The Van Buren press., 1874-02-10
A Meeting Of City Grangers.

report Of the proceedings oi orange III
an Eastern city, which will doubtless be
somewhat amusing, il not instructive, to
the Western Patrons:
Harrison of McHenry desired to know
the number of hens necessary for new
~ married couple to keep IN order 70
supply their table with fresh eggs during
the winter. Also, are there not certain
breeds Of fowls that lay two eggs day
Mr. Swipes, an old gentleman with
large wen on his head that gave hiln Il
double headed appearance, said that ne
had been engaged in fowl culture for
nineteen years, and though he had sue
ceeded by cross breeding IN producing
hen that would lay two eggs per day,
she was short lived, and IN the end her
yield of eggs amounted to no more than
| the common fowl who laid one day,
with an occasional day oh-when she did
not feel like work Sixty healthy hen 5
ought TO keep newly married couple in
eggs, but the result would depend great
deal upon whether they ate any thing bat
eggs OF not.
| A letter was read from a MiddIeburgh
farmer, asking whether chess was inJtl-
rious to wheat or not y A tall, slabslded
youth with long curly hair stuck up with
! burdock burs, arose, and removing Tue
chew OF plug tobacco from his mouth.
sad he did not see how chess could
possibly hurt wheat, any more than
checkers or dominoes, and he thought
that the farmer who asked such qucs-
ton must be next neighbor to a fool with
the dooyard fence knocked down.
A boarding. house keeper wished the
club to furnish her with information as
to the best method Of deodorizing skunk
cabbage aud bardock ii--a:ves, SO as to ren
der them more popular among her board
ers as greens This question was re
ferred to the Committee on Vegetables,
who are also trying ia devise some way
by which onions could he eaten on operY
nights 10y lovers OF this juicy esculent
and music, and who. cannot give up
either.
An interesting discussion followed up.
on the question as to what style OF pump
is most suitable for dairymen's use The
milk venders proper being unanimously
! in favor Of noiseless wooden pump
with old fashioned handle, while the but
ter and cheese makers inclined to the old
bucket and sweep" plan.
Can the watermelon be successfully
cultivated, OH sandy soil, in q rural town
OF four thousand inhabitants, and The.
illogical Institute located near by, con.
tanning one hundred and twenty students
studying for the ministry This ques
ton excited considerable comment and
loud discussion among the agriculturists
present, and nearly an hour and hall
was spent in discussing the same An
old green grocer who had raised early
and late vegetables for the market for
twenty years Of his earlier life, said he
could raise melons on top Of barn, OF
on n billiard table, even, let him pick the
locality and his ncighbors. 1t was not
so much the soil, nor season, that the
melon depended upon for its perfection,
as it was the pccuiarties OF the inhabi-
tants Of the country round about. Where
there was an excess OF colorcd citizens II
was almost as impossible to raise a pay
ing crop OF melons, as It was to keep
spring chickens unless they roasted a,
right in Hcrrings safe. Then, again =
colleges have bad effect upon the melon
crop, and even q minister's family of
seven boys has been known to blight a
large patch in single night. In sec
tons Of country where these drawbacks
exist, the speaker had learned that the
only method to insure full crop Of mel.
ons, was to station Il man by each melon
from the time it was the size Of n hens
egg until it ripencd This was expensive,
but the result was always gratifying AS
the fruit grew in size, aud approached
rpeness the speaker had sometimes
found it necessary to station two guards
over each large melon, and even then, in
communities where n great fondness tor
these luscious products existed, he had
known of the insidcs of a large water
melon being stolen and deyoured while
two men with clubs and pistols were
seated on the shell, or rind, engaged in
friendly converse
A motion to adjourn was here male
and carried, and the "Untcd Order OF
iayseeds dispersed well satisfied with
their first meeting. and to assemble agail
at the call Of the President and Sccrcta
ry. The coming winter session p 'omises
to be productive Of much that will be in
structive and rich TO farmers fact
to everybody who attends Lectures
| from the heaviest brains in thcscountry
upon The Bumblehee -" The Pcnsive
Cam -" Is There Any Butter Stronger
Than The Coat and kindred topics
%
SMUT IN WHEAT The Prairie Farmer
;, -, A ,,,.et,,n ,,ivas Tho collp ~