The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1879-10-03
Deer Creek Farmers Club.

the death of Mr.. Michael,
Deer Greek Farmers Club.
The club met at the residence of Mr.. James II.
Ball, on Saturday September nth There were
Hays, Secretary) Jas. II. Ball, b. Silver, Geo. E.
Silver, Silas b. Silver, Mooros, Glasgow, Rogers,
Munnikhuysen, Judge Waters, Janney, Jas. Lee,
and VIM. ID. Lee-active members and DR.. Jas.
NJ. Magraw, s. M. Lee, Joseph Ball, Phineas Ball,
Harvey Ball, Thos. and Jas. Hood, j. II. Quinby
and II. w. Baker, honorary members and visitors.
Messrs. James Lee, Moores and MunniknuyseH
We're appointed committee to examine the con-
dition of the farm and buildings. They were ac-
companied by the entire club, who examined more
particularly Mr.. Ball sgrapery. He has u number
of varieties, but principally Concord and Eshcol,
which are planted on a hill side with Southern
exposure. Each vine is pruned back every year
to height of six or eight feet, and trained UP to
The committee reported through Mr.. Lee that
Mr.. Balls wheat was nicely put in, both on fallow
and stalk ground that his corn was as good as any
convenient arrangement for fastening cows his
pigs are good his cattle of fair quality and nice
for the season, The committee also visited the
grapery, but could not say enough about that
The grapes were the finest they had ever SEEM
They also noticed good garden, in which peanuts
Mr.. Moores remarked that Mr.. Ball was keeping
pace with the other members of the club and in
some things excelling them. The committee had
seen nothing they could criticise unfavorably.-
The farm had been much improved since the last
visit of the club. Mr.. Munnikhuysen agreed with
r. II
Silver said he had noticed some Walter grapes
from which Mr.. Ball was making raisns for exhi-
bition at the county fair The grapes are cut when
ripe and dried in the sun.
The question suggested for discussion was the
CULTURE OF GRAPES AND SMALL FRUITS.
Mr.. Ball said he trained the vines to single post
and allowed them to grow or feet high. The
pruning is done during the pleasant days in Feb
ruary, at any time after the leaves fall and be-
growth is cut off, except one bud. After the buds
start many of those left at first are rubbed off, to
prevent too greata growth of wood. The ground
is kept clear of grass and weeds with hoe. Dur
ing the summer, the long shoots are snapped Off
to within two or three buds of the punches of
grapes. The vines are tied up to the posts with
tarred strings. which should be renewed every
spring. As to the varieties, he considered the Con-
cord the best, all In all, ever grown The Ives are
week or two earlier, and you will be apt to find
some of them on the vines after the Concord are
gone. The Isabella, Catawba, and Clinton are late
Of far Tnes @
few Ives for early and a few Catawbas for late,
with few Tomas and Diana or two. The Della
ware lisa slow grower and poor bearer, but choice
grape. A little bone dust should be put on every
year, but no barn yard manure should be used, as
1t has a tendency to make wood and not fruit. a
good healthy vine can easily be converted into any
kind ofgrape you desire by grating which Is cast
ly done, either in the fall or spring, the spring be-
Blackberries are too much trouble to cultivate
and spread too much. He had planted the Thorn
less Black Cap, Philadelphia, and Carriers rasp-
berries The latter is Valueless, and the ThornleSs
is the best of all. Currants can be grown from
cuttings, and need cultivation, but he had seen fine
currants grown where they had not been cultiva-
ted. Raspberries and currants should both be
planted on good ground and cultivated. Raspber
ries should not be trimmed much until the winter
or spring.
The Green Prolific was the only variety of straw
berry he could recommend. He had been told that
tilize them, but DR.. Magraw had shown him some
which bore luxuriantly with no other variety with
them.
Mr.. Quinby said he had not been successful with
the Thornless Black Cap, and had gone back to the
old purple or English kind, which bears four times
as many as any other He covers his Strawberries
lightly with straw in the fall. In the spring the
plants are uncovered and allowed to come up
among the straw. He plants Strawberries in July
or August and ruSpberries in the spring. III he
wants new plants, he allows the ends of the plants
to strike the ground and take root, but does not
use the suckers, which will not bear well
Mr.. Ball thought it would not do to disturb the
roots of strawberries in the spring. Mr. Quinhy
agreed with him, but said if they became very
new bed, he said, should be set out every two
years. Ii they are to be worked with n horse they
should be planted three feet apart and the plants
kept clean all the time until the LIST of October
Very few of the members had anything to say
on the subject, whereupon Mr. s. NJ Lee ,9 remarked
est in raising small fruits by young men, who
drive around in buggies
Mr.. Munnikhuysen mentioned having seen
variety of wild raspberries ripe in Ohio in Octo-
Mr.. Moores had never planted but one vine and
put half a bushe of coarse bone near its roots
That was many years ago. 1t is still growing, has
sent its branches to a distance of 80 yards and
raspberries and Strawberries he has been trying
all his life to kill them on his farm. STILL he en-
couraged the cultivation of all improved kinds of
grapes, Strawberries, &c.
Mr.. Thomas A. Hays digressod n little from the
subjectby asking the proper time to gather pump
and put under the corn shocks, where they will
keep two months. They will not keep in damp
place. Mr.. Quinby said he had known them to
keep in New Jersey until the following May. A
few heavy frosts will injure them. They should
be kept in room in the house, where they will
Mr.. Thos. A. Hays said that in planting raspber-
ries he would select variety that will stand the
winter: He thought farmers neglected raising
fruit. They should have enough, at least, for home
consumption. 1t costs nothing. They should also
have good truck patches and good gardens;
Mr. also asked II this h the time to
keeping them by picking after frost. Mr.. s. NJ
Lee said they should be picked whenever the stem
separated easily from the twig.
Mr.. s. B. Silver said the members had all shown
that they appreciate small fruits Nature has pro-
vided great many varieties and the time devoted
to their cultivation would pay. double their cost
Raspberries and other small fruits should have
separate beds, to grow, on. The raspberries had
fences and in outrof-the-way places
Mr. ID. Silver said that some years ago they had
nice grapes but they stopped pruning them and
VIM. r. Hays said he waged war on fox grapes.
blackberries and raspberries, and would continue
10 40 SO untll tney were SuDuueu.
Adjourned to meet at Mr.. Hosea Barnes's, 0cto-
Der 18th. Subject, Undertaking."
DucKrNa sEAsoN.-We are appraised that the
regular ducking season is near at hand, by the
preparation making by the gunners, in repair
ing and fixing up their boats and boxes, repaint-
ing decoys and general overhauling Of their
cunning outfits. The season begins November
LIST, and ends March 31st. Last season was
rather above the average. Duck shooting may
be considered one of the important industries of
our city, bringing In q revenue of about SIC, 600
a season. Some days as many as 500 ducks
have been killed on the flats, which are shipped
to all points of the compass-some going to
Europe. Probably one and half to two tons of
powder and ten to twelve tons of shot being
used In season. The flats-as the 10000 acres
at the mouth of the Susquehanna, which are
nearly bare at low water are called, grow spe-
cies of wild celery which the ducks-especially
the much priced canvass bacls-appear to great
ly relish and which gives them that peculiar fla
vor so greatly relished by epicures. These flats |
are probably the choicest feeding grounds for |
wild water fowl of any In the United States