264 HOW TO GET A FARM, 



tracts of land well adapted by nature to the raising 

 of cattle, sheep, horses and mules better adapted, 

 indeed, than are the lands of almost any other State 

 of the Union. During the year 1862, the Illinois 

 Central Railroad brought to Chicago, from va 

 rious stations along the line, upwards of 30,000 

 head of beef cattle, and about 10,000 sheep. Wool- 

 growing is a branch of industry that cannot be 

 overdone, and will inevitably be largely increased. 



The immense coal deposits of Illinois are worked 

 at different points near the railroad, and thus the 

 settlers are enabled to obtain fuel at the very cheap 

 est rate. Du Quoin and St. John in Southern Illi 

 nois, and La Salle, are the principal places from 

 which coal is distributed. The statistics of coal 

 produced in the United States for the year ending 

 June 30, 1860, place Illinois third in the list of coal 

 States Pennsylvania being first, and Ohio second. 

 In the period named, the coal mined in this State 

 amounted to 14,906,643 bushels, valued at more 

 than a million of dollars. The production at the 

 present time is largely in excess of this amount. 



To whatever extent the resources of this State 

 are developed, there can never be any very great 

 accumulation of breadstuffs in this country. It is 

 impossible for Europe to yield enough wheat for its 

 three hundred millions of people, and the soundest 

 writers upon the subject assert that even with the 

 most favorable harvests, three-fourths of the popu 

 lation are inadequately fed. With cheap means of 

 transportation to the shores of the Old World, it is 

 believed that five hundred million bushels of bread- 



