Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-09-01
FARMER AND GARDENER.
MUCH GOOD ADVICE FOR HIM.
Lettuce for Winter aud Spring.

Lettuce for Winter aud Spring.
Germantown Telegraph.
Almost any time from the middle of
September to the middle of October, let
tuce may I've sown in cold frames in shell
tered situation, covered with glass or
boards when the weather is cool, and ex-
posed to the air when warm or moderately
warm. II will give very fair article the
early part of winter, say throughout De-
cember. Lettuce can also be sOwn the
last of October in the Opeu beds for early
spring heading, taking some of the earliest
and latest varieties, and covering the plants
carefully, but not too heavily, through the
winter. Very good heads can he thus
raised, and it comes very o2portunely in
April.
Taking in Fall Flowers.
The time is approaching when We must
do what We can in securing the floral beau
ties that have been with US tho latter part
of summer and the FIRST part of autumn.
But how many of them will we &ave to
give up to die? We really need them only
for the summer decoration Of the grounds
and VIC have no place to keep them over
winter, and besides this, it is certain that
in the case of many young plants it will be
better in every way than those things
which we cover, even if all things suited
to that end. Still there are some which
we will save "anyhOw," and it may DO
as we'll to say few words as to the proper
way to 20 about it.
OF course the leading difficulty is that
the plants arc so likely to withcr up ana
die away after taking up and potting, and
We have therefore to direct our cncr-
gics to prevent this very thing. The kind
of plant will decide the treatment. Some
things, like carnatiOn or sweet-wiliam has
q mass of small roots in :: close bunch,
and with this comparatively small tops.
These rarely wither, even under rather
poor hands. On the other hand Il gcrani-
um has very few roots. 1t seldom comes
up but all the dirt falls away, and in an
unskill(ul hand all tho leaves would fall,
and for the whole winter the plants pre-
sent sorry sight. TOprevent such leaves
from whitening and drying away is the
point. Much may be done with these
sprawly rooted things by watering them
we'll before beginning to lift them. and
they should have a thorough soaking.
Then some of the younger and softer
leaves should be picked off, for it is these
which arc tho most reckless in drawing on
the plants liquid supplies OF course the
plants must be put into their pots or tubs
at once on lifting, to keep them from dry
ins, and the whole thoroughly soaked with
water on completion. Then the pots
should be set into shade and shelter,
where neither sun nor wind can get at
them, and where air without the loss of
moisture can be 9 iycn to them. Some
plants will not much ''miss their move,
as the gardners say, and may be put in the
full light after a day or SO, while some
may need this sort of protection for
week. The rule is 10 put them into the
full light as soon as they show no dispo>!
tion to w:ther under IN oderate sun.
Foreign and Domestic Hides.
A recent paragraph of current news
mentions as an interesting fact that Ameri-
can cattle are exported in great numbers
to Europe, where they are slaughtered,
the hides prepared and exported back to
the United States. where they are tanned
and exported back to Europe as oak sole
leather, available for the manufacture of
boots and shoes. This is fair illustration
of the regular operation Of what are
known to various classes of English and
American political economists as the Ia
tural laws of trade. In New England and
New York there was formerly great out
cry against the tariff duties on imported
hides as being oppressive to the boot and
shoemaking interests Of those states ::
and now Boston and New York senl great
numbers of American cattle TO England,
France and Germany, import back again
the hides Of the same cattle, and buy
from Pennsylvania oak sole leather tanned
with oar native bark for the manufacture
Of boDts and shoes. OF course the first
idea connected with the expectation Of
American cattle is that they are demanded
:vr the meat supplies of Europe. But it
may be doubted whether there is not also
mixed up with these shipments a large in
terest connected with the preparation Of
foreign hides for expDrtation to the for
eign market.
AS the governments Of Europe have cx
hibitcd such extraordinary energy in mul
tiplyins obstacles in the way of this trade
in American cattle, it becomes Il matter Of
interest to consider whether after all il
would not he more advantageous for the
republic to discontinue the expectation of
cattle, and to stimulate on a great scale
the slaughter of the cattle al home, and to
export both fresh and cured meat in pref
crence to cattle on the hoof. BY SO doing
We should enormously increase the trade
in domestic hides, correspondingly dimin-
ish the importation of foreign hides and ut
the Same time rapidly expand the manu-
facture of American leather, and of
glue, white sand-paper, curled hair
and all other domestic and IA
two industries connected with this
this great department Of business. In
point Of fact, there is no earthly reason
why we should import American hides
from Europe to swell the volume of COM
mercially reported foreign hides, instead
Of becoming thoroughly self-sustaining in
that line of industry. 1t admits of no dis
pute at this time that the republic is the
greatest producer of hOrncd-cattle of any
country in the world. We ought, there
fore, to be ablo to produce and export
hides and leather rs largely and as freely
as we do cotton aud breadstuffS. But in
stead Of this, we ship the cattle to Europe
Oh the hOof aud import back their hides rs
foreign products, to be here manufactured
into leather. The matter deserves special
consideration, because the expectation Of
live cattle has been greatly stimulated by
the four leading trunk line railway com
panics engaged in the foreign trade ut
Chicago, st. Louis, Cincinnati, Baltimore,
Philadelphia, New York and Boston.
The Decline Of Farm Products Mt Fairs.
Is it at all to be wondered ut that the
exhibits of farm products at our agricul-
tural fairs should show falling Off year
after year, as is clearly perceptible, when
the premiums upon them bear no proper
tiOn to those given for horses, trials OF
speed, fOot-r;s bicycle races and other
thing that have next to nothing to do