Enterprise Farmers' Club Minutes

124 Magnolia 7^th Mo. 8^th 1882 One week after the appointed time the Club met at W^mS . Bonds. -- We organized at 5-30 Oclock with P. [?]. Stabler as foreman. Granville Farquhar, [?]. J . Lea , W^mS.Brooke & R. B. Farquhar were absent. -- R. P. M ^cFarland was the only visitor present. After reading the minutes of the last meeting held here, we started out for a short walk . ------- The beautiful flower garden was much admired by some members, while others talked politics . ---- We next visited the Silo , that had been built since our last meeting here, and had proved to be a satisfactory experiment.-- The building was 33 feet long , 8 feet wide &16 deep. The crop of wheat just harvested bid fair to make a good yield, and the hay which was being Ricked was a fine crop.------ The corn looked well , and the farm was pronounced to be in much better condition than when it was worked by a tenant . ---- One of the members being late we did not visit the Mill, but were informed that it was making full time , having a large stock of saw bone on hand .---- After the minutes of last meeting were read and adopted. 8 Members paid in $ 3.70 to help defray the expense of [D".?]Lemays lecture.

125 J. [S?]. Moore moved to dispense with the Harvest Club action upon the motion was pos[?]tponed until the September meeting, ---- 1^stQuest. E.P. Thomas wants to know whether to buy cows now when there is Pleuro Pneumonia in the neiborhood ? Advised to buy with great Care So as not to get any diseased Cattle. - 2^nd Quest. How is the best way to manage hay to be cut and stacked ? Shock it up so that it can be [slifjed?],then Qtackround a pole. 3^rdQuest. What are the members paying harvest hands? $1.50 for binding wheat, & $1.00 per day for hay & other work.-- 4^thQuest What is hay worth in [Winsow?] , estimating the weight [?] as though weighed a month hence . --- .50 Cts per Cut. ----- 5_thQuest.- Would you put salt on hay when mowing it and how much. Advised to use a small quantity 2to 3 [?] to load.- 6_thQuest. Will it pay to buy leather nets for horses ? Better get thin bag covers for work horses. ---- W^m W. Moore offered 6 good pigs about six weeks old, @ $15.00 . -- Taken by Fred Stabler. What does barbed wire fence cost? 3/4 of a Ct. running foot for each wire. ---- Will it do to ride a colt 2 1/2 years old ? Only by the owner. ---- adjourned to meet at C. H.Brooke's Arthur Stabler Secy --.

126 The Club met at Avon Aug.26 ^th 1882, where we were welcomed by our own genial host inhischaracteristic style that makes every one feel at home. -- We organized with [T?]. J. Lea as foreman, there being present 7 of our most enterprising members, with W^m Coffin of New York , Roger Brooke W. E. Muncaster & Alban Brooke as guests. The meeting was not as large as some, but it was both pleasant & instructive. ----- After reading the minutes of the last meeting held here, we started out for a short walk, passing through the beatiful flower garden, we proceeded to the spring house to see the new and complete water Ram, which was butting away as regularly as a clock ticks sending up the hill to the house a constant supply of fresh June water. ---- The vegetable garden showed unmistakeable signs of constant attention, and was supplying all needed vegetables, in the hot bed there was growing as fine a plant of the long rooted Canada hog thistle as we had ever seen. --- On our way to the cornfield we stopped at the Stable to see a splendid Percheron horse our enterprising host, had purchased from Pennsylvania, last spring, for breeding purposes,. -- The large field of corn certainly promised a fine yield. ----

127 Upon our return to the house we were invited to partake of a bountiful supper. ---- The minutes of the last meeting were read and the following questions were asked & answered. 1^st Quest. Will it pay to [grub?] and clean fence [rows?] along the public road &set them in grass? --- [Twas?] thought that it would pay well . --- 2 ^ndQuest. What is worth to dig an ice House ? A member paid 50 Cts. per foot to dig one 12 feet in diameter, but it would depend very much upon the character of the soil. --- 3 ^rd Quest How soon to sow Rye in new ground for pasture? About the middle of Seft. ----- 4^th Quest .. How to get rid of briars in a sod field ? Make it rich and Cut them often. ----- 5 ^thQuest. How much is the value of a farm decreased by being thoroughly set in hog thistle? $ 50. 00 per acre. -- T.J. Lea. ---- 6 ^thQuest. Wen to plow peas under ? About the middle of Sept. or when they are full grown, with pods formed but not the pea. ---- 7 ^th Quest. How large is it safe to make corn shocks ? If the corn is fully ripe make as large as you choose. ------ Adjourned to meet at Falling Green Arthur Stabler Secty . _

128 Falling Green July 29 ^th 1882 Frederick Stabler was chosen foreman, and informed the Club that the secretary was prevented from attending on account of sickness in his family, and Samuel H opkins was appointed Secretary Pro,- tem. Thirteen members were found to be present, J. [L?] Moore, P.[T?]. & Arthur Stabler being the absent ones. --- The minutes of the last meeting held here were read , and the usual walk was taken , the farm was found to be in its usual good farmer-like condition, the cattle looked well, some fine yearlings were especially admired. -- The commodious barn appeared to be full of grain and hay . -- After our return to the house a nice [rain?] falls while we discuss the questions and read the minutes . --- 1^stQuest. [?] ice question. Too variously answered to note down . 2^ndQuest. Are the new style wheel gates a success over, a gate of same kind to slide ? The wheel was thought to be worth the money .- 3^rdQuest How can I improve a field, from which a good crop pf grass has been cut this year? [T?] op dress and keep the stock off. --

129 4^thQuest. The [Y?]oung Club wants to know the price of new milk ? 15 3/11 Cts. per. gallon ought to improve their farms. ---- 5^th Quest. What kind of ferterlizer will the Club use? Agencys favorite was found to be the most popular but many will use some of W^m S. Bond's mixtures, ----- 6^th Quest. How is the [?][?]st way to elevate wheat into the second storys ? Use a windlass . ----- ----- ----- ----- ---- 7^th Quest. What to pay a good farm hand , per day he to board himself ? --- 9 5 5/14 Cts. ------ 8^th Quest. What is mix with Rye for feed? Bran or corn . ---- Then adjourned S am. Hopkins Secty. Pro. Tem.

130 The Enterprise Club met at Granville F arquhar's 9 ^th Mo. 23^rd 1882 W^m S. Bond acting as foreman . ---- W^m S. Brooke, T . J. Lea , P. T. Stabler and our usually vigilant secty. were absent Chas. H. Broooke was appointed secty. for the day, ------ ---- ------ ---- There were present as guests Dr [F?]. Thomas, Chas. Farquhar, &John Thomas. The minutes of the last meeting not having been forwarded the reading thereof was of course omitted. Our usual walk was taken & a marked improvement was noticed in several respects . --- A fine crop of Potatoes attracted the attention of some of the potatoes growers of our own and neiboring Clubs, who pronounced it a first Class yield. ----- The hogs were nearly ready for the butcher, and the permanent pasture with its velvet covering afforded abundant food for the Dairy herd. ----- ----- ----- ----- Onour return to the house the following questions were asked. ------ R. B. Farquhar wished to know if it would be agreeable to change the time of holding his Club on account of the Rockville Fair which occurs thesame week, When one of our brightest members without due reflection, offered a motion

131 to drop the october meeting, which was promptly voted down, the Club not being willing to allow an ordinary Co. Fair to in the least-wise interfere with the regular meeting of our long established organization . ----- ----- ---- ----- ----- 1 ^st Quest?- When is the Earliest time to plow for corn ? As soon as fall work is over , but to make the best crop plow in the spring . ---- 2 ^ndQuest. How to manage my sod field of 12 acres to make the most corn ? [?] [?] dress with manure &plow in the spring.- 3^rdQuest. How many will cut fodder? Most would like to, but only one would cut .- 4 ^th Quest. When will you begin to sow wheat ? From sept 28^th to Oct. 2 ^nd. --- 5^th Quest. Is the corn crop an average one ? H arly average. ----- 6^th Quest. B. H. Miller asks how much fertilizer he should put on his best corn stubble for wheat ? 419 lbs. 7 ^th Quest What is it worth to churn a neighbors butter and market the same ? 9 4/10 Cents per. lb. --- 8 ^thQuest What kind of stock to buy this fall to feed ? most advise steers , not more than 5 Centers. Adjourned to meet at W^m Lea's. C. H. Brooke Secty . Pro. tem.

Oct. 21 ^st 1882 The Club met at W^m Lea's for the first time since he has been a member. - Granville Farquhar was chosen foreman. -- W_m S. Brooke, W^mS.Bond & [T?]. J. Lea were absent . -- There were present as guests R.J. Bentley, D^r. Thomas, J.[C?] Bentley,B.[?].Palmer Harry Davis, H. H. Stabler, John Thomas, R.H. Miller W^mM, Stabler, A. [G?]. Thomas , & W.H. Brooke. -- Under the guidence of our foreman we started out for a general inspection. of what we concluded was a large &well cultivated farm, and that our host was rapidly Cleaning up and improving it. -- At the barn we discussed the potato crop that was being dug & hauled in, like most crops this season they were rotting considerably, but our host informed us that he expected over 3000 bus. of good ones from18 Acres. -- A fine 1/2 percheron colt was in the team , working well , and pulling quite as much as was good for one of his tender age of 2 1/2 years. ------ After reading the minutes of last meeting the secty. presented the blanks that were furnished by the Aggricultural Dpt. which were given to W^m W.Moore and [T?]. J. Lea to report upon the wheat they sowed,that had been furnished by the Dpt. ---- W^m W. Moore moved that a comm. be appointed to to confer with the other Clubs, to arrange for theannual Convention W^m W. Moore, Asa. M. & Arthur Stabler were appointed.-- 1 ^st Ques. Would you seed potato ground without plowing it? majority would cross plow, with same plow [?] [?]. --- 2 ^nd Ques. J. [T?]. Moore asked what was the cause of labor being so scarce? -----

133 Partly because many young colered men have gone elsewhere to get higher wages &partly owing to the largely increased crops. ----- 3^rdQuest S. Hopkins has just bought good stock Cattleweight about 900lbs, &wants to know what market market to feed them for, Twas thought the june market would about suit them. --- 4 ^thQuest. B.H. Miller wants to know if he does wrong, by telling several persons privately that he has cows for sale? --- This question was warmly debated by cow buyers, who did not like that way of advertiseing . --- 5^thQuest What will be the price for husking corn ? for 20 Cts. Six would pay 25 Cts per bbl others thought they could get it done 6^th Quest Would you plow a very filthy field for corn now or spring? 13 would plow now 8 would wait till spring . ----- 7^th Quest. Would you get a Rye machine to thrash 2 to 300 bus? --- By all means thresh with flail . ---- 8 ^th Quest. What is it worth to thresh wheat for a neighbor , while threshing your own ? --- From 8 to 10 Cts. Per. [bus?].---- 9^thQuest How much money rent can I afford to pay for agood 20 acre field to put in corn, get all the crop.----- 10 say $8.00, 7 say $10.00 &1 says $6.00 per acre.---- R. [T?]. Bentley gave some facts about the durability of fence posts, & other timber, many authorities were quoted & most of them advised cutting any kind of timber in July & August . - - - - - Adjourned to meet at R. B. Farquhars Nov. 18 ^[?] 8 2 Arthur Stabler