The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1878-11-15
Deer Creek Faumers' Club.

min Silver, near Churchvile Besides active
members, there We're present DR.. s. b. Silver,
Albert Silver, John Bay less ID. L. Wilson, Isaac
Wilson, VIM. L. Easter and Scott Whiteford
In the temporary absence of the President
Thomas Lochary was called to the chair and
appointed a committee TO inspect the premises,
consisting of Messrs. Lee, Glasgow and Webster.
The committee, after tour Of inspection, re-
ported their qualification at the convenient ar.
rangement of Mr. Silver's barn. There was
place for everything and everything in its place.
The barn is tripe-decker, and SO arranged that
you can drive into the third story, from which
hay, &c, can be placed in the mows with the
least possible labor. Mr.. Silver's stock of all
kinds looked well, the farm was in fine cultiva
ton, and the committee thought Mr.. Silver, if
member, would be an honor to the Deer Creek
Farmers Club, as he would add to il his enlarged
| experience and sound practical wisdom in mat
| tiers pertaining to farming,
The following subject was announced for dis
| cussion: " Is the increased yield and the i'm
proved quality of the wheat crop in Hartford
county owing to the use of fertilizers, to i'm
proved methods Of farming, or to natural
| causes w
John Moores was of the opinion that the i'm
provement in quality OF wheat is due to fertili-
zers, especially bone dust, to good farming and
| to the selection of good seed. He recolected
when our wheat was classed as Nos. 3 or 4; now
| it brings the highest market price. Then farm.
| ers used TO refuse seed; now they sow the
| best. Phosphates will produce more straw than
| bone dust, but when threshed, you will find that
the bone dust has produced the most wheat.
r. Harris Archer agreed with Mr.. Moores as
| TO the relative effects of bone dust aud phos-
| phaie. The latter will not produce as plump
Or us bright grains AS bone dust. As to the
| question under discussion, crops are certainly
larger now than formerly, and The increased is al
| trlbutable, in some measure, to the varieties of
wheat S@wn now. FullZ wheat seems to be do
! ing better every year. The grain is perfect, but
not quite long enough. Wheat raised in this
section ranks as high as any sent to the talti.
more market.
+. NJ. Allen said the increased yield was owing,
in considerable degree, to the favorable ons;
also in an equal degree To greater care in cult
vaion and increased tcrtilizmg of the ground
! The yield of wheat he knew had increased. Up
| to 1877 he never raised more than 90 bushels to
the acre. Since that time lie has raised A bushels.
/, He had always been farming on good ground
| He would attribute the increase, therefore, more
especially to favorable seasons. We may have
| our ground well fcrilized, sow good seed and
all that, yet If the season is unpropitious we
will have but little wheat.
w. ID. Lee agreed with Mr.. Allen, in thinking
the increase tribuNble to remarkably favorable
| seasons.
William Webster thought the effect of the
seasons should be left out of The question 1t
is difficult to decide what has caused the in.
crease, whether the selection of seed good farm
| ing or the use of fertilizers. He would ascribe
it to the increased fertility of the soil, induced
by thorough tilOge and the use of commercial
fertilizers.
James H. Ball said his knowledge of wheat
growing in Hartford county only extended
through the last eight years. He had, however
talked with old men who said there are not as
large crops of wheat grown now as there were
years ago, The good crops of the last two years
were owing as much to good seasons us to other
I causes.
George K. Glasgow said he was raising better
crops than lie used to. farmer can not afford
| to raise an inferior crop. Farmers now use
/ fertilizers and tnlkt n mai in ~, rnis
good crops He aims 10 pillow underline clover,
| thinking it better than any bought fertilizer
that can be used The increase he thought due
to good farming, fertilizers and natural causes
combined; but If you have your ground in good
order aud sow good seed, you will be likely to
have good crop.
Thomas Lochury thought the increase was
mostly owing to the seasons. Is in favor OF
good farming, good seed, good fertilizers and
good seasons to ensure good crops. Drilling
wheat is much better than the old fashioned
way.
Dir. 5. B. Silver thought that on some of the
Deer Creek land there had not been much in
crease, but farther out in the county there had
been great increase. He remembered when
splendid crops Of wheat were raised on Deer
Creek, but the land wore out. If bone had been
spread, years ago, as it is now, they would have
had greatly increased crops. The improved
quality of wheat is due to Il succession of good
crops, thus perpetuating good seed When we
do not have good yield we have Indifferent
wheat also. file attributed the increase to the
fertilizers used and to better farming.
James Lee said the crops on his place bad been
steadily increasing for the last or years, from
lG or IS bushels per acre to % to 40 bushels. -
The increase is not due TO better farming or
better machinery for preparing the ground or
planting seed, but to the use of fertilizers.
Silas b. Silver regarded the increased quanti-
ty as certainly due to fertilizers. If we cease
fertlizing our crop diminshes. AS 10 the i'm
proved quality of wheat, careful selection every
year, getting purer and brighter seed has ten.
dency to improve both the quantity and quality
just as in stock raising we select the best to
breed from. The season also has something to
do with the increase and improvement.
Albert Silver thought the increase due to fer
tilZers and the varieties of seed sown, and not
to the manner of farming. He did not suppose
the yield would have been increased proper ton
ally, 80 years ago, il wheat had been sowed in
the same manner as COW. We can not expect a
proper yield if we use inferior seed, and we
should be careful in selecting seed
Thomas A. Hays regarded the increase as due
to the use of commercial fertilizers and good
seed, more than to the manner of tillage or the
seasons.
Benjamin Silver took it for granted that the
quantity of wheat raised in this county is greater
than fifty years ago, because more acres are now
sown. The improved quality he attributed to
the use offertlizers. Their use had also increas
ed the yield per acre Fifty or sixty years ago
very large crops were raised on Deer Creek farms
without the use of manure, where now nothing
at all could be raised without 1t. The large
crops of former years were due to the natural
fertility ofthe soil. By long course offarmne
in wheat, the land became exhausted of some OF
the constituents of wheat; that has been partly
made up by fertilizers. We might sa civ say
that the increased yield is owing to ertilzers to
an improved mode Of farming and somewhat to
seed. Farmers fifty years ago were careful as
now in selecting seed, but we have greater va
rcty to select from. The seasons, he thought
have great deal to do with the iE proved quail
ty of the wheat.
VIM. T. Easter thought the improved quality
is due to the use of rtizers, and the increased
quantity to the favorable seasons we have had o
late years Improved cultivation has not i'm
proved the quality, but may have increased the
quantity,
Isaac Wilson thought the increased yield was
entirely due to manure. There is great deal
of land where 80 or 40 bushels per acre was rails
ed, years ago, where nothing at all can now be
raised without manure. The large crops oftht
last few years he attributed to the favorable
| seasons.
VIM. Munnikhuysen argued that, with the ex
ception of the last two years, there had been nc
increase in the yield of wheat as compared with
80 years ago, although his land had improved in
quality so that he could raise barrels of corn
where his father raised one. The good crops Of
the last two years he ascribed to propitious
seasons. He believed that our lands were be
coming exhausted of some properties necessary
to raise wheat, which bone dust and other fer.
tlizers supply.
David L. Wilson agreed with Mr.. Munnkhuy
sen. Some farms on Deer Creek did not raise SO
much as 30 or 40 years ago other farms where
the land Is good raised more. In some places
fertilizers have had Il great deal TO do with the
; increase. improved farming also has had some
thing to do with it, but not so much as fertiz.
ers.
George E. Silver the Secretary, said if there
had been any increase it was due to the improv.
ed methods of cultivation and to the use of fer.
tiizers; for five cease to apply fertilizers for
two years our crops fail. He summed up the
causes as attributable to better cultivation, i'm
proved machinery, the use of fertilizers and IA.