THE ILLINOIS F«a.R]MBR. 



which have destroyed it. But in this coun- 

 try no such parasiiic destroyer appears to 

 quell it, and I have hence supposed that we 

 have received this insect from Europe, 

 whilst its parasitic destroyer has not yet 

 reached o«r shores. Thus we are here 

 without nature's appointed means for pre- 

 venting the undue multiplication of this in- 

 sect. We have received the evil without 

 the remedy; and hence it is that this little 

 creature revels and riots in this country 

 without let or hindrance. As a result of 

 this view, it followed that if we coald im- 

 port the parasitic destroyer of this insect 

 from Europe, it would here multiply, and 

 check the ravage of this pest, the same that 

 it does abroad. This being a matter of 

 such vast moment, involving a saving of 

 many millions of dollars to this country, 

 every year, as I was corresponding with 

 Mr. Curtis, President of the London Ento- 

 mological Society, I addressed him a letter 

 upon this subject, a year ago last sp/ing. 

 This letter he laid before the Society, and 

 it formed a prominent topic of discussion at 

 one of their meetings, the members being 

 astonished to learn the ravage "which this in- 

 sect was committing in this country, and 

 they mutually agreed that if the midge pre- 

 sented itself to the notice of any one of 

 them, so that they could obtain living speci- 

 mens of its parasite to forward to me, they 

 would do so. In its larva state, these par- 

 asites might readily be sent to this country 

 in a pot of moist earth; but as they can 



only be obtained iu seasons when the midge 

 is abroad in considerable numbers it may be 

 several years before we can get it." 



The Bureau of Agriculture of Canada 

 West, have published an essay on the rav- 

 ages of the wheat midge, which shows that 

 the insect threatens to destroy the wheat to 

 such an extent as to render its cultivation 

 unprofitable; and the Secretary of the 

 Board states that "Canada loses by the 

 midge alone, one-third of her whole crop of 

 1857, which should have been 20,000,000 of 

 bushels. At all events, we are minus 

 eight millions of bushels — a serious 

 loss to a Colony of only two millions and a 

 half of people. In some counties, where the 

 usual crop was twenty bushels per acre, it 

 will not this year yield ten." 



We do not know that this insect i> 

 troublesome in this section of country, anc; 

 before they are, we trust means will be found 

 for their destruction. 



*9* 



Baking Beets. 



Ft is said that baked beets are carrie( 

 about the streets of the cities in Italy, at al 

 hours of tlie day, hot from the ovens, fo; 

 sale. In this form thoy are said to bi 

 delicious when eaten with butter, salt aii 

 pepper. Thousands buy and eat them tlm-, 



not unfrequently making a meal in this wuy 

 The beets, we suppose, are of tine, juic 

 and sweet varieties. No baking woul 

 render the monster beets we have seen a 

 fairs, eatable. These should be cut up am 

 fed out to cattle. 





5^'=*>'^^^^~£^-;^=H=; 





V LARGE-TAILED FOX SQUI ERE L. - ,-^\ ' '^^r 



This squirrel is found throughout Illinois, i Description.-— Form of large female, in •win- 

 Southern Wisconsin, Eastern Iowa, Southern ter much stouter and heavier than that of the 



tvt;^v,;„ov. w^ct-^ t„^-. tvt„ i.u tui- • ' Sciurus mifirratorius ; leneth from snout to root 



Michigan, VV estern Indiana, Northern Missouri o, -i in- u ± n t ^ ^ \ im • u 



J ° ^^ , . ., I of tail, 12 inches; tail, (vertebrse,) 10* mches; 



and Eastern Kansas.^ It is said to prey upon ; t^il to end of longest hair, 14 inches ; hmdfoot, 



corn while standing in the field ; sometimes it i from heel to longest toe, 3 inches ; breadth of 



is known to dig up corn newly planted; but ' head between the ears. If inches; girth behind 



generally subsists on nuts, acorns, seeds of trees, i ^^^ shouldei-s, 7 i^nchcs; weight, 2 pouiids and 



1 . ^ r . . ' . . , ' 1 2 ounces ; breadth across the tail, with the hairs 



and insects. [An interesting article on the | extended, 6 inches. The outside of the ear is 



natural history of this and other squirrels, com- j clothed with long hairs, which extend over three- 



mon to Illinois, will be found in the Agricultu- ' eighths of an inch beyond the tip. The rudi- 



ral Patent Office Reports for 1856, and also in | mental thumb of the fore foot is protected by a 



the Transactions of the Illinois State Agricultu- i flat, blunt nail. In this, as in other winter 

 ral Society, for 1855-56, pre^jared by Robert j specimens of this species, the coat of fur is re- 

 KexVnicott.] 1 markal)ly thick and wami. 



®ht ^xmkx. 



•BerJisIiire Hogs. 



To ilie Illinois Farmer: 



A few years ago the Berkshire breed 

 of hogs was regarded as the best in the 

 country, and almost fabulous prices were 

 paid for them to increase the stock. 

 Capt. Job Fletcher, jr., of Sugar Creek 

 in Sangamon county, has kept the stock 

 pure ever since, and his fattened hogs 

 this fall -were all Berkshires. 



On Friday last he brought fifty hogs 

 to Springfield and sold them to H. 

 Jacoby, Esq. The weight of these hogs 

 was 16,573 pounds, averaging 3ol 2-8 

 pounds each. They averaged 17 months 

 old. These hogs had only received the 

 usual care in raising and fattening. If 

 any other lot of fifty hogs^ of a different 

 breed, taken from one man's farm and 

 brought to market, of the same average 

 Mge weigh more — I have only to say that 

 diey must be an extraordinary lot. I 

 ;in sati:<fied that the true Berkshire breed 

 of hogs is profitable to raise, and tha. 



they make good pork and lard, and cost 

 less to raise and fatten than many other 

 kinds of hogs. ::^ - , ; ■ V ^ -^^v^? 



Capt. Fletcher, I will take the liberty 

 to say, is one of those men who believe 

 in small farms well tilled, stock well 

 cared for, and that when produce is 

 ready for market, that that is the time to 

 sell it. M. A 



Sugar Creek, Dec. 15. 



-«•»- 



A Good Cow. - ^^ . • 



Editor Farmer: ., ..•'. 



I have learned the following partic- 

 idars in regard to the premium milch 

 cow Cherry spot, owned by J. W. 

 Brock, of Tazewell county. She was 

 entered at the last State Fair for the 

 premium for the best milch cow. ^ '^^ ' '*-'^' 



Cherry Spot is seven years old, a 

 grade Durham. On the first trial, with 

 pasture feed, she gav« 56 pounds of 

 milk a day. On the second trial 58 

 pounds per day. First tciidAys of 

 trial, 20 pounds of butter were made 

 from her milk; second ten days of trial, 



*a'iklAJ.-<llv:.'~; r'l'-.^' 



aSi^Z^^dr'^.^iUA-Ait^^'t. >_-.•" 



