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THE ILLINOIS FARMER. 



151 



no current of air to blow from door to window 

 upon the bottles and break them, you are 

 ready to proceed. Furnished with circular 

 pieces of new cotton drilling, aud equal parts 

 of gum shellac and resin, with a very little 

 beeswax, as the bottle is filled, spread the 

 melted wax evenly upon a piece of the cloth, 

 and apply, wax down, to the mouth of tlie 

 bottle, bring down the cloth over the rim of 

 the bottle, and tie it firmly with a string. 

 Then spread a coating of wax over the upper 

 surface. 



As the bottle cools, the pi'cssure of the air 

 will indent the surface of the cloth, and give 

 infallible proof that all is safe. 



By this method a child of ordinary intelli- 

 gence can put up fruit, with absolute .safety. 

 There can scarcely be a simpler method, or a 

 cheaper, and certainly not a safer. 



We have never lost fruit put up this way. 

 The corks are entirely useless, and not al- 

 ways reliably safe." 



The Next Wheat Crop. 



Editor of the Farmer: — Not>vith- 

 standing the failure of the wheat crop — 

 this year partially, the last year altogeth- 

 er — I have no doubt a laro:e breadth of 

 land will be devoted to this crop the pre- 

 sent season. The past admonishes us 

 of many errors in regard to the cultiva- 

 tion of the crop, and it is hoped that we 

 shall not only learn wisdom from experi- 

 ence, but that we shall practice it. 



In the first place the ground should be 

 put in good order; it should be thorough- 

 ly plowed and so deep that the seed can 

 be drilled in. This done, good seed 

 should be provided. It is said by some 

 that shrivelled or .-shrunken wheat will 

 answer for seed. I would not use it un- 

 less compelled by necessity to do so. 

 The small May wheat has made a much 

 better crop, the present season than the 

 white; and especially has this been the 

 case where the wheat was sown early. 

 There cannot be a doubt that had our 

 farmers all sown the May wheat early 

 last fall, we should have had a very good 

 crop in Sangamon. Having secured good 

 seed wdieat, thoroughly clean it; — leave 

 not a single seed of chess amonir vour seed 

 wheat; and this being done, and no chess 

 remaining in your ground, next year you 

 will be able to form a sound opinion in re- 

 gard to chess turning to wheat. Now 

 clean you seed thoroughly — and then 

 next year let your brethren know whether 

 your wheat or any part of it, has turned 

 to chess. Put your seed in Avith a drill, 

 — having previously harrowed your land 

 well. Do all this in good time. The 

 earliest sown wheat did the best the last 

 season, and this has generally proved to 

 be the fact. It has a better chance for 

 escaping insects and rust. Having sow- 

 ed your wheat, see to it that the ditches 

 are open to carry oiF the water. Ditch- 

 ing should be done efiectually. These 

 ditches should be kept open. The far- 

 mer can cheat himself, but he cannot 

 cheat his grounds. 



I have hopes that our small farmers 

 will gradually turn their attention to the 

 raising of stock. Small farms well man- 

 aged will turn off many fat hogs. There 

 is a market for these all the time. Large 

 farmers can turn their attention to cattle 

 and sheep. These pay- well even in the 

 present hard time.^- Many coiinties in 

 Kentucky are made rich by raising mules 

 for market. But it requires much capi- 

 tal to commence, on any thing like an 

 extensive scale, raising cattle, sheep, 

 horses or mules. It will hardly do to 

 begin such stocks by the purchase on 

 credit. Better commence small. Our 

 country has been well nigh ruined by 

 farmers purchasing land and stocks on 

 credit. Let us move carefully now. 

 We hope we are near the bottom. 



S. W. 



Sangfimfln Connly Fnir. 



Editor Farmer : — The farmer's have 

 been too bu.sy to think mncii of our coun- 

 ty fair. In raising our corn crop, we 

 have, as the saying is, had to put the 

 cart before the horse. Wo hud to cut 

 what wheat was Avorth cutting before we 

 finished plowing our corn. Even now, 

 first of August, there is much corn plow- 

 ing to be done. We have never liad a 

 worse summer in Avhieh to do our work. 

 Every thing crowded upon us, and really . 

 we did not know what to take hold of 

 first. If we cut our wheat, our corn crop 

 was suffering — the weeds were making 

 fight with the corn, to know Avhich should 

 finally have the mastery. Then our 

 grass, too, required to be'eut. Indeed, 

 Ave have had a hard time, but I hope Ave 

 shall get out of the conflict with some re- 

 putation. 



What I wis]), to say is, that we' must 

 not forget our county fair. We must 

 save the best of everything Ave have to 

 exhibit. The premium list is rich. 

 Every premium is to be paid in silver 

 ware. Who is there that Avould not like 

 a set of spoons, goblets, butter knives, 

 forks and other plate, as evidences of 

 their public spirit, and the superior char- 

 acter of the articles they shall exhibit? 



It is J;ime to begin to think of our 

 fair. The county fairs of old Sanga- 

 mon ahvays do her honor. They show 

 the true worth of our farmers, their sons 

 and daughters, — they famish eA'idence 

 of the skill and cntrrprise of our mechan- 

 ics — and they create an emulation which 

 is seen in the improvements of crops, of 

 stock and of homes in our county, every 

 year, marked and caeering. 



OLD SANGAMON. 



• Geo. Seymour & Co., of Nor- 



walk, Conn., estimate their crop of NcAV 

 Rochelle Blackberries this season at from 

 100 to 160 bushels an acre, which readi- 

 ly sell in New York market at 12.1-2 

 cts per quart. 



What Farmers should liat. for. — 

 There is something worth living for besides 

 money. That is very good, but is not all. 

 With the rest let us raise a crop of good 

 ideas. While you are farmers, remember 

 also that you are men, with duties and respon- 

 sibilities. Live down the old brutal notion 

 that a farmer must bo uncouth, uneducated 

 and unthinking — a mere clod-hopper. You 

 are brought into immediate contact with the 

 great heart of civilization. You cannot get 

 out of the buzz of the toiling Avorld. The 

 thrill of the wonder working wires, and the 

 rumble of the locomotive, (the thunder tread 

 of natiofis,) come to your once secluded hill- 

 side. Move toward a better life. Do not 

 keep your boys corn-shelling all the long win- 

 ter evenings. Make your farms a place that 

 your sons and daughters cannot help loving. 

 Cultivate the trees — they are Gods messen- 

 gers. 



Care much for books and pictures. Don't 

 keep a solemn parl(»r into which you go but 

 once a month vnth the parson, or gossips of 

 the sewing society. Hang around your walla 

 pictures which shall tolJ stories of mercy, 

 hope, courage, faith and charity. Makeyour 

 living room the largest and most cheerful in 

 the house. Let the place be .«uch that when 

 your son is in distant lands or even perhaps, 

 he clings to a single plank in the lonely water 

 of the wide ocean, the thought of the old 

 homestead shaFi come across the waters of de- 



solation, bringing always the 

 aud love. 



Have no dungeons about, 

 never open, 



light 



of hopt 



no blinds that 



no rooms you 

 always shut. 



Don't teach your daughters French before 

 they can weed a flower bed or cling to aside 

 saddle; and daughters do not be afraid of the 

 trowel or the pruning knife; bring to your 

 doors the richest flowers of the woods; culti- 

 vate the friendship of birds — study botany, 

 learn to love nature, and seek a higher cul- 

 tivation tlian the fashionable world can give 

 you. — Ex. 



: — ««,_ — -. 



Tomato Pickles. — Take green toma- 

 toes enough to make two quarts, which 

 haA'e grown to their full size, wipe them, 

 cut them in two pieces, put them into a 

 porcelain or bright tin kettle, scatter a 

 a handful of salt OA'^er them; pour on 

 them enough boiling water to cover them; 

 cover them over and leave them to boil. 

 Boil them until a fork aa''11 easily pass 

 through them. Have ready two quarts 

 good vinegar, into Avhich some allspice 

 is thrown, boil it until it is hot. Now 

 take your tomatoes, put them into a cul- 

 lender, drain them, after Avhich place 

 them in a crock and pour boiling Adnegar 

 upon them. Thus prepared the green 

 tomatoes makes a fine article. 



The Apple Borer. — Youug apple 

 trees should be noAv looked to for the 

 borer. If you see fine dust about the 

 tree, looking" like saw dust, you may be 

 sure that that the borer is present. A 

 wire or a pliable shoot run into the hole 

 and Avorked about Avill kill him. Be sure 

 and kill him before you leave the tree. 



