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THE ILLINOIS FARMEE: 



SIMEON FRAirCIS, Editob. 



BAIIiHACHE 6t BAKER, Pobliskxsb. 



fol. 2. 



JVJLir^ 1857. 



•11^ ^- 



The Season. 



In the month of May the weather was 

 unusually cool. It suited the spring grains, 

 but not the corn. Indeed much of the 

 corn ground remained unplanted on the first 

 of June; bat the ground was in good order, 

 and if planted by the 10th June we feel 

 quite sure of a good crop. 



At this writing the spring sown wheat 

 and barley look well. Early planted pota- 

 toes have come up finely, and some farmers 

 are already plowing their corn. Spring 

 weather very fairly commenced on the 7th, 

 — about fourteen days before the longest 

 day in the year; but with warm weather 

 and seasonable rains, crops sown or planted 

 in spring, in this section of the State will 

 be good. 



But few crops can now be put into the 

 ground for harvesting the coming fall. 

 Buckwheat can be sown as late as the mid- 

 dle of the present month, and it has yielded 

 sown as late as August. Buckwheat pays 

 well in favorable years, and makes a capital 

 article of food. Ruta Baga turnips can now 

 be sown, and they sometimes yield immense 

 crops, valuable for the table and stock. 

 The common white turnip can be sown 

 later, and if on good ground, suitably pre- 

 pared, will yield large crops. The fly is 

 troublesome both to the Ruta Baga and 

 white turnip — and if they take off the first 

 sowing, another should be tried. It is said 

 that the fly will not trouble the young plants 

 if the seed is soaked in fish or other offensive 

 oil. ■ 



We take this occasion to recommend 

 again to our readers to save all the fodder, 

 for the next winter, in their power. You 

 had better have a few tons over, than a few 



tons too little. "Stock well wintered, is 

 half summered," is an old and true saying. 



You have now busy times. Your com, 

 your grain, your potatoes, your meadows, 

 need aU yourcare. " "' ' 



Farmers are already making inquiries for 



grain drills. These instruments have fairly 

 fought their way into public fiavor. We 

 heard one man say, who had a hundred 

 acres of tolerably fair wheat, that if it had 

 been sown with a drill, he would have been 

 five hundred dollars better off, with an in- 

 creased crop. But farmers, in using the 

 drill should recollect, that to have the drill 

 work well, the weeds should be buried be- 

 yond the reach of the teeth. It is possible 

 to drill in wheat in badly prepared groand; 

 but it cannot be done well. Farmers who 

 use machinery in the cultivation of their 

 farms, should adopt a thorough system of 

 cultivation. It will pay well, — besides the 

 handsome appearance of a cultivated field, 

 the beautiful crops must afford great 

 pleasure to the farmer. * 



Comets. 



Comets have been much talked of within 



the last few months. Our cold spring has 

 been laid to the influence of one of those 

 wandering bodies which it was said would 

 come near the earth about the middle of 

 last month. The expected visitant has, 

 hotvever, not appeared to unaided vision, 

 and some who profess to know, say he will 

 soon be out of the reach of the telescope. 



The interest, however, which exists on 



the subject of comets, will render the fol- 



1 lowing history of thfeir appearan ce in ^ Muit 



