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This section of the State, in addition to producing a large 

 yield of apples, pears, etc. , is admirably situated for the pro- 

 duction of sweet potatoes, vegetables, asparagus, small fruits, 

 and melons, all of which find a ready market at no great distance. 



This division of the State is devoted in a large measure to 

 grain and stock raising, and in it the farms are generally 

 larger in area than in the other divisions, for the reason that 

 diversified farming is yet in its infancy, the population 

 being more sparse and having fewer manufacturing towns 

 to make a market for the more varied products of the orchard 

 and the garden. For this reason more attention is given to 

 those products which the general market demands, and which 

 will bear transporting a long distance to market and not spoil 

 in transit. It may here be said that this very condition also 

 makes a market for many of the products of the garden, and it 

 is no unusual thing to see a " big" farmer purchasing fruit, 

 vegetables, and melons in the village, for the use of his family, 

 when his own senses as well as interest, should teach him that 

 an abundant supply could be grown much cheaper at home if 

 he would but plant the trees and garden, and devote a portion 

 of the time he spends in growing corn to their cultivation. 



Central Illinois is the home of the apple and pear, and 

 peaches may also be grown, although there will be an occa- 

 sional failure, as there frequently is in the most favored locali- 

 ties, notably in Delaware, Michigan, and Southern Illinois, all 

 noted for their peaches. 



Small fruit may be produced in such abundance as to even 

 astonish the fruit grower from what are called the favored spots. 

 Yields of strawberries of one hundred bushels per acre are not 

 unusual, while raspberries, blackberries, and currants are alike 

 productive. A yield of twenty pounds of Concord grapes per 

 vine three years planted is not unusual, while the quality is 

 unexcelled. May or Richmond cherry trees frequently yield 

 two bushels at eight years old, and there is always a market, 

 it being a favorite fruit for canning. When canning estab- 

 lishments are common to every neighborhood as they must in 

 time become, the demand for this fruit will become compara- 

 tively unlimited. It supplies an acid craved by the stomach 

 at all seasons, therefore the green and canned fruit is much in 

 demand. 



