Centre Farmer.
“PROGRESSIVE AGRICULTURE."
VOL. 2.
BELLEFONTE. CENTRE CO., PA., NOVERBER, 1816.
NO. 6.
CENTRE FARMER.
PUBLISHED BY THE CENTRE COUNTY AGRICULTURAL
BOCIETY,
JOHN A. WOODWARD, Howard,
Prof, JNO. HAMILTON, State College,
B. F. SHAFFER, Walker,
Publishing Committee.
Officers of the Society for 1876 :
President—Jonx A. Woopwarp, Howard.
Vice Presidents—GEN. Gro. BUCHANAN, of Gregg,
Geo. L. Pxrers, of Union,
A. 8. Tipron, of Curtin,
SAMUEL GrLLiLAND, of College.
Secretary & Treasurer—J. WESLEY GEPHART, of
Bellefonte.
Librarian—Jonn T. JouNsTON, of Bellefonte.
Executive Com.—Jas. A. BEAVER, of Bellefonte,
JouN Risner, of Benner,
JoHN A. HUNTER, of Halfmoon,
LeoNARD Ruong, of Potter,
JouN Hamirron, of College,
B. F. Suarrer, of Walker.
DR. E. GREENE'S
Iniver Pills.
BEWARE OF COUNTERFEITS.
Dr. E. Greene's Liver Pills are always and
only put up in OVAL boxes, not round—and
have on the bottom of each and every box—
the name of the Sole: Agents and Manufactu-
rers.
J. ZELLER & SON,
No. 6 Brockerhoff Row.
A@F-Bee other advertisement in this paper<eg
W. 8. WOLF & SON,
BELLEFONTE, PA.
MANUFACTURERS
and Dealers in all kinds of
STOVES TINWARE,
&C,, &C., &C.
Roofing & Spouting a Specialty.
ALL WORK GUARANTEED.
——
SAVE YOUR MONEY AND FUEL?
If you want the best, cheapest, and most
durable stove out, buy the RADIANT HOME.
Cheapest, because of saving fuel.
CALL AND SEE THE ONLY PERFECT STOVE!
iJAOLS SSYID LsdIld AINO HHL HHS ANV TIVO
The largest stock of Stoves, Tinware
housefurnishing goods, &c., Spouting and
Roofing promptly attended to hy
Ww. T. TWITMIRE,
No. 4 Bush's Arcade.
UMBRELLAS & PARASOLS
neatly Repaired, one door
north of Post Oftice, Humes
block, up-stairs, Bellefonte,
Penn’a.
THE BALLOON
SIONS.
ASCEN-
In compliance with the expressed |
wish of many of our best citizens and
warmest friends of the Society, and in
the hope of affording a pleasing scien-
tific entertainment for the visitors to
the fair grounds, our Executive Com-
mittee determined on having a balloon
ascension on both Wednesday and
Thursday of Fair week ; and believing
that “what is worth doing at all is
worth doing well,” secured the ser-
vices of the veteran air-sailor, Prof.
JouN Wise and his couragedus niece
and pupil Miss Lizzis Inning. Prof.
Wise is, perhaps,the most experienced |
and successful aeronaut in the world,
and Miss InLiNe, though lacking the
experience of her uncle, to be attained
only by along life of service in the
art, has been his companion in his
aerial voyages since she was but eight
years of age, and has had the benefit
of his experience and teaching in the
voyages which she has of late years
been making alone. The wisdom of
our Executive committee in selecting
these eminent persons from among the
several who tendered their services
was plainly proven by the very suc-
cessful ascensions made on both Wed-
nesday and Thursday. Miss Inring's
balloon, the “Amazon,” was a new one
built by her for the occasion, and had
never been inflated until it arrived at
the Bellefonte gas works, in charge of
Mr. McKn~ieut, who was the recipient
of flattering compliments from Prof,
Wisk for his kind attention and skill
in making balloon gas.
The details of both the ascensions
have been given in our county papers,
and we do not need to repeat them
here. Itis due to Miss ImLiNg, how-
ever, to say that we have never seen
more pleasing or graceful ascensions,
and that those who witnessed them
were unanimous in their expressions of
the pleasure received and their admi-
ration of her coolness and courage.
Just before the ascent on Wednes-
day it was suggested to Miss ImLING
that it would gratify a great many of
her spectators to see a balloon alight,
when she kindly and promptly prom-
ised to descend within sight if ‘possible.
In fulfillment of this promise she
opened the valve immediately after
passing clear of the town, and
alighted on the farm of ex-Sheriff
KruiNe. As an evidence of Miss
InvLiNg’s skill both in building and
sailing her air ships it may be stated
that although her balloon when fully
inflated contained but 10,000 feet of
gas, it was found on Thursday morn-
ing to contain some 6,500 feet—but
3,500 feet having been consumed by
the voyage, and lost by leakage during
the night,
As expressions of the art or science
of ballooning, both ascensions were
simply perfect, and we are commission-
ed to tender to Prof. Wise and his ac-
complished pupil the thanks of our so-
ciety in behalf of all who witnessed
them.
Miss ImLiNG. kindly furnished us
with pleasant little sketches of both
her trips. The first was published in
both the Watchman and Republican of
last week, and thesecond will be found
below :
Joun A. Woopwarp, Esq.—Dear Sir: My
second aeronautic experiment made from
your Society’s Fair ground on the 5th instant,
as you are aware, was made under a lower-
ing atmosphere—the balloon and net work
saturated with the ten hours rain it endured
though the night and Jay receding the
occasion. I started at 3 o'c A five minutes,
thermometer 60 degrees. Five minutes it
took me to get in the thick clouds that over-
hung the earth like a pall, I heard shouting
all round below—clear down to Milesburg—
the balloon moving in that direction as it
entered the cloud.” My baromoter marked
2500 feet. Oh, what a solemn thing it is to be
involved in these dense meteors! I got upon
my knees with note book in hand to describe
the scene. The attitude of kneeling .was ap-
propriate, as well as comfortable, while de-
scribing the Zysterions majesty of nature.
I had a moment before viewed the handiwork
of God's beautifal creation of mountain and
valley, rivulets and velvet green fields, with
towns and Villages of men,—now I was bask-
ing in a milk-white vapor. How strange the
contrast: these clouds looked sulky black
from below, but milky white within them.
I could see nothing around me—above nor
below, but this vapor, and as soon as I was
completly buried in it all the shouting
ceased; a death-like silence prevaded this
solemn chamber. Presently I heard quite de-
stinctly the tinkling of a cow-bell, and sup-
posing I had crossed over to Bald Eagle Val-
ey I came down gradually. When I came
out of the cloud I found myself right above
the mountain top, and again the shouting of
the people reached my ears. I sailed along
the line of the back for nearly half an hour,
hoping to drift on one side or the other, but
the “ Amazon” plodded her weary way right
along this high-way, and again I went up into
and above the layer of clouds until I reached
the sunshine at a heighth of 4000 feet. Here
was anew scene; there was a mountain and
a valley in the cloud surface, and presently
the “ Amazon,’ drifted to the cloud-valley and
I opened the. valve to come down again be-
low the clouds to look for a clear spot to
light on. I found myseli moving for Curtin’s
works and at 4 oclock and five minutes, I
landed on Mr. Austin Curtin’s farm, where I
was surrounded by many people. I was sur-
prised to see Mr. Curtin, as I had seen him
near me at the start, and then again I saw Mr.
E. Foster and Prof. Wise coming up, who
started with a coach from the Fair ground
when I did, but when I found that I was not
more than five miles from Bellefonte, my
surprise was over. Five miles an hour is a
slow gait for an air-ship, but then when it is
considered that I i) such formidable ob-
stacles in the way, if hoy were but water
vapor, and I had to travel, as it were, blind-
folded, so far as the earth was concerned, it
was getting along well enough.
Just before I landed I crossed a grave-yard
in which I saw a man, and I called on him to
take Irold of my trail-rope, but he answered’
*it is too high, I cannot reach it,” but he fol-
lowed me briskly, and when he came up he
said “I knew there was a woman in it when
I heard your voice and I ran as fast as I
could.”
Immediately after entering the cloud upon
my start I heard the Band of music playing
It was like an enchantment, and how I
wished all my friends below could be up
with mein the cloud-heaven to llsten to its
gsymphonious strains, My aeronautic display
may have been Inicresting to my audience
on account of its variety, but to me it was
truly novel and sublime, as it was my first
experience in in the art on a rainy day.
I feel under great obligations for the kind-
ness tendered me by all my friends, and par-
ticularly to the members and officers of the
Agricultural Society, and to Messrs. Grice and
Foster, and also to Mr. McKnight for replen-
ishing the “Amazon” with several thousand
feet of gas and bringing her over to the Fair
ground, Lizzie Invixa.
LINES SUGGESTED DURING MY ERTAL VOYAGES FROM
BELLEFONTE.
When ¢’er I mount on ether's wing
To seek the heavenly air,
To hear the zephyr angels sing
It fills my soul with prayer.
When fleecy clouds around me play
Like gpirits of the air,
And fan me with their ambient spray
I feel like staying there.
The world sinks down in ethers sea,
Nor stops to rest in space
While my frail bark is sailing free
To seek a resting place.
How beauteous now the realms around,
Spread out with bounteous hand ;
The great blue vault now clasps the ground,
And forms a circling band.
The world looks like a fairy green
With plants of various hue,
And silvery streamlets in the scene
To beautify the view. '
All nature sings the song of love
In one accord of praise ;
The lamp of God swung far above
Sends down its quick’ning rays.
Oh! must I soon depart from hence,
To join that rugge shore,
To dream of heavenly recompense
In Nature's bounteous store !
No! no! I will not down to earth—
I'd rather stay up here
Amid the scenes of joy and mirth
That greet my eye and ear.
Ne'er can the earth such pleasure give,
Nor move the soul to raise,
As does the upper world of life
In sailing on ita ways.
But now, alas, my fairy bark
Is swooping for the strand ;
And down I come like meadow lark,
Again to grope on land.
END OF VOLUME TWO.
With this number the second vol-
ume of the CeNTrE FARMER closes,
and for this season, at least, our mod-
est little monthly disappears from the
public eye; and will, doubtless, soon
drop from the memory of most of
those to whom it has made its regular
visits. That it has accomplished all
that could have been wished for it by
its friends, we do not claim, but that
it has proven itself an incentive and
aid to “Progressive Agriculture” in our
county, to such a degree as to justify
its publication, we hope and believe.
We claim no originality for any of its
teachings, nor merit for any advice
offered, or suggestion made; but in-
dulge the hope that in gleaning from
the sources of acknowledged agricul-
tural wisdom to which we have had
access, we may have chanced here
and there to gather a handful of suf
ficient merit to redeem our little bun-
dle from utter condemnation.
TuaNks—Chief Marshal Gilliland
desires us to tender his thanks to the
citizens, who, as volunteer police aided
him in keeping the crowd of boys and
others who followed the balloon on
Thursday, from breaking over the
fence.
The thanks of the Society are due to
the Salona Brass Band for the pleas-
ing music which they voluntarily fur-
nished.
The Executive Committee hereby
express their obligations to the ladies
and gentlemen who kindly consented
to act as judges in place of some of
those who had been regularly appoint-
ed, but who failed to put in an ap-
pearance.
SC —
No 1NsEcT, 80 far has troubled the
sweet potatoes to damage them to any
extent in this section of the country,
and if the bugs continue to destroy the
Irish potatoes as they have done in
years past, we will have to turn our at-
tention more to the growing of the
sweet potato to fill its place, also to the
best methods of storing and keeping
them for Winter and Spring use.
Every one that tills the soil should plant
enough for his own use and a few to
sell. They will pay if you plant the
kind adapted to the soil you plant them
in,
AN ACRE contains 43,000 square feet,
a tract 209 feet square contains 121
square feet over an acre. A lot 200
feet wide and 217.8 feet long, or 100 by
436.6 feet contains exactly an acre. A
plow, turning a furrow one foot wide,
would go nearly 8} miles in plowing av
acre,
WE LIKE to have our friends try
saving seeds. In no other way wil}
they so well learn how difficult it is to
grow pure seeds, and how prone every-
thing to degenerate,—[Vick's Flora!
Guide.