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THE ILLINOIS F^HIVEER. 



87 



United States. The " Boa Constrictoi^' 

 is no more sure to devour the rabbit 

 confined in the den with it, than is the 

 United States to swallow Mexico, and 

 without being followed with that sense 

 of satiety that is common to the reptile. 

 Our people will spread over all North 

 America, southward, obedient to the 

 laws of brute force, doing their owii 

 tonntrj much damage, but mankind ul- 

 timately soWe good. B. 



Beans, Peas, Cabbages, &e. 



Editor of the Farmer: — ^We can have a 

 successidil df fine garden vegetables all sum- 

 mer, if we take a littlfe" labor iipon ourselves. 

 Beans can yet be planted, peas, radishes, 

 spinach, lettuce, cucumbers, beets, early sWeet 

 corn, and many other seeds. Even cabbage 

 seed can yet be sown. Cabbage plants, es- 

 pecially if you can get the Flat Dutch, 

 can be set out whoever you have room, and 

 you are quite sure to get £i head. 



Keep the ground clear of weeds when it 

 is in order for working it. This will be a 

 weedy sesson, depend upon it. There is 

 moisture in the ground enough to make the 

 seed of every weed germinate, — and this 

 they will do. Boys — you will have a hard 

 fight with the weeds this season, but give it 

 to them, right and left. > J. F. 



a plentiful supply of cabbage. I have tried 

 muiy kinds for winter, but there are none in 

 my opinion so certain to make heads, and 

 these fine and large, as Comstock's Premium 

 Flat Dutch. The heads grow on short stalks 

 end every plant, almost, is sure to make a 

 good head — ^provided you give them good 

 ground and attend to their cultivation. The 

 Flat Dutch come in early, — answer for a fall 

 as well as a winter cabbage. For early cab- 

 bage, there is the Early Wakefield, which is 

 larger than the Early York, nearly as early 

 and a good deal better. The Early Sugar 

 Loaf comes next in season, which is a good 

 cabbage, though the head is not as hard and 

 solid as the Wakefield. The Red Dutch is 

 capital for cold-slaw and pickling. The 

 heads are solid, but not very large. The seed 

 of the Red Dutch shoidd be sown early. * 



Impositions. 



Editor of the Farmer: — Every year we 

 arfc subject to impositions in the purchase of 

 fruit trees, flowering plants and seeds. 

 Sometime in 1856, a German appeared 

 about this region with a lot of plants, among 

 them, as he said, fine carnations, blue and 

 other roses, various kinds of lillies, &c. He 

 had a set of plates representing the flowers 

 of the shrubs and plants. These plates were 

 really fine. They were all greatly exaggera- 

 ted representations of the best flowers. The 

 old Glorie of France rose was represented 

 about five inches in diameter. The blue 

 ROSE was not as large, but of good size and 

 very double. The carnations and lillies 

 were such as never had been seen before in 

 these parts. No wonder this flower-man 

 met with good sales. Even a plant that had 

 not a particle of life in it was worth fifty 

 cents, and one which had a small chance of 

 living was worth a dollar ! 



What has come of all the investments 

 made in these planted There is not a blue 

 rose now in the country, or in the world ! 

 The carnations proved to be single clove 

 pinks ! The lillies the commonest kinds we 

 have ! Nearly the whole of the stock were 

 such as an honest nurseryman would throw 

 out of his g'-ounds ! 



I was one of the number who was bitten 

 by this German — and I deserved it. I have 

 ever felt that it was good enough iot me. 

 And since I have been careful in making my 

 purchases. I get plants and trees from re- 



The Cat Wonn. 



Editor of the Farmer : — ^The cut worm is 

 a great pest. Before you are aware of its 

 presence, it sometimes cuts off many varieties 

 of early vegetables. Gabbagea, Egg Plants, 

 Cucumbers, Com, seem to be its especial 

 favorites. Its work seems to be for mischief 

 alone. It cuts off the stock of the plant just 

 in the plaee where it can do the most harm. 



The cut worm is a great rascal, and like 

 other great rascals, works "o' nights." 



What is its history? Naturalists say the 

 cut worm comes from an egg laid by an ash 

 colored miller. These are laid in a cone 

 uamong the roots of grasses. The warm 

 weather hatches them. They then go to 

 work, cutting and destroying plants which 

 come within their reach. After a time, say 

 in May, a change comes in their appearance; 

 — they become a miller, leave the worm skin 

 and fly about, depositing their eggs for anoth- 

 er generation. 



They have so much sense that they prefer 

 to deposit their eggs on grounds where there 

 are grasses and weeds, and which ground is 

 not subject to be occupied by a rotation of 

 crops. Hence it is that they are usually 

 most plentiful where ground has been a long 

 time in grass or weeds. The miller never 

 deposites his eggs on clean ground. 



Now what is to be done where these worms 

 are likely to beabvndant? In the first place, 

 plow your ground early and so deep that the 

 eggs will not hatch; and in the second place, 

 and ever after keep the ground clean and fol- 

 low the plan of a rotation of crops. It this 

 case, does it not appear that much of the 

 nuisance is to be charged to slovenly farming? 



A. C. 



ipls 

 May 10, 1858. 



S. A. 



Cabbages. 

 Mr. Editor : — Every farmer desires to raise 



-*»»- 



Beans. 



Mr. Editor: — I presume you "know beans." 



Most of us do, — ^and especially those who 

 came from down Bast. Beans as a field crop 

 do not pay now as well as they have in years 

 past, but still they will pay tolerably well if 

 well cultivated. Bean land should be clean. 

 When beans are overrun with weeds, the crop 

 is a failure. The passion with many seems 

 )e to cultivate the "small Yankee beans." 



sponsible nurserymen, and have yet had no St*' ■■ . v i. r x.^ 



cause of complaint. A^^e do m seasons which are very favorable; 



y 4)ut when wet, the plants become large, fell, 

 and half the beans are spoilt and the whole 

 rendered unsaleable. The Navy Bean is 

 larger, the plant stronger, not so liable to 



fall on the ground, and the beans save bet- 

 ter. In New York, the Mountain Marrow- 

 fat, or White Cranberry, is the most popular 

 bean and brings usually twenty-five cents a 

 bushel in market more than any other. The 

 bean is much larger, and for the table greatly 

 better than either of those before named. 



I have said that beans ought to be planted 

 on clean ground. If the ground is clean, 

 they can be planted in drills. The drills 

 should be at least three fet apart and the 

 plants should be about four inches apart in 

 the drill. Nothing is ever made by plauting 

 beans too thick, except to injure the crop. 

 The ground between the rows can be plowed 

 or dressed over with the cultivator when 

 the plants are free from wet. They must 

 not be meddled with when the dew or rain 

 is upon them. If you do, you injure them. 



When they are ripe, take a dry day and 

 pull them. If sufl&ciently dry, put them 

 into small stacks and place a cap of straw on 

 the top, so as to shield them from rain. 

 When you have leisure on a good dry day 

 thrash them out. Have as few defective 

 beans as possible, and if in good order, clear 

 of dirt, of bad beans and of litter, you can 

 always sell them at the highest market price. 



A good farmer ought to have a patch of at 

 least a quarter of an acre for the supply of 

 his family. He will find it good economy to 

 raise a small crop. There is no more healthy 

 and nutritious food for working men than 

 PORK AND BEANS. 



Culture of Peas— Field Culture. 



Editor of the Farmer : The pros- 

 pect at the time of writing this article is, 

 that on account of the heavy rains du- 

 ring the early part and middle of last 

 month, some of the land designed for a 

 com crop will be too wet to plant early 

 enough to mature the crop. That being 

 the case, it is well enough to think of 

 some other use for the land. Peas are 

 a profitable crop. But here people are 

 afraid of buggy peas. Bugs do not 

 trouble peas, if they are sown after the 

 middle of June ; and if sown well then, 

 they will make a good crop. In Eng- 

 land, I have been informed, that all 

 peas are gro-vyn without having bushes 

 put into the ground for their protec- 

 tion ; and that, when the larger kinds 

 are sown broadcast, they yield well. 



I would recommend that the ground 

 be plowed well for late field peas, and 

 then well harrowed. Then make fur- 

 rows for your rows of peas with the 

 plow. These furrows will be all the 

 better if they are six or eight inches 

 deep. Drop your peas into tnese drills, 

 and cover them with the plow. No 

 matter, if the horse occasionally treads 

 on the peas ; he won't hurt them. The 

 peas are now so deep, that the roots 

 ▼ill find moisture in the dry weather of 

 summer, and produce well. Pick what 

 you want, to eat and sell green, and 

 gather and thresh the rest when the 

 proper time comes. If the variety is 

 good, you can sell your peas at the seed 

 stores, next winter. If not good, they 



