The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1904-03-25
s"HE Cecil Farmers Club met
o. % with EIuood Raldarstnn

Z Y
o with Elwood Balderston,
= president, on Wednesday,,
10th inst. The meeting was called
to order blythe vice president, A. B..
Mcvey, and the following members
answered to roll call: A. j. Mich
ener, j. P. Wilson, M. G. Reeder,
j. FL. Maxwell, r. X. Rawlings, j.
T. Groves, A. B. McVey, j. s..
Scarborough, F. r. Cherry, j.
Harry Maxwell, Robt. T. Cameron,f
Elwood Balderston, j. III. Poist, M.
L. Thompson. The following visit.
ors were also present: Jos. Trimble,
Chester; Harvey Cook, Avondale;
s. Morris Jones, West Grove; j.
L. Balderston, Kenneth Square; J..
T. Campbell. N. s. Stevenson, Port
Deposit; VIM. Reynolds, Lloyd
Balderston, Geo. Balderston.
F. r. Cherry was appointed
secretary pro TEN. Minutes of
previous meeting were read and
approved.
The committee appointed TO
draft bill for a local telephone line
reported bill had passed the Legis-
lature with amendment. Three
more members were added to the
original committee and on motion
committee was directed to object to
the amendment and to have the
charter recalled.
On the call for experiments,
several stated they had experiment
ed with Kaffir corn and pronounced
it success.
Experiences were related pertain
ing to clover under varying con-
ditions.
M. G. Reeder stated he had dis
covered bad case of San Jose
scale on an apple tree in Rising
Sun, which was the only case he
knew of in this section.
The host when called upon for
an essay stated that his father,
Lloyd Balderston, had written one
instead.
The oldest survivor of the original Farmers
Club might be excused, in preparing an essay, to
run on somewhat different lines from the more
usual form. I was not however, one of those
who first organized the Club. This was done by
dozen or more of those who might be called the
aristocIacy of the farming community in this
neighborhood. They appear to have soon found
adad ofth o
in their body and 1 was elected into membership
with them.
found their bylaws arranged to bring up
questions of importance at each consecutive
meeting, but there were too few of the members
who came prepared with pertinent matter, either
by way of question or information, to make those
meetings profitable The good dinners provided
by our obsequious better halves, were an unfailng
source of interest But apart from this, it would
be perhaps some subject laterally brought in that
spun out by few members of ready utterance,
would fill up the allotted time As the Club was con-
stituted, for series of years during which was
not an active member it would have been in vain
to propose reformation, either in the subjects or
the manner of their proceeding. But notice
the constituency of the Club is not only of differ
ent men. but they may be called as whole of a
different class of men. You who are assembled
here today are not retired merchants or salaried
officers, who are farming for amusement 1t is
with you the earnest business of life, by which a
living in comfort and respectability is to be- OBJ
tanned. These, your monthly gatherings, Cost
you little in time and in money and it will be
well to remember they should be kept to lines of
economy.
But have to impress it as fact that the farm
ers life rightly pursued is not one of drudgery 1t
will admit so much of innocent enjoyment as may
be gathered from these occasions. But profit and
enjoyment go hand in hand, or any business be-
comes drudgery.
have limited at the social enjoyment of these
meetings being assured by the good dinners for
which we are indebted to the dear ones, not
minglng in our discussions but it remains for ns
owork out whatever profit may be found in them
The business of farming has been changing its
aspects throughout the so years OF my observation
Men were then just finding out certain secrets OF
nature, among them especially the effect of Gland
plaster and the value of clover, and turning
them to account, and we have been following up
the lessons with undated interest ever since.
New experiments have been tried and new dis
coyeries made. Plans have often resulted in dis
appointment, but then COMES the inquiry into the
cause of disappointment. We have thus been
brought to the exercise OF fresh thought and fresh
effort.
This work is all in cooperation with nature and
goes to make the life of the farmer one &C the
most ennobling and soul-satisfying of vocatioas.
In conducting this inquiry it should ever be our
aim, not so much to control the works oil nature,
as to profit by her opportunities. Within the
period of my observation there have been many
cycles of alternating success and failure in difer-
ent branches of our business At one time the
Hessian fly and other causes largely destroyed
the wheat crop of America. To supply home
consumption wheat was imported from Germany.
new variety was brought to notice from the
shores of the Mediterranean that escaped these
ravages and restored success But this in turn
failed. Our crops became SO uncertain that II
appeared we would be obliged to desist from ex'
pecting a full supply OF wheat bread But some
new sorts, notably the Fultz, were developed In
our own country, that have been the means o.
restor;ng a supply With these sorts we have SC