The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1883-11-09
Spending the Peoples Money.
EXPERIMENTS GREATLY MIxEp-ruE
FARM A LAUGHING STOCK TO ALL FARM.
ERs-AGRIoULTURAL TESTS THAT
EAIIEn


FAILED.
so many strange and Incompetent.
sible experiments have been made on
the state experimental farm near West
Grove, Chester county, that the once
beautiful place has degenerated into a
neglected wilderness with tumbledown
buildings, rickety fences, wretched
looking live stock and weeds every
where. This condition of affairs ex-
cites all the more comment on account
of the success of a private agricultural
experiment, the Rose nursery, which
was started in a small way in the
neighborhood about the time the state
bought and stocked the farm. The
nursery has increased in size and inn
portance every year, until now it is the
largest place of its kind in America.
Its business in season amounts to So
500 week in roses alone, and over
100 gardeners are employed in the 20
greenhouses.
The experimental farm contains 100
acres of good land and although it was
well managed for several years the
place was never self supporting and an
annual appropriation of 1000 was re
ceived from the state Many belliger-
ent farmers in the county say that some
of the experiments made by the earlier
managers of the farm were of great
benefit, particularly those made with
phosphates. So interested were the
agriculturalsts of the country in the
experiments that they visited the
farm frequently, and the reports of the
results of tests were published in local
newspapers and attracted a great deal
of attention.
A few days. ago dozen members of
the Concordville farmers club visited
the farm and were told that they were
the first visitors that had been there
for several months. They found the
place in such deplorable condition
that they sent report to the state ag-
ricultural society, William Edwards
is the scientist in charge of.the place,
and he is assisted in his researches by
Lancaster county gentleman, Henry
Flohr. Before they took charge of the
place they were not noted as particu-
larly intelligent farmers, and Mr.. Flohr
admitted to a Times reporter that
Experiments is all we'll enough, but this
here farm would do a great deal better
if the speriments was dropped and the
ground put into tobaccer.' The farm
house, large, modern building of con.
crete, tops a small hill few hundred
yards from public road. Fronting
the house is fine arboretum, which is
divided by lane from the main road
to the barn. The arboretum contains
hundreds of fine specimens of imported
and native trees and shrubs, but they
have had no care for years. Cattle
have chewed their shoots and robbed
the trunks and hogs have torn up the
sward, until 1t looks as though half a
dozen sub soil plows had been ripping
up the earth. The brick barn is large
and well built, but it is in wretched
order. Its front roof leaks like sieve
and the stable yard is a filthy lagoon,
the waste of which runs off into a
brook and is carried away to enrich the
ground of practical farmers in the val
ley. Two of the mows in the barn are
filled with sheaf oats and the others
contain unthreshed wheat The oats
are damaged by every rain, as the wa
ter trlckles through the roof in hun
dred places. Behind the barn stands
an old stack of straw and a stack of
weeds that were cut and hauled there
10 rot and be mixed with the manure.
The barnyard is surrounded by a
stone fence, the rocking of which has
tumbled off in many spots and has new
er been, replaced. Four wretch
ed looking common cows stood knee.
deep in the barnyard muck picking a
breakfast ont of the old straw pile.
Three ragged sheep, two bucks and q
eve, were in the field adjoining the
barnyard and an understood jackass
brayed in neighboring pen. In the
stalls of the stable were two horses and
a pair of detected looking mules, with
tails like old dusting brushes. The
stable is very filthy. At the up.
per end of the barn are half a
dozen pig pens of the Queen Anne
style of architecture. The style of ar.
chitecture is still apparent, but the
structures are so dilapidated that if not
repaired they will soon tnmble down
In the pens were FIVE hungry, wild
eyed swine which, when Mr.. Flohr ap
preached them, made frantic efforts to
scale the fence and devour him. Mr.
Flohr, as he beat back the hogs, smil
ingly exclaimed ''They looks like We
had been 'sperimentin' with 'em and
seein' how little they could live on
but it amt so. They have lots to eat
but they're so stubborn that they wont
git fat" The four COWS, three sheep
two horses, two mules, one jackass and
five hogs constitute the live stock out.
fit of the farm and several animal.
named belong to Mr.. Edwards. Two
or three years ago the farm had hero
of fine graded and Jersey cattle, half 6
dozen horses, a big drove of well fec
hogs and flock of sheep OF the bes
blood. They have been disposed of
but no one appears to know who go
the proceeds. The farm had alsc
enough first class implements to stocl
half dozen common farms. 1t is al
gone. A year or so ago the farm haC
forty-three new plows, which differen
manufacturers had sent there for trial
Many Of them were never even tested
They were all sold to raise money t,
pay the wages of laborers and othe
bills. The machinery was disposed o
in the same way.
To the right of the pig pens are tn,
big Fairbank scales, Oh which every
thing raised on the place is suppose,
to be weighed at one time or another
Facing the scales and on the upper
side of roadway is carpenter shol
and tool house. The building is i
bad repair and its contents are lot o
odds and ends of little or no value
which have been flung in out of tn
way. Midway between the carpente
shop and the farm house and on lin
with both is pretty little one stor
Gothic building, surrounded by an irol
. veranGah. This was intended for am
was once used as the office of the man
ager of the farm. 1t is now store