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THE ILLINOIS F^HMEH. 



125 



even without the authority of the Bible, 

 that man is "prone to evil." It is his 

 nature. Let him grow up indulged in 

 all he desires by an indulgent parent — 

 the parent fails in fulfilling the duties 

 of the high position that God has placed 

 him in, and the child, be it son or daugh- 

 ter, imbibes habits, sentiments and pruc- 

 tices, which are a curse to him or her all 

 their days. 



God intends that children shall bo 

 brought up in the way they should go; — 

 they should be made to understand that 

 they are not to be indulged in anything 

 wrong, and that the parent, and not 

 them, is to judge when things are wrong. 

 The vices of children, their peevishness 

 at disappointments, their indulging in 

 ideas that do not belong to their condi- 

 tion, their proneness to seek for forbid- 

 den objects, — can be traced, ninety-nine 

 times in a hundred, to a neglect of duty 

 by the parent. When the habits of the 

 child are formed, and he enters upon the 

 world for himself, without a single prin- 

 ciple or habit, to secure his own respect 

 or the love of others, let the examination 

 be made, and it will be found that he 

 had "an indulgent parent." 



The business of life with children is to 

 make them fit to occupy useful stations 

 in society. They should be taught to 

 curb I their passions, curb their desires, 

 and to find out that they are under 

 "tutors and governors," legally and 

 morally responsible for their training. 

 No misfortune greater can happen to a 

 child than to be indulged in all the 

 natural propensities of the mind. 



SENEX. 



4«k 



Does the Wheat Crop pay? 



Editor of the Farmer : — The wheat 

 harvest has now closed, and the ques- 

 tion, and a very important one arises, 

 does the wheat crop pay for raising it? 



In the examination of this matter, we 

 must take into view a few facts — the 

 first, that the high prices some three 

 years since, grew out of a circumstance 

 which our farmers should not take into 

 calculation in raising their crops : this 

 circumstance was the war then progress- 

 ing in the east of Europe. In raising 

 crops, we can make no calculations on 

 foreign wars to save us from loss, or to 

 secure us good markets. Nor can we 

 depend upon foreign markets to help us 

 much. We are now sending flour to 

 Europe; but it must be recollected that 

 this flour is sent at low prices. Crops 

 are good in Europe; and our wheat is 

 not wanted for that market unless at a 

 very low figures. If wheat should ma- 

 terially advance here, there would be 

 no foreign demand, because it could not 

 be shipped without loss. We must, 

 therefore, expect only low prices for 

 wheat. We must make up our minds 

 to this fact. If John Bull or John 



Crapeau should "let loose the dogs of 

 war," and take men from the peaceful 

 pursuits of agriculture, to kill each other, 

 then we might witness an advance in 

 Avheat; but we apprehend there is no 

 prospect of this at present. 



In taking into account the profits of 

 gro-wing "wheat, we should recollect that 

 about one year in seven there is nearly'- 

 a total loss of the crop, and that in three 



of the other years of the seven much of 

 the wheat is destroyed by winter-killing, 

 rust, wet, and the chinch-bug. In three 

 of the seven years we get good crops. 

 Now, striking an average, can we make a 

 living by raising and selling wheat atmuch 

 less than one dollar a bushel? I think 

 not — and even this sum, paid for wheat, 

 over all the seven j^ears, would not pay 

 the rent on the land, or the labor ex- 

 pended upon the wheat crop in plowing, 

 harvesting, sowing, cutting, binding, 

 shocking, threshing and carrying the 

 grain to market. Is not this thing so? 



We are speaking of the irheat crops 

 of Central Illinois. They are uniformly 

 better in Southern Illinois than here; — 

 while in Northern Illinois, it is very 

 questionable whether wheat crops, as a 

 general fact have paid their cost. 



If these suggestions and statements 

 are true, is it not high time for our far- 

 mers to seek the cultivation of some sta- 

 ple crops that will pay? Can this be 

 done? 



Mr. Editor, with your permission I 

 will continue this subject in the next num- 

 ber of your paper, BUCKIIEART. 

 . -t*,^ 



Preserving Fruits and Vegetables. 



The following which will be useful at 

 this season of the year. 



1. Let everything used for the purpose 

 be clean and dry; especially bottles. 



2. Never place a preserving pan jlat 

 on the fire, as this will reudcr the preserve 

 liable to hum to, as it is called; that is 

 to say, to adhere closely to the metal, 

 and then to burn: it should alwavs rest 

 on a trevet, or on the lower bar of the 

 kitchen range. 



3. After the sugar is added to them, 

 stir the preserves gently at first, and 

 more quickly towards the end, without 

 quitting them until they are done; this 

 precaution will prevent them from being 

 spoiled. '■ 



4. All preserves should be perfoctly 

 clear from the scum as it rises. 



5. Fruit which is to be preserved in 

 syrup, must first be blanched or boiled 

 gently, until it is sufiiciently softened to 

 absorb the sugar; and a thin syrup must 

 be poured o;i it at first, or it will shrivel 

 instead of remaining plump and becom- 

 ing clear. Thus if its weight of sugar 

 is to be allowed, and boiled to a syrup, 

 with a pint of: water to the pound, only 

 half the weight must be taken at first, 

 and this must not be boiled with the 



water more than fifteen or twenty min- 

 utes at the commencement of the process. 

 A part of the remaining sugar must be 

 added every time the syrup is reboiled, 

 unless it should be otherwise directed in 



the receipt. 



6. To preserve both the true flavor and 

 color of fruit in jams and jellies, boil 

 them rapidly until they are well reduced, 

 before the sugar, is added, and quickly 

 afterwards, but do not allow them to be- 

 come so much thickened that the sugar 

 will not dissolve in them easily, and 

 throw up its scum. In some seasons the 

 juice is so much richer than in others, 

 that this effect takes place almost before 

 one is aware of it; but the drop which 

 adheres to the skimmer, when it is held 

 up, will show the state which it has 

 reached. 



7. Never use tin, iron or pewter 

 spoons, or skimmers, for preserves, a,s 

 they will convert the color of red fruit 

 into a dingy purple, and impart, besides 

 a very unpleasant flavor. 



8. When cheap jams or jellies are re- 

 quired, make them at once with loaf 

 sugar, but use that which is well refined 

 always for preserves in general. It is a 

 false economy to purchase an inferior 

 kind, as there is great waste from it in 

 the quantity of scum which it throws 

 up. 



9. Pans of copper or bell-metal are 

 the proper utensils for preserving fruit. 

 When used, they must be scoured bright 

 witV. sand. Tinned pans turn and des- 

 troy the fl|l«r of the fruit that is put 

 into themT^ A stew-pan made of iron, 

 coated with earthen ware, is very nice for 

 preserving. 



To Keep Preserves.— A^-^lj the white 

 of egg, with a suitable brush, to a single 

 thickness of white tissue-paper, with 

 which cover the jars, overlapping th 

 edges an inch or two. When dry, the 

 whole will become as tight as a drum. 



To Clarify Sugar for Preserving. — 

 Put into a preserving pan as many pounds 

 as you wish; to each pound of sugar put 

 half a pint of water, and the white of an 

 egg to every four pounds; stir it together 

 until the sugar is dissolved; then set it 

 over a gentle fire, stir it occasionally, 

 and take off the scum as it rises. After 

 a few boilings-up, the sugar will rise so 

 high as to run over the side of the pan; 

 to prevent which, take it from the fire 

 for a few minutes, when it will subside 

 and leave time for skimming. Repeat 

 the skimming until a slight scum or foam 

 oi'ly will rise; then take off the pan, lay 

 a slightly wetted napkin over the l;asin, 

 and then strain the sugar through it. 

 Put the skimmings into a basin; when 

 the sugar is clarified, rinse the skim- 

 mer and basin with a glass of cold water; 

 and put it into the scum, and set it by 

 for common purposes. t'- '-':■■•■ 



To Preserve Fruit without Sugar or 



