



'«■ 



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THE ILLIjSTOIS F^RJSIER. 



183 



it that name. It is rather a slow grow- 

 ing tree; but its habit is free and hand- 

 some, and its masses of foilage render it 

 a fine variety. 



The Cut-leaved Lime, ( Tilia Europa 

 I/ascimda,) is not quite so beautiful as 

 the above sorts, as its foliage is not so 

 deeply cut; but it forms a fine Variety, 

 and its more formal habit contrasts with 

 the looser growing heads of other trees, 

 t does not attain a large size. 



The Cut-leaved Chestnut, (^^Esculus 

 Lasciniata,) a remarkably curiotts tree 

 and very interesting from the contrast 

 of its finely divided leaves Avith the head 

 and ample foliage of the parent. No 

 one would scarcely believe it was a horse 

 chestnut. 



The Curled-leaved Elm, ( Llmus Mo7i- 

 tana Criapa,") a handsome variety, with 

 very thick green foliage, finely indented 

 and curiously curled or crimped on the 

 margin of the leaf, — a slow growing tree, 

 and an attractive addition to any planta- 

 tion. RURAL 1ST. 



Central City, 111., Oct. 26, '58. 



-.♦.- . 



The Cherry Cnrrant. 



Editor of the Farmer : The cherry 

 currant has been introduced some five or 

 six years, and is now somewhat exten- 

 sively cultivated; for, notwithstanding it 

 is scarcely so fine a fruit as the Old Red 

 Dutch, or the Victoria, the very large size 

 of theberries, the showy appearance oi the 

 bunches, and fertility of the plant, will 

 always render it a favorite in any collec- 

 tion. The fruit attains a large size. 

 We have grown them so that some of 

 the berries measured seven-tenths of an 

 inch in diameter. 



The bushes are very vigorous, making 

 strong, stout wood, with large, thick, 

 dark green foliage. We add a descrip- 

 tion of the fruit. 



Fruit very large; five, to seven-tenths 

 of an inch in diameter, round; clusters 

 medium size, usually containing from 

 eleven to thirteen berries; color, bright 

 red, semi-transparent, showing its large 

 seeds through the surface; juice abun- 

 dant, but rather acid; seeds large. 



The currant needs some attention to 

 raise as fine specimens as those named. 

 The bushes also require annual pruning 

 in order to set strong wood. 



RURALIST. 



Central City, 111., Oct. 26, 1858. 



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The Hollow Horn. — This disease 

 causes the death of many animals. The 

 Frankfort Yeoman says : "The disease 

 is spinal, caused by the hide of the ani- 

 mal adhering to the bone of thfe back and 

 preventing circulation, and may be cured 

 as follows : Rub with the hands with as 

 much force and friction as possible, the 

 hide of the animal on the backbone, 

 from the tail to the horns, thereby re- 

 Storing the circulation." 



From the Illinois State Journal. 



The Culture of the Grape—Matlre Wiues. 



In the columns of the St. Louis Democrat of 



a recent date, we find the following article in 



ret«rencc lo the cultivation of the grape and 



the manufacture of native wines: 



Grape Cultcre. — Although this cultivation 

 has been in firojrress to some extent for sixty 

 years past, yet it may ntill be ranked as an ag- 

 riculiural hobby, or classed witn fancy larniinj; 

 But tiio tiaitt isjast approaching, when it will 

 take a stand as one of the permanent and 

 staple crops of our cimatry. 



Upon the first discovery of this continent, 

 the grape vine attracted the particular attention 

 of the early adventures to its shores. The vine 

 was found in profuse variety and luxuriance 

 from Florida to New England, and the great 

 number of species discovered, induced travel- 

 lers and emijjfrants to believe that, for the pro 

 du tion of wine, the New World would not 

 only rival, but surpass the Old. These expec 

 tuitions have not thus far been rfaliaed; andal- 

 th. ugh wine was made in Fidrid.i, ac^^ordingto 

 Sir John Hawkins, as early as 1585, and .-ince 

 that period to tiie present in different parts of 

 the United States, in a small way, yer it isor.ly 

 wiihin tho last fifteen or twenty years that i4 

 has been extensively cultivated as a remunera- 

 tive crop. 



The grape vine is now oultiva'ed for wine 

 making in twenty Statts in the Union, and it is 

 ranidly on the increase. Between the 321 and 

 40th parallel of latitude, is supposed to be the 

 mo^t favorable for its cultivation, but no doubt 

 some varieties may be found suitable tj higher 

 or lower latitudes. 



We are as yet in our infancy both in the cul 

 ture of the grape and also the making rf the 

 juice into wine. As a general thing th^; cul- 

 ture of the grape has heretjfore been pretty 

 much in the hands of our German friends but 

 now all classes are giving the sulject thought 

 and attention. 



The production of the grape in a series of 

 years has proved it profitable beyond almost any 

 other one crop — and it is from this dollar and 

 cent view we must look at it to continue the ar- 

 guments in favor of increasing the growth. 

 The result in the matter of producing temper- 

 ance, by substituting the native wine, the juice 

 of the grape, for strychnine whisky, as a bever- 

 age to a certain class of the population, is one 

 easily seen by the looker into futurity. 



The grape requires care and attention during 

 the whole season — and farmers who have large 

 farms devoted to corn, wheat, or grazing, can- 

 not be expected to make vinting an item of 

 their profitable pursuit; but every iarmer who 

 has regard for his family, will not fail to culti- 

 vate njore or less of the grape for home con- 

 sumption. Some large families there are who 

 devote one acre or more to the grare, hiring one 

 extra hand for the purpose of caring for the 

 grap crop alone, and make a profit by so doing 



Any supplies of grapes or grape juice have, 

 and will always find a ready market in any of 

 our principal towns and cities. As a remuner- 

 ative crop, the West and Southwest, wherever a 

 fair trail has been made, now answer in the 

 affirmative. 



_ It is witb greai; pleasure that we notice the 

 increasing preparations making throughout the 

 United States fjr the culture of the grape, for 

 the purpose of providing the American com- 

 munity with a healthful and reliable wine. 

 There is not a single reason why wines can not 

 be produced in our own country, of equal 

 strength and value with tho<e really manuiac- 

 tured in the vineyards of France. The exper- 

 iments which have, for several years past, been 

 made by the grape growers around Cincinnati 

 and other parts of Ohio; at Hermann, in Mis- 

 souri, and by the GermanxAmericans around 

 Belleville and Highland, in this State, prove 

 conclusively, not only that a superior quality 

 of wine can be manufactured from our native 



grape, but that the businet-s can be engaged in 

 with profit to the pniduoer. In fact, three 

 fourths of the families in the United States, 

 with very little trouble and expense, may lay 

 by, once a year, a barrel at least of very pxcel- 

 lent wine, from either the grape or the currant, 

 both of which are easily pr-duced. and within 

 the reach of all who have even a small patch 

 of ground. We have heard the opinion some* 

 times expressed that the heavy eo'l in this part 

 of Illinois was not favorable to grape culture; 

 but in disproof of this, we would state that, at 

 our last County Far, there were exhibited sre- 

 cimens of Isabella and Catawba grapes, equal 

 to any, for table use or for wine, that we have 

 ever seen grown in :ther more vaunted locali- 

 ties. All that is necessary is care and atten- 

 tion ; and for the very moderate sum of from 

 five to ten dollars, any family may obtain, by a 

 very simple process, from thirty to fifty gallons 

 of wint, which, if properly and carefully pre« 

 served for a moderate length of time, will be 

 quite good enough to set befire a King or a 

 Queen. On account of the diffic-ulty of obtain- 

 ing a genuine article (.f foreign wine, except at 

 an extraordinary price, if would be well, both 

 on the score of e<;onomy and health, if the 

 attention ot every owner of a garden patch 

 couid be turned to the manufacture of domestic 

 wines — either from the grape or the currant, 

 tioth of which are vastly prtferable to the trash 

 manufactured aV^road out of different kinds of 

 liquiils, exported from the (Tnitod States for the 

 purpose, and return-d to the United States 

 again under the heretofore popular foreign 

 brands 



It would indeed surprise many a pretended 

 connoisseur of fine winee, which bear u^.on 

 their face a French or a German impress, but 

 in reality had their origin within 8"me of the 

 many subterranean vaults in the city of New 

 York — to notice the vast difl'erence Itetween a 

 {genuine grape wine of American tfianufacture, 

 such as may be found down at Bellcv.lle and 

 Highland in our own State, and the spurious 

 French wines which are so admirably pr-^duced 

 in the New York cellars and aitics in generous 

 abundaoce. A superior domestic wine, bow- 

 ever, is more easily drank than manufactured. 

 A good deal of care, experience and patience 

 are requisite to produce the finest quality j but 

 when all the difficulties have be»n overcome, 

 the gain far exceeds the time and the money 

 expended. A fictitious article, on the contrary, 

 is almost instantly produced by the aid of pecu- 

 liar and powerful acids, which, when taken into 

 the human system, are extremely detrimental 

 to health, and which often goad the consumer 

 on to madness or death. The consumption of 

 domestic wines will be found conducive in an 

 eminent degree to temperance and moderation. 

 It is these spurious brandies and wines which 

 are concocted out of the most deadly poisons, 

 that are the c.iuse of so much intemperance 

 and excess, and keep the public mind constantly 

 excited at reading the daily accoui.ts of mur- 

 ders and other crimes committed among us. 



Grppe culture in the West, we are glad to 

 observe, is getting to be a subject of increasing 

 importance. W^e trust the time is not far dis- 

 tant when private families will generally kcow 

 how to produce their own wines, and thus drive 

 away entirely those base imitations which ma- 

 terially assist in shortening life and making it 



miserable. 



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Early Onions. — Persons desiring to 

 have onions early next spring, should 

 plant out the small bulbs now. A bed 

 should be made in a warm part of the 

 garden and the little onions set out in 

 drills. So soon as the weather becomes 

 at all severe, they should be covered 

 Avith litter, to be taken off early in the 

 Spring. ^^ .;;;:. , y .., . . ,^ ^ 



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