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184 



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TPIE ILT.IISI OlS J^A.TIM^ER. 



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-<•» — 



J«PRING1'I1^I.D, DIICEMHEU 1, 1HS8. 



M 



ILLINOIS^ FARMER FOR 18511. 



We shull avoid the common practice 

 of sending agents into the country to in- 

 troduce the Illinois Farmer among 

 the farmers and to solicit subscriptions, 

 The low price of subscription, if there 

 •were no other cause, would not justify 

 tlie expense. The Illinoi=3 Farmer 

 has been published for three years, and 

 with reasonable success. \Ye arc often 

 in the receipt of notices of approbation 

 of its management, and of promises of 

 enlarged support. 



Our aim is to publish a paper that 

 shall bo useful to farmers. Our eoils 

 and our climates require different"' sys- 

 tems of farming from those practiced in 

 the old States. Hence we endeavor to 

 present to our readers all the important 

 improvements in Western farming. 



AVe have yet much to learn in Illinois 

 in regard to the best modes of cultivating 

 our soils and securing crops. The past 

 two years has furnished a painful and in- 

 structive school to many of us. The 

 great questions now presented, are— can 

 we secure paying crops under all the 

 vicissitudes of our seasons?— and if so, 

 how is this to be done? These ques- 

 tions have to be answered, and we be- 

 lieve to a considerable extent, it can be 

 satisfactorily done. And this is by 

 thorough farniing;-~by adopting plans 

 which shall secure the growth and per- 

 fection of vegetation, not only in favora- 

 ble, but in unfavorable seasons. We do 

 not suppose that this can be altogether 

 accomplished; but much can be done, 

 lie who makes discoveries to this end, 

 carrying them into practice, will accom- 

 plish a great good. 



We arc sure we are right when we 

 say that there is a greater spirit of in- 

 quiry and investigation among our far- 

 mers than has been known in any former 

 period. They arc feeling that their pro- 

 fession requires the employment of mind, 

 quite as much as any profession, to ren- 

 der themselves successful. They are 

 educating their children— and giving em- 

 ployment to thought,— for which there is 

 an ample field around them. They are 

 beautifying their homes, — making them 

 plea sand desirabk-. 



To assist and to throw light on the | 



patli of the cultivators of the soil, is the 

 humble aim oF the Illinois Farmer; 

 and to strengthen our hands and give us 

 power to be useful, we ask the kind as- 

 sistance of the farmers of Illinois. We 

 hope to Improve the Farmer in the com- 

 ing year, and to render it of essential 

 benefit to its readers. We desire every 

 subscriber, every friend and every post- 

 master to aid in getting up clubs for 

 this work. 



RKMEMBEK THE TERMS. 



ADVANCE PAYMENTS ARE RLtlL'IKED. 



Onn ropy poryoar fl 00 



Kim ciipit'H at 76 ecutu enrli ". 7") 



Killct'ii copicH lit (J2)/<; ('KiitH each U u7 



Kifty cojiits tiioueaildrisii 25 00 



JB^^'An extra copy will be sent to 

 persons getting ten subscribers and 

 over. 



4*>— — 



Kt^In New York wheat does not 



freeze out on underdrained land. 



■>i ■ 



S^^Mrs. Loudon, the talented author 



of a work on gardening, recently died 



in England. 



19* 



KB°*The Freeport Jonrnal says that 

 "the Chinese Sugar Cane is a success 



there. It Avill pay better than Avheat." 



—f 



J3g5°'Fawke's machine will unques- 

 tionably go right ahead with the mole- 

 plow as an underground drainer. It 

 ought to make twenty miles of drain a 

 day. Wouldn't that do something for 

 Illinois? 



4«* 



15^=»n. Prather's plow for deep cul- 

 ture is believed to be a capital imple- 

 ment. We hope he is not in advance of 

 the times. Deep and perfect cultivation 



will pay in Illinois. 



<•• . 



KS^'An extraordinary head of six 

 rowed barley was discovered in Yuba 

 county, California, in 1854. Tiie pro- 

 duct the next year, with the increase, 

 till last spring, was own, and the crop 

 the past summer amounted to 5,440 



bushels. 



..«»■ . — — — 



Good Crop of Sweet Potatoes. — 

 M. A. Low, of Madison county, the pre- 

 sent year, on one-fourth of an acre of 

 land raised one hundred and one bush- 

 els and three pecks of sweet potatoes. 

 "The potato plants were set out on 

 ridges, eighteen inches apart, and the 

 ridges three feet from each other, — 

 next scraped, then plowed down, and 

 throAvn back and hoed no more till dug." 

 Who can do better than this? 



JK^"°Osage Orange Hedge can be set 

 in the fall. Generally the farmer has 

 some spare time now which can be given 

 to that purpose. 



•••.- 



E®°'Tender roses should be protected 

 as soon as there is a freeze. Lay them 

 down, cover them over with leaves, and 

 lay a board over them. 



f<^A farmer stated to the writer 



that his land, plowed with the Double 



Michigan Plow, yielded from fifteen to 



twenty-five bushels of corn more than 



his ground plowed with the common 



plow. 



<•» 



Jg^S^The Chinese double-flowering 

 peach, when in blossom, is very beauti- 

 ful. The flowers are double, and resem- 

 ble the flower of the Camelia. What is 

 strange, these trees often produce dou- 

 ble peaches, though not of good quality. 

 >•. 



l^^S^" There is a shrub growing on the 



Rocky Mountains that produces a fruit 



like a small apple, very red, and eatable. 



It might be improved by cultivation. 

 .*. 



]KF"Montana is the name of a new 

 "Yankee town," at Pike's Peak. There 

 is gold there, but as everywhere else, 



the man who gets it must work for it. 



t»m 



KS'The Chinese sugar does not suc- 

 ceed well in New York. No matter, 

 Illinois can supply New York with all 

 the siveetcning she wants within the 



next five years. 



*t 



J§@"There is a great scarcity of veg- 

 etables in this market. Of cabbages, 

 there are but few, and are sold at 8 and 

 10 cents each, and potatoes at 80 cents 

 per bushel. 



a*. 



J^fS^Farming tools of every descrip- 

 tion should be placed under cover for 

 the winter. They wUl lose 25 per cent 

 of their value by being exposed to the 

 weather. 



40, 



jlg@=°The Country Gentleman has of- 

 fered a reward of §500 to any person 

 who Avlll bring to that office a root of 

 wheat on which stalks of chess and 

 wheat are growing — the person claiming 

 the award to deposit $100 as forfeit, in 

 case he does not make his claim good. 



-••.- 



l^:^The Delaware Grape ripens some 

 weeks before the Isabella and has a 

 most agreeable flavor. It is the best 

 American grape known. 



• 



