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THE ILLI]SrOIS FA-RMBR. 



135 



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was called thf> "Mule Plow/' Theso dii|]-ies 

 are three feet under the surface, and the 

 work is done by fastening the plow to a cut- 

 ter, and forcing it through the ground at that 

 depth. What I want to know is, whether 

 these ditches have stood the singular wet 

 season just passed^ and whether they are an- 

 swering the purpose they were designed for. 

 I am satisfied that the ground must break 

 away near the mouths of the ditciiej. but 

 this evil can be remedied. I Jiopc some one 

 of your readers familiar with these ditches 

 will give ins experience to the publir-. Wo 

 cannot yet afro;-d tile dnnns. If the mole 

 ditch answers the purpose, it is what we want; 

 for I think these ditches can be made with- 

 out great expen^^e. -T. \V. 



Our Staplps— Wiiiit must tliey he' 



E'^'ror Fann'r: — 1 see ^h?.\ y-'U are dMivji 

 on the cjinvatiur. of wi o^t a< a s''a;>ie ci'uy. 

 In Certra' Ilhiiois. I own (hat the jji.st hii^- 

 tory of that cr'"^p iw.V'-\ i-' e;io-;.2h to uiscour- 

 age u.s in growing it. ^\'c haveijad misny Ikil- 

 ures within my oxperieneo. Sometimes it 

 has been attributed to dry winiersand freez- 

 ing out; sometimes to dry falls, when the 

 seed would not germinate; and sometimes to 

 wet springs, which would drown it out, or 

 otherwise foUowed by hot woather, which 

 would scald it out. All these things are 

 true. And :iiore. — that our farji:ers. when 

 they iiappened to get a good coj) and good 

 prices, went to vrork, boitght up wild prairie, 

 and sewed almost an oi.-eaa ol" land (forgive 

 the expression) in whe;it. A dry i'all and 

 an open winter followed, and the whole crop 

 was lost. 3'hey went to work the next sum- 

 nuT and again sowed wheat over their broi^d 

 prairie firy^s. and *he vet spring came aiid 

 iirlf of their crop is not worth cutting — ^and 

 tlie price of \/hfat is to-'' 1 w to pay the cost 

 of makiiig the crop, "acli .-w it i.-:. 



Yott ask, what is to tje done.' You j; v 

 raise stock — for this i>; a great corn growi. !^ 

 and grass producing country. TiiaD is right 

 — give more attention to .stock, raise more 

 grass and corn: — but I add more — Do not 

 give up the cultivation of wlicat. Far;ners 

 can makt! whe-it if Uiey will cultivate thor- 

 o'lgldy. 'fhat mm is wild wlio expects as 

 a general thing, to got unifurmly good crops 

 (^n our fiat praiiics, ■vithout making provision 



£■ 



lor '^rMTying off uu- Hoods of water th;tt iail 

 rpon liieiii. Colli vi'e join- land thoroughly 

 — ;vni iMf. ^ultl-ation C) !i,.rces thi- ?;<'ees-i 

 iy of fii!ehii\u. .•-a that w tcr wioeh iallsupon 

 your grounds .v"f! not rtand there, but rnr 

 ofi. iirt few ncrcs \\11] b'2f.iu'\l where this 

 ditching wi'i not be effectu.^1; — if 3'ou have 

 Pre'! grijiicds, anu tl-er • is no way 10 draiu 

 them, hut '.he vat-'r mast stand upon tliu 

 ^heni tHi It c*apor; tes. the best, thiiig you 

 c^n do with thut land is tc put it into grass. 

 Now, I beliive that if our moderately roll- 

 ing prairie is ditch'>d ,;nd drained, so that 

 water will not .stand upon it. and the soil is 

 plo-.ved deep and well, the weeds buried deep, 

 the laud thoroughly drained, rnd tie scxi 

 whea^ drilled in car!y in the so:isou, the 

 wheat crop wd! scarciiy ta:l. Do you know, 

 reader, where a wheat crop in Ceiitnd illloo'.- 

 has tailed with thi.-i ticatm -iit? I .v;h-il! still 

 sow wiieat. — but i shall j.repare Uiy gruund 

 better i\r\n I h>.ve yet dune, — I sluifT dr dn 

 it; I shall bury the weeds deep; I shall plow 



deep: I shall drill in the seed; an<l I. shall 

 put the seed in eavlj. I shall depend a lood" 

 on the nroper cultivation of the crop for suc- 

 cess, i intend to do my part, as far a«< my 

 strength enables me and my judgment directs, 

 and 1 shall not put as much ground into 

 '.^heat this fall us usual. 



Farmers of moderate means cannot go into 

 the raising of cattle, hoi"«e3 or mules largely. 

 Three vearsis a long time for thotu to \x■^<^. 

 to ntature a crop of these kinds of stock. 

 Hogs promise better. A small farmer can 

 soon got a stock of hogs, and if he turns hi.' 

 .•ttention in that direction, he nniy, with in- 

 dustj-y and care have a hundred head to sell 

 every fall; and a hundred head .>f fat hogs, 

 even at §3 per lUO lb.?, vrill brlnga tro d deal 

 of money — and besides this income, the sup- 

 port of h^'s family can be made from otiier 

 produ'-e of his farm. I like youv £iiggestions 

 'hat niooev ciu be made in g/ov. tjg wool. 

 T'ie wool gr.:\vMrs in this county have v-cd-. | 

 n.oney— wool i- jiow at compa:' ilvo'v borf . ! 

 prices thaii ^a^ otiicr prouucc, A^l i!;e ^-.^ • 

 penses of raisiog sheep can be paid by the-, 

 iucrcase iu lambs; — that is, if the sheep and 

 profit, ^o say erperienced wool growers; — 

 lambs arewell taken care of and the wool is f^-iear 

 gain but no man should undertake to keep a 

 flock of sheep who has no experience in their 

 m n g-ment. If he docs, he willnndliim.self 

 woViL-8 oil' at the close of the year th;-n wheat J 

 iarmcrs who undertake to grow whentoii Icvc' 

 or basiny prairie land, half plowed and half 

 harrowed. 



•'DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP.* 



n:'ura li t for our third annual exhibition 

 ind fdj-. to be held at Carlyle, October 13th. 

 14th and 15th, 1858. 



1 acliuowledge the receipt of two bundles 

 of the .State tfociety's premium list, with 

 sorne bills, all of which 1 have distributed in 

 diff"erent parts of the county. 



The farmers of Clinton, (to use a common 

 idirase"! hive begun to think that thev are 

 some dJivliow, tnd are d' termined to show it 

 by their actions, if you will take improvement 

 lor pruof. 



Oo joti recollect that club spring wheat 

 you sent me last spring? 1 sowed and kept 

 It, sad i am feeding it to my Bantams; it is 

 too small for the Shanghai.';. No kind of 

 spring wheat has done any sood here this 

 year, and I am satisfied that it will not pay 

 io .sow here. 



Tb'^ wcat' '?r is orpressively warn;; the 

 i'ltieury ha.s ^-i-'od i)i toe shade from 8S° to 

 'Hi-' 'brtl'v' I ■■:' .en days at ^ o'clcck. 

 Yv :::■. rc^t'pecdidlr, 



0. L. NICHOLS, 



CV J-, .'-'ec. Clinton Co. Ag. Society. 



J 



Caelile, Aug. 12, ^'^'^'^ 

 Editor of rlie Fitrrairr: — Vvo comnjencc'. 

 our wiicat harvest on the 2iJth of dune 



.-I. 



'jotit one month sooner than last y:>ar • and 

 we hav<? more than an average cn.ip, and niorr 



V.., 



I wheat tiian we had last yi' 



vjat.s 



vevv liir; t. not r.^.ore tlian half a cr.:;i .iud 

 !)ght at that. Oats and late sown wi. a.'. 

 rusted. "We were ^as a general thing very 

 itite in getting in our corn, the season beir'T j 

 v^ry wet from the last of April to the loth of j 

 Juno. The prospects are that we sh:'ll ha\e 

 plcLty for home confuniptiuu. and in iI.l 

 w'-'.-stern purt of the eouuLy (^Loukirg Ghi^.^ 

 Prairie) a large surplus. i\)titoes a-- grr i 

 or i'etter than cordmon. and all well ce!t^' n c 

 gardens hnve produced an abur.d.mce of V'ro- 

 i^?st and largest kird. ('j! 

 ond crnp io my i^arden bie.- iai; 



Tire Farm Locomolire. 



EiUfor of tJif Farmer: — I have heard it 

 said and s. en it stated in papers that there 

 were machines bchig made in Albany, Day- 

 ton, Galesbu''a' and 3lo!inc, designed to com- 

 pete for the premitUii e.f.ered by the State 

 ..IgricniiMrai ^ociety ior a farm locuino^'ive. 



The inachine wanted, I suppose, is one 

 that v.'ill do the duty o.f horses, mules or oxeu, 

 in h.tulinc unm the farm, whether it be the 

 plow, drawing waguu loads of wheat, Com, 

 wood, rails, !oo:s, — whether it be to draw 

 piowa or other instrr.mcnts for ditching. — 

 toniii;h power Ibr thrashing, for cutting 

 .:h:r::.t oa:^^ gt..' aod thelike. : 



if .vach a oiachiae can be invented and 

 mad? to pe'ibrn '■: idveu qdantitj of work at 

 less expense <^}ian brute power, it will be a 

 rreru ac-utHeiucnt — aQcl -will Scarcely rank 



ochind 



sieambi:>at or the tclGgmnh. It 



tables of tL 



crnp io my .„ 



^T•iil make ouv Illinois lauds a garden from 

 ir,e end of tL- iSiate to another. 



<>n it be done? Cciu such a locomotive, 

 ^0 arrcnpllsh these cbj^cts. be perfei-tcd.'' 

 it may l'^. \'iewing .>ome of the improve- 

 n.t-iTs '.nd tt^s ovcries for a few years past, 

 it will scire lyb.^~sai"i to limit the power 

 ar, i geniu: ..•' m.ai; — stlU. fko the tliousana.s 

 ' I '■ f'l sa-T Fuitoa "irork on his steamboat, I 

 1^ 1 ".I ' nevoid uIoib; — M.-t thrt b,-cauf5e J de.sire 



^ut beeau ^e my judgment corupcls me 



an aven-ge yield.) 1 can rais: ;> croj -A] to'. 

 onions and f.jllow it vritli a err .> i>f be- 1,- thv' \ tn '■ t 

 •^ame ^ear, and a crop of pe.i> iind fobov.- 1 et. I xcjoice at the propof.ition L.ade by 

 with turirrs, and I follow uiy ca"ly potat,.:o j t.^^ .v-.tL.e ooeietr. ft l= a great ..ffer for a 

 ground with late cabbage. -.-eat objeet. And 1 shall 'go to Oentralia, 



There is very little sale foranythinn- X^. j y f;,^. ^^^ other purpose hut to sec the Far- 

 1 wheat 8U cents, corn So cents at tiic ciiii, ■ ujcr's l.ocoi.ivtivos, which I am told will be 



and tliere is a good deal in the country j | exhibited there, A. DOUBTER. 



)ats coliimand noui 3'J(tt,40 cents pci bush- 1 — 



Oats coliimand noui d'J(a..-iV cents p 

 el. Potatoes from three to live bits. 1\ 

 .-alo for cattle, horses, sliccj or ho2"s. K 

 mers get no money; don't want much; ?uird 

 tunes for those that do w. nt a little 



-—*- 



riii- 



r^%jt is said that fuschias can bc preserved 

 ";i the greuiud through the winter. They 

 iuj..-t be covered ".a the fall with leaves, lit- 

 AVe are all making pr«p".r:'":ons to cansp j t."r, straw, saw-dust, tr^n bark, kc, to the 

 at tb.e State Fair and take all t ir-t we ttu;dc ! ucpth of six or eight inches. The small 

 will be of any interest in otir possession, tor | |,,.„n.iji.s may be killed, but new sprouts will 



eXidbition at Ceatraiia. : . • i 1 xv 1 * -ii 



,-. ^ . . . cou-e cut i!i tne spring and the plant will 



Irar county society is in a prosnerou.s ooii- ' in 111 



ditiou. I Ibnvarded to your ivldress a ...py ; I'-come, in a short time, a beautiful bush, 



of our Constitution and By-Laws, and pre- ; covered with flowers. 



