Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-12-07
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.
OUR AGRICULTURISTS.
MEETING OF THE LANCASTER COUNTY
SOCIETY.

OUR AGRICULTURIST
MEETING OF THE LANCASTER COUNTY
SOCIETY.
Crop keports-Essays and Discussions
Forests and Forest Laws, &C.. &c.
The Lancaster County Agricultural and
Horticultural society met in their rooms,
in city hall, yesterday afternoon.
The following named members and Wis.,
itors were present:
NJ. D. Kendig, secretary, Cresswell,
Hand: W. ". Griest, city; DR.. c. A.
Greene, city; J. II. Lands, Manor !;
johnson Miller, Warwick; G. L. Hun
seeker, Mannheim township; Jacob Boil
lingcr, Warwick Peter S. Reist, Lititz
VIM. McComsey, city; James Wood, Lit
tie Britain F. II. Diffenderffer, city Dan
iel Smeych, city G. A. Cast, city Peter
Hershey, city John G. Linville, Sails
bury; J. Hoffman Hershey, RohrerstOwn;
A. F. HOstetter, city; Tobias Hershey,
Leacock Israel L. Landis, Mannheim JIM.
Johnston, city.
Crop Reports.
Crop reports being called for, Jacob Boil
linger stated that the early-sown wheat
inhis neighorhood bad been badly damaged
by the fly-especially the red wheat sown
early in October that which had been
sown later looked better. He reported
that from one acre of land he had gathered
115 bushels and % quarts of corn, ono Of
the stocks being II feet in length.
]. H. Lands reported the wheat in his
neighbOrhoOd as looking very we'll. To-
bacco buyers had been around looking at
the new crop, but he had heard Of only
one lot that had been sold. 1t was taken
at %, 8, and 3.
President Wilmer said the wheat in his
neighborhOOd looked as well as he had
ever seen ut this season of the year. Farm
ers arc busy stripping their tobacco and
preparing it for the buyers. There had
been three lots sold in the neighborhood-
one at 20, 8 and 3, and the two others at
%, s and 3. A week ago he had visited
Berks county and heard many complaints
of the poor condition of the wheat crop,
many fields being nearly eaten up by the
fly.
Experiments in Wheat Culture.
John G. Linville read an essay in which
he gave the results of his experiments in
wheat culture. Although wheat is a
staple crop and may be sold every day in
the year, it is a very uncertain one. owing
to the depredations of insects and the fire
Iuent recurrence of unfavOrablc weather.
Besides, the many differing kinds of soil
require the application of different kinds
and different quantities Of fertilizers. and
these again are affected by the condition
Of the weather, for that which may be
good for a dry season may not
be good for wet one. Under all condi-
tions good rich soil is necessary to secure
a good crop. Mr.. Linville commenced the
new system of % cultivating' wheat, by
sowing it in broad drills. sufficiently far
apart to admit Of its being cultivated in
1877, and had followed up that system in
1878 and 1879, but on neither of these oc-
casions could he see that the "cultivated''
wheat was any better, or produced more
bushels to the acre than that sOwn or
drilled in by the old plan while the cult
waited appeared to suffer more from rust
and mildew than the uncultivatcd. This
year he has thrown his cultivator aside,
though he is not prepared to say that un-
der more favorable circumstance the new
plan might have yielded better results.
A vote of thanks was rendered Mr..
Linville for his essay.
Fertilizers.
DR.. Greene read short essay on fertili-
zers, wherein he urged the importance Of
farmers using every possible means Of in
creasing the bulk of their compost heaps.
He urged the Importance Of saving the
vast amount of sewage that is constantly
running to waste, and also the dirt of the
streets-not only the manure but old
bones, paper, ashes, vegetables, the con-
tents of privies and everything else
that, after having undergone certain
chemical changes, furnishes food for
plants. He urged the society to take hold
Of this matter and thus become the pio-
neer Of system that is sure to be evcntu-
ally adopted. 1t has been done in London,
Paris and other parts of the old world,
and will have to be done in this as the
land becomes exhausted and the popula-
tion increases. He believed there was
money in it.
Mr.. Linville endorsed DR.. Greenc's views
as being important and practicable. II
We have all the elements Of first-rate fer
tilizers in our midst and going 10 waste,
there is no use paying high prices for man
ufactured fertilizers if we can make
them at less cost.
DR.. Greene reported that he had been
in correspondence with several gentlemen
with the object of having them lecture be-
fore the society.
Tobacco and Buttcr.
"Can tobacco culture and the dairy be
carried on successfully on the same farm
at the same time p was the next matter
considered. G.. L. Hunsecker said it was
a question more easily asked than answer
ed. In this section of the country it is
customary to raise all sorts of produce on
the same farm, but as both butter.making
and tObacco-culture require great deal
of labor and a great deal of care, it might
be considered almost impossible for one
farmer to attend properly to both. 1t is
quite common, however, for farmers to
raise tobacco ION the shares" giving to
a practical tobacco grower a share of the
crop for attending to the whole of it. In
this way both Industries may be we'll
cared for on the same farm.
DR.. Greene thought the two industries |
could not be successfully run together !; |
the nicotine of the tobacco would affect |
tho milk of the COW, if tobacco were even
hung in the same building in which the |
cattle were sheltered, or the corn handled |
by the same person handling tobacco. DR..
Greene explained at some length, the |
chemical and physiological reasons for