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THE ILLINOIS FARMER. 



257 



upward, and throws more orgauizable mat 

 ter*into the buds. With us, also it is not of 

 importance to take out the wood after cut- 

 ting out our bud; the best operators take 

 as little as possible with the bark. A 

 great cause of failure, is in not taking out 

 the bud with a straight, clean cat. The 

 • edge of the bark, after the bud is cut out 

 must not be split and cracked up, as if a 

 jack-plane or siiingle-shaver hid been em- 

 ployed, or failure will be certain. Use a 

 thin-bladed knife, and keep its back well 

 away from you, or downwards, while using 

 it. — [Horticulturist. 



Northern Sngar Cane. 

 Dr. E. Chandler, of Chester Co. Penn., 

 has given his experience on the subject of 

 convening the juice of the cane into syrup. 

 He says from 190 hills of the eane he made 

 ten gallons of syrup of the color and con- 

 sistence of good honey. 



"You can boil it in an iron pot, though a 

 brass, or large copper kettle, or even a com- 

 mon cook stove, wash-h oiler would be pre- 

 ferred to an iron pot. I allude to boiling 

 less than a barrel or two at a time. Slake 

 a small piece of fresh lime, have it appear 

 like milk, or thin whitewash; place your ket- 

 tle of juice over the fire, and when it be- 

 comes milk-warm add a tablespoonful or 

 wineglassful of thin whitewash to every six 

 gallons of juice; slir and mix it well through 

 the juice; then mix the white of two eggs 

 with a bowlfull of juice out of the kettle; 

 pour it into the kettle again and mix it 

 thoroughly. IS'ow bring it almost to aboil 

 as soon as possible, and as quick as you see 

 it beginning to boil take it off the fire and 

 let it remain off fifteen or twenty minutes; 

 at the end of this time, but not before, skim 

 off all the scum, and if you wish to make an 

 extra article strain it through flannel or 

 muslin. Now it is ready to boil down, or 

 to be set aside that you may prepare more 

 in the same way to he boiled with it down 

 to syrup. After it is boiled down one half 

 the boiler being near the fire, much care is 

 required to prevent it from boiling too rap- 

 id, which would blacken your syrup and 

 give it more the dark appearance of molas- 

 ses than a light colored syrup. 



Wooden rollers were used for the expres- 

 sion of the juice. 



coquette is a rosebush, from vhich 

 each young beau plucks a leaf, and the thorns 

 are left for the husband. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



Illinois Fapmer— Vol, III. 



We are now near the rerge of another year. 

 Our publishers are making arrangements to 

 largely increase the size of the Farmer, to print 

 it on a smaller and better type, and otherwise 

 to greatly improve its appearance. The in- 

 creased patronage of the work, and its future 

 prospects, we are pleased to say, justify these 

 improvements. 



The publication of the Illinois Farmer was 

 commenced some two years since, at the earnest 

 solicitation of friends, who seemed to be im- 

 pressed with the propriety of there being pub- 

 lished at the Capital of the State, an aj^ricul- 

 tural paper, devoted to Western, and especially 

 Illinois Agriculture, in such a form and at such 

 a price, that it could go into the hands of the 

 masses of our farmers. It is useless at this 

 day to deery agricultural periodieals. No good 

 farmer can aflord to be without one. These 

 periodicals contain information which is of 

 great importance to him in his daily labors. 

 Progress is markf.d on every industrial pursuit 

 in life — and on none more than that of the 

 farmer. 



It is a gratifying truth that in the families 

 of our farmers there i* a spirit of inquiry w hieh 

 is not satisfied with the old routine of the man- 

 ual labor of making farm crops. There is a 

 disposition to employ mind as well as bodily la- 

 bor in the management of the farm. Hence 

 there is seen a keenness of perception in the 

 study of whatever concerns the farm in the fam- 

 ilies of farmers at the present day, unusual and 

 which promises the most satisfactory results. 

 A large Dortion of the young men of the 

 country seem to have a right appreciation of 

 the profession of the farmer; — that the farm is 

 not necessarily a place for the stagnation of 

 mind; — that it furnishes a large and interesting 

 field for mental exercise; — that it gives health 

 to the body, — and presents an employment that 

 carries with it manly independence of character 

 and a fair reward for their industry. 



It is usual for politicans to talk flatteringly of 

 farmers and of their profession, and this mainly 

 to draw them into their toils. PoHticans have 

 little use for farmers but to obtain their votes. 

 We would have our farmers well informed on 

 all subjects, and especially would we desire 

 them to be so well informed as not to be de- 

 ceived into the support of men or measures by 

 the flippant sophistry and statements, as likely 



