Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-02-16
Ehrtttttg Gllat

big figure in the manufacturing en-
terprises of the State but it is fac
tor in the production of foodstuffs to
an extent that is not realized by many
of the people who live in this city and
who either walk or ride by its hun
dreds of farms. Within sight of the
high point at Reservoir Park there
are some of the finest farms in Penn
sylvania, rivaling those of Lancaster
county, which are admittedly the best
in the land. Some of the facts and fig
ures men of the State Department of
Agriculture figure out that the five
chief crops of Dauphin farms last year
yielded a revenue of approximately
$3,500,000. If the average man was
to be asked what was the big crop of
Dauphin county he would probably say
wheat because the green fields are to
be counted by the dozen from the top
of the Capitol and from Reservoir
Park. However, wheat is the third
crop in size and the second in value.
The best paying crop last year. and
it may be taken as fair indication
of production, was corn. The esti-
mate, based upon trustworthy reports
was that 1885, $50 bushels were raised
in Dauphin county, an average of AZ
bushels TO the acre and being worth
a dollar bushel. That makes $685.
$50. The oats yield is estimated at
740,4S0 bushels worth sS70,240 while
wheat production is given by careful
estimaters as 507 sol the price prevail
ing giving it second place in value or
SS62,750. The wheat production per
acre averaged 1876 bushels and the
oats 80 bushels. The rye production
ran about 17.5 bushels to the acre and
is estimated to have been worth $52,-
27O. The county is one of the big
hay producers turning out $3.50 tons
at the rate of a ton and half an acre.
The hay crop is estimated at $227,250.
These figures are formidable and if
the production of potatoes ran close to
250,000 bushels the aggregate value of
the crops was away up. Then, too,
there should be added the heavy crops
from the orchards, apples, pears and
peaches having a good. year last year.
The Harmony society, which is
/ about to disappear from the business
| of the fiscal department of the State
Department and for whose expense of
dissolution an item is being carried
! in the general deficiency bill in the
Legislature, started in business as q
celibate organization and had about a
million dollars worth of common
property in Beaver county. 1t has been
turning up in the Legislature and State
Departments for a dozen years or
more. The State gets about $56,00O
at cost of $4,000.
The boroughs of Milton and New
vile are 100 years old this month,
Milton on February 26 and Newville
about the same time. Both were
chartered by old acts of the Legisla-
| ture and have powers far beyond the
ordinary borough. If they chose to
exercise them. The Milton folks will
celebrate in style with committee
which is headed by F. A. Godcharles,
deputy secretary of the Common
wealth, and contains such men as
Major w. II. Straub, Major w. W.
| Fetzer, b. Budd Cannon, Burgess A.
S. Rhoads, II. w. Chamberlin and j.
M. RemenSnyder
Judge Herbert Quick, member of the
| federal farm loan board who attended
the hearing held here some time ago
and also addressed the State educators
at their annual convention, has writ
ten very interesting article in the
Saturday Evening Post of January 81
| on the situation regarding the farmer
after the war. The judge, who is
lawyer, author, economist, newspa-
perman and banker all rolled in one,A
| points out that there is a demand in
this country for more powder to blow
UP stumps than there, is for the whole
war and carries his point into other
| lines, such as steel for fencing and tile
for draining land which is now un-
| productive, cut over, allowed to run
down or run on special lines too long.
incidentally, the judge refers to some
agricultural possibilities in Pennsylva-
MIA which people are allowing to get
away. He says there is an immense
amount of land in New England that
the trifty Yankee can get something
out of now because he does not try
and he belts the Pennsylvania farm
ers, the best in the nation, for not US
ing the land which can be seen from
every car window the way God in
tended it to be used. The judges
! comments sound strange in this COM
munity which touches the fertile fields
| of York and Lancaster and Lebanon.
! Yet what he says is true. You can see
land from Reservoir park that is not
working and which could be made to
blossom. =.
Did you ever notice how quickly the
crowds diminish in Riverside Park on
day like yesterday? The crowds al
ways seem to be in exact ratio to the
mans fancy lightly turns" was much
in evidence Thursday by the number
of young people strolling about River
Front Park. Yesterday the paths
quent visitor to the Park, Billy, the
squirrel was noticed taking the
aerial route via the electric cable on
Third street early this morning back
to the little tree cabin in Capitol Park.
City officials who were in Williams
port yesterday were shown around
that city by Wyckoff. one of the
pitchers of the Boston American
League team, formerly with the
Philadelphia Athletics. During the
winter months, the baseball player is
with his father in Williamsport in
charge of a taxi service. Perry S.
Harman, Commissioner of Public
Safety at Williamsport, kept the af-
fair a secret until almost an hour
after the Harrisburg party arrived.
After getting acquainted Wyckoff told
the visitors he was to return to Bos-
ton on March /. Although the real
object of the visit to Williamsport
was to inspect fire apparatus, for a
time baseball was the only thing dis
on ssed bv the nartY