such loud-sounding statements.

1^he average farmer's idea of a milch cow is a large animal, something
that, after he has milked her for eight or ten years, he can, at considerable

62

Quarterly Report.

expense, make into foiirth-elass ((iiality beef, the question of feeding" several
hundred pounds of unj)ro(itable carcass, during the period of her rnilking
career, never entering his liead. Just think of a farmer, when buying a
mowing-machine, selecting one of the heaviest and most cumbersome make,
simply because there will be so much more old iron it when in it is worn out
as a mower and he has to dispose of it to the scrap merchant, or, think of
a man buying a twenty horse-power engine to do the work of a ten. It
will consume more fuel to do the same work, take up more room, and be
more expensive generally. Broad-gauge railroads were found to be less
profitable tlian narrow ones, and so it is with big cows in the dairy. Large
cattle for dairy i)nrposes are a grand mistake, and the form of the profit-
able beef producer is not the form of the economical milker.

We now come to the least numerous and yet most profitable of the three
milk breeds, viz: The Ayrshire. This breed of cattle originated in the
County of Ayr^ in Scotland, and has been carefully bred for more than a
century by the thrifty and painstaking Scottish farmer, as a model dairy
cow. The Ayrshire occupies a middle position between the two extremes
of Jersey and Ilolstein. She is a cow of medium size and economical
build. She yields milk in good quantity and of most excellent quality, it
being well fitted for either the milk retailer, or for the production of butter
or cheecfe. 1 will not tax the patience or the credulity of this audience by
giving a long list of milk and butter records to substantiate the value of
this breed. It is unnecessary, for the testimony of the best authorities on
dairy matters, goes to show that for the amount of food consumed, the
Ayrshire is the most profitable breed of dairy cattle. The Ayrshire
breeder is not dismayed at the enormous milk yields claimed for tlie Hol-
stein, nor at the abnormal butter records credited to the Jersey. He has
no ambition to emulate such yields, why? Because there is no money in
them, they do not pay, and those who are engaged in breeding Ayrsliires
have neither the time nor the disposition to engage in this milk record fab-
ulation. Ayrshires have not as yet been degraded into being used as the
pampered pets of the wealthy speculator, who expects to get his returns
cut of his cattle on the strength of fabulous milk and butter yields, by sell-
ing the descendants or relations of the wonderful prodigies at enormous
prices. On the other hand the Ayrshire is the poor man's'cow, and is prin-
cipally owned by intelligent and industrious practical farmers and dairv-
men, who expect to make a living out of the legitimate products of their
dairies. In the southern part of Scotland, the milk of the Ayrshire is used
almost exclusively in cheese dairying, and occupies the entire field.

I he cheese produced from Ayrshire milk is so much superior to the pro-
duct of the mixed milk of this country, that it retails generally at about
four cents a pound higher. It cm also be produced at less cost, the milk
containing a large percentage of cheese-producing elements. The cheese
dairies in Ayrshire yield an average of five hundred pounds of cheese to
the cow for the season, and such an experienced authority as Robert Mc-
Adam now of Rome, N. Y., says, that during twenty-seven years dairying
with Ayrshire cows, the average yield of cheese (excepting one year) w^s
over five hundred and twenty pounds per cow per annum. Compare that
w h he general yield of the factories in New Vork State, where three
hunaied pounds of cheese per cow is the avenge. The milk records of
Mr. McAdams dairy, as shown by the cheese factory returns for one
Tlk o7.i' '' ^'i^""'^ Sixty-four Ayrshires yielded* 66,l<)7 pounds of
n Ilk, or 344 pounds per day for each cow. making 0,121 pounds cured
cheese, being at the rate of one pound of cheese to 10,- \Vonnds m Ik
Having demonstrated the superiority of the Ayrshire as aVLilk and cSe

Pennsylvania Board of Agricultlre. G3

producer, let us now examine into her butter-producing qualities. In 1879,
at the London dairy show, an Ayrshire cow carried otf the prize for rich-
ness of milk, and in 1880, stood second on the list, the per cent, of butter
fat for the two years being 5.57 and 6.82. Dr. Sturtevant gives as the re-
sult of thirteen analyses of Ayrshire milk, an average of 4.83 per cent, of
butter fat. Ayrshire milk as analysed by the chemist of the Tennsylvania
State Agricultural Society, from cows exhibited at their annual show, at
Philadelphia, in 1884, showed 4.58 percent, butter fat, 4.1)0 casein, total
solids, 14.25. The mixed milk of eleven Ilolstein cows from a herd in
Chester county, for the months of April and May, on dry feed, showed, as
per analysis, butter fat, 1.82, casein, 3.75, total solids, 1 1.46. Tests made
by Pro f.*^ Brown, of the Ontario (Canada) lExp3rimental Farm, on summer
feed, gave an average for the thiee dairy breeds, as follows:

Fats, Solids.

Ayrshire, . . 6.85 15.25

Jersey, «^«9 1^.85

Ilolstein, 3.90 ll-OO

But probably the most useful, pra'jtical and trust-worthy account of the
value of a breed of butter-producers will be found in the following notes of
the tour of a model dairy in Scotland. On the 18th ddy of August, 1884,
the Scottish Dairy Association started on a three-months' tour among the
farmers in Ayrshire for the purpose of showing the improved methods of
making butter. They had a complete outfit of dairy implements, including
separator, butter-workers, testing appliances, cream-raising inventions,
churns, refrigerators, etc. At one farm for a week it took only two gal-
lons of milk to make a pound of butter. At other farms the quantity
varied from two or three gallons of milk to the pound of butter. Thus it
will be seen that the average quantity of milk, required for a pound uf
butter, in the district of Ayrshire (where, I need hardly state, the cows are
all Ayrshires.) was about twenty-one pounds of milk for one pound of
butter. In the State of New York, it takes over twenty-five pounds of
milk, on an average, for a pound of butter, and the comparison is still more
striking when we (ind the average yield of the best dairies of native cows
in that^State to be under 4,000 pounds of milk, while the general average
is under 3,<)00 pounds. In Ayrshire the general average per cow is 5,000
pounds for the season. Having shown conclusively, and proved by the
most reliable authorities on dairy matters, that the Ayrshire excels as a
producer of milk, butter, and cheese, what more is there to say in her
favor? I can onlv say, that if you wish to verify what I have said, try
her. Ayrshires can be bought to-day for less money than any other class
of thorough-breds, and experience will prove to you their value, that they
are easy keepers, economical producers, and for all dairy purposes com-
bined, the most profitable breed of cattle.

BEST WHEATS FOR MILLING.

By A. L. SciiocK, of Bloomsburg, Pa.

Bead at (he JUoomsburg Meeting.

Wheat has been cultivated from the earliest ages. It is the most valu-
able and hio-hest esteemed of all the cereals, and is second only to corn in
product] ven'ess. The increase of its cultivation and consecpient use as a
staple article of food, has marked the progress of agriculture and wealth,

€4

Quarterly Report.

m

and, in no small degree, the civilization of many countries \Vith this
growth of prosperity and refinement has come an increased demand for the
best quality of food, and hence the constant inquiry for the highest possible
grades of Hour. As the miller's success in producing this most important
article is as universally praised, as his Hiilures are condemned, it is due
him that his wants be supplied by growing the varieties of wheat best
adapted to his use. Indeed, so exacting have most consumers become, as
to the quality of their Hour, that modern milling is said to be no longer a
trade, but rather an art. This requires the miller to have a knowledirc of
tiie constituent elements of both wheat and Hour, that he may be abTe to
select the best materials for his purpose.

Winter wheat (and that alone interests us in this community) has ever
been in demand for milling. Beautiful in form, rich and sweet, less sus-
ceptible to injury from indifferent milling than its hiirhly-prized competitor
of the north-west, it has well been called the ideal wheat of the world.
J hat wheat for milling should be plump, sound, and clean, is admitted;
but as almost every variety may be made to fulfill these conditions, to-
gether wiih the fact that the actual amount of nutritious matter contained
in the different kinds does not vary sufllciently to be of serious importance,
shows that there must be some other requisite. This essential element is
the gluten of wheat. It is that property which gives a sticky consistency
to the dough, preventing the escape of the gases formed during fermenta-
tion thereby pulflng up the mass, and givincr it the cellular, spono-y texture
which characterizes fine bread. It also renders flour capable of'absorbino-
a larger proportion of water, thus increasing the quantity of bread pro''-
duced. and correspondingly enhancing the value of the Hour. The quality
ot this element is equally as important as the percentage contained; it
should be elastic and insoluble. There are, also, other conditions affectino-
the quality of wheat, but of so little importance as compared with thequaf-
ity and quantity of the gluten found, that this practically becomes the cri-
terion of Its milling value. This shows the importance of careful analysis
and investigation, and it is to be regretted that so little effort has yet been
made in that direction with anv practical aim in view

It would be useless to attempt to name all the desirable milling-wheats
Si i"" I' """ V'"".'^''!' ^^^^'^^^^--^^^eat sections, and we, therefore, will in-

S nf" f- f- 7' ""^ ^^'^ ^^^'^^"- ^^"'- ^^^^ long-berries hold the prominent
place of distinction among millers.

I ancarr'l'"i ^'^/'^''"^ 'T^ well-known of these varieties are Mediterranean,
Jrdf^^ ''^''^'''^' ""'' ''''^ "^ ^^'^t^" ^-"^ particularly

Id ted to onr lil'"' ;''i? ^r"'' ''^' '^'''' ^'^^^^^^^^^ They are also well
«i(i.i|>tca to our soil and climate

^.uj, KJL L-.veeiient, wnitc Hour. Tlie great popuiaiili

rio'r ""tiI,? i^^'/'n r''"" ™'"-^'««i°" ''ere that all white wheats are infe-
rior Ihis IS, doubtless, accounted for by the fact that the onlv «lur«
wheats now grpwn here are Clawson and Eureka. Both liese b "ii ,. weak
and deficient ,n jrlnien are seriously discredited bv mil ers l^ilt wlicnt h
produced ,n grhator ,,uantity than any other kind in Jiis State I Is n

lerri"' "The ^^o f iT"" m""? '' '"''''' ^""^^'-^ betlL tfian 'the lo ig.
mi]],;, u '1"^'">' ••''tl">'=.al' not really bad, cannot be classed above

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

65

Weight is also an important factor. In general, as the increase relative
w^eight, so the increased percentage of gluten, provided it is equally dry,
as the cause of large specific weight may be due to an excess of w^ater,
which deteriorates its value in proportion as it is greater than normal.
Care should be exercised in introducing new, though they may be good
varieties grown in different soil and under different climatic conditions.
These conditions frequently make the characteristics of a variety quite pro-
nounced as compared with those of the same variety grown in different sec-
tions of the country. As, for instance, the Lancaster wheat of the north
is quite diffc^rent from the wheat bearing the same name in Virginia and
Maryland. The Fultz wheat of Kansas far superior to that of our own
State. Equal care should be taken to keep u]) the grades of the good
kinds, as the milling qualities frequently degenerate the longer they are
cultivated in the same place. This degeneration can be greatly arrested
by selecting the very best seed and changing that grown on one to another
and different soil. When changes must be made, and they are sometimes
necessary, inferior kinds should be avoided. No permanent advantage is
gained by growing poor, because prolific, varieties. The temporary profits
are generally overbalanced by the final loss sustained in marketing an un-
desirable article. We had a conspicuous example of this fact in Michigan
some years ago, when Clawson wheat was introduced there. Its beautiful
a})pearance and large yield brought it quickly into great popularity. Very
soon comparatively little else was grown. Millers bought it freely, and,
before they fully discovered its inferiority, had widely distributed the Hour
made from it, the low grade of which, in many cases, blasted the reputation
of wx^ll-established brands, that had required years of care and expense to
establish. For a time, the milling industry of that section was seriously
crippled, and was only restored when good wheats were secured. Then
millers generally refused to use it, and farmers were obliged to sell it at
very unsatisfactory prices.

The more closely this matter is investigated the more evident it becomes
that the interests of the farmer and miller are identical. .The former se-
curing a readv and proHtable market for his wheat when he siipi)lies the
kinds the latter is obliged to have. To the farmers of this community this
fact is particularly applicable. We have an excellent market in the sur-
rounding coal country for good wheat, but for good wheat only, as that
alone will produce the high grade Hours chieHy consumed there. Our
average mixed wheat will not answer their purpose, and can only be used
in small quantities, Avhen mixed with better grades, obtained chiefly in the
West. These better wheats cost the millers considerably more than what
is obtained for our mixed lots, and this difference in price, which, in the
aggregate, is very large, is lost to our farmers. If only good milling va-
rieties were cultivated, a local reputation would soon be established, and
equally satisfactory prices be obtained. The average quality of the same
desirable kinds produced here being equal to those grown in our neighbor-
ing western States. The great popularity which their wheats have Justly
gained is due rather to the quantity of fine milling wheats produced there
than any superiority over the limited quantity grown here. They not only
grow the best varieties more largely, but usually vie with each other to
produce the best of the kind.

The numerous large flouring mills scattered throughout those States are
monuments to the wisdom of* this course. The flours made by many of
their mills have obtained world-wide celebrity for their excellence. Their
success has enriched their owners, and, to a certain extent, the surround-
ing community from which their supplies of wheat were drawn, notwith-

66

Quarterly Report.

Pennsylvania Boakd of Agriculture.

6t

staiidino- the disadvantages in freight under whicli they labor in delivering
their i)rodiiet to the eastern consumer. We have many equally good llour-
ing mills here, equipped with the improved modern machinery and appli-
ances, but their product is not equal to that of their western competitors,
when using our average (piality of wheat.

If our farmers would supi)ly them with the grades of wheat they require,
they could make equally tine Hour, enabling them to compete successfully
in any market, and command the same remunerative prices. This success
of our millers wouhl not fail to contribute materially to the prosperity of
our farmers, in securing them the highest price for their product.

HOW TO BRING UP A WORN-OUT FARM.

By A. P. Young, Millmlle, Pa,

Bead at Bloomsburg meeting.

Among the means of restoring exhausted land good fiirming stand pre-
eminent, and we will consider this to include, not only plowing and harrow-
ing, but all the various operations of getting the particular soil in hand in
the best possible condition to produce a crop. Plowing is the first step.
If the soil has been carelessly plowed many spots have never been turned
up, or perhaps the plowing has been confined to a very thin layei' of the
top. In that case it must be gradually worked up to a proper depth. A
deep soil being a partial protection against both washing and drouth, tak-
ing up and holding much more water and storing it against a time of need,
thus prevehting much carryin^r awa}^ of soluble soil by excessive rains, and
creating a reservoir of moisture for the crops to draw from when the dry
time comes.

Our exhausted farm has most likely been always plowed one way — the
furrow turned tow^ard the fence ; if so, there is an accumulation of soil along
the fences that must be turned the other way, so as to get it where it can
be used to better advantage.

In deepening a soil fall plowing is permissible that it may get the benefit
of the alternate freezing and thawing of the winter to break up and prepare
the sub-soil that has ))een thrown up. Nature will thus make a better
jireparation than man can. No matter what crop we are preparing for, give
the freshly-turned soil a seasoning time to settle before putting in seed.
Better be a little late getting in any crop than plant or sow upon freshly-
plowed ground. Wet, or spring, it places must be drained it will be useless
to attempt to improve such spots, either by better farming or measuring
until the surplus water is taken away.

Having properly drained all parts that need it, and having set our ideas
right in regard to plowing, and after tillage half the battle i*^ won, and the
next step is to manure and stock fast as the resources of the farm will per-
mit. In looking about for fertilizing material we may find about some old
building or neglected lane a pile of valuable material awaiting the gathering
u]). Tlie barn is likely so situated as to pour a Hood of water from the
largest side of its roof directly on the manure from the stables and accu-
mulating in the yard, wiionce after every considerable rain a coffee-colored
licpiid takes its way to the nearest straw, leaving in the yard a residue not
much dilferent in comparative value from coffee grounds after they have
been steeped and re-steeped until all the soluble part has been removed.
No farm can stand such drainage long, nor can one already exhausted be

improved much while leakage of this kind exists. l>etter take the manure
directly to the field than allow a state of thiniis like this to exist for a sin-
gle month. The advisability of thus taking out manure at all times is,
however, an open question. Our '^ worn-out faim" mu&.t be stocked, and
here much thought ard investigation will be well repaid. There is a choice
in the animals that maybe kept, and in this the farmer should be governed
by the use to which he wishes to i)ut them. The trotting horse, as such, is
not a necessity, but horses that can trot ctf to market nimbly as well as
draw the plow steadily are the ones to seek.

In cattle there is wide range for selection. For richness of milk and fine
quality of butter the Jersey undoubtedly has the lead, while the (Juernsey,
Ayrshire, Devon, Polled, and latterly, the llolstein, have ardent admirers
as milk and butter producers. The Short-lloru, with his great beef car-
cass, must be remanded to better pastures than is founl at present on a
" worn-out farm." The point to be insisted on is, select the stock best
suited to the locality, and be satisded with nothing short of the best in the
class selected, then improve upon this. No farm, especially a worn-out
one, can be completely stocked without a flock of sheep. Of these, get a
breed in which is combined, in the highest degree, the two excellencies,
wool and mutton, or wool and lamb, for the surplus stock should be s.>ld
mostly as lamb, and that early enough to get the best price of the season.
For hog stock, medium-sized, early maturing of varieties, will generally
prove niost remunerative, but even these should be only tolerated as scav-
engers and workers-up of otherwise waste products. Less hog and more
health for the ])eople.

A considerable source of income to the occupants of a well-ordered farm
may be found in a select flock of poultry. Indeed, this, with proper care,
may be made the most profitable stock of the farm; largely consuming
tho^^se waste products that otherwise find their way to the pig-pen and mak-
ing of it choice meat and healthful eggs in quantity sufficient to make this
the best paying disposition of the material. To secure the latter at the
season when most profitable especial care is required, for biddy will not
cackle her delight over freshly-laid eggs unless the conditions are made
very com.fortable. She will not roost on the comb of a roof, nor in a tree
at the north-west side of a shed, and be in a humor to lay ecgs about
Christmas time. A comfortable hen-house is demanded on every fann to
protect the fowls, save the manure, and secure the resultant advantages.

Having secured as much stock of the various kinds as can be properly
managed--no scrubs in any department — the next care should be to feed
up to'^the most profitable point. In high feeding of the animals— includ-
ing the poultry— and properly caring for the manure, is the least expensive
and most certain way of increasing the cropping capacity of the farm.
The farm mav produce food enough of certain kinds to feed all the stock,
and yet it may be profitable to supplement that food with something of a
different character, having an eye not only to the food contained therein,
but countino- also with care the residue to be left as manure. Bran, oil-
cake, meal, and cotton-seed-meal are worth more than half what they usually
cost,' saving nothing of the feeding value. Here, then, we have a cheap
source of fertility for the worn-out farm, provided we can handle stock so
as to get anvthing near the value out of these articles as feed. Invest-
ment in these should be made liberally ; and though it may be be^t to com-
mence with homeopathic doses of linseed oil or cotton-seed-meal, every
animal on the farm should ultimately receive all it can safely and profita-
bly use ; for an animal, like most machines, is profitable only when run to
its full capacity. But few farmers know the relative value of feed stuflfs,

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much less of the manure resultino- from their use. And yet no one can
reach the full measure of success in farmini,^ without such knowledge.

So far in this connection nothing has been said of the part that should
be played by renovating crops in the iM'oblem of improvement. Of these
clover stands preeminent. No other crop at present known to our soil and
climate, can he taken oif and leave the ground in better condition for a
succeeding one. ITence, the oftener clover can be brought in the more
rapid will be the advancement. In sowing gras^-ssed for hay, or pasture,
remember that clover is an improver, v/hile timotliy, and, perhaps, nearly
all other grass cro])s, are exhaustive.

In one of our agricultural journals lately appeared this paragraph : " Es-
timating the actual value of clover as a fertilizer, the roots are credited
with one hundred and eighty-five pounds of nitrogen, two hundred and
forty pounds of lime, forty-five i)Ounds of potash, sixteen pounds of soda,
twenty -four pounds of sulphur, and seventy poumis of phosphoric acid.
At the price given for lertilizers, the cost of these substances w^ould be
fifty dollars. Therefore, if a crop of clover is grown and cut for hay, the
)Oots left in the soil are equivalent to the application of fifty dollars' worth
of fertilizer per acre. By this process of manuring the land becomes very
fertile, but it must be borne in mind that the larger portion of this fertiliz-
ing material comes from the soil itself, the clover, by mechanical and chem-
ical action, simply converting inert matter into plant-food."' Otlier crops
beside clover are sometimes grown to be turned under for fertilizing pur-
poses ; but, at the present stage of agricultural science, it is doubtful
whether any of these will pay except where an area too extended to be
proj)erly handled otherwise is suddenly acquired. No land should lay idle.
The rotation is at fault that allows any field to be without crop or sod for
any considerable length of time. Excessive rains and wind carry away
much that is valuable trom unprotected fields, hence, fall plowing is not to
be commended except the character of the soil is such that the ameliorat-
ing action of frost is necessary to assist in getting it in condition for the
reception of seed. Land that is too poor to take a good catch of clover,
may be assisted by some form of artificial fertilizer. These should be
cautiously tested, and only those purchased that, in actual use, give the
right results. Much is said and written in commendation of complete fer-
tilizers— meaning those containing all the ingredients taken up by crops.
There application is all right were there is complete exhaustion ; but why
apply more lime to a soil that already conttins enough for generations of
cropping, and so of any other necessary ingredient '/ Consequently, if a fer-
tilizer, the chief value of which is in the phosphoric acid it contains, will
give as good results as a complete fertilizer costing twice as much, why
make the extra outlay? Why add to a soil that which the soil, by actual
test, proves is not at present needed ?

A proper rotation of crops will do much for improvement. Waldo F.
Brown, in a recent work, discourses as follows upon this subject: ''The
fact is well known to all practical farmers that the continual growing of
any particular crop on a field will gradually reduce its productiveness until
the point at which it can no longer be profitaltly cultivated is reached.
This period may be longer or shorter, according to the nature of the soil
or the character of the cro]), but the result will be inevitabh\ Another fact
equally familiar to the farmer is, that a field partially exhausted by one
crop will produce some other. Another fact not so easily understood is,
that after the second crop has been grown for some years the soil will be
found to have regained, to a greater or less extent, the capacity to produce
the first.

" The reason is that nature is continually laboring to restore the ravages
produced by the hand of reckless man. Locked in the soil, and especially
in the subsoil, are almost inexhaustable sources of fertility which, by the
force of chemical decomposition continually going on, are slowly but
surely being unlocked and prepared for future use. The rains and dews
being needed elements from the air above, and the absorption of the earth
is continually gathering them.

'' Even while one crop is growing, nature is preparing the soil for another.
Thus we see that rotation is a real, though slow, process of fertilization.
It is in fact the method by which the farmer may avail himself of nature's
recuperative powers. If, in addition to this, the rotation is accompanied
by the api)lication of barn-yard or commercial manures, and includes, at
frecpient intervals, a crop of clover, which is especially adapted to draw
from the air a})ove and the earth beneath food needed for other plants, we
see how rotation can be made one of the most useful means of fertilization
which the judicious farmer can control."

A good rotation, perhaps the best for our section, is corn, oats, wheat,
clover. Some objection is made to oats as being exhaustive and not suf-
ficiently remunerative. As indicated before in this essay, there is especial
objection to land lying without crop. If desirable to leave out the oat
cro]), sow clover-seed at the last dressing of the corn, or after the next
spring crops are in i)low, and sow to buckwheat, this to be turned under
when in full bloom, as a preparation for the wheat crop.

A few years ago the writer tested part of a field in this way, giving a
light dressing of fertilizer to the buckwheat. The result was a crop of
wheat equal to that alongside where a crop of oats was harvested and the
ground fairly manured from the yard. The whole field being treated to a
similar dose of fertilizer at the sowing of the wheat.

To conclude, there is nothing so essential on a worn-out farm as brains
and good judgment. If these essentials are present, the farm may be
rapidly improved by more thorough cultivation", by draining the wet places,
by keepino- the best breeds of stock, feeding liberally, saving carefully, and
applving judiciously the resultant fertilizer, together with intelligent rota-
tion'of crops, not forgetting that the process can be accelerated by the ad-
dition of good commercial fertilizer.

FARMEKS' MISTAKES.

By E. M. Tewksbury, Catawii^sa, Pa.

Read at the Bloomsburg Meeting.

When tlie Secretary of the State Board of Agriculture requested me to
furnish an essav for this meeting I began to cudgel my brains for a subject,
and 1 concluded there had been a mistake made, and I said to myself, far-
mers are continually making mistakes. So I put the two ideas together,
and christened it. Farmers' Mistakes.

That farmers make mistakes, and very many of them, is patent to the
most casual observer, but that he makes more mistakes than others in the
various avocations of life would be saying too much, perhaps. 1 shall not
attempt a general and detailed discussion of all the mistakes mentioned by
me which are not merely theoretical mistakes, but such as a hfe of close
relationship with the farm and actual occupancy of the same have led me
to observe.

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Firi^t. That of Birth. There seems, generally, a disinclination on the
part of most persons to pursue the avocation in which they are born, and,
if pursued, a continual desire to cliange ; hence, I observe that in nine
tenths of our farmers that it is a mistake that they were born upon the
farm. Other scenes are more inviting — other walks of life more i)leasant
than the hum-drum of the farm ; but, as this mistake is an accident^ I will
not dv/ell u])on it, l)utpass to another mistake.

Second. Educational Mistake. Here the field is so wide that it is with
fear we enter, and, being nearly allied in their results with birth, hesitate
in making a proposition. If true, that '' 'Tis education forms the common
mind, and as the twig is bent the tree's inclined,*' then especially the early
education of the child should be that which will be of the greatest use in
after life upon the farm. Just here the great mistake is made. The father
says, ''\Tohn is to be a farmer, he must have the education a farmer needs,
he must know how to read, write, and cipher, and these are enough for him
to know." Chemistry, philosophy, geology, astronomy, law, and theology
are untaught. It is a mistake to presume a man, a farmer, is to occupy a
position he is unfitted to Hll. It is a mistake to presume a man is fit to
make laws who has no knowledge of law, and wdiile law is presumed to be
common sense codified, yet it requires something besides common sense to
put it in codified form. I am supported in this by Fully, Coke, and Black-
stone. The ills of wdiich we, as farmers, mourn and complain will have a
speedy end when we are fitted, by a proper education, to stand and intel-
ligently combat the evils arrayed against us. That an education which
does not fit a man for the practicabilities of life should be given, should
be withheld from the youth, is the farmer's great educational mistake.

Third. The next great farmer's mistake is, that of marriage ; not that
the marital relation is an improper one, but on the contrary one of the
most important and honorable. Cod said in the beginning : '' It is not
good for man to be alone." Hence, the gift of a wife^ to the first farmer,
Adam. Had not Eve been the direct gift of Cod to Adam, I should have
supposed it had been a great mistake upon the part of Adam in making
the selection. Any farmer makes a mistake that attempts to carrv on a
farm without a wife. If that is true, then there is great danger of making
a mistake in the selection of a wife. Allow me to dwell upon this mistake
of farmers at some length, for if a mistake is here made, it is a life mis-
take. The future weal or woe of life to the farmer, in the main depends
upon the selection of a wife. It is a mistake for a farmer to marry a
woman who is not fitted for the important sphere upon which she enters.
I know most women are able io raise 'lain-, but, that does not alone fit
her for a farmer's wife, more than it did Eve upon the first great farm.
The farmer's wife should be one that loves farm life, that enters with zeal
into all the minutiae of farm work and management. Must be one that will
be a help-meet, as well as a hel[) to eat. It is a mistake for a farmer to marry
for appearance only, one that is fitted for dress and dress parade; one
wliose material only fits her for a belle. The culinary articles of the house-
hold are not of bell {q) metal. As the farmer's life is one of toil and anx-
iety, it behooves him to select a life partner, a wife who can aid him in
his arduous labors, who can give that sympathy so much needed in his
hours of disappointment, grief, and loss. ' The farmer makes a mistake in
marrynig a wife for work only. The wife should be a manager— Vi director
— not only ot the household, but, if necessary, of the farm. Had Eve at-
tended strictly to the duties of Adams' farm, instead of gossiping with her
neighbors, or some fruit tree agent, strolling about the country,1iis affairs
would have gone on more prosperouslv. It is a mistake for'a farmer to

;

marrv a woman, no matter what her qualifications otherwise are, if she be
devoid of moral principle. The wise man said : " Who can find a virtuous
woman? (wife), for her price is far above rubies. A virtuous woman is a
crown to her husband; but she that maketh ashamed, is as rottenness to
his bones." It is a mistake to establish a home upon any other foundation
than that of virtue, morality, and Christianity. Out from the hearthstone,
and the mothers and farmer's wife's infiuence, has gone the sons that has
swayed the destinies of nations. Everywhere we (ind them, wearing alike
the clerical robes, and the judicial ermine, sitting in executive chairs, and
moving in legislative halls. The farmer's wife, isolated from the degener-
ating influences and vices of society, so-called, if a woman of worth is able
to impart such instructionto her family as will tell upon the ages follow-
ino-. I will repeat, it is a mistake for a farmer not to marry; and, m my
opinion, a great mistake not to marry young ; or, rather, it is a mistake
for a farmer to wait for father and mother to die, and himself settled m
the world before he becomes a married man. Speaking; of being settled m
life leads me to another proposition that farmers make.

Fourth. Mistake in Location. But, if the farmer has been born amid
favorable surroundings, such as conduce to a love for farming ; has re-
ceived an education that fits him for a farmer and proper member ot
society ; if he has married early and well, then the location of the larni,
if mistaken, mav be. to some extent, overcome if properly cared lor. hence,
will not dwell upon mistaken locations other than to say that when once
located—settled— it is better to stick to the farm— to improve it— than
to make the mistake of continually moving. Other things being equal,
nothino- l)ut unhealthy location should cause him to move.

Fifih. Mistakes of Mann(jement. To my mind, the leading mistakes
of farmers under this head are four in number, viz: (I) manuring, (2)
tillage, (3) marketing, (4) fencing. That either of the four mistakes
named would be sufficient to base an essay upon, I am fully a,ware there-
fore, shall only call attention to the more general mistakes of each, with-
out a particular discussion of all. The Ytrmont Yankee, upon his death-
bed, called his son John to his bed-side and said: - John Tieuer ; no
necer, -o in debt.'' But, I suppose, thinking, perhaps, that he had made
a farmer's mistake, modified the injunction by adding: ' John, it you
20 in debt, l)uy manure."' The father certainly made no mistake in sa}-
incr - buy manure " to the young farmer. It is a mistake for farmers (1st)
to'^rnirsue the same course^of manuring that farmers of years ^^one by pur-
sued • (2d) to depend solely upon the same manurial sources that the
farmers depended upon when the soil was in virgin state. The old and mis-
taken plan was to depend solely upon barn-yard manure and lime plowed
down deep for the roots of plants to work upon. A greater mistake was
never made upon the farm than just this-not in applymg i\x^ viatter
esneciallv the barn-vard manure, though I do doubt some as to lime but
the manner of application. Common sense ought to teach the farmer that
it is a mistake in raising most, if not all, farm crops not to apply the
manure to the plant rather tlian to the roots thereof, (^ame as applymg
bread and milk to the childV. feet rather than the stomach ) It is a ii^^stake
to purchase manure when the farmer has a supply at hand that "^^pt be
made availa])le. Farmers make a mistake in not buying largely ot com-
mercial fertilizers, to be used in connection with barn-yard manure or alone ;
some fertilizer rich in phosphoric acids-^plant food Farmers make a mis-
take in tillage, or, rather, non-tillage. It is a mistake to drive over a held
with team and plow and call it farming; it is a mistake for the farmer to
plow but once, for fall crop especially; it is a mistake to plow but once, and

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then late in seeding season, and sowin^^ immediately thereon. Farmers make
a mistake when, by proper manuring and thorough tillage, they have raised
a crop, to iinproperiy market it. It is a mistake to rush upon the market
the sur[)lus of the farm ; it is a mistake of tlie farmer to market his products
diiihonestly. Tiie farmer makes a mistake in not giving full value in all
l)roducts sold ; it is a mistake not to give full weights and measures, not
only to his success as a farmer, but also, for it hath been written : ''A false
(weight) l)alance is an abominatiou unto the Lord, but a just weight is his
delight ;'* it is a mistake for a fiirmer, in marketing all products of the farm,
stock included, to sell it for anything besides jui^t what it is. If a horse is
vicious, sell it for such ; if a cow is a miserable kicking brute, sell her for
such. It is a mistake for a farmer to consider it sharpness to improperl}'
market his products, when dishonesty, downright knavery, is the proper,
word to use.

I come now to consider the longest, crookedest, and most of it, mistake
so far as management is concerned of all the multiplied angular and tri-
angular mistakes of the American farmer, viz : Fencing. It is a mistake
for a farmer to have poor fences. It is equally a mistake to have too many
fences upon the farm. The common law presumes that the owner will take
care of his own ; that he will fence in rather than out. One of the mistakes
made by the farmer is that he fences against *' all the worid and the rest of
mankind," without due regard to his own rights or needs. If the common
law presumes each and all to take care of his own then it is certainly a mis-
take for the farmer to fence against the host of marauding, thieving stock
set alloat upon our highways to pasture and pillage. And, also, a great
mistake not, only for his own good, but the good of others, that he does
not build a good and sutlicient fence to hold all such stock and treat them
as strays under the act of Assembly in such cases made and provided. It
is a mistake for the farmer to complain of taxes or tariffs, or lack of tariff,
when the most burdensome tax is the fence tax, caused by dividing the
farm of, say a hundred acres, into a dozen fields. Less fences, less fields ;
less fields, less pasturing; more stall and yard feeding, and more barn-yard
manure; more manure, more grain crops and stocks; consequently, more
cash ; and, as " money makes the mare go," so by the farmer having less
fences he is able to ride a fast horse if he likes. This leads us to make
another proposition.

Sixth, That farmers make a mistake in the kind of stock and quality
kept, and manner of its disposal. This proposition I shall not discuss, as
it has been so fully considered by others, except as to disposal of surplus
stock. The farmer makes a mistake in sending to the shambles a superior
animal, when, by selling it at the same rate to his brother farmer, he could
perpetuate and multiply its si)ecies. This may not be a financial mistake
to the stock raiser and seller, but certainly it is a great moral mistake, as
it is a violation of the Golden Rule. It is a mistake for the farmer to with-
hold from his fellows his surplus at a reaeonable compensation rather than
bold for speculative purposes.

Seventh. Farmers make mistakes in not cooperating for their mutual
benefit— socially, morally, and politically. Coiiperation is a subject illy
uu<lerstood by the American farmer. Some faint idea of its import has, of
late years, been imparted to the people, but as yet they know nothing of it
comparatively. Cooperation, as defined by Webster, '' is the act of 'work-
ing or operating together to on^ end ; joint operation; concurrent eflfort of
labor." That the farmer does not do that which Webster defines coopera-
tion, is patent to the most casual observer. They make a great mistake in
not operating together to one end ; no matter whether that be a political,

financial, moral, or educational end. An army united, unbroken in ranks
is hard to be routed, but, once divided, it is easy to punish m detail ; so,
with the American farmer, operating singly, however worthy the object,
and however much to the interest of the farmer and the country, his plans
are easily thwarted ; but, when operating together to one end, they are a

power, known and felt. ,. • i ,^ • t^ •

It is a mistake for farmers not to cooperate in political allairs. It is a
mistake for farmers not to be well-posted in the politics of the country, and
to make his knowledoe known and felt by the ptJitical parties of the coun-
try It is a mistake for the farmer to allow himself to be led to the polls,
like sheep in the shambles, to do the bidding of the masters and bosses.
Let the motto of the American farmer be that, '' The spirit of the I uritan
fathers still animates their descendants, demanding political and religious
liberty to all," and that we may be inspired as was " 'Vhe Heroes of the
Revolution, immortalized at Lexington. Concord, and Bunker HUl, and
will inspire their ciiildren to resist injustice, monopoly, and wrong. It is
a mistake for the farmer to presume that cooperation can be effected by
any other means than by organization. The world's history is replete with
the fact that organization is the key of success. • ^ i r

With an organization cooperation is easy and possibe. It is a mistake lor
farmers to exclude from their organization all who are not ianners m the
sense generally implied by the word farmer in America. I he farmers
organization should take in every element of society that will conduce to
the success of agriculture; hence the great mistake of organizations that
do not recoirnize women as a part and i)arcel of their organization, for
women, more, if possible, than man, is interested in that which makes a
home, and nowhere can, perhaps, be found a higher type of home life than
exists besides the hearth-stones of the farmers of our glorious land.

The last mistake of which I propose to speak of at this meeting is that
of diligence. The wise man said, - Seest thou a man diligent m business ;
he shall stand before (governors) kings, and not before mean men. He
thattilleth his land shall have bread, but he that followeth vain persons
&c., shall have i)Overty enough." Benjamin Franklin said if a man would
have his farm (shop) keep him, be must keep his farm (shop) ; hence, I
argue that it is a mistake for a farmer not to be diligent in his business
The Psalmist had' this idea when he said, -J.ook wel to the state of thy
flock and herd." • What other business more than the farmer's needs the
watchful care of the Master y . . ^ i-

Ame ic^'s -reat Solomon-Dr. Franklin-said, "He that by the form
wonhl thrive, must limself hold the plow or drive." These lngl';;"thor.-
ties presume that the husbandman, particularly, shall I.e a man attending
strictly to his business. As the former's income is from comparatively
obscun> objects, it requires close attention to business. Is there a former
in the sound of my voice but that notes with regret some misspent time
e^tailinn loss of property y It may be claimed that the Psalmist had aZZ
businesses in view when he spoke of the ^^ diligent man's hand bearing
rule" and the " diligu.t man's hand making rich,'' but he most certainly
had the former in view when he said, " I went by the field of the slothfu
and bv the vinevard of the man void of understanding, and, lo, it was all
g"ovv^ovlr with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the
stone wall tliereof was broken down." " Yet a little sleep,a little slumV.er
a little folding of the h.nds to sleep, so shall thy poverty come, as one that
travaUeth- and tin want as an armed man." The American fann.r-es-
neciav the Pennsylvania formei-to be successful nu.st be diligent, not
sloth lil laboring with his own hands, for the promise of the Great Master

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is, that '' the husbandman who hibors shall first be partaker of the fruits."
A word by way of ex])lanation and I close.

These thoughts have been arranged hurriedly, and in moments snatched
from labor, but not with a view of being captious or fault-finding, " It is
human to err — make mistakes." I have always disliked looking upon the
(hirk side of any subject, but as I grow older, I can find we can best suc-
ceed by making a careful note of our mistakes, and by avoiding them in
the future.

If I have made mistakes in treating this subject, treat them as such, I
pray you all; and in tiie future avoid giving him, who has presented this
subject, a chance to iuilict a farmer's mistake upon you.

GYPSUM AS A FERTILIZER.

By the late lion. M. C. Beebe, 3Iember from Venango.

Head at the Towanda meeting.

The use of gypsum upon crops to enhance the growth and production
has many strenuous advocates. By others it is condemned, not only as
useless in itself, but fmally absolutely injurious to the land, and tending to
impoverish it. These different conclusions have been arrived at by the
different methods of use of the articles, and, in my judgment, the latter
conclusion has no warrant whatever, but is born of ignorance and thriftless
methods in use, not only in relation to the article under discussion, but in
the methods of farming generally, which lead to disaster and poverty.
And in the use of plaster, these invidious deductions are drawn from the
application of fifty or one hundred i)ounds of plaster to the acre one year,
and the expectation that a similar result will be obtained the next year
without any further application of the material, or an application where
certain existing conditions will render it valueless, such as to old sod-bound
meadows, or, in a dry season, at so late a period that the effect is not per-
ceptible on the crop, or other similar reasons.

The principal ways in which plaster affects vep^etation are its effects in
absorbing ammonia, attracting and holding moisture, and by supplying
sulphuric acid— an important ingredient, particularly in seeds^^of plants—
and, perhaps, in combining with some of the salts of the earth, particularly
alkali. I have said in my opinion, because all these are, more or less, dis-
puted points, and I do not pretend to be wiser than what others have
written, but, at the same time, chronicle my own conclusions from long use
of gypsum, and close observation as to its methods, if J may be allowed
to use the expression.

Here again I speak from close observation of practical tests, and first
among these is its application to clover, either as a new seeding or any
period thereafter. That it has often made a successful catch of clover
seeding, where otherwise would have been a partial failure, rendering the at-
temi)t an unprofitnble one, I have not a doubt, having solved it by actual
experiment on the same field and at the same seeding, as also upon fields
already in clover. It has also proved a valuable application to leguminous
I)lnnts, as well as corn, potatoes, oats, buckwheat, garden vegetables <'-en-
erally, and new meadow. In connection with this, I might here say that
by far the most extensive, and, in my opinion, valuable use^I make of plaster

is its free and frequent distribution in the stable, and as a valuable adjunct
to the manure heap. In addition to the foregoing, I consider plaster val-
uable as a disinfectant, and a protection from vermin. Therefore, keep a
free sup])ly distributed, not only on the manure-floor, but upon the walls
of the stable and hennery.

On clover and meadows, one hundred and fifty pounds broadcast sowing
is sufficient to the acre, and may be generally applied again to advantage
in lesser quantities, say one hundred pounds after sixty days, and in all
cases should be applied as soon as the spring leaves start. With the sev-
eral crops and seeding for meadow^s, I sow with the seed-drill as a matter
of convenience, and believe with as much utility as any other method of
application. Apply it on corn by dropping a small handfull on the hill.
On potatoes, by broadcasting twice during the season, which not only ad-
vances the growth, but if sown when tiie potatoes are wet, will largely pre-
clude the ravages of the potato-bug ; but to make sure of the latter, I sug-
gest the admixM^ure of one pound of pure i)aris green to one hundred pounds
of gypsum. I will here add the most marked result of the use of gypsum
I ever witnessed. A neighbor purchased a farm near me, which, by thrift-
lessness, had in part been impoverished till it would produce no crop with-
out manure applied. Of this farm he plowed four acres for buckwheat,
with an intent to apply two hundred pounds of phosphate to the acre to
<ret a crop and a catch of clover. His stock of phosphate failed on the
third acre, when, to fully test the merits, he sowed a strip without phos-
l)hate; then, taking two hundred pounds of plaster, he finished the last
acre by drilling in same as the phosphate. Now for the results. He ob-
tained a fair crop of buckwheat and good catch of clover where phosphate
was used, and equally as good wliere plaster was used, and nothing worth
harvesting or mentioning where neither were used. This was a test of
value both of phosphate ^and gypsum, but at what a difference in price--
the phosphate thirty-eight dollars per ton, the plaster five dollars, delivered

in bulk by the car-load. . ^u i. • i

It may be easily inferred from what I have already written, that ray idea
of an application to cereal crops is from one hundred to two hundred
pounds per acre, unless put in with drill in sowing time, when I would
make it from two hundred to two hundred and fifty pounds. I would not
deem five hundred to the acre too much if applied twice, as it certainly
should be, to potatoes and sowed corn. In short, I believe an crdmary
farm— say from one hundred and fifty to two hundred acres— could to ad-
vantage use a car-load of gypsum yearly. The average car-load is ten tons.
This of course, includes its use in the stable buildings upon which I have
heretofore commented, but would again urge its use in that form as the

most valuable. ^ , . ^

And this will sugirest itself as a matter of as much importance as any
part of this article, and, as an illustration, will briefly mention our way at
home We buy by the car-load in bulk, delivered at the nearest railroad
station— freight rates secured in advance by the company selling—from
which each former, on a given day, takes his supply, generally hnnouig
barrels, or coming with a tight box, to take his supply home, ins in-
cludes huy'mcr at wholesale rates, but also includes cash payments. One or
more cardoads, according to the demand, are then ordered at a tim^—

^^tL gTeat hindrance to the more general use of plaster is the freight
charges The railroads might take a note of this to advantage, especially

in tiie time of scarcity of business. , v. «. ;i ^i r

The State Board, by securing the fertilizer law, has benefited the farmers

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beyond conception, without an investigation by facts and figures. In my
own vicinity, samples of the different kinds, procured at the time of the
passage of the hiw, averaged but twelve and one half per cent, of pure
gy[)sum. It is not at all diflicult now to buy stocks that average from
eighty to ninety-five per cent. Indeed, none others can now be found in
the market, to my knowledge. Let any one make a computation of cost,
time, and labor, and ai)ply the result to the average amount of gypsum and
l>hosphates used in tlie State, and they certainly cannot believe the State
Hoard has been pi-ofitless to the interests of tbe State, or recreant to its
trust.

Dr. E. Harvey of Delaware. I should like to add a few statements, which
I believe to be the resr.lt of experience. A practical farmer told me, many
years ago, that plaster paris had been very popular, and farmers saw great
benefits from its use; thai it afterwards became unpoj)ular because the
theory prevailed — I fear, without proper basis — that it impoverished the
soil. He stated that the dust would, by blowing over into the next field,
demonstrate that a light application was as benelicial as a heavier one. He
further told me that Joseph Penneil, a Chester county farmer, followed up
the use of plaster after others had relinquished it, and always obtained
good results from it. His plan was to apply the plaster heavily, and let
the land lay in grass for a number of years. In Chester county, the Bran-
dy wine lauds are often left in grass for fifty years, and, in fact, some of them
have never been plowed since the memory of those now living. My father
stated that he found that reasonable applications of plaster benefited his
crops, and that he could readily see by the appearance of the crop, and by
the yield, what portion had been plastered and what had not. I have often
wondered if farmers could give any good reason for the very general aban-
donment of the use of ground plaster. Is it any more beneficial to the lands
of Chester and Delaware counties than to those of Bradford ? Can any one
give any good reason why it should not prove as beneficial to crops now as
I'ormerlv ?

J. G. Zerr of Berks. I am myself a great believer in the use of plaster,
and I am well satisfied that, takiug one year with another, its a})plication
has paid me very well, and quite as well as our commercial fertilizers. I
use from two hundred to three hundred pounds per acre, and would not
approve of any smaller amount. I sowed it at this rate on a twelve-acre
field, and left a strip on each side of the field without any a])plication.
When mowing time came, the portion of the field to which it had been ap-
plied gave a heavy cutting of excellent grass, while that portion without
the application did not yield one fourth as much. The naked eye, on the
opposite hill, could readily detect the great difference between the two por-
tions, and the line could be distinctly traced through the whole field. My
father was a great believer in the use of plaster and taught me to use it
and 1 have continued to use it up to the present time, with great benefit!
I am positive that, on an average, it has oaid me one hundred per cent, on
the investment and Inbor of apj)lying it.

Dr. E. Harvey. Did you ever notice that the application is more bene-
ficial during a wet season than a dry one y

Mr. Zerr. It will always produce more effect during seasons of plenty
of moisture, and will show its least results during a dry season. If the
latter portion of the season is moist, it will also show good effects upon the
second crop of clover.

H. M. Enole of Lancaster. I can readily remember when the sowinir of
plaster was almost universal in my neighborhood, but for some unknown
cause It IS not now used to any great extent. As soon as our farmers com-

menced the general use of lime, the use of plaster was given up. Lime
has now materially fallen out of use, but the use of plaster has not been
again resorted to. 1 know of no reason why it should not prove as bene-
ficial as formerly, but our farmers do not seem to make any use of it re-

ceil 1 1 V

Col. Y. E. PiOLLET of Bradford. Tt is now more than fifty years since I
first went to the plaster beds of Cayuga lake, in New York, by sleigh, in
winter time. Forty years ago, I sent plaster on a raft to Harrisburg and
points down the river. I have used as much as seventy tons of plaster in
a year, but we have not limed as they have in Chester, Delaware, and Lan-
caster counties. 1 have sent one hundred and fifty miles for it, at a cost
of twelve and one half cents per bushel, and I have never seen it applied
anywhere that it did not show a beneficial effect. Several years ago, I sent
to'Dauphin and Lancaster counties several tons of our lake, or blue, plas-
ter, to be tried side by side with that from Nova Scotia. At that time
fertilizer manufacturers purchased a considerable amount, but they pre-
ferred the lake plaster, because it did not affect the color of their fertilizer
as did the white plaster of Nova Scotia. I used to go to Cayuga lake and
get a barrel of salt and a ton and a half of plaster at a cost of sixty-two
and one half cents. We paid six and one quarter cents for our lodging,
and six cents for our horses; sixty-two and one half cents was all the
money outlay for that amount of plaster and salt. This will show what
was necessary at that time of my life, and I had something to do with the
improvement of the coimty in which I live.

H N WiLLT/.MS of Bradford. I live in Troy township, and have had
some experience in the use of plaster. We used to haul as much as thirty
tons in a sinjj^le year. Mv neighbors did not consider it a paying invest-
ment The farm came into my possession about fifteen years ago, which
had previously been rented for about thirteen years, I leased it to another
man and put 'stock on it. The first year I was compelled to buy ten tons
of hky to cirry the stock through the winter. My tenant was very slow
about laying out money, as many tenants are. I purchased a ton of plaster,
which tlie f\irmer sowed on one of the worst grass fields. That season we
had twelve tons of hay from the field, and I estimated that I obtained one
hundred dollars' worth of hay from the effects of that ton of plaster. On
the farm on which I now live there is a thirty -acre field, which is divided
by a'stream of water— one side being of a loamy nature and the other
beino- red shale land. On the clay loam the plaster prodr.ced apparently
but little effect but I have never applied it to the other side without excel-
lent effects ; nor do I find that it has the same effect upon clover and
timothy sod which has ])een mowed for several years.

Mr ErsimEEof Bradford. 1 would like to have the experience of the
farmers of Bradford county as to the practical benefit of the use of plaster.
ThroiKdi the kindness of my friend Piollet I last winter purchased fourteen
tons of i)laster, and distributed it over different portions of my farm some
with the hand and some with a shovel, and 1 have yet to find that 1 have
been benefited one cent. Whether it is the fault of my land or not I do
not know : it is what is known as a hard pan and shale land. I he applica-
tion was made two years ago this summer; I put on fourteen tons, and
cannot sav that I have received any benefit from it at all.

Dr E L Sturtevant, New York Experiment Station. There is no ag-
ricultural difference between Nova Scotia plaster and that of New York
State ; the Nova Scotia plaster is white. One theory of the action of plas-
ter is that it releases potash from its chemical combinations in the soil.
However the whole question, in its practical application, has not yet been

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determined by science, and we can only say at present that the only way
to ascertain what plaster will do for lis individually is to try it for our-
selves. In one Held it may give good results and in another fail ; in one
section it may be found beneficial and in another it may prove unprotitable.
The question is one of those which we cannot discuss' profitably, for each
one must try it for himself. Jt is one of those seeming paradoxes which,
according to the testimony of men of experience, a small amount of it ap-
plied to the acre will show as good results as lari^er ap})lications. My al-
lusion to the potash theory was not for the purpose of indorsing it,' but
simply to l)ring it to your notice.

Col. Y. E. PiOLLET. Does not the plaster absorb the nitrogen in the
atmosj^here ?

Dr. K. h. Sturtevant. We have not definite data by which we are ena-
bled to assert that the plant can absorb one particle of atmospheric nitro-
gen. We know that the upper portions of the soil are richer in plant-food
tlian the lower portions. We know that nitric acid and its salts are washed
through the soil with the soil water. This fact, at first thought, would
lead us to thuik that the lower layers of the soil are richer in nitrogen than
the upper i)ortions. The reverse, however, is true, and indicates that ni-
trogen IS being formed in the upper portions of the soil. Somethino- lately
ascertained by science is that a bacteria-like organism in the soil takes
upon itsell the province of converting organic matter into nitrogen com-
pounds accessible to the plant, and some experiments seem to show that
when the soil has been sterilized or is barren, or, in other wwds, that when
this organism has been killed, barrenness follows. By and by our papers
wi 1 be full ot accounts of this new theory, and it is possible that our pres-
ent theories of soil nitrogen and atmospheric nitrogen may have to be re-
formed under its iniluence. I will, however, say that dry plaster does not
hx ammonia ; that chemical action only takes place in the presence of mois-
ture Dry earth will absorb odors, and for this purpose may replace

THE BIRDS OF CHESTER COUNTY.

Prepared by C. J. Pennock, Kennelt Square, Pa.

The accompanying list of birds of Chester county is compiled from the
writer's observations and the lists of the late Vincent Barnaixi, the venera-
ble Lzra Michener, M. D., and that of Dr. H. Warren. It is de sb'ned to
embrace, as near y as possible, a complete list of species known to have
been found within our limits, a few, as noted, are now extinct ; seS
others noted as stragglers occur so seldom that the ordinary observer wU
perhaps never meet witli them. The notes appended to the species areTle
signed to indicate whether the bird is of value or otherwise t tiratricul
turist. Aside from the waders and swimmers, herons and sancKr^
ducks and geese, which are of no especial benefit, acrricultui dl f iT i^^^
portant to note that there are but few species that a^'e SS^^^^^^
rimental to the interests of the farmer or horticulturist ^^ ^"

Several species of hawks are destructive to poultrv, and ytt their food is
on y made up to a small degree of this diet, inice, rabbits, iciuir els ill
lioppers, and smalh^r insects being their mainstay ^ ' ^

I his will not hold good with every species of hawk, however, as some of

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

79

them will do more harm in the destruction of small insectivorous birds than
is compensated for by their destruction of vermin. In the case of the
crows and blackbirds, it is a question whether they do not compensate for
destruction of farm crops by the number of grubs and other injurious in-
sects upon wliich they feed. The investigations started by the Ornitholo-
gists' Union, and being at the present time conducted under the charge of
the National Department of Agriculture, will, no doubt, do much to increase
our knowledge of the food-sup[)ly of many of our common birds. The
Legislatures in many of the States have passed protective laws for the pre-
servation of insectivorous birds, but so long as the community in general
are ignorant of their value, so long will it be impossible to closely enforce
such laws.

The notes on the nesting and eggs of our resident and summer-resident
species may prove useful in identifying species, although necessarily meager
in a list of this kind. The interested reader is referred to the latest work
of Dr. Elliott Cones, " Ke}^ to North American Birds," for the best text-
book and work of reference for identification, &c.

Species in the following list marked B., M., or VV., indicate that the ob-
servation on its occurrence was by Vincent Barnard, Ezra Michener, M. D.,
or Dr. Warren, respectively.

Barnard's list appeared in 1860, and comprised one hundred and ninety-
one species. Michener's first list, in 1863, did not include aquatic birds,
and numbered one hundred and tifteen. His second list comprised two
hundred and thirty-two species, several of which he believed would he found
within our limits; unfortunately, he does not designate which these are.

Dr. Warren's list of 1-579 is the most valuable for present reference, as
each species has his record or authority for its occurrence. It contains
two hundred and eighteen species.

1. Turdus migratorius, (roh'm.) Breeds abundantly, nesting in almost
any situation; a few remain all winter; food mainly worms, grubs, and
some small fruits.

2. Turdus mustelinus, (wood thrush.) Summer resident; common;
nests in woods, five feet to twenty feet high ; eggs, 4 or 5, pale-blue ; food,
insects.

3. Turdus fuscpscens, (Wilson's thrush.) Migrant; common; found
along streams and border of woods.

4. Turdus unalasojs nanws, (eastern hermit thrush.) Migrant; com-

mon ; insectivorons.

5. Turdus uslulatus swainsoni, (olive-backed thrush.) Migrant; not
very al)undant.

6. Mimus polyglottus, (mockingbird.) Rare; summer resident; nest
and parent birds taken by the late Y. Barnard, one mile east of Kennett
Square ; a specimen shot near same place, 1872 ; eggs, 4-5, blue, with red-
dish-browm spots ; food, seeds and insects.

7. 3Iimus carolinensis, {cat bird.) Abundant; summer resident; nests
in thickets, bushes, and briars; eggs, 4, dark greenish-blue; food, seeds
and small fruits, especially grapes.

8. Harpor/iyncus Bufus, {hrown thrush.) Common; summer resident;
nest placed on the ground or in a bush, and often quite bulky ; frequent
iiedge-rows along roadside; eggs, 4-5, yellowish-brown, with abundant
darker s])ots ; food, insects mainly, grasshoppers, &c.

9. Sialia sialis, {h\nQ bird.) Resident, except in coldest winters ; nest
in holes ; eggs, 4-G, pale-blue, rarely pure white; insectivorous.

10. Regulus calendula, (ruby-crowned kinglet.) Migrant; quite
abundant.

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11. Eegulus satrapa^ (golden-crowned kinglet.) Migrant; frequently
winter resident.

12. Poliopiila c<crulea, (blue-gray gnat-catcher.) Migrant. (B. & M.)

13. Loph ophanes bicolor^ {tu{tQ^{\ tximou^Q.) Resident; nests in woods
and along streams, in a hole in tree or decayed stump ; eggs, 4-6, white or
creamy, with reddish spots ; food, insects for the most part.

14. Parus articapillus^ (biack-capped chickadee.) An abundant resi-
dent; nests in holes ; eggs, 6-12, white, with light-red spots ; food, largely
insectiverous.

15. Parus carolinensis^ (Carolina chickadee.) Closely resembles the
preceding. (B. i^ W.)

16. Sitta earo/i>ie/i8i.s, (white-bellied nuthatch.) Resident; common;
nests in holes on border of woods; eggs, 6-10 ; same color as those of
chickadee.

17. Sitta canadenfiis, (red-bellied nuthatch.) Migrant; rare; given
by Barnard as a " resident" — evidently a mistake.

18. Gerthia famitiari.s, (brown creeper.) Abundant; migrant, and at
times a winter resident : have never met with the nest, but may breed : in-
sectivorous.

19. Thryothorus ludovicianus, (Carolina wren.) Resident ; not abund-
ant; breeds in holes around houses, mills, and bridges; eggs, 5-6, light
ground-work, thickly spotted with reddish-brown; insect-eater almost ex-
clusively.

20. Thryothorus bewicki, (Bewick's wren.) " Very rare." (Barnard)

given also by M.

21. Troglodytes domesticus, (house wren.) Abundant; summer res-
ident; nests about houses in holes and bird-houses; eggs, 5-8, almost cov-
ered with red-brown spots ; food, insects.

22. Anorthura troglodytes hiemalis, (winter wren.) Common ; winter
resident. •

23. Telmatodytes palustris, (long-billed marsh wren.) Given by
Michener; occurs in summer only, if at all ; breeds in marshes near Wil-
mington and Newport, Delaware, ten miles south of county line.

24. Gistothorus stellaris, (short-billed marsh wTcn.) Rare, if at all
(B. &M.) / , .

25. Eremophila a Ipestris, (shove lark.) Irregular winter visitor ; i^en-
erally appear in flocks. ' '^

26. Anthus ludovicianus, (titlark.) Winter resident, in flocks; com-
mon ; fall mid spring.

21. Muiotilta varia, (black and white creeper.) Mi^rrant • rather
common. ^ '

2^ Parula americana, (blue yellow-backed warbler.) Common as a
migrant; probably breeds rarely; one was shot in July, 18S4 by M P
Barnard. ' j • •

20. Protonotaria citrea, (prothonolary warbler.) Rare; migrant.
(M. & B.)

30. Helminth erus vermivorus, (worm-eating warbler.) Rare ; summer
resident; two or three nests have been taken by Mr. 'W H. Jackson near
West Chester; I saw a pair of birds last of June, 1885, evidently with
nest; nest on ground in woods.

31. Helminthophaga pmw.s, (blue-winged yellow warbler.) A not un-
common summer resident ; nests on ground. This bird, in common with

migrations. On their journey northward, during April and May, they are
found most abundant in orchards, where they scour the limbs and twigs to
tlie tips and inspect every crack, corner, and blossom for minute insects or
eggs. In the fall they frequent the woods, and many of them are found
only in the tops of the tallest trees incessantly hunting the now half dor-
mant insects or larvie.

32. Helminthophaga chrysoptera^ (golden-winged warbler.) Migrant ;
not abundant.

33. Helminthophaga ruJicapiUa, (Nashville warbler.) Migrant ; not
common.

34. Helminthophaga peregrina^ (Tennessee warbler.)* Migrant; (B.
M. W.)

35. Dendrooca aestiva^ (summer warbler.) Abundant summer resident;
nests in bushes ; frequents vicinity of streams ; eggs, 4-5. The nest of this
bird usually contains one or more eggs of the cow bunting. 1 have found
a nest of this species that had been remodeled by the parent birds twice,
each time by building the sides higher and putting in a new bottom to cover
under an eg(]: of the cow bunting.

36. Dendroeca townsendi^ (Townsend's warbler.) Rare; migrant.
" Mr. C. 1). Wood, of Philadelphia, killed near Coatesville, Chester county,
a male of this species." (Warren.) M and W.

37. Dendroeca coerulescens, (black-throated blue warbler.) A common
migrant.

38. Dendroeca ccerulea^ (ca3rulean warbler.) Rare migrant.

39. Dendroeca coronata^ (yellow-rumped warbler.) One of the most
abundant migrants.

40. Dendroeca Blackhurnde, (Blackburn's warbler.) Common migrant.
** Breeds rarely." (Warren.)

41. Dendroeca striata, (black-poll warbler.) Common migrant.

42. Dendroeca castanea^ (bay-breasted warbler.) Migrant ; not com-
mon.

43. Dendroeca pennsylvanica, (chestnut-sided warbler.) Occurs com-
monly as a migrant. ^' I am inclined to think they occasionally breed
here.'^ (Warren.)

44. Dendroeca maculosa, (black and yellow warbler.) Migrant; not
abundant.

45. Dendroeca iignira^ (Cape May warbler.) Rare migrant, (M. 15. W.)

46. J)endroeca discolor^ (prixine warbler.) Migrant; rare.

47. Dendroeca dominica, (yellow-throated warbler.) A rare migrant.

48. Dendroeca palmaruni^ (yellow red-poll warbler.) Common migrant.

49. Dendroeca pinus^ (pme-creeping warbler.) Migrant ; not abundant.

50. Siurus auricapillus, (golden-crowned thrush. (Common summer
resident. Builds a covered nest on the ground, hence the name of "• oven

bird."

51. Siurus nsevius, (water thrush.) Rather common as a migrant.

Probably a few breed.

52. Siurus motacilla, (long-billed water-thrush.; Rare migrant. — (M.

B. W.)

53. Opororm.sagfVZis, (Connecticut warbler.) Migrant; not very abundant,

54. Oporornis /ormo.sa, (Kentucky warbler.) Summer resident ; rather
common; nests on groimd ; eggs, 4-5; light, with reddish spots at larger end.

55. Geothlypistrichas, (Maryland yellow-throat.) Abundant summer resi-
dent; rears two or three broods; nests in low, damp places, generally near
woods; eggs, 3-4 ; light, with more or less abundant light spots of pink or
reddish color: rarely without spots.

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56. Geothlypis Philadelphia^ (morning warbler.) Rare migrant.

57. Icteria virens, (yellow-breasted chat.) Summer resident ; appar-
ently more abundant than fifteen years ago ; nests in thickets ; eggs, 4-5 ;
light, with pale brown spots ; food, largely insects ; a handsome and shy
bird.

58. 3Tyi()dioctes mitratus, (hooded wavhler.) Migrant; not very abundant.

59. Myiodioctes pusillus^ (green, black-capped warbler.) Migrant only;
rather common.

GO. Myiodioctes canadensis^ (Canadian fly-catching warbler.) Rather
common as a migrant.

61. Selophago ruticillo^ (red start.) Common migrant. " Probablj^
breeds." — (Warren.)

62. Pyranga rubra, (scarlet tanager.) An abundannt summer resident ;
nestr> in open woods, frequently on border of woods, along roadside ; eggs,
3-5; blue, with brown spots ; food consists of seeds and insects.

63. Pyranga sestina, (summer tanager.) Straggler from the south.

(M. R. W.)

64. Hirunda eryfhrogastra horreorum, (barn swallow.) An abundant
summer resident; nests inside barns and sheds, on top or against rafters,
&c.; nest open above; eggs, 3-5; light cream or white, with dark spots;
food, insects exclusivelv.

65. Iridojwocne hicolor^ (white-bellied swallow.) Common migrant.
Have never taken a nest in Chester county. Breeds along the Susque-
hanna river at Peach Bottom, and elsewhere ; in adjoining county of Lan-
caster, nests in hollow trees ; eggs, 4-5 ; pure white; insectivorous.

66. Petrochelidon hmif r nos ^ {C'WfH ^\yvi\\o'iv.) Common; a summer resi-
dent; breeds in colonies frequently ; nests of mud lined with feathers, on
outside of barn or shed, and covered, the entrance being through a hole at
side; eggs similar to those of the barn swallow; insectivorous entirely.

67. (;o/i7e riparia, (bank swallow.) Summer resident; abundant; fre-
quents banks around quarries, along streams, &c.; nest placed at rear of a
hole a foot or more deep, excavated for the purpose ; eggs pure white, 5-9 •
in sect- eating.

68. iStelgidopterix serripennisA'i^o\\^\\-vf\uged swallow.) According to
Dr. Warren, breeds in our own county; not uncommon in sprin<r and 1[all.

n9. Piogne subis, (purple raartin!^) An abundant summer^resident ;
breeds generally in boxes about buildings ; eggs, 3-5 ; pure white; feed on
insects exclusively.

7U. Ampelis cedrorum, (cedar bird.) Abundant resident ; gregarious in
winter and spring ; nests in orchards and elsewhere ; eggs, 4-5 ; pale blue
with dark spots ; food, fruit, seeds, <tc. ' '

71. Vireo olivaceus, ;red-eyed vireo.) Abundant summer resident-
frequents woods, thickets, and vicinity of buildings ; nest, round cup-
shaped, pendant from crotch ; eggs, 3-4 ; white, with a few dark spots on
larger end ; food, mainly of insects.

72. Vireo gilvus, (warbling vireo.) Abundant in summer ; breeds in or-
chards and around houses; nest and eggs similar to preceding.

73. Vireo Jiavifrons, (yellow-throated vire.) Rather rare summer res-
ident; breeds along border of woods and in thickets; nests larger and
more handsome than of the other species of vires, covered generally with
hanging lichens attached by cob-webs ; eggs, 3-4, with redder spots than
those of the red-eyed vires.

74. Vireo solitarius, (blue-headed ^vireo.) Rare migrant. (M. B W )

75. Vireo novaboracensis, (white-eyed vireo.) Rather common as a
summer resident; breeds in open woods and thickets; nest similar to those

'

of the other vireos. The vireo are all valuable birds to the agriculturist,
feeding exclusively on insects or their eggs, or larvae, and several of them
are possessed of good voices, full of" life and very active.

76. Lavius borealis, (great nortliern shrike.) Winter resident; rather
common, but never abundant ; usually solitary.

77. Pinicola enucleator^ (pine grosbeak.) Rare; occurs only as a winter
visitor, in severe weather.

78. Passer domesticus, (" English sparrow.") Resident; occurs every-
where; pugnacious, hardy, destructive; quarrelsome with his neighbors,
and a general nuisance ; nests anywhere ; food, mainly seeds and grain, dur-
ing the past season.

79. Carpodacus purpureuSj (purple finch.) An abundant migrant; a
seed-eater.

8''. Loxialeucoptera^i white-winged crossbill.) Rare straggler from the
north ; only found in winter.

hi. Loxia curvirostr aamericana, (red crossbill.) Rare ; only found as
occasional winter visitor.

82. ^giothushnaria^ (red poll.) Winter resident; not regular; occurs
occasionally in large flocks ; food, seeds of weeds and grass.

83. Chrysomitris pinuSj (pine finch.) Only as a winter straggler; rare.

84. Chrysomitris tristis, (goldfinch.) Abundant resident ; in flocks
until April or May; feeds largely on seeds; nests in July and August,
along roadside and near houses, in trees ; eggs, 4-5, pale blue.

85. Plectrophanes nivalis^ (snow bunting.) As a winter resident only ;
it is occasionally' found in flocks.

86. Centrophanes lapponicus^ (Laplsiud longspur.) Rare winter strag-
gler. Not given by Barnard, but his cabinet contained a specimen taken
in the count}^ after l86U, when his list was published. (M )

87. Fasserculus sandricensis savana, (Savannah sparrow.) Migrant ;
rather common.

88. Pcaxetes graminens^ ^)ay-winged bunting.) Abundant summer
resident ; rarely occurs as a winter resident ; rears two or three broods ;
nests on ground in grass fields and elsewhere ; eggs, 4-5 ; food largely of
grass-weed seeds.

b9. Melospiza lincolni, (Lincoln's sparrow.) Probably occurs occa-
sionally. (M.)

9U. Coterniculvs passerinus^ (yellow-winged sparrow.) A rather com-
mon summer resident ; nests similar to bay-winged bunting ; eggs, 3-4,
lighter, being white, with pale brown spots, mostly on larger end. Food of
all the sparrows is mainly seeds of grassland weeds. These birds are not
at all injurious — excepting P. domesticus — and destroy a limited amount
of injurious insects.

91. Goterniculus benstowi, (ITenslow's bunting.) Rare. Warren's
Forest and Stream list gives an instance of its possible occurrence, nest-
ing in Chester county, not in his later list. Given by M. T. B. Probably
does not breed.

92. Melospiza palustris^ (swamp sparrow.) Common migrant; occasion-
ally breeds; a nest, with eggs, taken in this vicinity in 1885, and I noted
the birds here late in May.

93. Melospiza fasciata, (song sparrow.) Abundant resident ; breeds on
ground, or in low bushes; rears two or three broods ; eggs, 4-5, usually
spotted all over with brown spots.

94. Junco hiemalis, (snow bird.) Abundant winter resident; occurs in
flocks with the tree sparrow.

95. ISpizella monticola, (tree sparrow.) Winter resident ; . food, weed-
seed largely.

I

84

m

1-1. ■.

hi

Quarterly Report.

96. Spizella domestica^ (chipping sparrow.) Summer resident ; com'
mon ; nests around houses ; eggs, 3-4 ; blue, with dark spots.

97. Spizella agresHs, (field sparrow.) Abundant summer resident; rears
two or three broods ; nest phiced on ground or in low bush ; eggs, 4, pale-
green, with brown spots, usually most abundant at larger end.

98. Zonotrichia alhicollis, (white-throaled sparrow.) A common mi-
granl , occasionally as a winter resident.

9H. Zonotrichia Z^ncop/iri/.s, (white-crowned sparrow.) Migrant only;
usually rare.

100. Passerella iliaca, (fox-colored sparrow.) An abundant migrant ;
occurs in small Hocks.

lOi. iS>22a ameWea/ia, (black-throated bunting.) A not very abundant
summer resident; nests in hedge rows, &c.; eggs, 4-6, pale blue.

102. Spiza townsendi, (Tow^nsend's bunting.) The only specimen extant
was shot in Ciiester county in ]8iS ; a doubtful specimen of this kind.

103. Ouiraca coerulea^ (blue grosbeak.) Appears on Michener's list; a
straggler from the south.

104. Zamelodia ludoviciana, (rose-breasted grosbeak.) Not abundant
as a migrant; probably breeds rarely. Dr. Warren gives an instance of
its breeding in past years.

105. Passerina cyanea, (indigo bird.) Abundant summer resident;
nests along roadside and in barns; eggs, 8-5, pale blue; food, seeds,
grasshoppers, and insects.

106. Cardinalis viryiniana, (cardinal grosbeak.) Common resident;
rears two broods usually ; nests in woods and thickets, preferring low
ground; eggs, 3-4, sometimes 6, light, with spots of various shades of
brown. Food mainly seeds.

107. Pipilo ery throphthalmus, (Towhee bunting.) Abundant summer
resident. Possibly occurs throughout mild winters to a limited extent-
frequents clearings and edge of woods ; nests on ground ; eggs, 4 light'
with numerous brown spots ; food, seeds and insects. • ' & »

108. Dohchonyx oryziuorous, (bobolink— reed-bird.) Abundant as a mi-
grant under the above names in spring and fall respectively.

109. Molothrus ater, (cow-bird.) Abundant summer 'resident* eggs
probably 4-5, are deposited in the nests of other species, notably those of
yellow warbler, golden-crowned thrush, vireos, wood thrush, and scarlet
tanager ; food, insects and seeds.

110. Ageldeus phoeniceus, (red-winged blackbird.) Abundant as a sum-
mer resident ; nest on ground and low bushes along streams, and in marshy
localities ; eggs, 4-5 ; pale-green, with dark spots and streaks. This species
associates with crow-blackbirds in the spring and fall in large flocks and
are then, at times, quite destructive to crops. '

111. Sturnella magna, (meadow-lark.) Abundant resident; in flocks
except during the breeding season ; nests on the ground ; eggs 4-5 • white
with reddish spots ; food, mainly seeds. ' ' '

112. Icterus spurius, (orchard oriole.) An abundant summer resident-
nests in orchards and small shade-trees, in an upright fork built of green
grass, often lined with wool; eggs, 4-6 ; pale green, with dark lines and
spots ; food, largely insectiverous.

113. Icterus galbula, {\hx\i\more oriole— '^ hanging-bird.") A common
and well-known summer resident; nest, deep, pendant, constricted at
mouth ; made of strmgs, wool, yarn, grass, &c., placed on end of hanging
limb ; eggs, 4-6 ; somewhat similar to those of the swamp blackbird • food
largely insectivorous. ' ^

The two.species of orioles are highly beneficial to the agriculturist.

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

85

114. Scolecophagus Jerrugineus, (rusty blackbird.) Migrant; rather
common.

115. Quiscalus pur pur eus, (crow -h]sic\ibird.) A common and abundant
summer resident ; breed mostly in vicinity of dwellings ; eggs, 4-5 ; brown
or light-green, with dark spots ; congregate in large flocks spring and fall,
when they sometimes do considerable damage, especially in the fall on
ripening corn ; their food during spring and summer is largely insectiv-
orous, particularly grubs and cut-w^orms from freshly-plowed sod; they un-
doubtedly destroy some newly-sprouted corn in spring also.

116. Corvus corax, {rsLVGn.) A very rare straggler, (M. & B.)

in. Gorvus frugiverous, (crow.) An abundant resident; nests in tall
forest trees, or sometimes quite low, even in orchards occasionally ; eggs,
4-6 ; blue, with dark spots. Opinions differ largely as to the value of this
bird ; from a farmer's stand-point, he will steal young birds and chickens, tear
up corn, and break up the nests of young birds ; but whether he has enough
good traits to overbalance these bad ones, I am not at present assured.

l\H. Corus marz7imus, (fish-crow.) Rare resident, if it occurs at all.

(M. B. & W.)

1 19. Cyanocittacristata, (bluejay.) Common resident; nests generally on
border of woods or in thickets ; eggs, 4-6 ; green or drab, with darker
spots. This bird bears a bad name, and is supposed to be destructive to
smaller species.

120. Tyrannus carolinensis^ (king bird.) Abundant; a summer resi-
dent ; nests about farm buildings, frequently selecting an old pear tree ;
eggs, 4-5, cream with chocolate spots; frequents neighborhood of bee-
hives, and lunches oflT the inhabitants ; food entirely insectivorous. The
king bird, pewee, and all the other fly-catchers are among the best friends
of the farmer. From their first arrival they are ever on the alert for flying
insects, which they capture with a quick dart from a convenient perch, often
to return to the same spot to await another victim.

121. Myiarchus crinitus, (great-crested fly-catcher.) Rather common
summer resident ; breeds in holes in trees, fence rails, or occasionally in
bird-boxes around the house; eggs, 4-6, almost covered with lines and
streaks of dark brown. The nest frequently has a cast-off snake skin at
the entrance or about, presumably for protection from marauding vermin.
Insectivorous to a valuable degree.

122. Sayiornis fusca^^pewGC.) A common and well known summer resi-
dent. In mild winters a few are resident ; saw one December 27, 1883, and
one January 9, 1884; nest about barns and houses, bridges, and under over-
hanging banks, &c. ; eggs cream white, frequently with fine spots ; forty-
five in number.

123. Con/opus 6orea/is, (olive-sided fly-catcher.) Rare migrant. (M.

&W.)

124. Contopus virens, (wood pewee.) Abundant summer resident ;
nests on top of a horizontal limb in a fork near end of branch ; nest small,
and covered artistically with lichens; eggs, 3-4, cream white, with dark
spots; food, insects.

125. Empidonax acadicus, (Acadian fly-catcher.) Irregularly abund-
ant as a summer resident ; frequents open woods, especially beech timber ;
nests on extreme end of branches, often overhanging water; nest of beech
blossoms largely, very slight, ])laced in a horizontal fork and pendant ; eggs,
2-4, usuallv 3, cream' white, with reddish-brown spots on larger end.

126. Empidonax trailli, (Traill's fly-catcher.) Rare migrant.

127. Empidonax minimus, (least fly-catcher.) Migrant; rather com-
mon, although never abundant.

86

Quarterly Report.

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

87

12S. Fmpidonaxflaviventris,(ye\]o\y-hQ]Ue(\i\y-catcher.) Migrant; not
common. (M. <fe B.)

1-29. Antro^tomus vociferus. (Whip-poor-will.) Not very abundant; a
summer resident ; nests on ground ; eggs, 2, white, or nearly so with pale
lilac or bluish spots; according to Warren bears two broods; strictly in-
sectivorous.

i8<>. Ghoroediles popetue, (night hawk.) Common summer resident;
most abundant spring and fall; breeds frequently in colonies; deposits
two eggs on bare ground, which are much darker than those of the whip-
poor-will. These birds are supposed by many to be identical with the
preceding species, but can readily be distinguished when flying by a white
spot on the wing of this species not found in the whip-poor-will. The
night hawk is frequently seen by day, especially an hour or two before sun-
set, and on cloudy days, and fly in flocks, circling lazily about, in search of
insects. The whip-poor-will Is only seen by day wdienVoused J'rom his hid-
ing-place m the deep woods or thicket.

131. ( hastura pelasgica, (chimney bird.) An abundant and w^ell-known
summer i-esident ; nests in chimneys exclusivelv now, formerly built in hol-
low trees, as they still do in uninhabited parts of the country ; nests of sticks
half cup-shaped, of twigs, held together and to walls by adhesive secretion
Irom the bird's throat; eggs, 5-G, pure white; insect feeding entirely.

132. Trochilus colubris, (ruby-throated humming-bird.) Common resi-
dent during the warmer portions of the year; builds on hoiizontal limb
in woods, orchard, or shade tree. The nest is a delicate structure made up
ofcotton, down from plants, and other ;iike soft material, and placed on
top ot hmb or in a fork, covered with lichens held on by spiders' web •
eggs, 2; white; food largely insectivorous.

183. Geryle alcyon. (belted kingflsher.) Abundant as a summer resi-
dent; rarely remains throughout mlid winters; nest in hole in bank alono-
roadside or stream, often six to eight feet deep; eggs, 6-7, pure white'',
are deposited at rear of excavation on bare ground or on bones of tishes
undigested by old bird.

134. Coccygus erythrophthalmus,{hl3iek~hmed cuckoo.) Occurs onlv as
a summer resident; nests in thickets and woods; eggs, 3-5 dark-o-reen or
bluish-green. Food of this and succeeding species, insectivorous and
largely in season of tent caterpillar.

135 Goccygm americanus, (yellow-billed cuckoo.) Quite similar to the
preceding; both are called ''rain crows." Habits and food same. IW^s of
this species larger and generally paler in color. I have found this species
much more abundant than the preceding. Dr. Warren found the reverse
Both species should be held in highest esteem by horticulturists on account
of their fondness for the tent caterpillar. I have seen them devour the
young just after they had left the nest and were beginning to strip the
leaves of a fruit tree. i ^ ^

13f). HylotomuH pileatus, (pWesitQd woodpecker.) Rare- doubtful if it
has been observed for several years in our county ; breeds'and is resident
m many portions of the wooded portions of the State; verv shv • mainlv
insectivorous; the king of the. northern woodpeckers and a handsome
species. A recent southern writer observed this species feeding on o-rubs
beetles, &c obtained from the ground by scratching, and dissecte'd onJ
tbat had eaten two immense caterpillars.'^ (M. B. W )

137. lyus borealis (red-cockaded woodpecker.) *A straggler from
the South. -Accidental, very rare." The above quotation, without tl^
author, appears in Warren's list ; not given by B. or M.

138. Picus villosus, (haii-y woodpecker.) Resident; common, but

never abundant; nests early in April, in a hole, which the ^>^^'^^^/^^^^;^;^'
usuallv, in or near a swamp bordering or near a woods; eggs, 4-5, white,
like those of all the woodpeckers ; food, insects entirely or "^f ["O;

189. Picus puhescens. (downy woodpecker.)^ An f^>^;"^^i^^^^^
nests in orchards and edge of woods, m holes similar f the other ^ ood-
peckers; a very active and industrious species, always on the go, and ut
great value in ridding trees of iniunoi s borers, Alc.

140 S'phyropicus variu^, (pellow-belhed woodpecker.) Rarely, as a
wiiite; resident'; occurs in fall and spring ; a tn.e '' sapsucker ;' the s r^ c -
ture of toncme and its dependent habits, are diflerent trom all other of our
nX e specreT; feeds, to a considerable extent, upon inner bark and sap of

trees, often to the detriment of the vegetation. resident •

141. Oer^^urus caroZinu«, (red-belhed woodpecker.) Winter resident,

'''?42 'Meianerpes erythrocephalus, (red-headed woodpecker.) Trreg-
ularsomSeT very abundant as a winter resident; often none remain
SiWt'e winter mcfnths ; usually common as ^-. -^^^^^ ^^^f^^ \^^^^^^^^^
generallv insectivorous; fond of fruits and corn in the milk state, but to

'''^:1;::i^^:uratu.. (mcker.) One of the best kno^ c>f our wood
peckers; abundant until cold weather; usually a ^ Zn t7. \ T^
around farm-houses or in trees, in almost every location; eggs, ^-l ,
tlos^v S- a species of inestimable value, and should never be wan-
tonl V sl^o as is too often the practice ; said to be a great ant-eater.

dental ; this species is generally resident where found, and has been cap
tiirpd in our countv ; given by B. and M. . ^ ,

it Zo v^rg^n^L, (sreat-hornod owl.) Common ; -s.den ; ears
voung in cavities of decayed tree, or in .leserted nest oi hawlv or crow
^ggs 2 4 pure white, /early as larfje as those of domestic fowl; food,

'" uf Sci «n?'(sc;ich owl.) Well known, and a rather abundant
resMentlTe:t:\;''i/onorv%rees, frUuently in orc^^^^^^^^^^

or meadow land is near by ; eggs, 4-6, white ; f^o'^' ^.^^f .J"*'!' "™;;%'^^',:
in May and June, while the yo.mg are b«ng eared for, the^ are verj de
striK'tive to numerous small insectivorous birds. , , ^ ^. • f„,i

iTAsiouilsonianuH, (long-eared owl.) Abundant at times in fall,
wilr,ands,"Ing; breeds rarely ; eggs, 4-7 white; nest usually of stocRs;
a deserted crows' nest is sometimes occupied.

uTIia accipitrinus, (short-eared owl.) Winter resident; not un-

"T4r"7rtx nebulosa, (barred owl.) Resident ; not very abundant gen-
pr-illv • nest and habits similai- to the great-horned owl.
'50.' Nycteascandiaca, (snowy owl.) Given by Michener as a rare win-

''\lftctall tX::" "^whe' owl.) Rare; probably resident, al-
thou ..ii f know of no instance of the nest having been foun.l in our county.

^'^2 %^:^'7;:Zrti!Zniu., (marsh hawk.) Abundant in spring

A f 11 fnnd consists largely of mice. This bird can be distinguished

frl Shl/rplrbrfts'loTg -Uil and wings, together with a white patch

^^ ^Ti^hZ ^rrJL, ( M is.i.sippi kite.) A southern strag;^'- The
only record of its occurrence in our county, so '^J' «f J ..2 S
the late Vincent Barnard, who saw an individual October 20, 1852.

88

Quarterly Report.

154. Accipiter fuscus^ (sharp-shinned hawk.) Probably resident, so
given by B. M. and W. I have never met with the nest liere. A small,
active species, quite destructive to small birds, mice, Siv.

155. Accipiter cooperi, (Cooper's hawk.) Resident; quite abundant.
This is the red-tailed hawk, and the two so-called " chicken hawks," and
this sj^ecies in particular, are destructive to poultry. They nest early in
May, in woods; eggs, 4-0, bluish white, sometimes speckled with light brown.

156. Astur atricapillus, (groshawk.) Winter resident ; not unfrequently
met with.

157. Falco islandicus, (Iceland gyrfalcon.) Given by Dr. Warren as
having been taken on one occasion in our county. A straggler from the
far north.

158. Falco pe re grijius, (duck hawk.) Very rare ; as a winter resident
only.

159. Falco columharius, (pigeon hawk.) A rather rare winter resident.

160. Falco sparmrius, (sparrow hawk.) Very abundant; breeds in
holes m decayed trees, often selecting an isolated chestnut in an open field;
eofgs, 5, light, covered thickly with brown spots or blotches; food mice
largely. '

161. Buteoborealis,(YQd-i2L\\Gd hawk.) Abundant; a resident • nest of
sticks, in woods, early in April; eggs, 2-4, light, with brown splotches;
food, rabbits, squirrels, poultry, kv.

162. Buteo lineatus, (red-shouldered hawk.) C^ommon as a winter resi-
dent ; may occur as a summer resident, so given by B. and Dr. W.

163. Buteo Pen7i8?//(;amcws, (broad-winged hawk.') Resident'; not abund-
ant; nest similar to that of Cooper's hawk ; eggs smaller, and spotted.

16 4. Archibuteo lagopus san cti-j aha nnis, (black hawk.) A winter resi-
dent; rather rare.

165. Pandion haliaetus, (fish hawk.) Abundant in spring and fall
Given by Dr. Warren, in list of 1879, as breeding in the county ; not in
his later list. I have never found it breeding here, but have heard that a
nest was at one time found on the Brandy wine in this county.

166. Atjuila chrysaetus, (golden eagle.) Yery rare ; occurs at intervals,
spring and fall. '

m. Haliaetus leucocephalus, (bald eagle.) Occasional in spring and
tall. A nest said to have been found in the county a number of years ao-o
Food consists of fish, snakes, &c. ^ o •

168. Cathartes aura, (turkey buzzard.) Abundant throudiout the year
except in extreme cold weather, when they repair further south. A few'
build within the limits of our county, annually. Eggs, 2-3, and closely
resemble those of the domestic turkey, with spots generally larger and
more confined to the larger end. Food consists of carrion, which tliev dis-
cover by sense of sight.

169. 'Ectopistes migratorius, (wild pigeon.) An irregularly abundant
spring and fall visitor. Food consists of acorns, beech nuts! berries in-
sects, and seeds generally. '

^ 170 Zenaidura carolinensis, (turtle dove.) Very abundant except dur-
ing colder months. A few remain throughout winter generally Nest in
low trees, in orchards, and along streams. Eggs, 2, white. Occasionally
lay in deserted nest of robin or other species. Food, seeds ; in fall, resort
to freshly sown wheat fields. , v^ i^

17 1 . Bonam umbella,( rullled grouse-- pheasant.") Resident where found-
rather abundant in northern part of the county; rarely found in southern
part; nests on the ground bedside a bush or log; eggs, 8-12 • pale brown-
sramivorous." * '

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

89

I

172. Ortyx virginiana, (quail— ■" partridge.") Common resident; eggs
laid on ground under brush or along fence; eggs, 8-15, or more; sharply

pointed at one end ; food, seeds, grain, &c. . . i •

173. Ooturnix dactylisonans, {migratory qnaW.) An imported species.

Several have been shot in our county. ,

174. Squatarola helvetica Ahhic^-hMiiid plover.) A rare migrant. Given

by Michener as a summer resident.

175. Oharadrius dominicus, {s^oldeu plover,) A rare migrant.

176. ^gialites vociferun. (kill-deer plover.) Abundant, except in mid-
winter ; occasionally resident throughout the year ; eggs laid on bare ground
or old pasture fields, 4 in number, number with dark spots ; rears two
broods generilly ; food, insects, largely. , , ^

177 Philohela minor, (American woodcock.) Common summer resi-
dent • sometimes rears two broods, in April and June ; nest on the ground
in woods or thickets ; eggs, 4 ; pale, spotted with dark-brown or umber ,
food, worms irom damp ground. .,_ ^ i

178. Lohipes hyperboreus, (northern phalarope.) A northern straggler.

m. Macrorhampus griseus, (red-breasted snipe.) I have never met
with this species. Given by Michener.

18<^ Gallinago wilsoni, (Wilson's snipe.) Not uncommon as a migrant ;
frequents streams and low meadows.

181. Actodromus maculata, (pectoral sandpiper.) Given by Michener.

Straseler, if at all. ,. ^ a -l i

182 Pelidua alpina americana, (American dunlin.) A rare straggler.

^ 183. Actodromui^minutilla,{\ea^t sandpiper.) Migrant; not fbimdant.

184. Totanus melanoleucus, (greater tattler.) As a migrant. (B. & M.)

185. ro/anws/Zamp^s, (yellow shanks.) Migrant ; rare.^

186. lihyacophilus solitarius, (solitary sandpiper.) Migrant; not im-

common. , . x « t. ^ <. «.,r«

187. Trinqoides macularius, (spotted sandpiper.) An abundant sum-
mer resident; frequents streams and borders of ponds ; nests on ground
frequently at a distance from water; eggs, 4; ligtit-brown, witli dark
snots ; food, aquatic and other insects.

18* Barlramia longicanda, (field plover.) Rather common ; nests in
meadow and grass-fields ; eggs resemble closely those of the woodcock ;

food, mainly Insects. ,, ,,, x

18«. Numenius longirostra, (long-billed curlew.) Rare, if at all. (M.)
190 Tantalus loculaior, (wood ibis.) A very rare straggler. One speci-
men was taken a number of years ago by the late Vincent Barnard.

191. Ardea herodias. (great blue heron.) Rather common in spring and
fall as a migrant ; may breed, but I have never met with its nest nearer
than the borders of the Delaware river, twenty miles distant.

192 Herodias egretla, (great white egret.) Of accidental occurrence
Given bv Barnard who savs "seldom found." Warren had a specimen taken
in adioinino- county of Lancaster. I have never seen it here.

igi Ga"rzetla candidissima, (snowy heron.) Bare ; occurs as a strag-

^\\T%'ulorides virescens, (groon heron.) An abundant summer resident ;
freouentlv breeds in colonics of six to ten pairs; nest in trees and bushes,
a fbw sticks looselv put together sufficient to lu.hl the three or four pale-
blue eggs. Food, fish, frogs, and insects from marsh-land mainly.

\9b Nyctiardea gruea neevia, (mf^M heron.) (Jonimon ui spring and
fall; probably breeds; nesting similar to that of green heron.

90

Quarterly Report.

196. Botaurus mugitmns, (American bittern.) Common in some parts of
the conntry. M. jrives it ''resident ; common." I have found no positive
record of its nest having been found, but specimens have been shot
throughout the summer months. Warren has a specimen taken December
8,1879.

197. Ardetta exilis, (least bittern.) Given in Michener's later list. Not
given by 1>. or W. Probably of rare occurrence.

198. Grus canadensis, (sand-bili crane.) Given by B. and M. Both
these records are based on the occurrence, as I am Informed, by the vener-
able Dr. aMiehener, who tells me that about 1840 a flock of about five indi-
viduals passed along the west branch of the White Clay creek, flying north-
ward, and one was shot and wounded by him. This bird was in the
doctor's collection for years. Later it went to Swarthmore colleo-e and
perished in a fire a few years ago. "^

199. Ilallus virginianus, (Virginia rail.) Breeds occasionally ; two
nests have been taken within a mile of Kennett Square, one about 1878, by
Aslier Palmer ; the other by some boys in 1883. Both nests were in swamps
near streams. I have an egg in my collection from the latter nest.

200. Porzana Carolina, (Carolina rail.) Bather common migrant.

201. Porzana novaboracensis, (yellow rail.) Given by Michener in his
18S1 list. 1 have never seen this bird in our county.

202. Gallinula galiata, (Florida gallinula.) Not common ; occurs only
as a miirrant.

203. Fulica americana, (coot.) A rather rare migrant.

204. Cygnus columbianis, (whistling swan.) Rare migrant. Given by
Michener in later list. Not given by B. or W. I have never seen it in
Cliester county.

205. Bernida canadensis, (Canada goose.) Common in spring and fall
flying on its migrations, but rarely stops in our limits.

206. Anas boscas, (mallard duck.) A not very common migrant. (M.
& W.)

207. Anas obscura, (dusky duck.) Given by Barnard as rare. Michener
also gives it. Occurs occasionally.

208. no,fila acuta, (sprigtail.) Given in 1^81 list of Michener.

209. Mareca americana, (American widgeon.) A rare migrant. (M.)

210. Querquedula carolinensis, (green-winged teal.) Of rare occur-
rence. (M)

211. Spatula clypeata, (shoveller.) Rare. (B. and M.)

212 A'ix sponsa (wood duck.) Rather common on migrations and prob-
ably breeds rarely. Barnard says, " Frequent;" Warren, "Occasional,"
and Michener, ''So far as 1 have l)een informed, this is the only wild duck
that has deigned to nest and breed in this county ; unlike its kin, it prefers
a hollow tree for a nesting place."

213. Fuligula marila, (greater black-head.) Occurs occasionallv. (M )

214. Fuligula affinis, (lesser black-head.) Rather common on 'streams
and ponds; in small flocks in spring and fall.

216. Fuligula collaris, (black-head, ring-neck.) Appears in Michener's
iisl.

21 f) Fuligula ferina americana, (red-head.) " Occasional winter visit-
ant. (Warren.) (M.)

217. Fuligula vallisueria, (canvass-back.) Probably a casual visitor on
the migrations. (M.)

218. Clangula glanciiim, (iroldGn-eye.) Given by Michener

219. Glangulaalbeola, (butfalo head— butter ball.) Frequently met with
when migrating. ^

.

Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture.

91

220. Harelda gJacialis. (long-tailed duck.) Occurs but ^^^f > ; (J^^')

221. Erismatura rubida. (vuMy duck.) I have ^'^ ^r. f' M Are"
mces of the caT)ture of this species m our county. Hare, (B.) i le-

stances of the capt
quent," (W.)

222
ear

222: MergL merganser, (goosander.) Occurs occasionally late fall and

rlv snrinf alonf the streams. "Common. (W.)

223 Zr!7«« «err«tor, (red-breasted merganser.) Cxiven ,n M.chener's

"124 Mergus cucullatm, O^ooded merganser.) Rarely met with. Barnard
snvs " Frcaiient." A^ccording to Warren, " Kare. ' ,, ^ ,

-225. ChScephalus Philadelphia, (Bonaparte's gull.) Several speci-
mens have been taken within our limits. w„,.ro,i Mr

226. Slerna hirundo, (common tern.) According to Di. Waucn. Mr.
C I) Wood has prepared specimens taken in the county.

ii-J Sterna filigino.a, (sooty tern.) At least three instances of its
r»qntnre are on record from our county. .

228. i}5roc/,ehdo« lariformis., (black tern.) Dr. Warren records the

capture of a male and female. , x * ^ „ t ir.r^x^ i)r

229. Gymochorea ^eucwr/^oa. (Leach's petrel.)_ f « f^'J.f,^\Xn.r of
Warren's record of a single specimen is the only instance of the taking ot

*'t3rp5I;irljlV:1;rLtersS4ter.) "This powerful bird, de-

spU^t/stfength an'd ^n'durance of wing, was f °-f ^ ^nl' St ""
borders and perished during a severe storm of wind, lain, and sleet.

^^2l^"7olymbus torquatu., (loon.) Occasionally met with as a migrant
232 Podicipes grikigena hollmlli, (red-necked grebe.) A rathe, laie

"l^st Z5::t^rLu., (horned grebe ) Rarely met wUh as a migrant
234. Fodibjmbus podicipes, (pied-billed grebe-" hell-diver. ) A rathei

'°ToTe™bove"Hstare the following species, or supposed species, that have

''lr^:St:^;::^^i..e^^^^^)^ f^'?L^rS\Ss'-a.o by

nnnrnrnit tevricotis, (Michener's warbler.) Described jears ago oy

Ninfall'om iTpedes taken by Dr. Michener in our county ; now believed

"]^w!X.^;a"/V«.:C™,:!lw;id turkey.) Extinct; said to have for-

""^■A'or'«;.Wo, ( " prairie hen"_pinnated grouse.) Extinct. ,

Summary of above list:

. . 38
Resident, gQ

Summer resident, g^

Winter visitant, ^^

Migrant, .17

Straggler, * ' ' 2

p]xtinct, . .

23G

Toi

115

Total,

Barnard's list, I860,

' Michener's, (partial,) 1863, ^j^

Warren's, 1880, 232

Michener's, 1881, . . • .' ' * I'r 79

Warren's list of summer residents, I88f),

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