120 ^EE COUNTY, ILLINOIS. 



keep a number of young hogs in my orchard in the fore part 

 of the Summer and also in the F;dl. They work under the 

 trees, destroying the grass and all insects that burrow in the 

 ground and prey upon the trees and fruit. The result is I 

 have not missed a single crop of fruit, and the trees are gener- 

 ally healthy and vigorous. I am not troubled with codling 

 moth, nor have I seen any appearance of canker worm, while 

 my neighbor's orchards have been much injured within the last 

 two years. The early Richmond cherry is hardy and has been 

 a regular bearer with me. 



MY HOME. 



Believing that nothing adds more towards making home 

 attractive to its occupants, and has a greater influence in de- 

 veloping the finer qualities of one's nature, than a liberal outlay 

 of money in building fine dwellings, and adorning the sur- 

 roundings with the beauties of nature, I have expended money 

 freely in that direction, to render my dwelling worthy of the 

 namc^home, a place to which my children are proud to have 

 tliei* associates come. There is a sad neglect among the farmers 

 of ^ our State generally, in this respect — a neglect which 

 often has the effect of enticing farmers' children to the towns 

 and cities, where they see handsome residences in sad contrast 

 with the surroundings of their own liomes on the farm. When 

 home is made to correspond with the meaning of the sweetest 

 word in our language, then those who grow up under its 

 influence Avill ever revere the place, — be sorry to leave and 

 glad to return to it. 



LIVE STOCK. 



From early youth I had a fondness for fine stock, espe- 

 cially cattle and hogs. In my boyhood days, when looking at 

 the pictures of such, I resolved that some day I would own 

 and raise that kind of animals. Twelve years of patient in- 

 dustry, in preparing my farm and erecting suitable buildings, 

 passed before I commenced the business of realizing these boy- 

 hood dreams. In 1867 I made my first purchase of thorough- 

 bred Short Horn cattle and Berkshire swine, which laid the 

 foundation of my present herd, many scions of which have 



