THE ILLINOIS F-ARISIER. 



233 



What is to be Done ! 



Another spring is about to return and 

 many farmers indebted to mercbants for 

 goods whicb they have used in their 

 families, are unable to pay for them; 

 merchants arc crowding farmers, and 

 merchants are being crowded by those 

 of whom they have purchased goods. — 

 What would we counsel ? 



We would counsel forbearance where 

 it is possible; but if the merchant is 

 pressed, what can he do, but press his 

 customers ? Every way psssible should 

 be used to raise money and pay as far 

 as you can; and countrymen should not 

 fall upon that unfair and injurious prac- 

 tice too often seen, ^to avoid these mer- 

 chants to whom they are indebted and 

 take what ready money they can raise 

 and go to other stores to purchase goods 

 for cash. This is a grievous wrong — 

 'tis a moral wrong — and we do not see 

 how a conscientious man can practice it. 

 Then buy what you must buy of those 

 you owe, and pay them all the money 

 you can. 



And we further say to our friends, 

 make every turn you can honestly to 

 save a penny. If necessary wear your 

 old clothes, patch them, make them last ; 

 cut oflFyour bill of groceries as much as 

 you can; — live, as far as possible, on 

 the productions of your farm. Dean 

 Swift naively said — "To-day it made 

 no difference with him whether he dined 

 on meal or veliison yesterday.'' The 

 productions of our farms will furnish 

 good and healthful food, — the industri- 

 ous housewife can double the term of 

 time for the wearing of clothing; she 

 can also furnish the best food from the 

 farm, andnteds a little of the condiments 

 found at stores to make it more desirable 

 or healthful. This system rigidly fol- 

 lowed for a time, with the coming good 

 crops — and we trust our friends will do 

 all that in them days to make good crops 

 will bring themselves and the country 

 out of the present difficulties. 



We are talking plain facts to our 

 countrymen. Let them weigh them; and 

 if they are just and true, practice them; 

 if they are wrong, disregard them. 



Gold at Pike's Peak. 

 These accounts are increasing as the 

 spring approaches, and we should not be 

 surprised, if, some months hence, we 

 should learn that many of the glowing 

 accounts we receive in the papers were 

 got up by interested persons either in the 

 towns on the route, or at .the mines, who 

 have goods to sell, and who wish to in- 

 veigle large numbers of emigrants to 



Pike's Peak. Some letters we have 

 lately seen, and statements given in 

 newspapers, impress us seriously that 

 these surmises will be found to be facts. 

 We therefore suggest caution. Ii there 

 is gold there stretching through an extent 

 of 700 miles, it will not be exhausted 

 next season, and there are enough people 

 there at present to make a thorough trial 

 of the value of the placers. Many young 

 men will go there investing there all, 

 and return much poorer than when they 

 left their homes. We are not yet satis- 

 fied that the gold placers near Pike's 

 Peak, will pay for washing. 



"The Advisory Congress." 

 Some weeks ago there was a collection 

 of gentlemen engaged in agriculture for 

 horticulture, congregated at Washington 

 from the different States, selected and 

 undefined purposes by the head of the 

 Patent Office, and paid out of the gov- 

 ernment funds. They met, as we under- 

 stand, and there was submitted to them 

 some thousand or so questions, and sub- 

 sequently they adjourned. What was 

 done, no outsider seems to know as yet. 

 The veil of mystery thrown over this 



matter, we think will be withdrawn in 

 due time. 



a 



Potatoc Cnltnre— The One-Eye System. 



The plan of raising potatoes on the 



one-eye system," is briefly this; Cut 



the potatoe in small pieces, leaving one 



eye on a piece. Plant in drills, dropping 



them from six to ten inches apart. Plow 

 and dress them as you would other pota- 

 toes. 



This plan has been very successful. 

 The crops yielded well, better than where 

 the old system was pursued in parallel 

 rows. The potatoes were all large and 

 fine. A farmer of New York says, in 

 the Country Gentleman, that with this 

 culture, " he harvested more potatoes, 

 and of a uniform size, than he had ever 

 done before on the same amount of 

 ground." A Massachusetts farmer says, 

 that *'he did not expect much from his 

 potatoes, thus planted; but he was greatly 

 disappointed. You should have seen 

 them roll out — great big fellows, many 

 of them the size of a man's double fist.'' 



We would like to secure atrial of this 

 system in Illinois. 



«0> 



LiOE ON Stook.— If your stock are 

 troubled wltli lice, now is the time to 

 kill the pest. The Homestead says: 



"Use tlic card and currycomb; to sheep 

 apply anguentum mixed on and back 

 of the ears, where they cannot possibly 

 mb it off. If your fowls are troubled 

 with lice, mix suliduu* with wood ashes 

 for them to roll in.'' 



Protection for Ont Lots. 

 Persons in cities find it inconvenient to 

 purchase and improve out-lots. Those usu- 

 ally enclose some five acres of ground. On 

 these out-lots can be grown all the fruit nec- 

 essary to furnish a family all the garden 

 crops, grass, corn and many other articles — 

 making the out-lots a highly cultivated farm 

 in miniature. Owners of such lots are often 

 annoyed by depredations, suffering great loss 

 and vexation. Now such lots can be sur- 

 rounded with hedges of the Osage Orange, 

 and be made perfectly secure from intruders. 

 They can be done in three and four years 

 from the planting of the hedge, and at a 

 moderate cost. 



Seedlings. — Here is a most interest, 

 ing field for our young farmers and am- 

 ateur cultivators. There is a charm in 

 a new flower or a new variety of fruit. 

 Our most beautiful modern flowers are 

 tlie production of hybridization, and are 

 clioice seedlings. Our best roses are 



new creations by tlie same means. And 

 we may say the same thing of many of 

 our best varieties of apples, pears and 

 peaches. And all these are chance 

 seedlings. How should we then rear 

 with care the seedKng plants and shrubs 

 and trees that come up around in our 

 gardens and grounds? True we may 

 be disappointed in ninety-nine cases out 

 of a hundred in our hopes of obtaining 

 an improved flower, shrub or fruit; but 

 we obtain a variety that will be of value 

 to the world. How much this country 

 would have lost, had Mrs. Peak ne 

 glected to rear the little grape plant 

 Avliich has proved to be such an acc[usi- 

 tion — the Itebecca Grape ? 



■ »*^ : — _ 



To Delay Flowers. — Have you a 

 cherry, apricot or peach tree from whicli 

 you have a strong desire to obtain fruit? 

 This can be often done by delaying the 

 flowers; and this can be efiected by 

 covering the ground under the tree 

 when it is severely frozen, by a heavy 

 coating of wheat straw, and" covering 

 that straw with plank, so that rains can- 

 not reach it. Let this covering remain 

 until danger from frost has past. The 

 tree will then flower, and will be likely 

 to obtain fruit. 



■«•>- 



What is a F.ujmeb ?— The Home- 

 stead answers this question. The farmer 

 is the man who inaiuiges the farm. He 

 is the one who does the thinkln<j and 

 planning. There is great pleasure in 

 thinkiniT, reasoning, planning, and hav- 

 ing all tilings come round right. There 

 are a great many farmers in the world 

 who are only laborers on their own 

 farms. Boys ! don't grow up to belong 

 to this class, but read and tliink. 



