^O^y^'- ''■■-':■ ^rrr *-"™?w™--'v«r'- f- _ ■ -y--^ -^^ ir^^-:, 



Concrete Cellar Bottoms. 



The facility and cheapness with which the 

 bottoms of cellars may be made clean, sweet, 

 and impervious to water, is not generally 

 known to house owners, nor the ease and 

 certainty with which water may be excluded 

 from cellars when it is difificult to drain. 



In soft and pervious soils, this process is 

 best performed by paving with small stone 

 laid in sand, but common compact soils, the 

 natural surface, well leveled, will answer all 

 purposes. Make a thin mortar with water 

 lime and coarse sand, of the consistency 

 called grout, or so thick that it can be pour- 

 ed from a pail on the ground. Commence 

 with a portion of about eight or ten feet at 

 one end and throw on sufficient to cover it an 

 inch or more thick and with a scraper or 

 rake head, spread it evenly and smooth; then 

 throw on as much clean, coarse gravel as it 

 will absorb, and so continue until it is finish- 

 ed. In twelve hours or as soon as it has 

 set, sweep the overplus gravel evenly on the 

 surface, and pump it down with a short 

 plank and pounder, until it is smooth and 

 compact, and in a few days of good weather 

 it will become like a solid rock. It assists 

 in durability and firmness, to give it several 

 good dashes of water after it gets dry. 



To render the sides impervious to water 

 where drainage is difficult or costly, requires 

 that the wall should be laid with mortar or- 

 iginally; and at the time of constructing the 

 bottom, good well portioned water-lime 

 mortar should be plastered on, a little high- 

 er than the source of water, and well and 

 firmly slicked down when about half dry, 

 and followed by another coat of the same 

 when if a proper time intervenes before there 

 is any outward pressure of water, it becomes 

 as tight as a barrel or tub; it is always 

 sweet, clean, and cool, and no vermin can 

 enter nor fiod lodgement. 



The sand used in the grout and mortar 

 should be coarse, clean and sharp and the 

 gravel from the size of walnuts down to 

 coarse sand. 



How TO Keep Preserves. — Apply the 

 white of an egg, with a small brush, to a 

 thickness of tissue paper; the paper must be 

 sufficiently large to come an inch or two 

 over the jar, and will require no tying. 



jg^AVe understand that Selby, Jones & Co. 

 of Peoria have donated to the State Agricultu 

 ral Society, one of their valuable seed drills, 

 which will be offered for the best ten acres and 

 over of drilled wheat, the growth of 1858. 



COMMERCIAL. 



St. L.ouis Market~Oct. 31. 



Flour— Sales of 200 bbls suporfine and extra, terms pri- 

 vate; 42 do superfine $4; 60 do $4 n\^ 100 do fancy $4 30; 

 50 do extra $5; 160 sks S. F. $2 05; 40 <io extra $2 75 per sk. 



Wheat— Sale of 129 sks spring 65c; 932 do spring and club 

 65@75c, 800 do 62@75c; 426 do 68@73c, 119 spring 72}^c; 36 

 white $1 10, without sacks. 



Corn— Sale of 150 sacks mixed at 55c; 450 do choice white 

 70o, in new gunnies. 



Oats— Sales of 200 sacks of black 34o, cash; 2,000 do white 

 and mixed, in lots, 35@36c; 1,200 do in lots, 37c, sacks inclu- 

 ded 



Bailey — 400 sacks spring 62}4c, sacks returned. 



Rye— Sale of 67 sacks at 70c, Including sacks. 



Bran— Sale of 60 sacks at 75c per hundred. 



Hay— Sale of 22 bales at $1 121-^ per 100. "'' 



Beans— Sale of 12 bbls white $1 05 per busheT. 



Fruit— Dried apples at $1 40; do peaches 1 75 in small l^ts. 



Potatoes— Sale of 325 bags, in lots, 50c; 120 do 62c; 84 do 

 55c; 71 do 60c, 232 do private. 



Onions— Sale of 66 bags at 95c per bushel. 



Whisky— Sale of 68 bbls at 19c, currency; 62 do prirate; 38 

 ilo at market price 



Provisions — Without movement. 



Hogs — Nothing reported. 



Groceries— Perfectly quiet. 



_ <», 



Chicago Market— Oct. 31. 



Flour— Sales 200 bbls West Arcadia at 4 00; 350 bbls Gran 

 ite at 4 20; 200 bbls Arcadia at 4 121,^; 100 bbls Fulton City 

 (choice extra,) at 4 25; Hydraulic (winter wheat,) and 86 bbls 

 Central (fancy.) at 3 75. Buckwheat flour sells at 1 50 per 

 100 li'S. Kye flour sells at 3 7o@4 OOperbbl. 



Wheat — The market for spriiig opened at 69c in store, and 

 numerous other parcels sold at that rate. Three full cargoes 

 sold at 71c on board for immediate delivery and one for Mon- 

 day and one for Wednesday at the same figure. Two canal 

 boat loads sold at 70c afloat, subsequently one cargo sold at 

 IV/ic on board, two or three round lots and one lull cargo 

 at 72c on board — the market closing firm at that figure. One 

 cargo extra sold early at 72c on board and one later in the 

 day it 74c on board. 



Corn — Dull at 46c in store. 



Oats— Mo''erately active at 25c in store. 



Rye — Steady at 50c. 



Bailey— Prime is dull at 50c@60c; common 40c. 



4*. • 



St. liOuis Cattle Market~Oct. 31. 



Baldwin's Yards, Broadway.— Cattle are plenty, with a 

 moderate demand for city u8? and packing; butchers are buy- 

 ing at prices ranging fr jm 2 to 3c gross, ^ackers are paying 

 6c net for heavy cattle, in currency. Specie is out of the 

 market at present. 



Hogs— Supply ample for the demand, and are selling at4@ 

 61/^c net. Shipping demand light. Packers are not contract- 

 ng for future delivery. 



Sheep— A moderate stock on the market, and selling at 

 1 50@3 per head, according to quality. 



Cows and Calves— Suitable for shipping sell at 25;,00@45 00 



per head. 



. *», 



New York Cattle Market-- Oct. 528. 

 The current prices for the week at all the markets are as 

 follows : 



BEEF CATTLE. 



Premium quality, per cwt $10 50@11 00 



Ordinary do do 9 60@10 00 



Commou do do 8 50@ 9 00 



Inferior do do 8 00® 8 60 



cows AMD CALVES. 



FirH quality, each $60@70 



Ordinary do 60@65 



Common do 40@45 



Inferior do 26@35 



VEAL CALVES. 



Prime quality, per ft 7@7}^c 



Ordinary, per lb 5@6J^c 



SHEEP AKD LAMBS. 



Prime quality $* 80@6 75 



Ordinary, 3 00@4 00 



BWINE. 



First quality, per lb 5^^^ 



Other do do 4>6®5c 



Tiie following shows frow what States the supply of Beef 

 Cattle at AUerton's came : 



From New York ^25 



Ohio ■121 



Illinois 350 



Keutuckv 300 



Indiana 300 



New Jersey 32 



Connecticut 22 



