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THE ILLII^TOIS PWI^MEIi, 



189 



Bc&t Ground for Orciiards. 



Editor of fh<; Farmer: — I notice an in- 

 quiry by "M." in the November uunibcr of 

 the Farmer respecting the proper soil for 

 jm orchard. He says : "On my farm I have 

 black loam, some a little inclined to sand, and 

 some barrens in which there is a large inter- 

 mixture of clay. The black soil is level prai- 

 rie, sandy on ridges, the barrens on high 

 land." it is difficult to tell which of these 

 soils would be best for an orchard without 

 seeing them. In this section T should pre- 

 fer the high barrens, providing it is of a good 

 corn soil. Barrens that are high and little 

 rolling are the best for an orchard. The fruit 

 crop is more certain on high land than low. 

 Black prairie soil is good ior orchard if it is 

 sufficiently dry at all seasons of the year; trees 

 on such soil will grow more vigorously and 

 not fruit so young as those on barren 

 land. Our own orchard is in the edge of the 

 barrens, and is the admiration of all that see 

 it. The oldest part, 200 trees, arc 12 years 

 since set; the balance, making 1,700 trees, 

 have been set the last two, three and four 

 years, many of them just ready to fruit. If 

 you tliink 3Ir. 31. will be benefitted by this 

 you can publish it or any part. 

 Yours trulv, 

 _ YEIUIY ALDPJCII. 



The Physical Training of Giils. 



It is a matter of common observation that 

 Endlish women belon<;;ing to the higher classex 

 unite with their mei.tal uccnnipli^hments a far 

 greater robustness and stretinth of physicul 

 constitution than are upually found in tt.e 



females of this country, arid all are ready to 

 admit that the hnman form, in classic an> 

 tiqiiity, fur exceeded in the perfection of pym- 

 nietry and vijjor the rrdinary development of 

 the present dny. The race that pave to the 

 world a Venus and an Apoilo is still regarded 

 as furnifhinji the best examples of physical 

 stretigih and beauty; and perhaps those who 

 tire familiar with the pocial customs of the 

 ancient world will concede that thi^ perfection 

 was the result (f the systematic training and 

 exercise <if the body, then made an essential 

 part of education. In the a;j;ea of chivalry, 

 too, when a man held it a jireater honor to ex- 

 cel in feats of arms than in scholarship, we 



read of wonderful achievements of physical 

 etrenjith. But all the lessons ot the world's ex- 

 perieoces in such matters serm to hiive been 

 lo^t in our modern civilization, at le:i>^t in 

 America. Look at the women of our hijiher 

 ci-cles, witli their thin and willowy forms, their 

 pale and sallow faces, their inability to endure 

 the .-I'ghtest exposure or fatigue. Obi^erre in 

 all classes how early the cheek loses its vouth- 

 *ul freshness; how ci inmon are complaints of 

 "delicate hi-alth;" how uriiver:-al the appear* 

 anceof frajiilily. It is true that public atten- 

 tion has, within a few ypars. been in a dejiree 

 awakened to this subject; but as the iijilit in 

 Milton's infernal pri^on only served to make 

 darkness visible, so this attention has only ex- 

 posed the ut:er and fatal nejdoct of the duty — 

 u I'e^lect almost everywhere apparent. 



It a paiioraniii? view of the evils growing out 

 of neglect of the proper physsical training ot 

 children could be presented, tha hormr and 

 alarm created l>y such a t-urvey- wou'd drive 

 lond parents into tlie adoption (f a lictter sys 

 tern. Mothers who now compel their infant 

 (.ff-piing to live as prisoners, pir.inff in vain for 

 fre^h air ar-.d invijiorating exercise, because 

 Mary or Biddy can not find time to take tiiem 

 out, would not only make the servant perform 

 this duty every day, letting the house work gi 

 rather than omit it, but would make some ar- 



little ones allowed to play half the day out of 

 do'TS, running and wrest liog "at their own 

 sweet will " need no gymria>ia to develops their 

 strength : but city hrcd unfortunates will be 

 benetitted by Cali^thenic practice. The increase 

 o( institutions for this purpose is a g lod t-ign. 

 A lady vtIio presides over a large one in this 

 city, appropriated cxilusivelv to womea, and 

 where there are now thirty invalids informed 

 us she received three years and a half old, and 

 would whrrant the manifest imjirovemetit of 

 the'r heal'h in three months Atnusement she 

 aiakes an es^en'ial e'emtnt of t()c>e exenises ; 

 for as nil the muscles of the body shiuli be 

 brought into play, the powers of the mind, so 

 intimately and iiiysteriou-ly connec cd with 

 the t.hy»ical frame, should not be inactive. 



We would advocate, ()r rather insist upon, 

 the attachment of a gymnasium to every school; 

 and if one were in every hou^e, it would trove 

 an actual saving "f more than i's co-t, in phy- 

 sicians' bdls, aiedieines and nurs^es' wages. A 

 frolic every dny with the "recliniog board" or 

 the "parallel bare," would put to flight many 

 juvenile ailments, banish the physio bottles 



from the t^heif, and plied a glow «if cheerfulnet-.s 

 throughout the household. The bencfit-t that 

 would result to the community and to lutnre 

 generations from such a system are absoiu'elv 

 rangement f )r more thorough exercise of all 

 the limbs than a mere walk can furnish. The 

 incalculable 



The evils of a hot bed education, where euU 

 ture of the mind is attotiipted, with neglect of 

 physical development, are not so universally 

 reciigniz'-d as they should he. The (dd adage — 

 "mens Sana in copure sano" — shows the ancient 

 climate of the parallel culture of hody and 

 brain. The dependence ot ihe integrity of the 

 brain on the health of the body — the neeii that 

 organ has of rest as well as exertion, ought ever 

 t.) be borne in mind. Nature should be allow- 

 ed her bent in harmonizing the employment of 

 the intellect with physical activity, by alternate 

 exercise. And no school deserves patronage 

 wliere this suf^ject has not had due coneidera- 

 lion. 



Jr was never desi;ined by our Creator that 

 the life of a human being should be made mis*' 

 erahle by ill health. Strict observance of his 

 wi^e laws will secure health; indeed, we would 

 not be afraid to fay tba*^^ any child born of 

 healthj pa-ents, allowed abundance of exercise 

 in the open air through childhood, and pre-erv- 

 ed in y< uth in-m irjurinus habits, may be sure 

 of immunity f n m disease, till nature's great 



debt becomes due in the cuurse of events. En- 



tiie f.-eedom fnon headache-* atid indigestion, 

 with its train of disease-', will be his portion 

 » liMse early Id'e has hai this judicious training. 

 Thitik of this, mothers and teachers, we entreat 

 you ! and when you opine that an infant "must 

 have worms," or note svuiptmis of languor in 

 a pupil — ask yourself if the young creature is 

 not ^ulferillg from privytioii of ihe bles^ings 

 God gives freely to the poorest, ai;d which can 

 not je denied without entailing a train of mis- 

 eries upon such a yiortion of life as your nt-g- 

 lect mav have to the child under your care. — 

 N. Y. Express. v 



f;?^Tho fall season has been much 

 against tree planting. It is not a very 

 good plan to plant trees so as to have 

 their roots stand in water all winter. 

 They Lad better be heele<l-in in a dry 

 garden. Tliis is done by digging a 

 trench, placing their roots into it about 

 a foot in depth, and filling in the fine 

 earth, so that the earth Avill come into 

 contact with all the roots. 



From the Illinois Journal, Dec. 1. 

 The Hog Bussiness. 



During the hist w( ek the hog business has 

 been prosecuted in this place with considerable 

 activity. The weather, however, has been un- 

 fiivoralile a great part of the timr, being almost 

 too mild for t-afc; operations, while the rain and 

 the impassable condition of the roads have been 

 a serious drawback to business. 



II. Jacoby reports that he has op to thi-sdate 

 packed 11,000 hogs and has now 1,000 in the 

 pens, with 4,000 contracted (or and yet to ar* 

 rive. ■ , ■ . ■ ■■■ "■'"■'-. ;''C. - -'. :'/ 



J. L Lamb reports that he has packed 10,- 

 000 with two thousand now in the pens, and 

 4 000 to arrivi. 



The price for good h^gs remaic.8 at $5@,5,- 

 50 net. dividing on 200 pounds. 



The St. Loui-i Democrat of yesterday, Rays: 

 The weather is too warm for packing, ut.d lew 

 only are offering. Only one slauirhter house 

 going tosday. Iloldeis are lirm at 6j<(/t:',62C, 



and buyers i>Ser 6(a,&\(f, dividing on 2U0tt>s. — 

 A few were taken yesterday at the first figures, 

 but no sales were reported this morning. 



The Louisville Journal of the C7th, says : The 

 market continues bii yant; but few sales have 

 transpired. Alt of 1700 heavy hi.;rs sold on 

 Wednesdav at S6,75. and ve-terday 100 head at 

 SO GO. and 200 head at .SG,G5. 

 j ;The number killed up to last evening, around 

 tlie Falls, was over 100,000 head, and nearly 

 all the pens were full. The number estimated 

 to be kil'ed around the Palls this season will 

 not exceed 280,000 head. It is generally be- 

 lieved that the season here will close by the 

 lOih proximo. 



In cotifirmation t)f what we have already 

 mentioned, in regard to the great falling off in 



the weight of hogs in Indiana. Illinois, end all 

 the N rth Western States, we are enabled to 

 state, from a lettei from Springfield, III., that 

 KOOO Jiog-* killed there this season, show a fall" 

 ingofof 30 pounds per head over last jear'a 

 weight. 



The Cincinnati Gazette, of Saturday, says: 



"We be.nrd I f no sales of extra he ivy above .?6.- 

 75@.6 80, although holders to av_ry ctmsider- 

 able extent asked SG 75 for the former and $7 

 for the latter. 



Last year, for the week ending December 1st, 

 the receipts were 36 172. and tlic total fur the 

 season to that date 9.5.(lKl, This season, the 



leceipfs so far are 187 8'2I. 



The Chicago Press and Tribune of Saturday, 



sa\s- 



' The receirds of hogs, live and dressed, for 

 the last hirtv eight hours, foot up 10,258 The 

 market fur live hogs is quiet, with .•■carcelv any 

 demand f 'r light hogs, which seem to prepon- 

 derate. Heavy hog-^, however, hnld their (,wn, 

 and the yards are pretty wp'l cleaned out. — 

 Sales cf heavv, range fr nn ?-i 55 to §4 75 gross 

 and I'ght sit S-J(a;.4 20 jiross. 



The c ntiiiued mill wea'her operates against 

 Dressed Uog^, and the m u-ket is not so bri^k. 

 Light Hogs range from 5^4 75f?f5 and s'ow sales 

 at tha.f ; and heavy hogs at So AO(ab GO 



At Decatur, 11., a place well si-uafed forre- 

 ceiving hogs l>j rai mad, the C/irotiicle nf 

 Thursday says 000 head havp 1 « on packed 

 this season, and that over $100,000 his been 

 paid out there the yiresent month for II *gii. — 

 Ab.iut .*5@5 50 net is paid. 



At F<kin, III., oh Friday, p-iekers were busy: 

 hgs arriving rapdly and selling at J5 50. — 

 Beef packing was also under way,§\2 grvss atsd 

 !?4 net being pa d for catllCi 



J8©^The last season in man^r orcha-ds 

 at the East, the apple \vas attacked by 

 the curculio insect, and the fruit des- 

 troyed.; ; ■■ 



