The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1888-06-16
CECIL FARMERS CLUB.


Homestead OF =. Row land Carson, Esq,
Near Port Deposit.
All the conditions were favorable for
successful meeting of The Cecil Farmers
Club on Wednesday at ashland" the
beautiful home stead OF Samuel Rowland
Carson, Esq. This charming property i.
located on the Rock Run Road, in
straight line, about a mile from the Sus
quehanna River. 1t marks the bouudar,
of that pleasing succession of bold hills
which westward overlook the romantic
River which flows at their base, ant
which gradually lessening eastward con.
stitute the beautiful and fertile stretch Of
table lands known as the Plateau of the
Susquehanna. Mr.. Carson's dwelling is
not SO pretentious as some others i'll his
section, being of an older Grafton, and
for that reason the more homelike, attrac
tive, and comfortable. But whatever his
homestead may lack i'll architectural pre-
tence, is more chan atoned Tor in the
striking beauty of the landscape in front
of it, aud the noble lawn which surrounds
| it. Mr.. Carson has been IA successful
arborculturist. Oue noticeably baud
some monument vi his skill in tree cul.
ture is cucumber maguolia of grand
proportions which adorns his lawn. 1t is
a pleasure to any lover OF nature to look
at such tree. Here also may be seen
| beautiful specimens OF rare evergreens
A Cedar of Lebanon, Il White Spruce, an
English Yew, and others whose names
we cannot recall, make up a selection as
rare as it is beautiful
Promptly at 1870 A NJ, the club was
called to order by It's President, 5. r.
Carson, Esq, when the following mem
bers responded to their names Henry
S. Coudon, Enoch Noyes George W.
Sutton. w. w. Moore, John P. Wilson,
A. J. M chiner John S. Ewing. John r.
Bond, Joseph Coudon, John w. McCul-
Tough, A. R. Magra Y, 5. G. Magraw and
| S. r. Carson The visitors were the Rev
j. Conway, who surprised the club by
exhibiting several baskets OF magnificent
| Sharpless straw berries of his own cult
walton, Mr. j. G. Eckels of Carlisle, Pa,
DIR. r. E. Cromwell, DR.. VIM. Carson
and Henry r. Torbert of THE WING.
The minutes of the last meeting having
| been read and adopted, under The head Of
unfinished business. MIR. A. r. Magraw
as chairman of the Excursion Committee
reported that he was in correspondence
| with the p. w. Il B. r .ilrt al with refer
ence to rates for the proposed excursion.
MIR. john r. Bond was added to the com
mittee. After considerable exchange of
ideas and opinions as to the character of
the excursion best suited for the club, it
was decided to postpone to future
meeting the final decision of the matter.
Reports of experiments being in order,
Mr.. Michiner reported that short time
ago he discovered that one of his hogs
had invaded his young apple orchard,
and had barked several of the trees. He
applied gas tar as Il remedy against swine
duu IL SuCCOSoiul liz uiO uoU
hogs would touch young trees to which
gas Car has been copiously applied.
Being asked by Il member OF the club as
to the possibility of the tar injuring the
trees, Mr. Michiner thought it benefit
rather than an injury, in keeping off
slugs and Insects injurious to the young
h,r This f,,l1 10 Oh rod
by the club. Although no member spoke
from actual experience as to the injurious
effects of gas tar when applied to young
trees, yet cases had been reported by
heresay. Mr.. Michiner's personal exper
fence, however, had been the other way.
The regular essay being the next business
in order, Mr.. S. r. Carson submitted the
following on
CLOVER, TIMOTHY, AND BLUE GRASS.
An interchange of thoughts, on any sub
ject of general interest, no matter how
simply expressed, Is OF value to some one. L
offer to the club few of my own, hopin Z
to draw out an interesting and instructive
ia TX on clover, timothy and blue grass.
There are, believe, some sixty varieties OF
| clover, but L shall contine my few remarks
| to the species generally called red clover,
and one with which we all are familiar.
| The cultivation of red clover in this country
is comparatively modern at least its virtues
were only learned during the present cen
fury. Clover is indispensable to successful
agriculture, and without it in this section
no man should have the presumption to call
| himself a farmer. 1t is our best fertilizer
and the best food for most all of our domes,
tic animals. But there is difficulty in the
way which prevents the farmer from enjoy
ing the full benefit of the plant, and thus
| they fail in the successful cultivation of It,
at least most of them do. Every year you
hear the remark from numerous cultivators.
| My clover didn't lake" 1t is attributed
to the dry weather, or to too much ram,
| freezing out, and every iDagin able cause,
and l believe now, some Of them blame the
notorious English sparro,cS for eating the
seed and also pulling up the yo,,hg plants, and
sucking the sap out Of the roots. | attribute
the failure of red clover in the great ma.
jority of cases, to late sowing. [ believe in
sowing in January or February or any time
after the season is too cold for seeds to ger
inmate. The alternate freezing and thawing
cover the seed, and when the terminating
season comes round it is just in proper con-
dition to grow and make good growth OF
both root aud top | haye no faith in the
theory that freezing Injuries seed, corn, pota-
| toes tomatoes, and other tender vegetable
seeds that lay in the earth all winter and vege-
table freely in the spring. This exposure only
fits the seed for termination when the proper
time comes. There is much complaint this
| spring of absence of clover where apparently
good stand was last fall. Close pasturing
in the fall or moving about last of August
| think, is a remedy for this-at least 1t il
my experience. Upon close inquiry | tiud
when the clover has disappeared that it was
not pastured or moved. Clover should not
be allowed the first season, to bloom and
ripen, the plant is too easily exhausted al
that stage, and the mice are very destructive
in some fields when the after math is allowed
to remain. For hay red clover is infinitely
better than any other grass. Cut when il
bloom and properly cured. it is our bes
winter feed. No compound leaving it out
is equal to it for horses, cattle, sheep or pigs
Some say it produces heaves in horses, but
that is an error, and we might let it go witt
| the hollow horn. Heaves are caused by
fast driving or hard work Immediately afte
full feed. (Excuse the digresson.) w,
might 60 on indefinitely about this mos
valuable plant, but L have said enough