The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1890-08-22
RlLL NYE As A FARMER.
NE Relates some OF rIis Experiences /
q Tilier OF the Soil.

The secretary OF the Ashfleld Farmers |
club, OF Ashfield, Mass, Mr.. Z. ID. Church, |
informs me by United States mail that upon |
receipt OF my favorable reply win become
an honorary member of that club, along with
George William Curtis, Professor Norton,
Professor Stanley Hall, OF Harvard, and
other wet browed toiiers in the catnip in
tested domain of agriculture.
take this method of thanking the ASH
field Farmers club, through its secretary, for
the honor thus all so unworthily bestowed,
and joyfully accept the honorary member
ship, with the understanding, however, that
during the county fair the solemn duty OF
delivering the annual address from the
judges stand, in tones that win not only ring
along down the corridors of time, but go
laundering three times around a half mile
track and be heard above the rhythmic
plunk of thu hired man who is trying to as
certain, by means of a large mall and q
thnmping machine, how hard he can strike,
shall fall upon Mr.. Curtis or other honorary
members Of the club. / have a voice that
does very well to express endearment or
ether subdued emotions, but it is not effective
1T county fair. Spectators see the wonder
full play of my features, but they only hear
the low refrain of the naughty Ciydesdale
steed, who has neighsal voice and wears
his tail in a Grecian coil / received $50
once for addressing race track one mile in
length on 1.-THE Use and Abuse of Ensilage as
a Narcotic" / made tho gestures, but the
sentiments were those of the four ton Per-
cheron charger, Little Medicine, dam Elo-
quent.
spoke under q low shed and rather ad-
verse circumstances In talking with the
committse afterwar 1, as / wrapped up my
gestures and put them back in the shawl
strap, said that / felt almost ashamed to
receive such price for the sentiments OF
others, but they said that was all right. No
ono expected 70 hear agricultural address
They claimed that it was most generally
purely spectacular, and 50 they regarded my
speech q great success. / used the same
gestures afterward in speaking of "The Great
Falling OF Among Bare Back Riders in the
Circuses Of the Present Day"
Mr.. Church writes that the club has taken
mp, discussed and settled all points of impor-
tance bearing upon agriculture, from the
tariff up TO the question Of whether or not
turpentine poured in a cows ear ameliorates
the pangs of hollow horn He desires sug-
gestions and questions for discussion That
shows the club to be thoroughly active It
will soon be spring, and we cannot then dis
cuss these matters New responsibilities will
be added day by day in the way Of stock,
and we will have TO think of names for them
| Would il not be well before the time comes
| for active farm work to think ont long list
of names before the little strangers arrivei
| Nothing serves TO lower US in the estimation
/ OF our fellow farmers the world more
/ than the frequent alterations between own
ers and their hired help over what name they
shall give TO a weary, wobbly calf who has
| just entered the great arena of life, full of
hopes and aspirations perhaps, but otherwise
/ absolutely empty. Let us consider this be-
| fore spring fairly opens, so that we may be
prepared for anything of this kind
One more point may properly come before
the club at its next meeting. and mention it
here becnuse l may be 50 busy at Washing
ton looking after our other interests that
cannot get to the club meeting. I refer to
the evident change in climate here from year
TO year, and It's effect upon seeds purchased
| Of florists and seedsrnen generally.
Twenty years ago you could plant seed
I according TO directions and il would produce
plant which seemed to resemble in a general
way the picture on the outside OF the pack.
/ age. Now, under the fiuctuating influences
| of irresponsible isotherms. phlegnatic
| springs, rare June weather and overdons
weather in August, l find it almost inpossi
bic TO produce plant or vegetable which in
any way resembles its portrait. Is it my
fault or the fault of the clinatel / wish the
club would take hold of this at its next resn
lar meeting.
first noticed the change in the summer oi
W, think. purchased = small package Of
early Scotch plaid curled kale with beauti
full picture on the outside IL was as good I
picture of Scotch kale as ever saw / coulS
imagine how gay and lighthearted it was tn,
day it went up to the studio and had il
picture taken for this purpose. A shor
editorial paragraph under the picture stateS
that / should plant in quick, rich soil, il
rows four inches apart, to a depth of oni
inch, cover lightly and then roll. / did 50
No farmer Of my years enjoys rolling an.
better than do
In few weeks the kale came up but turnes
out 70 be a canard. l then waited two week
more and other forms of vegetation mad
their appearance. None of them were kale
A small delegation Of bugs which deal mostl,
with kale came into the garden one day
looked at the picture ON the discarded paper
then examined what had erawled on
through the ground and went AWAY. be
| gan to fear then that climatic influences ha.
been at work the seeds, but had not full,
given up all hope
At first the plants seemed to waver an,
/ hesitate over whether they had better be viii
parsnips or Lima beans Then / conclude.
that they had decided TO be foliage plants o
rhubarb. But they did not try to live up 3
their portraits. Pretty soon l discovers
that they had no bugs which seemed to e
with them, and then knew they were weeds
Things that are good to eat always hav
bugs and worms ON them, while tansy an
; castor oil go through life unmolested.
have had other similar experiences, and
think we ought to do something about it
we can. l have planted the seed of tn
morning glory and the moon flower an
dreamed at night that my home looked lik
= AOri-ftS l,1.f xrbo
June came bunch of Norway oats and
! hill of corn were trying to climb the string
nailed up for the use of my non-resider
vines. / have planted, with song and laugl
ter, the seeds OF the ostensible pansy and cal
, nation, only in tears to reap the bachelor
7 button and the glistening foliage of th
! sorghum plant l have planted in faith an
deep, warm soil, with pleasing hope in m
heart and dark red picture on the outsid
of the package, only to harvest the low, WI
gar jimson wOd and the night bloomin
Z bull thistle.
Does the mean temperature or the averae
I rainfall have anything to do with ita II st,
tistics are working these changes they ougl
to be stopped For my own part, however,
am led to believe that our seedsmen put {
: much money into their catalogues that the
: do not have anything left to use in the pu
, chase of seeds Good religion and very IA
I cookies may be produced without the ald
earaway seed, but you cannot gather mic
+, fresh train figs of thistles or expect much
e aseedsman whose plants make no effort wha
4 ever to resemble their pictures.
a Hoping that you will examine into th
\ matter, and that the club will always her
after look carefully in this column for i
; farm information, 1 remain, in a sittir
b posture, yours truly.-Bill Nye in New Yoi
! World
y Down on Agriculture.
The f1aaest fralId on earth Ia a0r