The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1890-01-25
CECIL FARMERS CLUB.
January Meeting at MIR. s. Row
land CarsOn's.

The regular monthly meeting of thu
Cecil Farmers Club was held on Wed
nesday last the 221 inst, at the residence
of the President of the Club near Port
Deposit, Md. Promptly at 1890 a. m.
the Secretary of the Club called the rol
of members. when the following re
sponded to their names. Henry 8 Cou
don, Eroch Noyes, S. r. Carson, Enoch
Mccullough, Horace Duyckinck. anG
Henry R. Torbert. Mr.. r. d. Waters,
of Somerset County, Md. being the ouly
visitor present. There being no unfinished
business before the Club, statements Of
experiments being in order, Mr.. McCul
Tough called the attention of the Club to
the fact that he had experimental the
past season with new variety of corn
known as the Brazilian Flour Corn
which he had procured in Accomac
County, Virginia. Mr.. Mccullough re-
ported his experiment with this variety
as comparative failure the season IN
this locality being too short for the proper
maturing of the grain. 1t is evidently a
prolific variety. 1t will stool from three
to five stocks, and bear ON the average
three ears TO the stalk. He confessed
that the season had been an unfavorable
one generally, but thought the variety
for the reason stated was not we'll adapted
to this locality. The claim made for this
corn is that it makes a meal as fine as
wheat -four, and doubtless does make a
very superior article of meal.
Mr.. Henry S. Coudon did not think the
peculiar quality of the meal in resembling
wheat flour was recommendation with
him, if the meal lost the corn taste, which
he wanted when he ate com bread. He
thought also that the fact that this corn
showed a growth of three small ears to
the stock was no recommendation for it,
as in his opinion one we'll filled large ear
was more profitable than three small
ones.
Mr.. Duyckinck reported disastrous
experience in growing potatoes this sea-
son attributable to the unusual rain fall.
He planted three acres of wellprepared
land, planting about eight bushels of po-
tatoes to the acre. The night after the
seed was planted it rained heavily, and
small portion of the field only ever came
up. His yield was only three bushels
from the three acres. He ploughed the
field and sowed buckwheat. Another
heavy rain came and scalded that. His
opinion is, that if potatoes Immediately
after being planted are heavily rained on,
the only resource to secure crop is to
plant them over again.
MIR Carson the Chairman of the Club
a number of specimens of Calico
corn, the result Of his experiments in pro-
ducing varigated specimens of grain.
At the request Of the Club Mr.. Noyes
his experience at the recent
meeting of the State Farmers Associa
ton. Mr.. Noyes stated that he had Of
fered several resolutions which the asso-
citation had adopted, based upon his views
as to the necessities of the farming inter-
est, and which had been reported in the
newspaper reports of the proceedings of
the association, and to which he deemed
it unnecessary to refer in detail.
The reading of the regular essay being
in order, Mr.. Carson submitted the fol-
lowing replies made by him to series of
questions addressed to farmers through
out the State by the Baltimore Sun.
Dear !Sir:-May we request reply at
your earliest convenience to questions asked
below and at such length as , on may deem
necessary. The object in view is to secure
An intelligent and reliable estimate of the
of agriculture in your section.
1st Question the farmers in your
comm unity as prosperous as they have ever
teen?
Ansrer.-I think can safely answer no.
Ed Question - If So to what do they chiefly
owe their prosperity? If not, what has been
the chief reason of the change? (Leave out
Of consideration such mporary causes as Il
bad year. and consider The social and politi-
cal causes
Ans1rer. The chief rea Sons for this change
Are our Increased necessities, want of bus
ness methods, grain gambling, increased
cost of prod action, but mainly unremuner
I ri, - h., of
Overpruduction. Although there is less fl
nancial disaster on tine farm than in any
other occupation, agriculture ID conducted,
as general thing, more loosely and not on
business principles. The owner Of a coal
mine will dictate to the consumer how
much coal he needs and what he has to pay
for it; he controls the production, names
the prices. The manufacturer produces just
Is long as he can make profit and when
reduces prices to an unprotit-
able figure and the market becomes over
stocked he shuts down until the market is
relieved and prices revive. Two months ago
the paper commission merchants notihed
the manufacturers that unless production
cline in prices. The manufacturers claimed
that they could not afford to make paper at
a less figure and so to correct matters the
mill owners, in convention, decided unani
to close the mills for two weeks or
longer if necessary. The remedy was sim
pie, business-like and effectual, and so it is
all the different branches of bust
ness but farming. The average farmers
plan is not to curtd:l but increase produc-
ton. This is his remedy, which is just the
reverse of what common sense ought to
teach us. We farmers, as class, are pecu-
liar l know two, living side by side. their
interests, in a business and social way,
the same, yet politically they are and al
ways have been antagonistic. believe this
is characteristic of the agriculturist My
remedy would be to pillow less, manure more
and cultivate more thoroughly what ground
we do pillow and plant The more we pro-
duce per acre the less the cost per bushel.
To illustrate and make clear what l mean
to say, one year with another. many far
mers average about 20 bushels OF wheat per
acre which on 20 acres would be 400 BUSH
els. Now let us try with more manure and
better preparation of the soil to produce $50
bushels on ten acres which can easily be
done in almost any part of Cecil County. The
35O under the conditions named would pay
better and at the same time lessen produc-
ton. I am no pessmist All my life
through disaster and afflction, have looked
for the silver lining, but we can't close our
eyes to the fact that agriculture, to say the
least, is IN very bad condition. And when
wa take into consideration the Importance