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THE ILLINOIS F^A.H]VIEK. 



181 



your seed comes up go about getting 

 your mill and fixtures. They will not 

 come to you without bidding; and you 

 should have every thing in order to go 

 to work as soon as the cane is ripe. 



I say, don't plant more than you can 

 •work. An acre yields an immense 

 amount of stalks, if the cane is good. 

 One acre will yield 40 tons, 80,000 

 pounds'. It is a very heavy article to 

 handle. You can't make a business of 

 hauling it even three miles. You must 

 have a mill nearer. And you better have 

 a good iron mill, and then a'ou will know 

 what you are about. 



There are two of Hedge's mills in Sugar 

 Grove. These are of suiall size, but they 

 are strong and. they will Avork up six 

 acres each. They cost $,3G. These 

 Avere obtained through S. Francis, 

 Springfield. If you want any more thnn 

 six acres you must get a larger mill. 

 There is no mistake in this fact. 80,000 

 pounds of cane multipli 'd by six will 

 show you wliat you have got to do if you 

 work \ip six acres of good cane. Our 

 farmers should be cautious in this mat- 

 tor. They must not leap in the dark. 

 They must count the cost and notw^asto 

 their time and money. 



Six acres, well managed, good cane, 

 will make 1,500 gallons of molasses, and 

 there will be refuse enough to make per- 

 haps 4J barrels of vinegar, or more be- 

 sides. 



My idea is from what I have seen this 

 year, that the true wa3'' to ma)s.e sugar 

 cane profitable and available, is for far- 

 mers to raise their own cane, to get mills 

 of sufficient capacity to work it up, and 

 to be sure and have these mills ready for 

 work by the middle of August. They 

 should also have their barrels ready in 

 which to put up the sj'rup. 



Mr. Hedges, at Springfield, told me 

 that he would have the process of making 

 syrup made so pla\', and publisheil, that 

 no man need make a mistake. He could 

 make good syrup, and if he wanted a re- 

 fined article, there ought to be refi- 

 neries in the cities to do this. Such es- 

 cstablishmentsneed not cost over §2,000, 

 and could bo made to ^deld handsome 

 profits to their owncs. 



I have written this, Mr. Editor, for 

 now is the time to agitate this matter. 

 We arc done, 1 think, in depending on 

 wheat as our great crop. AVe can make 

 molasses, and I believe sugar, for ex- 

 portation. Farmers who are able, should 

 raise their own cane, and have their own 

 mills to work it up. Next season there 

 will be a regular market for thesyrup in 

 a crude state for refining and making 

 into sugar. 



Our people have got along wonderfully 

 in finding out the value of this new plant. 

 In Louisiana, the Jesuits did not make 

 a passable article of sugar until fifteen 

 years after its introduction there. J.G.S. 



Going to the Country. ■ 

 Mr. Editor : Do you know of a farm 

 in the country that I can get hold of so 

 that I can quit the town? I am quite 

 tired of living here; and you would not 

 wonder if you had half my troubles. ' I 

 have a tolerably snug house and as cood a 

 wife as anybody; but she is so intolera- 

 bly neat and particular, that I believe 

 she will be the death of me. I am not 

 vcr}'' particular myself, though 1 have 

 had the best schooling for the last ten 

 years. 



Now, for one branch of mv troubles 

 and a small specimen. Haven't we had 

 rains lately? And didn't they make 

 mud? Could you go anywhere out of 

 the house without going into the mud? 

 Well, home I come in the rain after 

 working all the forenoon, stamp at the 

 door to get off" the mud and wipe away 

 for dear life at the mat — feel literally 

 sure of being right on the understandings, 

 when I hear the voice of my dear Avife 

 from Avithin — "He's coming I get thc 

 slippers I don't let him come in Avitli the 

 dirty boots ! run ! run !'' Well, there I 

 stand at the door, the rain pouring down, 

 and at last the door is opened, the slip- 

 pers presented, and my boots have to be 

 pulled off. But I said that there Avasno 

 need of changing the understp.ndings, 

 '•I kiioAv better — I see the mud on them 

 clear from here — take them off," and 

 oft' they go, and mud comes oft" with them I 

 Uli, horrible ! I can't faint, Mr. Edi- 

 tor. It is impossible for me to faint I 

 It isn't my nature. But the slippers are 

 on and with my umbrella collapsed, I 

 move into the room. "Take aAvay 3'our 

 umbrella — it is running Avitli Avater! 

 Take it away !" I do it soon as I can, of 

 course, Mr. Editor, and seat myself, 

 pretty nearly out of breath and tolerably 

 near out of patience. *'Do you think," 

 says my fair one, "that Mr. Thompson, 

 your neighbor Thompson, came in here 

 to-day, with his boots muddy, and I 

 haven't got out all the mud yet, though 

 I have been rubbing and scrubbing ail 

 the morning? I knew it would be just 

 so Avhen I saAV him coming. 1 wonder 

 Avhat kind of a Avife he's got?" "A very 

 pleasant, agreeable Avoman," saidi "A 



pleasant, agreeable — -. You Avouid 



love to live in dirt, ankle deep, I believe. 

 I'leasant, agreeable woman ! , This is all 

 I get for trying to keep things clean. 

 Oil, there are some men who Avould be 

 suited to live in a stablel" 



That's the Avay of it, Mr. Editor; only 

 it is sometimes worse and sometimes 

 better. In the midst of my troubles, I 

 ejaculated that oft quoted lino of Shakes- 

 peare — (I wonder if he had. a wife) — 

 "Oh, for a lodge in some vast wilder- 

 ness ! 



NoAv, Mr. Editor, I am determined to 

 go into the country, Avhere I can IIa'c in 

 freedom; and stand to that determina- 



tion at the least -until we have good 

 weatlier. DEBBYS HUSBAND. 



J Traveling Fdlars. 



Lditor of the Farmer : 1^ there nny 

 way of arresting these nuisances about 

 the country? Illinois is thronged Avith 

 Avith them. It Avould really look to mc 

 that in Yankeedom, Avhcnever a stout, 

 able-bodied man with a glib tongue gets 

 out of business, he is (n.|.l(ycd to tcmc 

 to Illinois and sell all sorts uf Avares and 

 merchandise. Some of them retail silk 

 thread at tAvo cents askein; some haA-e a' 

 new kind of soap that tak(S grease out 

 of silks; some have a most valuable book 

 that you must subscribe for -Avhen yon 

 have no money and pay for it when you 

 have; some have a A-ery important article 

 to cement broken glass and China; some 

 haAc trees that arc a great deal better 

 than anv Avhich can be had in this State; 

 some liaA'e grape ■ roots that produce 

 grapes as large as tomatoes; some have a 

 peculiar kind of salve that will cure cuts, 

 and burns, and salt rheaum, and tooth- 

 ache, and night sAveats, in ten minutes; 

 some have the roots of blue roses and the 

 China Ivainbow plant, of Avhich only one 

 plant was ever permitted to be taken 

 from the floAvery kingdom; some haAe 

 the ready reckoner, by Avidch you can 

 calculate the interest on one of v.our 

 notes Avhich is out, and Avhich you have 

 to take up or besued, from January last 

 until the vear 20^.0. All things vou can 

 think of arc brought around by these 

 pedlars. They come in upon you when 

 you are eating, when you are undressing 

 for the night, and Aviien you honestly 

 Avish them all in — a better country* 

 Well, Avhat can Ave do to check these nui- 

 sances? I tell you, sir, Avhen any man 

 peddles, ask him for his license, and if 

 he don't show it to you, complain to tbe 

 nearest proper officer. And if there is 

 not laAV enough to make these men tjikc 

 licenses, lot the Legiblature finish up the 

 business. A tax for a license would 

 keep a good many of these chaps out of 

 the State, and those that did come aaguM 

 be compelled to pay i-omething for the 

 .supjion of the gevemment which ])rotects 

 them while engaged iu their ynoAvling 



operations. JEDEDlAli. 



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•; : Sngar tanc for Togs. 

 3Tr. Editor : Some of your farmers 

 would do a very good thing, if they 

 would furnish the public Avith a satisfac- 

 tory trial of sugar cane stalks for fat- 

 tening^iogs, comparing cane with corn. 

 It should be done in this Avay. Take 

 tAvo hogs of about the same size and 

 weigh them. Put them into pens and 

 feed sugar cane chopped to one of them, 

 as much as he w ants; and to the other as 

 much corn as he Avants. At the end of 

 six weeks Aveigh them. Publish the result 

 in the Fakmeh. This Avould tell the 

 story. Who will do it? ; M. P. 





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