Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-02-03

on Domestic Progress" and :: Ensi-
lnSe'-Infiuence oil the stock
on the eGraft-Agricultural
Reports, &C., &c.
\ stated meeting of the Lancaster coun-
ty agricultural and horticultural society
was held yesterday afternoon in their room
in city hall.
The following members We're present
Joseph F. Wilmer, president, Paradise
johnson Miller, Warwick: :. d. Ken,iig,
Manor; Henry NJ. Engle. ,iarietta Cas-
per Hitler. Conestoga Calvin Cooper,
Bird-inHand Dr.. VIM. Compton, city
S. p. Eby, city: Henry Kurtz. Mt. joy;
John III. Landis, Manor; Ex-Sheritf Adam
Bare, Earl; DR.. c. \. Green, city {. L.
Hunsecker, Manor: Peter 5. Reist, Litiz !;
VIM. McConiscy. city; \. =. McIlvaine,
Salisbury; d. W. Graybill. East Hemp
field: : Ephraim Hoover. Mannheim: s. 5.
Rathvon, city: Mr.. Wolf. Millway; W.
W. Griest, city; Levi S. Reist, Mannheim.
The minutes OF last meeting were cor
rected SO far as they stated the rainfall of
November and December as reported by
Mr.. Engle-the fall during the former
month being - inches and the latter
? 11-16 inches. The rainfall for January
was three inches.
DR.. VIM. Compton. city, and DR.. c. \.
Green, city, were elected members
S. p. Eby read Il communication giving
the dimensions of the large trees III Isaac
Carpenters farm noticed in yesterdays S
1NTELLIGENCER. Also of tree OH the
farm of Israel g. Erb, Penn township,
which at the butt measures 23 feet in cir
cumfercnce, the extremities of the branches
covering circumference of 50 yards.
Casper Hitler read Il paper on Fruit
growing in city lots He said that as a
general rule the fruit grown in city lots is
superior to that grown in the open coun-
try, especially in dry seasons. This was
sufficiently demonstrated by the late fruit
exhibition in this city. The superiority
was especially noticeable in pears and
grapes. He accounted for this by the
fact that the trees in the city lets arc
shaded from the sun by the buildings and
fences. and the earth does not dry out so
rapidly as in the country. They are also
protected from the severe winter winds.
These are advantages which the country
fruit grower cannot possess. Besides, the
city-grOwn fruit is less liable to insect
depredations than that grown in the
country. In cu!tivating grapes he recom-
mendcd southern or eastern exposure, and
said the vines shculd lie trained Eorizon-
tally on upright trelliscs, on which cop
ing may be used to protect the less hardy
varieties.
II. N. Englc endorsed Mr. Killers state
ment as to the superiority Of city-grown
fruit, and the reasons therefor he thought
however, that it might be possible to i'm
prove country fruit by adopting measures
to protect the trees from storms and drnutE.
The trees cannot be protected by buildings
as they are in cities but they may in a
great measure be protected by screens Of
evergreen which Will act It's wind brakes,
and shield them from storms. The ground
may be be kept moist in hot and dry
weather, by a thorough mulching and
artificial irrigation. The fruit market
cannot be supplied with city-grown fruit,
the bulk of it must come from the colln-
try, and everything that can be done
should be done to improve it.
S. p. Eby, esq, said one cause of the
superiority Of city fruit is because the
temperature in cities during severe
weather is never quite SO severe as in the
open country. He thought, however, that
peaches and some other fruits could be
better grown in the country than in town.
He had noticed that where there is too
much shade they do not come to such per-
fection, either in size, color OF flavor as
when they grow in open, sunny places.
During very weather the ground about
the trees may be mulched or irrigated as
Ir. Engle had said.
DIR. Green said 4 pre- requisite for the
production of good fruit is to have in the
soil the constituents of which the tree and
its fruit is composed. If these cOnstitu-
ents are not in the soil they may be placed
there by artificial means. The doctor re-
ferred at some length to Il recently dis
covered mine in Schuylkill county, from
which immense quantities of alum sIlaie
are being mined. When exposed to the
air 80 or GO days this decomposes, and
analysis shows that it contains all the val
liable constituents of stable and Auden-
ried manures. Another matter of vast i'm
portance to fruit growers was the best
means of destroyin: insect pests. The
doctor said he had experimental consid-
erably in this direction, and at the next
meeting of the society would read a paper
on tic subject.
Domestic PROGRESS
c. L. Hunsccler read an essay on :: Do
nestle Progress" 1t was filled with val
liable statistics, and other matters OF i'm
portance, and will no doubt find it's way
into the agricultural journals. One of the
leading objects of the essayist was to show
that there is a great deal of - bosl,' in
what is said of 50 the good old times" and
that the progress which has marked the
last half century and revolutionized old
manners and customs, has been of incalcu-
liable bnnefit to the human family.
A vote of thanks was extended Messrs.
Hitler and Hunsecker for their essays.
"DOes the stock have any influence on
the graft ? was next discussed. In the
absence of Jacob Stauffer, to whom the
question had been referred, Calvin Cooper
opened the debate by saying that there
were two sides to the question. The stock
will influence the size and habit of the tree,
but the fruit will not be changed This
fact is seen in the propagation of dwarf
pears though the tree is dwarfcd the
fruit is not.
Mr.. Engle said it is certain that the graft
will influence the root more than the root