ILLINOIS AND WISCONSIN. 



M 



CONDUCTED BY JOSEPH FROST. 

 nUHOIS AlfB ■WISCONSIN. 



DcRi.vo a short tour, in November last, through 

 the most fertile of the flourishing States of Il'.inois 

 and Wisconsin, we had an opportunity to make some 

 notes, which may not be uninteresting to some of our 

 readers. 



The last month of autumn could not be expected to 

 display those vast fields of corn, wheat, oata, grass, 

 etc., growing in the greatest luxuriance, for which 

 these States are noted; but wc could witness the ex- 

 tensive prairies, with their rolhng and gently-undulat- 

 ing surface, embracing the richest and most produc- 

 tive soil in the world. 



The garnered crops, with here and there extensive 

 fields of unhnsked corn, showed that the season had 

 been most propitious for the cultivators of the soiL 

 Railroads, which have been built with wonderful 

 rapidity, branching out from their common center, 

 Chicago, are now extending their arms, furnishing a 

 good market for all the productions of the farmer 

 near home. Consequently he feels rich — very one 

 that we met seemed to be well contented with his 

 condition, and was surprised that more of our New 

 England farmers, as well as those in the Middle 

 States, did not try their fortunes at the West, where 

 they will be so bountifully rewarded for their labors; 

 particularly new beginners and others who have only 

 a small or moderate capital. 



Considering the recent settlement of the country, 

 whose farmers are considered old if they have been 

 in it ten years, the increasing attention which is being 

 given to the cultivation of fruit, and the anxiety to 

 obtain none but choice kinds, are remarkable. It is 

 very evident that all varieties of froit will thrive 

 finely, excepting peaches and such like tender fruits, 

 which will not succeed in the northern part of Illi- 

 nois and Wisconsin, where the thermometer in the 

 winter months will often indicate fifteen and twenty 

 degrees below zero. In Southern Illinois, -however, 

 they flourish with the greatest luxuriance. 



Fruit trees of all sorts grow with wonderful rapidi- 

 ty, and we think that apple, pear, plum trees, ko., 

 will make as much wood upon their generous soil in 

 three years, as they will with us in four and five. 



We noticed many apple orchards that had been 

 planted from four to eight years, and, duiing our ex- 

 perience, we have never seen trees that were as 



handsome or as thrifty; the snionih and clean bark 

 upon their trunks and branches Wiis jjarticulariy ob- 

 served. All hardy ornamental trees, shrubs, rosea, 

 itc, grow with equal comparative vigor. 



Owing to the ease and facility with which trees are 

 produeed, and the gi-eat and increasing demand, large 

 numbers of nurseries have sprung into existence 

 within five years, conducted by farmers, law)-crs, doc- 

 tors, ex-governors, and other distinguished individ- 

 uals. Their stock is yet small, and the variety 

 limited; but they purpose to extend as their means 

 Md experience warrant. 



All kinds of fruit are very scarce, and none are to 

 be had but apples, large quantities of which have 

 been forwarded from the eastern interior and southern 

 parts of Michigan, by railroad, for the Chicago mar- 

 ket. 



On the plank road extending from Milwaukie 

 north-west, we saw numbers of teams, loaded with 

 barrels of apples, from Michigan, which were destined 

 for places one hundred and fifty miles in the interior. 

 This shows that they are compelled to import largely 

 to supply the wants of home consumption; but we 

 believe many years will not elapse when apples will 

 be a large article of export. 



Dr. Pennington, a pioneer orchardist in the north- 

 western part of Illinois, was awarded two prizes, at 

 the New Tork State Fair, in October last, upon ap- 

 ples. He was a competitor in the list of Foreign 

 Fruit, being fruit contributed by parties living out 

 of the State, and received a silver cup for the 

 greatest number of good varieties and best speci- 

 mens — three of each — and another prize of $10 for 

 the best twenty varieties. 



We are fully convinced that in the more Western 

 States, all kinds of fruit trees should be grown in the 

 half-standard or pyramid form, with stems of not 

 more than three feet — and two feet would be ample 

 for most; — they would then withstand the strong 

 winds which prevail upon the prairies, and the 

 branches would protect and shade the ground and 

 stem of the plant or tree from the hot sun during 

 summer. 



Cherry trees budded upon the common Mazzard 

 stock, do not seem to succeed, particulariy the 

 Heart and Bigarreau varieties ; the Unite and 

 Morrello cherries, however, succeed better. The 

 difficulty seems to be that they make such strong 

 growth in the autumn, the wood is but imperfectly 

 ripi-'ued; then the sudden changes of temperature 

 during the winter afiects the sap of the tree to such 

 an extent that the body bursts the following spring; 



