The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-10-19
From the horticultural College.


a The weather for the past two weeks has bee
Il as decidedly unpleasant as the previous tire
d or four weeks were pleasant. The rain ha
o done much good. and wheat that before looke'
Q pale and spotted now looks more promising.
Prof. Ingersoll went to the Port Huron Far
and gave lecture on Agriculture. At the Cen
, trail Michigan Fair, in Lansing, the Hon. Zach
Chandler gave paper on Agriculture, whIci
showed some knowledge Of practical farming
J q valuable collection OF carefully prepared sta
tistics, and some good advice, though OF kind
difficult to practice by men OF limited means.
Mr.. Chandler has abundant means, and can
spend few hundred every year in reclaimlng
swamp lands and breeding blooded stock but
this can't we'll be followed by men of small
means. Farmers will do especially well to study
agricultural chemistry in its more recent devel-
| opment and in correcting errors in Won Lie
big's works. 1t will be remembered that Won
Liebig WAS the agricultural chemist who ad-
vised using compound manures, the elements
OF which are worthless IN their practicl applica-
ton, and which so Disguised the farmers Of
England with their failure to restore fertility,
or even TO keep il up. that they immediately
made war upon the chemists and mistrust them
TO this day. Compounds OF the same kind are
made and advertised for sale to-day, and are
serving only to tell how many honest farmers
get handsomely swindled.
IL is wonderful how people will cry "hsrd
times" and go to Fairs, and buy every ten cent
notion they see. really believe that the IS,
900 paid at the gate at the Fair held here last
week was exceeded by the amount paid in small
sums for worthless toys and traps, for | can
call the two-shilling machines and apparatus
made to gull the people with at Fairs and all
public gatherings nothing but traps, and the
meanest kind OF trap, for it hurts ones feel
ings terribly to get his purchase home and find
he has been swindled by man whom he can
never get chance to blow up. Such an impos-
ter was here last week with what he called
"Signal Service Barometer and Weather Proph-
ct" as nice piece OF humbug as was ever Of
fered for SALE No doubt our Signal Service.
Of which we are justly proud. would deny any
relationship to 1t. 1t is made by no firm and in
no place, judge, as it has nothing to indicate
that 1t has a maker or that any place claims its
inventions. It's structure is such that there is
not the least principle OF science about it, and
it is enough to say Of its accuracy that it per-
sistenty Indicated fair weather" when water
proofs and umbrellas were indispensable. Still,
dozens we're buying the elegant humbug. /
don't wonder that after few such practical
lessons as these frauds give them many go
home declaring the Fair to be Of no practieal
good to them.
Mr.. Gibson, attorney for the Michigan Gen.
trail, gave lecture on the Amazon, in the
chapel, last Wednesday afternoon.
The new hall is nearly inclosed, and much OF
the inside work 10 done. IL will be ready for
occupancy before school opens next Spring. |
The present school year will end November %. |
Many of the students will leave before to be-
gin teaching. Such will take their examinations |
in the Spring. The Natural History Society |
meet this evening.
Reports OF some very interesting nvestiga-
tions were made. Among them one by Mr..
Gage on Flies. He says it takes over $500 OF
the insects to weigh pound, Strange that the
cook should make so much fuss over so small
a thing. II takes Of them to weigh one grain.
Still students complain when they find sixteen
in pitcher Of milk, though they could take
hree grains of quinine with nothing but a
scow. Prof. Besl gave a paper on Autumn
leaves. He says the common notion the bright
and very brilliant hues, so admired in Autumn,
and without which Autumn would loose its
charms. are not from chemical changes produced
by frost, but from natural processes in plant
growth. This fact, Gas it no doubt is being ac-
by all the bes. Botanists and Chem
sts), was new to most OF US. though students
IN Botany, The yellow IN leaves is from yell
ow particles floating around in the cells, the
same as green is given to leaves by floating
green particles, but the color is from fluid {
ioating in the same way. A paper on Phyl {
oxea was especially interesting as the recent !
havoc by that insect pest is making it s live ,
subject. Their presence is known either from l
he gaul on the leaves causing them to wither {
,r from knots on the roots. The louise Is yell Z
ow and it's presence can be determined only by I
1870 OF the microscope. In France it has nearly 9
discouraged ell grape culturlsts and in England =
hey are seriously troubled, though few grapes
re grown there. The effects OF the work OF
he lice are combined under the name Of
he " Black Root p" generally. In the case OF n
ir. Lym's vinyard on Crosse Isle the leaves 7
urned brown and dropped of, the fruit !
githered and blasted, and where, two years :,
go, Mr.. Lynn had profit Of $500, this q
ear he has nothing, and even the vines are
with death. As they are too small
o kill we can only fight them by making the
liant growth vigorous. In wet seasons the I
round should be well drained, and care should J
70 taken to trim well, 80 that no unnecessary
rowth may be put forth in wood at expense Of
ruit. The lice trim the roots, and horticultur- :,
,ts must trim the top, to keep them in proper r
roportion.
KALAMAZOO, Oct 16.-The grand lodge Of :.
food Templars Of Michigan met here this az 4
ernoon. There are 200 delegates present I
rand Worthy Chief TempIar Sagendorph's .,
eport shows general progress of the work y