The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1886-08-14
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
LETTER FROM CLIFTON SPRINGS, N. Y.
A Visit to Geneva-The New York Ex-
pertinent Station and What it is Do
ing-The Town of Palmyra-A
Grand Stock Farm, &c.
C1IrroN spRIycs. N. Y. AUG. 9. Is,

ing-The Town Of Palmyra-A
Grand Stock Farm, &c.
CLIFTON SPRINGS, N. Y Aug. 8, 1886.
Editors Union A visit to the staid town OF
Geneva, that sits gracefully at the foot of Seneca
Lake, 40 miles long and from to miles wide,
full of picturesque beauty, cannot fail to be in
teresting to traveller who is observant and dis
| posed to find out what is to be seen and known.
| In addition to being so advantageously located
on the Lake, Geneva is also on the Erie Canal and
| and the NY. G. & H. r. Railroad. 1t can boast
some very handsome residences that sit with mod
est dignity the bluff overlooking the Lake and
the country the opposite shore, and is adorned
| by quite number of nurseries, chief among which
| are r. c. Chase & Co., Maxwell Bros, and W.
| T. Smith. Each occupies several hundred acres
of ground on the suburbs of the town and some
distance off. They are very attractive and ex-
| ceedingly presentable to the visitor. Their own
ers are courteous aid obligng and take a pleas
ure in showing strangers around. But the insti-
| tuition at Geneva that is most visited and where
farmers get the most valuable information is the
NEW YORK AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION.
This is located about mile from the central part
of the town. 1t was established about four years
ago by the Legislature of the State, contains 100
acres Of land and is supplied with all the neces-
sary implements, apparatus, machinery ana ap-
planes requisite for making every possible ex-
pertinent and test that can be in any way beneh-
cial to the agriculturist. Its officers consist of
Board of Control of eight, one of which is the
Governor of the State, director AMI two assist
ants, horticuturist and assistant, q botanist, a
chemist and assistant, stenographer and a farm
or. These gentlemen all courteous and oblig-
ing. They take you through the various depart
ments and over the premises and explain to you
the tests and experiments they have made and
the knowledge they have acquired therefrom.
record is kept of the rain fall the heat and cold
and the hours of sunshine Thermometers are
placed in the ground in row under glass cover
that is movable one inch, two inches, three inches
and six inches in depth and the standing recorded
three times each day during the year. All kinds
of seeds that will grow in this climate pro-
cured and tests made an patches of ground con-
tanning one twentieth of an acre-a full record OF
each experiment and report is made thereon.
Six COWS are kept. The quantity and kind of
feed given each is weighed and recorded, the
quantity and chemical examination of the milk
that comes from each is also kept. The butter
that is produced from the milk of each is recorded
also. The chemist informed us that for while they
had four cows milking and there was but very
slight difference between any of their milk so far
as was ascertained by the chemical tests. They
then thought they would separate them and churn
tie milk separately and see ifthere was any particle
of difference, when they discovered that OF the
four COWS was making nearly ] the butter obtain
ed from the milk of all four. They now have q
COW whose production of butter is far below what
the chemical test shows it ought to be. After
prolonged and patient experiment they still
unable to furnish any satisfactory explanation of
these seeming inconsistencies. On another test
when a certain COW gave certain amount OF
milk on certain feed, they put her ON test for
several weeks by an increase of the feed, which
she took readily, without any perceptibe dlsad-
vantage to tine COW, which was marked by de
cline in quantity and quality of the milk, for
which they have not yet been able to furnish an
explanation. An experiment tried in 1884 and
1855 as to which the best grains of corn for
planting, the but the central or those on the tip
of the ear, showed that they all produced equally
well. An experiment in potatoes in 1854 where
parts were fortified heavily and others lightly
showed that the fertilizers had little effect
upon the rottng of the potatoes, which occurred
to the extent of IS per cent. in weight. running
| between 50 and SO per cent. An experiment in
1884 made with cabbage seed gathered when ripe
with that gathered when green, showed that the
cabbage grown from the green seed produced
heads averaging % ounces more in weight than
those grown from the ripe seed What is already
stated will give the reader some idea OF the thous
ands of experiments this institution makes in
year with every variety of produce grown on
farm, garden or an orchard.
The expenses of the Institution last year were
fraction over $4,000, including some perma-
nent improvements and large outage In nipple
ments and some stock. They have over 100 va.
rieties of apple trees on the farm. The buildings
are neat, substantial and well arranged. Every
tool and implement has a peg or place IN the TOOL
house. Every workman has set OF tags. When
a workman takes out tool he puts his tag on the
peg from which he took the tool; when he returns
the tool he takes his tag 1t is impossible to es-
innate the value of this Station to the farming
interest of New York. Why, oh why, can't "My
Maryland abolish that asylum for broken down
politicians in Prince Georges county, called the
Agricultural College, and relegate its dependents
to some occupation where they could earn what
they receive, and convert that farm into an Elk
detrimental Station Would 1t take the control OF
it out of politics. The man. who as member ot
the legislature should succeed in doing 1t, would
earn the lasting gratitude of the Maryland farm
ers.
A drive scross the country from Clifton to Pal
myra, distance of about twelve miles, gave
view of some very fine farming country. On the
route you pass near by Mormon Hill, the place
where Joe Smith is reported to have found the
book of Mormonism. For most of the way the
road is unfenced and crops grow up to the Travelled
track The farms and buildings are all in good
order and the land rich. Fine crops of oats are
being harvested, and excellent potatoe patches
with not blight one of them. Large patches
of mint are found on every farm.
PALMYRA
is very beautiful town of about 1900 inhab-
tants. The main street is very broad, lined with
handsome stores and at one cross street four fine
churches add to its adOrnment. One mile nOrtn-
east of Palmyra is the
STOCK FARM OF H. E. BoARDMAN, ESQ,
where any one having taste for first class cattle
will not fail to be more than gratifed. Mr.. Board
man is q genial, afable gentleman, who takes
great interest in his stock and delights in showing
them to strangers, giving full account in detail
of the strains and merits of each in turn as well
as their history. His are all Holstelns OF the
purest breed and best milk and butter strains.
He has made four importations from Holland
through the agency of Mr. G. Baldwin, who is an
excellent judge of cattle and takes great pride IN
hunting and selecting the best. When on his mis-
sion in Hoand-under contract to purchasefor no
one else-he hunted up those cattle that had the
best records for production of milk and butter
and purchased them only. For these importa-
tions, numbering nearly four hundred in all, Mr..
Boardman has the best strain of milk and butter
making Holsteins in the country. lie has now
rs cattle and IS calves. His herd has more uni
formity than any ever saw. There is not one
in it whose appearance mars the uniform excel
lence of the herd. The calves, varying from
months to A weeks in age-1S in all-surpass any
thing have ever seen. In size, symmetry, beau
ty and condition do not believe their equal can
anywhere be found. They are beautifully formed
large, fat, sleek and frisky. His principal male
is years old and weighs 2,545 lbs. He has sew
eral fine ones and 2 years old. He showed US
one months old on 4th inst, that weighs 500 |
lbs, and is sold for the snug sum of S6OO-to be
delivered in September. COW years old, the
offspring of COW in Holland for which Mr.. Bald
win offered 5000 guiders, or S1,9O0-and could
not get her, is held at 81 ,00O He has one COW |
that last winter with the thermometer at Zero,
gave 90 lbs. and OF. of milk in day-about 10
gallons. He also showed US a very handsome
sorrel thoroughbred mare, that has all the marks
of her breeding in eminent degree. His sta
bling is model for its convenience, its ventia
ton and its arrangement for haltering the ami
mails is superior in my judgment to any have
seen.
I do not think Maryland stock men, who desire
to improve their breed of Hosteins, can do better
than purchase from Mr.. Boardman. DR.. Henry
Foster, who, as stated in my former letter, is the
founder and chief manager of Clifton Springs San
itarium, gives him the very best character for
honorable and fair dealing 5. Z. u.
The Second Congressional District.
The Baltimore Sun, in its issue of last Saturday,
- ;nfo t;op fho opproaohinU Con.