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234 



THE ILLINOIS F^HIMEH. 



"A Great Corn Year." 



" This will be the greatest corn year 

 ever seen in Illinois," said a farmer to 

 us a few days ago.'' **And why?" 

 * • Because every fanner I see expresses 

 that opinion, and his determination to 

 raise all he possibly can himself." "But 

 can you grow cgrn if the season is as bad 

 as the last." "We'll try. We could 

 have raised more than we did last year, 

 if we bad worked with more energy. 

 Why, I know farmers who didn't plant 

 their ground till near July, and raised 

 good corn — far better than the average 

 of corn the year previous." 



We like to hear this talk. If every 

 farmer feels right and works right, there 

 will be a wonderful crop of corn the com- 

 ing season. 



"Where are the pigs and other stock 

 to eat it ?" 



" Ho ! FOR Pike's Peak! '' — We un- 

 derstand that in some of our neighboring 

 towns, among those who will emigrate to 

 Pike's Peak, the coming spring, there 

 are some persons who design to turn 

 their attention to farming. These farm- 

 ers, of course, wish to make farms pro- 

 ductive at once. They can grow but 

 little the first year, if prairie is broken 

 up in the ordinary manner. But prairie 

 can be so broken up this spring, as to 

 make it equal and even superior for pro- 

 duction to old land ! This can be done 

 by using the double Michigan plow. 

 This plow will cut eight and ten inches 

 deep. The first plow will cut oft' two 

 inches, or more, depth of the turf, lay ft 

 in the bottom of the furrow, and the 

 other plow will cover it so deep that it 

 will give no further trouble, and cover it 

 with well pulverized earth, so that crops 

 of corn, potatoes, or anything else grown 

 in rich soil, will succeed just as well or 

 better than on old land. This plow is no 

 experiment Thousands have used it, 

 and all will concur in these facts. We 

 therefore say to those who intend to 

 make gold by farming at Pike's Peak, 

 that you cannot dispense with the Michi- 

 gan double plow. 



-•«'- 



A Talk ahout Fruit Trees. 



"Well, Mr. B , I want to sell you 



some fruit trees, pear trees, peach trees, 

 cherry trees, apricot trees, gooseberries, 

 currants, blackberries, roses, ilowering 

 shrubs, ornamental trees, ornamental 



shrubs " 



" For heaven's sake stop. I have 

 bought of you before, and 1 would just 

 like to have you see my trees. They 

 are not more*^ than half a mile off, and 

 you know I bought of you two hundred 

 apple trees, which you told mo were in 

 lino order, and would bear frnit enough 

 in three years to pay for themselves and 



all the expenses of planting and taking 

 care of them. Come ! I'm ijlad to see 

 you ! come, let us go and look at the 

 trees !" 



" I have n't a great deal of time to 

 spare just now. But can't I sell you 

 some trees? I can let you have the best 

 you ever saw. Green and line, and 

 sorts that sell at double price in 'New 

 York." 



"Come! come! Xcver mind talking 

 about your present stock of trees. Let 

 us go and see my new orchard, and 

 then well speak about buying more 

 trees." 



" I have n't time now ; but will call 



again ! " 



^'■'li' you do call again, I will not let 



you off as I have this time!" [Tree 



pedlar moves off.] 



<■» 



Hedge Growers Manual. — "A treatise 

 on the theory and utility of Live Fencing ; 

 its necessity and particular adaptation to the 

 prairies of the West, comprising the thorough 

 directions and all the latest improvements in 

 the cultivation, completion and after treat- 

 ment of the Hedge. By C. 11. Overman, of 

 Blooniington, President of the Illinois State 

 Horticultural Society. Third edition, re- 

 vised and enlarged. Springfield : Lanphier 

 & Conner, printers, 1858.^' 



We have examined this work, and find 

 that the contents fully sustain the statements 

 in the title page of the work, above quoted. 

 That farmer who has this publication need 

 go no farther for information in regard to 

 the history of the Osage Orange plant, and 

 of the necessary attention to make of the 

 plant a perfect hedge, entirely sufficient to 

 answer all the purposes of a good fence. 



Peas. — Many farmers are deterred 



from raising peas, because they suppose 



they must always be "bushed.'' This is 



not necessary. All varieties are sown 



in England broadcast. They should be 



plowed in. They produce well thus cul- 

 tivated; but no doubt the yield would be 

 larger if bushes were planted for the 



peas to run on. 



<*. 



IIaedy Perpetual Roses. — People 

 will be disappointed in these roses un- 

 less they give them thorough cidtiva- 

 tion. They require the richest soil, and 

 as sof)n as the first bloom is over, they 

 should be cut back to two or three buds 

 to insure late flowering. Madam Laft'ay 

 is an exception to this rule, but that will 

 do better to be cut back after its June 



flowers have lallen. 



.*• — i^ 



DoT^.s DiiAixixG Pay. — An enterpris- 

 ing gardener about a year ago purchased 

 tive acres of land near this city at $200 

 an acre. It was immediately under- 

 drained; and last season he raised crops 

 of vegetables upon the land sufficient to 

 pay for it. Does draining pay ? 



From an Inquiring Lad. 



Mr. Editor : For two years we have failed 

 in some of our leading crops. I am told 

 that it did not use to be so. I have heard 

 our neighbors, who have been fanners for a 

 great many years, say that until within some 

 few years past, (except the noted year of the 

 of the deep snow,) they always made good 

 crops, and that they took no more pains in 

 making crops, than they do now. I do 

 not understand why this is so. I wish I did. 

 I have talked about it and thought about it 

 a good deal, and I cannot satisfy myself anj 

 other way, than to suppose the seasons have 

 changed and that these changes are against 

 the success of our common modes of farming. 

 Now, what do you think on this subject? 

 Am I right ? If I am right, we must im- 

 prove our farming if we expect to get good 

 crops. I am young, have read some in the 

 agricultural papers, but yet do not know 

 what is best to be done. I want to be a 

 progressive farmer — that is, I want to im- 

 prove as a farmer, for I know no other busi- 

 ness. James H. 



We hope that some of our farmers will be 

 kind enough to reply to this young man. It 

 does seem strange that this country, which 

 was formerly so prolific in crops, should now 

 fail in producing good crops so often. The 

 fact is, nevertheless, so. We may probably 

 charge the misfortunes to the seasons. Cer- 

 tainly our fields are as rich as they ever were. 

 But we can greatly improve production. To 

 do it, we must cultivate well. AVe must 

 drain our lands so that water will not destroy 

 our crops. We are now cultivating what 

 used to be considered wet lands. To make 

 them produce well, we repeat, they must be 

 drained. If we were to be called on for our 

 opinion what is best to be done to insure good 

 crops, we should say, plow deep, cultivate 

 well and drain your land. If the question 

 should he repeated, we should still answer, 

 plow deep, cultivate well and drain your 

 land. Thousands of acres of wheat will be 

 lost in this country the present season, be- 

 cause the wheat was not put in well and the 

 land not drained. Thousands of acres of 

 land in Sangamon county, were not planted 

 last year in corn, because the laud was not 

 drained. We tell our young friend, that if 

 he will drain his land so that the water can 

 run off', and will cultivate well, forty-nine 

 times out of fifty, he can make good crops. 

 This word "drain" should never be forgot- 

 ten by a farmer who wishes to make good 

 crops and carry on profitable farming. 



Editor Farmer: — Is there any way 

 to grow field peas so that they shall be 

 free from bugs ? M. 



[It is said that if they are planted or 

 sown late, the bug will not trouble them. 

 Of this, however, we are not certain. If 

 sown or planted late, they must be cov- 

 ered with at least five inches of earth.] 



