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THE III/INOIS FABMEB. 



13ft 



neighbors' boys, nay, even the neighbors them- 

 selves, do hot come at night while you and 

 yours, who perhaps are wearied from th« toils 

 of the day, are sleeping, and steal your melons 

 and tear up your vines. Oa this subject I have 

 scarcely patience to say any thing, being almost 

 afraid to venture, for fear of saying too much; 

 for I have heard otherwise good citizens and 

 even professing Christians, tell their sons in a 

 boasting manner how they used to steal melons 

 and tear up vines, and never uttei one word of 

 condemnauon, or say they had done wrong, but 

 laugh over their folly; thus in effect advising 

 their sons to do as their fathers had done before 

 them. I wonder if such men ever consider 

 that for such influence they will one day be 

 brought to account. It is very provoking, 

 after having raised fine large melons, and got 

 them nearly ready for the knife, to go into 

 your patch and find here a melon mashed with 

 some unruly foot, and there one stuck through 

 with a cane, till all the best ones are spoiled, 

 and that too by persons who would scorn to in- 

 jure you or any one else in any other way. It 

 is time this evil was corrected. 



MUSK UELOXS. 



Best Kinds. — I can remember the time, Col., 

 when melons were scarce, that I thought the 

 musk melon was goo^; but now, after trying 

 the finer kinds, I am willing to let others enjoy 

 them, if they can, as Skillman's fine netted 

 melon and other varieties of the same class suit 

 me infinitely better. Skillman's fine netted 

 melon is as sweet as sugar, and as luscious as 

 honey; and what is more, every person in our 

 country can have them by bestowing a little 

 care and labor on their culture. If those per- 

 sons who go prowling about at night stealing 

 their neighbor's melons, would bestow half of 

 the labor upon a patch of their own, which 

 they are compelled to take in hunting up others, 

 they would have plenty at home, and could en- 

 joy them with "a conscience void of offense to- 

 wards God and man." 



Cake and Compensation.— Plant the rows 

 five feet apart «ach way, and cultivate the same 

 as the water melon, except leave three plants to 

 the hill, instead of two. There is nothing that 

 delights more in a good rich soil than melon 

 vines, and nothing that such a soil and good 

 culture makes more difference with. I would 

 rather have one hill well managed, than a quar- 

 ter of an acre botched over; and as a market 

 fruit, nothing pays better. Indeed, they are a 

 luxury that most people will have, when they 

 can get them, at any price, even to the "wear 

 and tear of conscience." 



CUCUMBERS. 



Should be planted not less than seven feet 

 apart each way, and thinned to four stalks in 

 each hill Cultivate the same as melons, ex- 

 cept being even more particular about hoeing 

 them well up under their two leaves, while 

 quite yo-ang, thus protecting the stalks from 

 their natural enemy, the striped bug. 

 THE MARR'iW squash 



Should be planted eight feet apart each way 

 SummT sauashes same. Parisian squash not 

 less than twenty feet each way; the last men- 



tioned bdng better adapted to amateur coltore, 

 as it is of little value, but very large and 

 Bhowy. The sweet pumpkin should be planted 

 ten or twelve feet apart each way, and if well 

 tended will pay well, as it makes most excellent 

 Yankee pies. Q. S. INNIS. 



Columbus, May, 1857. 



— «•» 



Large ts. Small Beans. 



I tried an experiment last season, to satisfy 'aiy- 

 aelf,- which were the better beans to plant, and 

 give you the result as follows : The small beau 

 give nine and a half bushels from one of planting, 

 and the large ones thirteen and three quarters 

 from ose of planting. The land was light, as 

 you see by the crop, but equal in both cases. I 

 concede that a bushel of small beana will plant as 

 much land as three bushels of large oees, and 

 many will conclude from this that there are tour 

 dollars saved in the item of seed. To such I 

 would say, " don't be hasty, gentlemen." Don't 

 you have to plant three times as many hills to 

 ^et out a bushel of small as you do ol large beansY 

 — and then they fall four bushels short of the 

 large ones in product. Here then is a eaviiig in 

 favor of the large beans of one-fourth in product 

 from a given quantity of seed. 



I plant beans aorth aad south, ifpossibIe,rowB 

 three feet apart, and eighteen inches apart in the 

 row, abont six beans in the hill. 



I planted last season three and one-half bush- 

 els ef beans in my corn field, the product of whi^ 

 I sold tor about 8100, expenses as follows: 



Planting with Wakefirid'i Patent Corn Flantw ......$« M 



Seed „ „. 7 00 



Pulling and cutting 6 00 



Tbreehing and cleaning 7 SO 



Total expenu „$M 00 



You wiU perceive that there is no item in the 

 expense for hoeing. The reason of this is, that I 

 plant the beans within four or five inches of the 

 bills of corn, and they are both hoed at one and. 

 the name time, without extra labor. 



I plant the beaes the south side of the com ; 

 pall the beans and hang^ them on the corn hills, 

 and let them remain until the corn is ready to 

 5at up. They are then thrown down into heaps,- 

 the corn cat and set up ; at which time I can drive 

 the team and get them, as Ida hay in tuoibles.-— 

 W. L. B., in Genesee Farmer. 



BSANDON, Vt. ' 



«0> 



Dried Cherries. — Take 12 lbs. of the cherry; 

 stone the same carefully, so that they may 

 be as little broken as possible; pat them in 

 a pan with plenty of powdered sugar (9 

 lbs.;) let them simmer gently for aboat 

 twenty minutes; then take each cherry out 

 separately on to a sieve to dry; shake a 

 little sugar over them, and turn them for 

 three successive days (in which time, if the 

 snn is powerful, they will have dried;) when 

 quite dry, put them into a tin box, with a 

 la>er of paper between each row. Then 

 keep them in a moderately warm place for 

 use. 



