

droath injured otker crops, 



maple seed 



sprouted finely and came up we!I ; manj of '±9 

 Diants ffi'ew to the heij?bt of three feet before 

 frost. Mr. L. H. Thomas has oq his farm, east 

 of Virdea, a forty acre lot planted with forest 

 aud other trees, consisting of Cottonwood, soft 

 maple, overcup oak,eim, chestnut, walnut, locust 

 peach, pecan and Norway spruce fir. He be- 

 gan tbe-first planting in the spring of 1852, and 

 continued adding new plantations yearly. The 

 cottoowoods are the talle8% being on ao average 

 eighteen fett. The maples are next, averaging 

 about fifteen feet. The outward branches ol the 

 locust and the entire grove of peach trees were 

 killed by the cold winter ol 1856. Li'St year 

 the peach trees sent up thousands ol new shoots 

 making a fine prospect for future firewood. 1 iic 

 lastyra: "s planting of locusts were pariially kill- 

 ed last winter; with these two exceptions the 

 young trees were unharmed by the long and hard 

 winters of 1856-7. 



JOHN P. WARD. 



The Orchard. 



Mr. Editor : T passed by an orchard the other 

 day — a beautiful and promisng one, too — audit 

 teas calling out to its owner /or help, to enable it 

 to live under the attacks of an ei^my. It spoke 

 as plainly as trees could speak. Caterpillars 

 were upon the trees and were spreading out their 

 nets over the youBg leaves and blossoms, appa- 

 rently with the determination to rob them ©f their 

 beautitul foliage and fruit, and if not kill them. 

 There was no voice in the air except that still, 

 small voice addressed to the reason of man, to his 

 love of the good fruit that (J-od had proffered to 

 him, as a reward of his care and industry, and 

 which ought to find a responss in every man 

 whose heart is in the right place. 



The caterpillar is an enemy which can be seen 

 and can easily be destroyed. They dis6gure the 

 trees — destroy the fruit; aad seriously injure, if 

 not kill them — and, besides they pronounce the 

 owner " slothful " — too much so to save his fruit, 

 though we dare say in the fruit season he would 

 enjoy the fruit of his neighbor's trees. 



Go about killing these caterpillars. Have a 

 ladder to reach them; — put on a nair ol gloves 

 and take hold of their nets and gather the rascals 

 and squeeze and crash them. Do this a few times 

 and ttie work will be done ; and you will save 

 your trees and fruit — and with these perhaps 

 save the health of yourself and family — and you 

 will certainly save the mortification that every 

 senf^itive man must feel when he knows his neigh- 

 bors, and those passing' by look upon his orchard 

 given up to the ruin and destruction of catterpil- 

 iars. 



Mr. Editor, if yon have been as I have within 

 a few days, an observer of the depredations of 

 the caterpillar in beautiful orchards, yon would 

 be likely to think these remarks 



"A WoKD IN Sbabon." 



-»—■ 



Prepare in Time. 



EorroR of the Farmer : Many of oar farmers 

 would save themselves much bother, anxiety and 



ixpense if they would prepare for coniingencies 

 in time. Our seasons are uncertain and we should 

 ; repare for con'.iugencies. Last winter was a 

 inii£ winter. As a general fact tbere was not 

 suflScient grain and fodder saved for stock. Maay 

 farmf^rs and cattle suffered. The same stdte of 

 things may recur again. Let us prepare in time 

 Many farmers have but little meadow. Fodder 

 can be made of corn by sowing broadcast, and 

 cutting and saving it early before the time of 

 seeding is come. Millet can be managed in the 

 same way, producing heavy crops. Buta Baga, 

 it suwQ early, etten produees a plentiful crop ; 

 and the Maquel "Wurizeil, a large beet for stock, 

 can always be made to grow on good land — pro- 

 uuuing an immense amount u( roots. Straw 

 should be saved — everything ^hr-,- ■ill answer for 

 fodder should be saved — and you will find your 

 advantage in attepoing to this matter, when 

 otherwise your stock would be starving or dying, 

 or you would have to depend upon the savings of 

 your more iudnslrious neighbors. 



Stock is bound to oriug high prices for years. 

 The consumers of animai pioducis areinuieasiug 

 taster than the pioducls themselves. Too many 

 people have left the business of agriculture and 

 gone into professions, or engaged in projects for 

 living by their wits. But never mind, — we can 

 make such men pay for the beef and pork, and 

 flour and other articles of consumption — and if 

 they deem the price too high, they can get apiece 

 of land and become farmers tbemsulves^ W. 



lonng Orchards. 



Editor Illinois Farmer : The last winter 

 was hard on young orchards. Probably the trees 

 if set out this spring, they may Lave been in- 

 jured the winter before. If the young trees show 

 unbealthful limbs or beads, they should be cut 

 back; that is, the would should be. cut off ud- 

 til you come to healthy wood. This is less to be 

 regretted in our open prairies^ because low head- 

 ed trees will do better there than it suffered to 

 grow high and thus be exposed to heavy and de- 

 structive winds. Peaches do better also by be- 

 ing cut back, and many think that they do bet- 

 ter as a large spreading shrub from the ground 

 than as a tree. Indeed, a tree suffered to grow 

 high, with a I®ng naked limbs, will be either be 

 broken down by heavy winds or will bedestroyed 

 by heavy loads of fruit, which act as a weight up- 

 on a lever. 



There is a great deal of bloom upon the apple 

 trees ; and where there peach trees alive, they 

 promise fruit. The wild apple and plum are full 

 of flowers. We have a fair prospect of a good 

 crop of apples. 



I have been over my orchard once an h ave 

 killed thousands of caterpillars. TheyJseem 

 uncommonly numerous this season. But I am 

 determined to rid my trees of them, if labor will 

 doit. Yours,&c 



-•••- 



A movement is on foot in New Orleans 

 to orgtinize a State Agricultural Society, and 

 make arrangements for holding annnal Fairs 

 in Louisiana. 



