4:4 



TPIE ILLINOIS F^IIM:EB. 



anticipate a great rise in produce. In 

 England tlie crops last season were fine, 

 and they do not want ours to any great 

 extent, when this is the case. If next 

 year the Englisli crops should he cut 

 off, we might have the privilege of send- 

 inj; wheat and flour to her starviuir worh- 

 men. Until that takes place, she Avill 

 be satisfied with taking a good ]»art nf 

 her pay for goods in gold, Avhicli we want 

 at home so much. Whatever mav be 

 said on the subject, our present hard 

 times, results from a few causes: — the 

 European war helped our produce mark- 

 et — the influx of gold from California 

 helped to pay our foreign debts. Times 

 have changed ; there is no war demand 

 for produce ; — England raises food 

 enough for herself; our gold is gathered 

 and shipped in untold millions to pay 

 our debts; this draining of goH compels 

 our banks to curtail discounts, — thus 

 breaking; merchants, disarranges busi- 

 ness, throws produce dealers out of em- 

 ploy, and in the end produces the disas- 

 ters we have lately seen in the country. 

 Let Congress pass, promptly, a tariff 

 that shall protect the national industry, 

 set all our manufacturers at work, and 

 in six months our country would be in 

 the high road to prosperity. 



"Ouii'CouXTRY." 



-*9*- 



Asriciilturnl Marliiufry. 



Editor Far.aier: I was one of those 

 who favored the establishment, in this 

 State, of an Industrial University, and 

 especially was in favor of there being 

 taught in such an institution some of the 

 leading branches of niechanies, a kno-\vl- 

 edrre of which seems to be necessary to 

 the putting up and Avorking many of 

 the agricultural implements of the ])res- 

 ent day. How often do we find it to l)e 

 the case that the new inventions are hard 

 to be understood by the usual intelligent 

 laborers on the farm. I have seen, in 

 harvest time, the owners of reapers and 

 mowers going about tlie country to fin<l 

 some man to sei their machine to woik, 

 when one with the most common knowl- 

 edge of mechanics would ])oint out the 

 obstacle which prevented their working. 

 The same thing I have knov.-n to take 

 place in regard to the threshers and 

 drilling macliines. 



I think that great advantage will ac- 

 crue if mechanical knowledge, to some 

 extent, is taught in the Normal school. 

 If the present jdan is not suilicient to 

 embrace the teaching required in this 

 case, more legislation sliould be had. — 

 Our system of farming is different from 

 what it was ten years ago. Much will 

 be done with agricultural macliincry, and 

 our young farmers should be so Avell in- 

 structed in mechanics as to be able -to un- 

 derstand the working of such machinery. 

 Many seem to have an innate knowledge 

 of the matter; others do not. They Avill 



then be able to judge between good ma- 

 chines, and those got up on the humbug 

 principle. 



I do not suppose that the Normal 

 school will be properly under way, pos- 

 sessing all the advantages for educating 

 the masses desired, until their buildings 

 are erected and their grounds put in or- 

 der. I earnestly hope that the school 

 will be made the basis of a school for the 

 masses, and which will carry practical 

 and useful information, to the great in- 

 terest of the State, into all our school 

 districts. To make it such an institu- 

 tion, should be the object of the people 

 of our great State, and their will should 

 bo carried out by their Representatives. 



J. E. W. 



-•♦^ 



Poaltry. 

 Mr. Editor: The last season was a 

 bad one for raising poultry, especially 

 the (lung-hill fowl. Chickens were plen- 

 ty, but they died before they were a 

 month old. While they were apparent- 

 ly doing well, a fit of dullness seemed to 

 come upon them; they dropped their 

 Avings, hunched up their backs and soon 

 died. Their crops were empty, though 

 tlicy seemed to be in good order for 



groAviiiir. 



The books contain no notice of this 

 disease. Can some of your readers give 

 an account of it, and its cure? I am of 

 opinion that three-fourths of the chick- 

 ens hatched died from this disease last 

 season. E. C. 



[Can some of our readers give the in- 

 formation required in this communica- 

 tion.] 



5;hc ^mnt 



Philadklpiiia Aoricultural Society. 

 — At a niecting of the riiihidclphia Agri- 

 cultural Society, at thoir rooms in Chostimt 

 Street, on the 3d of Februarj, Mr. Fischer 

 presented to the Society specimens of sugar, 

 intinufacturoJ from the Chinese Sugar Cane 

 by 3Ir. Loveriiiix, at his farm, on the York 

 Koad. Mr. F. in presenting the report, said 

 that 1,500 pounds of sugar could be raised 

 to the acre, Avhich would produce a better 

 profit than other agricultural products; be- 

 sides, the blades and stocks Avere better as 

 food for cattle than corn fodder. Mr. F. 

 had also been informed by a number of gen- 

 tlemen in DehiAvare, that they had obtained 

 syrup from the cane Avith but little difficulty, 

 lie then read statistics of sugar, taken from 

 the report of the Secretary of the Treasury 

 in 18.^0, for the purpose of showing that this 

 product is the only second to that of cotton. 

 Mr. F. contended that the experiments of 

 Mr. Lovcriiig AA'Ould add much to the im- 

 portahce of this subject, and in aJI probability 

 Avould tend to the great increase of the man- 



ufacture of sugar in the Northern States, and 

 thus open up a mine of wealth far more A"al- 

 uable than the gold mines of California. In 

 conclusion, ^Ir. F. offered a series of resolu- 

 tions tendering the thanks of the society to 

 Mr. Levering for his specimens of sugar, and 

 that a piece of silver plate be presented to 

 him for his valuable discovery. 



Mr, Emerson seconded the resolutions, 

 and said that Mr. T/overing had communica- 

 ted to him one fact Avhieh was not in his 

 book, and that Avas, that in boiling the syrup 

 tAvo degrees less in temperature was required 

 than in the West Indies. There 240° were 

 required, while Mr. Lovering's experiments 

 showed that only 238° were required 



Mr. Williams said that in the West Indies 

 5,000 pounds of sugar could be raised on an 

 acre, and in this country only 1,500 pounds 

 could be produced. In the West Indies 

 labor was only 25 cents per day, while in the 

 northern parts of this country Avages were 

 much higher. He did not believe that any 

 profit could be realized to the farmers of this 

 country by the production of this sugar. In 

 reference to the presentation of plate, the 

 society Avas not in a condition to purchase it. 

 lie should like to knoAv Avhcther 3Ir. Lever- 

 ing Avas the first to make the sugar from the 

 syrup. 



Mr. Emerson said that Mr. LoA'ering was 

 the first to make a successful experiment 

 Avhich showed that sugar of the best quality 

 could be produced from the cane. 



Mr. Fischer said tlie machinery used by 

 Mr. LoA-criiig in luuking the sugar, could 

 not have cost much OA'cr 860, and any man 

 can make this sugar easier than he can a pot 

 of apple butter. Mr. L. Avas the first to make 

 experiments Avhich Avould show that every 

 one could enter into its manufacture. There 

 are now about 150 sugar plantations in this 

 country, and the people Avere taxed 30 per 

 cent, on sugar to keep up these planters, and 

 if there .should be several thousand planters 

 at the North, Avith the .same duty continued, 

 Ave might enter into competition Avith the 

 Cubaus and others. 



Mr. Emerson said, that if the farmers gen- 

 erally entered into its manufacture, even in a 

 small Avay, the aggregate production would 

 be enormous. A gentleman from the West 

 Indies, Avho Avas on a visit to this city last 

 summer, had looked with great interest upon 

 the cultivatiou of the Chinese Sugar Cane, 

 and he expressed his opinion that it could be 

 produced Avith more profit in Kentucky and 

 Tennessee than in more northern latitudes. 



The first resolution offered by Mr. Fischer, 

 returning the thanks of the society to Mr. 

 Levering, was adopted. 



The second resolution, in reference to pre- 

 senting Mr. L. with a piece of silver plate, 



