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60 



THE ILLINOIS FA-RMER. 



for as mucli as you can, and -pay your debts 

 as far as yo\i can. You should have got 

 your grain hito market early, and sold it 

 then; but, even at lower prices,, you better 

 sell it now. There is no reasotidfrhy prices 

 should reach *tlie old standaraR I will 

 venture to sav thev will not for yeats. While 

 we kill off our home manufacturers, get a 

 great portion of our goods frooi foreign coun- 

 tries, where the labor of oxar hands is not 

 wanted to pay for them, we shall have hard 

 times and low prices, for the products of our 

 farms. We must make up our minds to 

 this; — and live as economically as possible, 

 and strain every neive to pay our debts. 



I have but a few more words to say. Ex- 

 perience has proved that in nine cases out of 

 ten the best time to sell produce is as soon 

 as you can aet itrcadv for market. <4, 



"POOR RICHARD.'"' 



-«•«■ 



When should Produce be taken to Market? 



Mr. Editor : — This is an important ques- 

 tion to fai'mers. R is believed that as a cen- 

 eral fact, produce should be taken to 

 market vheu it is ready for market. We 

 have been liolding ou to our last year's crops, 

 and we have not bettered ourselves. If we 

 had sold our wheat last summer, as soon as 

 we could have got it harvested and threshed, 

 we would hr.ve secured double the price we 

 can now. We should have saved too the 

 shrinkage and waste. 



I know of several farmers who will not do 

 the same thing over again the coming sea- 

 son. They are already looking out for 

 threshing machines, so that their work will 

 not be dela3'ed. The prospect now seems to 

 he that there will bo a great crop of winter 

 wheat; and v.c do hope that it will bring a 



price that will puv rcasouiiblv. I know 

 that tlie prospect is a poor one fur a foreign 

 demand; but it may be that money being 

 pleutier in the Eaiteni cities, it will, to some 

 extent, be invested in wheat. If so, there 

 will be a demand. It is uufoituuate for the 

 country that those nations with whom we 

 trade, d'l not want our surplus protluce. I 

 see by the last foreign news that flour was 

 dull and declining in Liverpool. Indeed, 

 our home market, .seems the only market 

 that we can at presttnt rely on; and as the 

 raising of wheat is falling off in New York, 

 and also in some other States, we at least 

 may indulge tlio belief that the price will 

 rise to a point that will pay a small profit on 

 the production, 1 believe our next crop 

 will bring from To cents to ^1 per bushel — 

 perhaps ranging between those figure?^. 



The Potato Crop. 



Editor of tht Fu-i'iner: — It ia said that 

 the potato crop of the United States in value, 

 ranks not very far in value from the crop of 

 wheat and curn. At ail events, it is an iu- 

 dispenibable crop. Xo family can well get 

 along without a supply oi" this esculent. 



In Central Illinois for two years previous 

 to the last, the crop was not good; — and 

 what potatoes v.ere produced, seemed to 

 have degenerated. The change of seed, it 

 seems, is necessary to keep up the excellence 

 of the potatoe; and it also scenes reduced to 

 a certainty, that to obtain good and sizeable 



potatoes, too much seed should not be plant- 

 ed in a hill. Two potato stalks are enough 

 to be in one hill, and some cultivators prefer 

 one stalk to two. Small potatoes are known 

 as seed to have pi'oduced as good a yield as 

 large ones, not only in amount, but in size. 

 We have been accustomed to regard the 

 Pink Eye as the best potato. It was cer- 

 tainly the best we had ten years ago. They 

 are good now; but in my opinion cannot be 

 compared in value to some of the. modern 

 sorts. Early Kidney has given place to the 

 Early June — a much larger variety and 

 much better. The White Wild Mexican is 



a very superior potato, and, indeed, excel- 

 lent as is the Boston or Nova Scotia Blue, it is 

 in my opinion better. These three potatoes 

 aire sufficient to give a farmer superior pota- 

 toes for his family through the year; and if 

 he raises for sale, they are certain to bring 

 the highest prices from those who know and 

 value a superior article. 



For some years the potato crop has been 

 short In Central Illinois. We have been 

 eating potatoes which were grown in the re- 

 gion round about Chicago, and I believe I 

 may say, that within the last three years, 

 fiftv thousand dollars have been sent from 

 Sai^gamon county for the importation of po- 

 tatoes. 



It' is hoped that this may not be the case 

 another year. Those who raise potatoes for 

 sale; shoitld obtain the best kinds for seed, 

 and cultivate well. Last fall potatoes were 

 worth in this market 10 and 45 cents a 

 bushel. Many were kept with the view of 

 higher prices, which caused the introduction 



of supplies from the North. 



Athens, 111. T. 0. 



^. — . ,^ 



'•Pay Day Will Come." 

 J//\ Editor: — My grand-father, who 

 has now been in Heaven nearly forty 

 years, (as I hope and believe,) used to 

 say, Allien any thing was bought without 

 being paid for at once — "My son, pay 

 day will come." Of cotirsc, he lived in 

 early times, when dwellings were plain 

 but comfortable ; when of carriages there 

 were scarcely any to be seen, but those 

 imported ; when a good Sunday suit — 

 the coat in'jthe shad-belly form, with 

 buttons as large as a saucer — the vest 

 in the same form — the breeches of deer 

 skin, which were kept in perfect order 

 with the "yellow ball,' — with silver 

 knee-snaps — the shoes fastened with 

 large steel buckles — well knit and fine 

 sheep's wool hose — a dress hat of the 

 ancient cocked form, surmounting all — 

 I say my grand-father's early life was 

 in the days when all these articles were 

 required to make up a Sunday suit — 

 and which was worn at no otner time, 

 e.xcept at a wedding, a funeral, an elec- 

 tion or town meeting. But those arti- 

 cles of dress were made to last, and when 

 not in use, were carefujly laid away in 

 the big chest, from whence they were 

 brought out and hung o» the line, to 

 du5.t and brush, previous to their being 

 worn for the day. Man|g of these things 

 I have learned from thwl who were the 



connecting 

 grand-father , 



link between me and my 

 and such was my revered 

 ancestor, who taught his boys and girls 

 that salutary lesson which I have quoted 

 at the head of this article — "Prt^ Ba^ 

 ivill Come I'" 



These few Avords comprise a text full 

 of meaning, and the doctrines that may 

 be deduced from it. are worth examin- 

 ing, and treasuring up in the memory of 

 every man, woman and child in the 

 country. 



When the farmer is purchasing land 

 beyond his means ; furniture that he can 

 do without; clothing that is not abso- 

 lutely required, depending upon the con- 

 tingency that his future crops may be 

 good, and that he will sell them at fair 

 prices; — he should reflect that he may 

 be mistaken in his hopes, and that "Pay 

 day will come! " 



When a young couple start in life, and 

 spend more money than they earn, in 

 living — looking forvv-ard for better times, 

 when money will come into their hands 

 mpre plentifully, and all this without 

 any certainty — they would do well to 

 recollect that '' Pay Day will Come!" 



When men and women go into their 

 village stores, and fancying articles, 

 buy them on credit, it would be well for 

 them to bear in mind, that "Pa?/ Day 

 19 Coming!" 



Wien man, woman or child, contract 

 debts that they may be troubled to pay, 

 it would be well for them to take heed 

 to the doctrines of our text, '■'Pay Day 



must Co tlie ! ' ' 



When parents allow their boys to have 

 their way, run them in debt at stores, 

 "be out o' nights," they should treasure 

 up the truth that '•'•Pay Day will Come! " 



When young ladies permit young men 

 to dance attendance about them, whose 

 only merit-is in a fine moustache, I say, 

 look out, yotttjg ladies, * ' Pay Day will 

 Come!" _^ 



'■'■ Pay Day icilliComP' to him who 

 indulges the dranr — '•'■Pay Day" iol- 

 lows him every hour. It can be seen 

 in his bloated cotintenance, his blood- 

 shot eye, his trembling hand — and it 

 can be seen in the countenances of all 

 his house-hold. 



But my text, is applicable to a class 

 of subjects to which I have no time to 

 refer. "Pay Day" is coming to all — 

 to you, to me. May we be prepared 

 to meet it. 



"Pay Day will Comb." 



-••»- 



Trial of Drills. 

 Editor Farmer: — We have had trials 

 of Mowers and Reapers, I believe, in all 

 the Northern and Middle States. These 

 trials have been productive of some ben- 

 efits. The people who attend them make 

 up their own minds in regard to. the value 

 or the machines, which are often in op- 

 position to those of the- committees. — 



t 



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