The Newtown bee., 1890-02-28

lOACu lV bDt utIlOHb. NO DGbtEI DLOOi VI the general excellence of the menu could be required than the eager interest with which the eatables weoe regarded and the markablc rapidity with which they dis appeared. One hundred and seventeen were seated at the tables and each was carefully looked after by the charming young ladies who waited upon the tables. They included Misses Bessie and Ida Fay Tor, Eleanor and Louisa Hyde, Lucy FL wood, Florence and Helen Foster; Ed ward and Henry Jennings and others.
 After fully satisfying the cravings of hunger, the assembled farmers enjoyed a brief season of social chat before re- turning to the school house, where, upon re-assembling, this resolution, offered by Mir Jennings, was carried with enthusi- asm: | Resolved, That the club, us well as the com pany assembled, extend a vote of thanks to Mir and Mrs Smith and Mir and Mrs Charles Meeker, for so kindly opening their house and so royalty entertaining us.
 D. II. Sherwood gave an interesting statement concerning his poultry raising during 1889, proving that tEere was mon- ey in it. He found that the cost of fowls and eggs, raised by himself, was a trife over five cents pound, cheaper than Chi cago beef or home made pork. Mir Sher- wood then read paper, ''Does farming pay?" showing, most conclusively, that it does pay, if carried on systematically and carefully. In 1883, he bought 10 acres of uncultivated land. The profit from this was over $6000, besides paying for the land, which has since been sold for $3500, more than double it's first cost, though not for farming purposes. This is, without doubt, an exceptionally good showing; but it proves that farming can be made to pay.
 Mir Augur thought that the great cause of failure among New England farmers was simply lack of sufficient capital. He added that the influence of the farmers club was plainly to be seen in the results of Mir Sherwood's work and that every farming community ought to have either a similar club or a grange.
 The question box was then opened and many questions of interest answered. The Early Essex and New Queen were evident favorites as early potatoes; Burbanks and White Star for late crops.
 Mir Sanderson of New Haven spoke briefly on fertilizers, saying that they were cheaper now than ever before and that they were, more than ever, prime necessity. Local farmers have been able ] kah h,,, 4, ahno 1N1r thaf fhnu have in some instances exhausted certain properties of the soil while feeding oth- CTS. MT Sanderson gave facts concerning i the principal ingredients of commercial fertilizers and strongly advised farmers to buy and mix their own fertilizers. The principal ingredients of all such are phos- phoric acid, nitrogen and potash.
 In regard to these, MT Platt of Milford stated that, in his neighborhood, 8 to $10 could be saved on a ton of fertilizer. The materials are mixed on the barn floor, where they are allowed to remain until needed. Mir Fenn's experience was simi- lar to that of Mir Platt.
 Edwin Jennings said that Greens Farms farmers did not have to pay cata- logue prices and that the difference be- tween commercial fertilizers and home mixed was not so great as would other wise appear.
 Mir Augur said that careful training and pruning of good trees planted on new land was necessary to the growth of fine peaches. He also spoke well of the ap pie, that good old New England fluit. One of the secrets of success in this line is extra good care in keeping them in dry and cool cellars, used for no other pur pose. Dusting the bins with quicklime has been found helpful.
 Prof Thaxter of the New Haven exper- iment station, ,who has given considerable attention to onion smut, said that the smut was plant and he went on to eX- plain in detail the theory of plant and an- imal life; spoke of parasites as attached to other bodies, from which they drew support. Onion smut is true parasite, plant with a thread-like structure fungus growth. It consists of minute bodies, central spherical head, with a series of bladder-like bodies surrounding | it. Spores of the onion smut, falling from the diseased onion, become mixed with the soil and remain through the Winter. In the Spring, the spore breaks and re- leases thread ,on which secondary spores appear. These secondary spores, in turn, fall off. Lying near germinating onion, the sporidia will penetrate the onion and entirely fill the seeding, from which it draws it's support. New spores are soon produced and the former process repeat ed again and again. It is impossible to give the exact origin of the smut, but it is probably found in wild onions. It has been prevalent in Greens Farms for about 30 years and made it's appearance in Europe about 1877. In this State, it is mostly confined to the towns along the Sound and the Connecticut river. The spores will retain their germinating pow CT for 20 to p years and it will be almost Impossible, apparently, to exterminate it, unless experiments conducted on smutty ground belonging to Austin Jennings are successful. Prof Thaxter uses chemicals in certain proportions, sulphide of sodium and others. The results were not entirely satisfactory, but, in some cases, good eff fects were apparent. The fumigation of onion buildings with sulphur would de- stroy the germs of the smut in the build ing. Onion smut is never found in the seed, but may easily attach itself. It is a golden rule in any crop, but especially with onions, that all refuse should be burned. The smut does not attack red and yellow onions so readily as white, be-