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108 



THE ILLINOIS FARMER. 



What is Patriotism? 



Editor of the Farmer : — Many men re- 

 gard it as a great point of patriotism, when 

 war exists, to rush into battle and hazzard 

 their lives in behalf of their country. When 

 they do this for the good of their country, — 

 the preservation of its honor and its rights, — 

 this is patriotism. But there are other ways 

 in which men can exhibit patriotism. Every 

 matter of public interest — every effort to de- 

 velopc by united means the resources of the 

 country — every voluntary expenditure for 

 the erection of a bridge, the putting up of a 

 church or school house — exhibits in those 

 who engage in these things their patriotism. 

 It does not require the sacrifice of life, but 

 it does of money, and these small things in 

 their influence upon our race, if wc would 

 trace that influence, would be seen to be im- 

 portant as it passes down the current of time. 

 The little sacrifices for patriotic duty, though 

 they may now appear trivial, will have their 

 happy influence long after those wlio made 

 them are resting in the bosom of the land 

 they loved. 



Mr. Editor, these remarks are prefatory 

 to a few observations on the subject of estab- 

 lishing in Sangamon county, a sugar mill, to 

 settle in the minds of all, at once and forever, 

 the claims of the Chinese Sugar Cane as a 

 sugar plant. Those who have experimented 

 upon this plant, have no doubts upon this 

 subject; but there are those who are behind 

 the times, who believe that every pro- 

 fessed improvement in morals, politics, agri- 

 culure, mechanics, and in every other de- 

 partment of human industry and science, is 

 humbug. For the benafit of these, the ex- 

 periment now in progress in Sangamon coun- 

 ty, will be conclusive. A few years since 

 the raising of cotton in Georgia was consid- 

 ered a humbug — the raising of sweet pota- 

 toes north of Maryland was regarded as 

 folly — and fifteen years elapsed after tlie su- 

 gar cane was introduced into Louisiana be- 

 fore even a passable molasses was made. 



Progress is now manifest upon all subjects 

 and things occupying human thought and 

 labor. He who does a part, a little part it 

 may be, to help on this progress, performs a 

 deed of patriotism. I will venture to say 

 that that man in Sangamon county who this 

 year assists in developing the value of the 

 recent contribution of China to the great 

 wants of man in this Northern Hemisphore, 

 will perform an act which will give him cause 

 for self-gratulation as long as he lives to wit- 

 ness its success. 



Mr. Editor, I may appear a little enthusi- 

 astic, but I solemnly believe, judging from 

 what is now known that Chinese Sugar 

 cane is to be hereafter one of the leading ar- 

 ticles of cultivation upon the prairies of Illi- 

 nois. OLD SANGAMON FOREVER. 



B@„Some prefer peas to beans ia their dry 

 state, in winter, as food. To raise peas with- 

 out their being troubled with bugs, plant 

 them about the middle of June or near the 

 first of July. Plant them deep, say eight or 

 nine inches. Planted thus late and deep as 

 stated, you will make good crops, and the 

 peas will not be troubled with bugs. Scald 

 your peas (to kill the bugs) before planting 

 them. 



"The Biddies." 



Mr. Editor : — I have a few fowls, and some- 

 times to make the most of their services, 

 when two hens hatch at the same time, I give 

 the chickens to one, and in two or three 

 weeks the chicken less hen will again com- 

 mence laying. Some days since two hens 

 having come off' with chickens the same day, 

 I gave the chickens to the oldest, and, in order 

 to secure the mourner excellent and agreeable 

 society, I shut her up in a coop with a gen- 

 tleman fowl. She at one dismissed her sor- 

 rows with her cluck, and in five days she was 

 let out of the coop and commenced laying. 

 Whether the pleasant company she was con- 

 fined with, had any thing to do with this 

 matter, you can judge as well as I. 

 *%, 



iMr. Editor : — The early kind of corn, if 

 planted the first of this month, will ripen be- 

 fore the usual time of frosts, and even the 

 later varieties will furnish good roasting ears. 

 Cucumbers will do well planted now. Beets 

 for winter are best sown the middle of this 

 month. The early beans planted now, have 

 ample time to mature. Early peas will do 

 well put into the ground at this time, if plant- 

 ed six or eight inches deep. Cabbage plants 

 should now be put out for winter; and turnip 

 seed, for winter supply, should be sown be- 

 tween the middle of this month and the 10th 

 of Ausrust. The seed of the Ruta Baga 

 should now be sown. S. E. 



Editor Farmer: It is very vexatious 

 to a farmer to plant or sow twice for the 

 same crop. I have planted corn twice 

 already, and am not pleased with my 

 corn prospects yet. I design to sow a 

 large space with S^yedish and common 

 turnip. Please inform me if there is 

 any way of guarding the turning plant 

 from injury by the turnip fly V 



[In England it is said that farmers 



soak their turnip seed in some very 



rancid oil — train oil is best. They then 



mix up soil with it so as to separate tlie 



seeds, and then sow it as wheat. The 



oil is very offensive to the fly, and they 



lot the plant alone until it i."5 so large 



that they cannot injure it.] 



B^„Chineso Sugar Cane will fatten swine 

 in the fall, and they will eat it all up if fed 

 to them whole. A writer in the Nac York 

 Rural says, that last fall he tried tho experi- 

 ment on two pigs for the term of three 

 weeks. In three weeks they were weighed. 

 No. 1, fed on corn and slops, weighed 113 

 lbs., having gained 89 lbs. No. 2, fed on 

 sugar cane, weighed 110 lbs., having gained 

 37 lbs. Conclusion — "Sorghum is quite 

 equal to corn in fattening hogs." Our far- 

 mers would do well to profit by this experi- 

 ment. They can get Sorghum for hogs 



planted now. 



••• — — 



B^g^The army worm has ajjpeared In many 

 parts of the State; but we do not learn that 

 it has been extensively destructive to crops. 



How to Seenre a fine Display of Roses. 



To obtain a fine and continuous bloom 

 of roses, is a matter worth striving for. 

 They are always acceptable — in winter, 

 summer, spring, and autumn. After the 

 proper varieties, highly enriched soil is 

 the main secret to success. Without 

 this, the best kind of Perpetuals are 

 little better than June roses. Some may 

 bring forth an occasional flower in the 

 fall, but nothing like a full bloom, and 

 the roses themselves small and puny. 

 In new plantations, trench up the ground 

 two spades deep, and work in at least 

 six inches of thoroughly rotted manure. 

 If it makes the bed too high, cart aAvay 

 some of the poorest of the soil. While 

 spading, incorporate as much as possible 

 the manure with the soil. After the 

 ground is thus prepared, leave it till af- 

 ter a rain, if convenient, to settle some- 

 what ; then plant your roses. In doing 

 so, see that it is done properly — that is, 

 the soil well pulverized, and placed com- 

 pletely about the roots. If a choice 

 can be had, select those roses that have 

 been dormant during the winter. You 

 may then expect a most brilliant dis- 

 play at midsummer, after which they 

 will produce occasional flowers until 

 the cool days of fall, when they will 

 prepare to gladden you again with an- 

 other rich profusion of flowers. In the 

 case of old plantations, or small speci- 

 men roses, too large to move conve- 

 niently, thoroughly dress them by laying 

 bare their roots, and filling in again 

 with half soil and half rich rotten man- 

 ure. In case either of these are not 

 done from any cause, the next best thing 

 is, to frequently stir the soil during 

 summer, and watering every week when 

 the soil will bear it — that is, when it is 

 not already surcharged with water — 

 with liquid manure water. Give a good 

 soaking, enough to reach the roots, 

 when it is done. A very good way to 

 apply artificial manure, is to sprinkle it 

 over the bed just before rain. Guano or 

 fowl dung of any description, is excel- 

 lent for t!ie purpose. June roses, climb- 

 ers, and in fact any rose, is benefitted 

 by the above application. — Country 

 G-entUman. 



Mr. Editor : What a glorious time to 

 grow cabbages ! and cabbages are good 

 food for stock as well as humans, and it 

 is not too late to plant the seed if you 

 put it in lulls, where you mean the cab- 

 bage to stand. If too many come up, it 



is easy to pull out the surplus. 0. 

 ««, 



3fr. Editor: Can any of your read- 

 ers inform me of a cure for gapes in 

 chickens ? If any of them have a cure 

 for this disease — which carries off a good 

 many of the rare — he will do the public 

 a service by communicating it for the 

 Farmer. A Chicken Farmer. 



