Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1919-06-27
two or more members who have the same

S""A DC d SECRETARY whose DUTY
II snail be to keep book in which the
substance of each essay may be recorded
said book to remain in the keeping of the
secretary, but open to the inspection OF
all who desire to see it."
For seventy-five years this has remained
the basic law of the club with no CHANCES
and but few additions. and it has been
made the model for an unknown number
OF like organizations. 1t is founded on some
things that will always hold men together.
The spirit of free comment, the absence Of
business dealing in any form and last, but
not least, the big eat" That little state
ment I'VE shall return to the house after
taking tea" means as much as all the rest
put together, and you were called together
today to partake of one of the same kind
OF teas as the club has had all these years,
and it would not be far from truth to say
that not more than one-half would be here
were it barmecide feast.
Nearly all the twelve farms represented
in the original club are still owned by
descendants Of the founders, but only two
are still visited by the club in its annual
rounds. One of these is occupied by
Mahlon Kirk iii, who is a descendant of
founder. The other by j. H. Janney,
who is descendant of an old member,
though not one of the first. and who holds
the farm of Samuel Ellicott. About twenty
years or so after the organization of the
club. the sons and grandsons of the men,
bers got tired Of being guests at the "old
mans" club and proceeded to form one of
their own withMlmost the same identical
constitution. Of course the youngsters had
to make some changes in procedure, but
they had to follow dad in most things.
A few years later there was some more
overflow and third organization was col
lected together. All three have held to-
gether with undated interest throughout
many vicissitudes. The club never missed
a meeting during the War between States
and has missed very few for any other
reason during its long existence. Rain or
shine, snow or blow. enough are sure to
turn out to make it worth while for the
secretary to write up some minutes, even
if the whole meeting is spent in discuss
ing only one question.
William Henry Farquhar was the first
secretary. His records are short and to
the point, and he wrote almost every
minute until the end Of 1847. when his
place was taken by Richard Bentley. and
since then many others have held the
position, which seems to have been so
much sought after that an order was passed
filming every member who declined to serve
as secretary one dollar every year he
would not serve, the amount thus raised
to be put in the hands of the man who
would serve to be used as he saw fit.
About the time Of the club organization
Peruvian guano began to make its ap-
pearance. and it is first mentioned at a
meeting at Mahlon Kinks, where the ears
from IS hills of corn that had been dosed
with guano were found to weigh 10 l-2
pounds, while the ears from IS unfertil-
lied hills weighed "a pounds. 1t may be
remarked that Peruvian euano had smell
that was something fierce, and anything
planted over it had to grow to get out of
the way of the smell.
The crop record of the club in 1914
shows an average in the club of 10 BUSH
els of wheat, 4 2-3 barrels of corn, "a
tons of hay, and SO bushels of potatoes
to the acre. On the IL farms were 80
horses and 70 head of cattle Of all kinds
Five years later the same farms report
Is 1-2 bushels of wheat. 1-2 barrels of
corn. IS bushels of potatoes. l-2 tons Of
hay. They only report the livestock for
one year, but as dairy products began to
be mentioned after few years it is sup
posed that its increase was equal to the
rise in crop production. In this time the
use of bone and guano became general
and the increased production can be traced
in the growth Of the minutes of the club,
which increased from one or two 6x8 inch
pages in the first three years to five or six
l0x12 inch pages in later times.
The question box was instituted in the
first or second year of club life, and the
same questions seem to have vexed the
farmer of 1850 as Of 1919. and the same
answers were collected then as now.
The bud worm in corn. weevil in wheat.
how to build an ice house and what to
line it with, potato rot. and many Of the
questions that have been asked within
the last five years were asked way back
in the old times and answered just in the
same way as today. One whole meetin 6
seems to be taken up with the problem of
whether to cover corn with a hoe or the
new-fangled coverer About half held out
for the hoe and used the coverer next year.
Every farm at one time seemed to have
had a threshing machine and all had a
tanning MILL no other machinery being
mentioned. Time was not available to
read through all the volumes and get the
udlCo VI tilC iutIOuuCtlOll Vi hlUWcIo, reap
ers, binders and other machinery. but it Is
all there il any one wants to look it up.
Some members were very progressive in
this line and the others followed suit in
a short while, and the increase in farm
yields shown by the crop reports made
necessary improved methods Of handling
them. The club members were found at
the front in most things that make for a
better enjoyment Of life. Resolutions rec
ommendine dog laws. better road methods,
changes in the public school system and
advocacy of an Agricultural College may
be found on record.
The Sandy Spring neighborhood is so
well organized with clubs. associations,
oranges and other things that the children
all begin to cry II pa and ma both stay at
home one night, because they think there
will be either sickness or death in the