tion,' says Henry C. Potter, "even the savage is outdone in this craze for feathers. Only Christian people will butcher and wear a whole bird on their heads for ornament." "If there were no purchasers, there would be no demand, and as women principally create this demand, it rests upon them to stay the cruelty of this slaughter of the innocents to gratify fashion." John Burroughs says, "It is a barbarous taste which prompts our women and girls to appear upon the streets with their head dress adorned with the scalps of our songsters." John G. Whittier says, "We are in a fair way to destroy both our forests and birds. I could almost wish that the shooter of birds, the taxidermist who prepare their skins, and the fashionable wearer of their feathers might share the penalty which was visited upon the ancient mariner who shot the Albatross." Perhaps the greatest agent now in our country for the correction of this great wrong, to ourselves and our feathered friends, we have in the "Audubon Society," for the protection of birds, organized in New York, in February, 1886. A society not quite one year old, yet it has a membership of about seventeen thousand, distributed in local societies all over this great country of ours. It is named after John James Audubon, the great naturalist and ornithologist. In conclusion, your committee join in the hope that all true patriots and advocates of the right, the useful and the noble will aid in the protection of our feathered friends, the denizens of the air, for the promotion of our mutual good, our comfort and our happiness. C. C. MUSSELMAN, Chairman, REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON FRUIT AND FRUIT CULTURE. G. HIESTER, Harrisburg, Pa., Chairman. The year 1887 has been decidedly an off year for fruit in Southern and Eastern Pennsylvania; in the northern tier of counties they had a full crop. The growers all over the State were much encouraged by the bountiful crops of last year and were led to hope for at least a partial repetition of the same by the fine condition in which all plantations passed the winter. Strawberries, raspberries and blackberries looked unusually well early in the spring and put forth a luxuriant growth of foliage, but the continued wet weather in some sections and severe drought in others at the time of inflorescence prevented proper fertilization, and the result was the lightest crop we have had for years. Even this was reduced fully one-half in some sections (notably Dauphin county) by heavy rains during the picking season, which softened the berries and rendered them unfit for market. Peaches were almost a total failure so far as reported to us, except in Clinton, Crawford, Bradford, Wyoming, Lackawanna, Sullivan, Warren and Lycoming counties, where they had a full crop; also a few orchards in York county that were favorably located and had the fruit carefully thinned last year. Many plantations were entirely ruined by last year's heavy crop, supplemented by the ravages of the borer, and are now in such a low condition that they will hardly re cover. The yield of plums, except in Bradford county, was not sufficient for the needs of the curculio. They took possession of the entire crop, and the overflow attacked the pears and the few peaches that they could find. Pears promised well; the trees as a rule set all the fruit they could bear, but the unusual number of insects which, owing to the scarcity of other fruit, were forced to devote all their energies to the pear, spoiled the crop entirely. Fully one-half of the pears were stung by the codling moth or the curculio, or both, and either dropped when half grown or else remained on the tree, knotted and gnarled until picking time, when they were hardly worth gathering, The only exception to this so far reported are the counties named above, where they had very few insects and a full crop of pears and apples. The latter fruit bore such an abundant crop last year in the Eastern counties of the State that no one expected a great yield this fall, but some young orchards and trees that failed to bear last year were well laden, and the codling moth appears to have found them all. It is very difficult to find a sound apple south of Crawford county. The member of the committee from Lancaster county says their best crop this year was insects, the caterpillar yielding a full second crop and others doing proportionately well. Grapes set a full crop, but owing to the ravages of insects, some of which stung the grapes while others attacked the foliage, the clusters were not so perfect and the crop not so large as usual, except in the Northern tier of counties. Of the newer varieties Moore's Early appears to be growing in favor. This year it bore well wherever heard from; the clusters are large and compact, grapes large and covered with a beautiful bloom, and do not drop off so readily as most early varieties. It is the handsomest dark grape in the market, and ripening, as it does, about two weeks before the Concord, commands a good price. Niagara rotted badly in some places; Worden rotted rather worse than usual. Attlio mildew and black rot are reported not so bad generally as last year. From the above it will be readily seen that the fruit crop in Pennsylvania this year did not yield much profit or pleasure to the grower. But in the opinion of your committee he has no reason to be disheartened; such a failure seldom occurs except in a year following one of great plenty, and we have the evidence all around us of better times. next year. The new planted strawberries never looked better than now; the frequent rains have kept them growing all through the season, and the well-matted rows give promise of a bountiful crop next year. Raspberries, blackberries and grapes made an unusually heavy growth of well-ripened wood. The new planted orchards have taken a good start, and the older ones show by their thrifty appearance that they have made good use of their season of rest. So we say to all fruit growers, don't waste your time bemoaning the failure of this year's crops, but devote all your energies to the task of putting your plantations in proper shape to stand the winter. Dig out every borer from your peach trees and bank up well about the trunks with earth, arrange for the proper drainage of your land so that no water may lay about the roots of your trees and vines, remove all bunches of weeds and grass that would form a harbor for mice, and during the winter collect a good supply of manure to feed them when they first put out their leaves in the spring. Do well your part, and rest assured that this season's failure will not be repeated next year. REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON FARM IMPLEMENTS AND MACHINERY. By ISRAEL GARRETSON, Chairman. Every year increases the necessity for substituting horse and steam power for hand labor. The superior cheapness of horse power is shown by the simple estimate that while the strength of an active man is only one-fifth that of a horse, the cost of the latter, as usually kept by farmers, is but a little more than one-third; in other words, a horse will accomplish any heavy labor that he can perform at about one-twelfth the cost of employing men to do the same. This estimate will of course vary with localities and circumstances, but is a fair approximate average, and shows the importance of applying this cheap strength by means of farm implements and machinery to every possible operation. The use of steam power is becoming rapidly introduced throughout the State of Pennsylvania for threshing, and at no distant day will be used in many localities to give power to turn the soil. Farm implements and machinery are so near one and the same thing that it will be a task to separate them. For instance, we will take the sickle, which implement was in general use forty years ago, and now we use reapers and binders drawn by horses. Thus we have machines taking place of implements. In the first place, we will caution every farmer to be careful in making investments in farm implements and machinery. He may soon invest large sums of money, and have all our spare roof room crowded with implements and machines that are of little or no value to us. In selecting farm implements and machines, too great care cannot be exercised to select the very best the market will afford, and be sure you purchase those only that are adapted to your wants. We find plows of different patterns adapted to the turning of any kind of soil, that will challenge the ingenuity of the most shrewd inventor to make any improvement. Within the last few years there has been great improvements on corn plows that facilitate the labor of keeping the ground free from weeds and loosen the soil so as to retain moisture, which has been of immense value to the Pennsylvania farmer. Harrows have received a large share of the attention of the inventor. Amongst the large number of different kinds is the spring tooth; it is generally conceded to have trebled the efficiency of a team in preparing the ground either newly cleared or old for a crop, or in putting in the same-that is, a team will do as much in one day with the springtooth harrow as they would in three with the old spike-toothed harrow, and at the same time leave the ground in better order. We are in want of a spike-tooth harrow to break the crust that may have been formed by a beating rain immediately after the seed has been placed in the earth. Many crops have been seriously damaged in this manner; the tender plants, not being strong enough to break through the crust, are doomed to perish, much to the chagrin of the anxious farmer. Had the earth been slightly broken, time would bring a plenteous crop. Right here in place will be proper to speak of the field roller. The farmer cannot afford not to have this implement, or something that will fill its place to some extent. After using the harrow, we want the lumps broken and the fine earth settled, so as to retain moisture for the growing crop. The mower, reaper, horse-rake, binders, grain drills, hay elevators have taken their places in due time to lighten farm labor and add millions of dollars to the nation's wealth in the way of hastening its progress, in preventing over-ripening or in escaping storms. We consider the grain cutter and binder one of the best of inventions. There is great room for improvement in the complication of gearing and weight of the machine. We have no statistics to show the actual number of mowing machines, reapers, binding machines, horse-rakes, horse-forks, threshing machines, planting machines, &c., in present use; but it is not difficult. to make an estimate of the advantages to be derived from their gen eral introduction. We are glad to say some of our farming implements and machinery, including mowers, reapers, binders, grain drills, hay rakes, plows and harrows can be purchased at greatly reduced prices from former rates, coming somewhere near their real cost of construction, thereby enabling the ordinary farmer to be benefited by their use. There are still some of the newer implements on which too much royalty is paid to the patentee or the manufacturer. The fodder cutter and crusher is an implement that should be in more general use, thereby saving feed and making better manure. Windmills for the pumping and distribution of water should be in far more general use. The general use of commercial fertilizers has stimulated the manufacturer of fertilizing grain drills and other fertilizer distributing machines, so that we now have some complete machines of this class at a satisfactory price. We hope the time will come that a desirable machine might be made to reduce coarser manures to a condition to be used in these drills. In conclusion, we would say that nothing contributed more to disseminate correct information on the merits of machines than agricultural fairs and such exhibitions as that held at Williams' Grove, where our people can learn of the great and constant improvements being made in farm implements and machinery, and where competition serves to reduce the price to a reasonable sum. We discourage the use of very high-priced and complicated machinery that is likely to get out of repair, and which requires a skilled mechanic to work it successfully, so long as the market prices of our products are so low as not to warrant the expenditure. Great care and economy must now be used to make "credit" meet "debtor" in farming. ISRAEL GARRETSON, CHANDLEE EVES. REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON SILK AND SILK CULTURE. Dr. J. P. BARNES, Allentown, Pa., Chairman. Silk culture, though practically so little is done in the United States, where the consumption of the raw material is now becoming so great, is not a new project even in this country, and quite an ancient employment in the old world. We learn from sacred history (1715 B. C.) that when King Pharoah set Joseph over his house and over the land of Egypt, that he arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, &c., which in the margin reference is rendered silk. In Proverbs, chapter thirty-one, verse twenty-second, which refers to the praise and properties of a good wife, 1015 B. C. it says, "She maketh herself coverings of tapestry, her clothing is silk and purple," Ezekiel sixteenth chapter, tenth verse, where reference is made to Jerusalem in the similitude of a person, the Prophet says: "I clothed thee also with broidered work and shod thee with badger's skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen and I covered thee with silk," thirteenth verse, "and thy raiment was of fine linen and silk and broidered work," 594 B. C. These few references show that even at that time, the inhabitants of the old world knew of the silk worm product and had the art of converting it into fabrics for wearing apparel. A writer on this subject says: "The Greeks knew the silk people as 'Seres-there is much dispute as to the real origin of the nameand called the product 'Serikon,' whence, through the latin Sericum' and an intermediate form Selic' comes our work silk." In Rome, "silk, there worth its weight in gold," was a mark of effeminate luxury. "Heliogabalus " crowned his extravagance with a silken robe, and would have ended it with a silken rope he had prepared for that purpose, had not his murderers forestalled him. "Aurelian" refused his empress a silk dress. Silk culture was introduced into Europe by the help of two grateful Nestorian monks, who traversed Asia with silk worm eggs hidden in their hollow pilgrim staffs, and a thorough knowledge of the industry stored in their heads. Silk weaving in Western Europe dates from the Saracean conquests, but the return of King Robert of Sicily, from the second crusade in 1146 with captive silk weavers from Greece, gave it a new impetus. Henry of Navarre, who about 1603, taking a hint from the book "Olevierde Seres," the father of agriculture, really made France the great silk country it now is. His minister, "Sully." opposed him and scoffed at the silk merchants of Paris, who came before the King in quaint garb ornamented with various silks. Sully argued that luxury should be repressed. At first the experiments, which the king urged his subjects to make, failed, and the people petulently destroyed trees and worms. But Henry persevered, shamed his subjects by turning a great orange grove, one of his ancestral estates, into prosperous silk farm. The revocation in 1685 of his edict of Nantes nearly annihilated the industry for a time. Lyons, which had 18,000 looms, could not find weavers for 4,000. |