The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1905-12-29
FALLSTON FARMERS CLUB.

Those in attendance were Charles E. Bur
ton president, William A. Harlan, d. p. H oil
lingsworth. Hutchinson w. Hayes, Robert
| Preston. L. p. H olliugworth, J. w. Moore
Joseph B. Twining, H. P. Miller James o
| Watson secretary.
| Though the day was not well drawn
sample of Maryland weather. the whole club
| fell into the wake of the committee of inspec
ton, headed by Mr.. Amoss and the Secretary
and plodded over the fields and through the
mud, stopping here and there to sit or lean
upon the fences which marked the boundaries
of fields, where was in evidence the success OF
failure of the seasons work
| Mt. Soma farm is one of the old Hartford
homesteads. Here in the family burying-
| ground is the grave of William Amos, dated
| 1850. Tradition has it that he came to
America from England to escape the wrath
| of his stepmother and was the first Amos
| that came to this country. The name of the
| farm was found by the present occupant by
| spelling backwards the family and
leaving off the double S, which came into the
| family by choice of the representative of the
| fourth generation. Two hundred acres are
under cultivation and in pasture, the balance,
sixty acres is in wood. Thirty-five acres are
in wheat, which, while it is thrifty and grow
ing, has not covered the land with that mat
of greenness which gives promise to a full
crop. The corn field has been seeded to GRIM
son clover, well as the garden. The orch
ard had given a full crop, a part of which had
been barreled and sold from Sits to So. so
per Dbl. Il had been planted for family use
Over half of the trees bearing their first
full crop. The varieties had been selected with
the object of supplying the family table and
are recommended for this section. Yellow
Transparent, Red Astrachan, Townsend or
Hooking Smoke House, English Redstreak,
Rome Beauty, Smiths Cider, York Stripe and
York Imperial. Only within recent years has
the farm failed to be large hay producer.
MIR. Amoss explained that his grandfather
was among the first to use lime in the county.
in his time kiln was built and stone hauled
from Baltimore county. In his day, large
herds of cattle were halted here when going
and coming from Baltim ore on their way to
Lancaster county and intermediate farms.
and what the farm produced and much more
was thrown on the fields for the cattle. The
railroads were built and the herds of cattle
came no more. His father had kept city
horses. all the stable would accommodate,
and had used bone at the rate of l 900
pounds to the acre, which after the war was
old barn, built in 1913, it was said at the
time would never be filed, was doubled in
capacity, two hay houses built doubling the
capacity of the barn and stacking was neces-
sary to care for the hay crops. The failure of
grass in latter years, Mr.. Amoss thinks, is
due to the need of lime, which has not been
applied either from the kiln or slaughter
house bone. On three halfacre plots was
IoJ tl,a
rate of one bushel each to the plot of rye and
Oregon Vetch, Scarlet Vetch and H airy Vetch
of the latter one-half of the seed had been in
oculated with the bacteria that fixes nitrogen,
but difference was perceptible at this time.
The planting of the three varieties
perimenta1 the vetch being furnished by the
Government Department of Agriculture.
Eight acres had been seeded to Alfalfa the
first week in September. Following the
Farmers Institute work of Mr.. Joseph E.
Wing, spring of 1901, Mr.. Amoss had seed
cd five acres to Alfalfa. la Wing, from three
acres this season he cut four crops, the first
and second cuttings stood from fifteen inches
to three feet tall and heavy, giving he believes
enough excellent hay for his 80 ewes through
the lanbing season. OF this plot he plowed
acre. to do this it required three horses,
acres, which had not taken when first seeded.
was half in potatoes and half in rye. After
the harvest the rye stubble was plowed. Adj
joining were four acres of good timothy,
which after harvest was also plowed The
whole was manured over and lined at the
rate of 500 and 900 lbs lime per acre. Be
fore seeding 400 pounds bone was applied
on the rye stubble and half the timothy stub
L. of sniI = ba jnIf ia mir
applied to inoculate theland with alfalfa bac-
terra. The land was worked over II times
and thirty lbs. of seed sown. Some of this
was inoculated seed. An excellent set was
apparent the rye and timothy stubble,
but on the alfalfa stubble and potato plot
there is little no showing. There is no APP
parent difference in the plot of inocuated
seed and others. either that not inoculated or
toswhich was applied the soil. The alfalfa
stubble may have been pIowed too deep and
the potato plot was probably seeded too
late. The two plots have now had rye drill
ed on the surface without breaking the seed
bed. The balance is very fine. The soil is
red clay loan and the field is on a hill top.
Mr.. Amoss has a flock of thirty ewes, Dor
sets, Delaines and Rambouillets, headed by
full blood Dorset buck, which are kept to
produce "hothouselarnbs." The flock is con-
fined in comfortable barn. we'll ventilated
but free from draughts. With them are
twenty-four lambs weighing from II to 45
lbs. Last week he shipped four dressed
lambs to New York and showed a card which
said they had sold for $11 each, four more
will be slaughtered and expressed between
Christmas and New Years. When dressed
with hide on they weighed 80 to 40 lbs.
They receive the best care and personal at
tention of Mr.. H. p. Miller, his superinten-
dent. The ewes are fed alfalfa hay, bran,
corn and turnips, the object being to make
them milk. Some have udders OF unusual pro-
portions The lambs get besides all the milk
their mothers have, alfalfa hay, cracked corn
and a little bran and iaxseed meal.
Nj. Amoss says lambs should not be allow
ed to run and jump. That exercise makes
the meat coarse and red, while the fat lamb
when kept confined will have the finest
grained meat grown, and white like that of
the chicken. The dollhouse lamb production
righttully belongs to New Jersey, Maryland
and Virginia, and the Western states which
are now supplying this ultra fancy market
cannot meet US when once we awaken to the
fact of the advantage that our nearncss to
the great centers of population gives us.
The great problem of labor and the increas-
ing work of the Department of Farmers In
stitute has compelled Mr.. AmosS to enter
into contract with tenant to take the
farm. much of it as is needed for the
dairy business. To this end he will place in
his stable fifty cows, and hereafter a milk
business will be conducted. He is now ship
ping milk from twenty cows to Baltimore.
So much of the clubs time was consumed
in inspecting the farm and consuming it's
products that for the purpose of discussing
the subject the rules were suspended. and
each member responded to the call of the
Chairman for answer to the question
(Which of our usual farm industries gives
the best home market for the greatest num-
Der of our farm products"
The concensus of opinion was that a system
of diversity in farm practice most profit
able. That the kind of live stock depend
pended on the farm acreage, its location and
soil, and the preference of its owner and his
ability to supply the labor necessary to save
the wastes incident to the production of
crops were important factors in solving he
problem All agreed that the wastes of the
average farm would be a handsome profit
could they be removed from the list of losses.
The club was invited by Mr.. ID. p. H ollngs.
worth to meet at his home.
THE CANNED GOODS SITUATION.
Canned tomatoes are steadily goingup
despite the holiday season. 1t may now
safely be said that the market is ST. .O5