264: 



THE ILLIISrOIS FA-I^MEH. 



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SPFI IVCJFI EL.D, MAY 1, 1859. 



The Potaloe Crop. 

 The value of the potatoe crop is rarely 

 estimated by our farmers. Witliiu the 

 last fifteen years, the consumption has 

 been greatly increased. It is an accep- 

 table food in all forms in which it is 

 prepared at every meal. It ougJit to be 

 a cheap food ; and if it Trere cheap, it 

 would greatly lessen the expenses of 

 families. A few years ago there seem- 

 ed to be no difficulty in procuring good 

 crops in Central Illinois. They were 

 rarely affected by the rot, and their qual- 

 ity was excellent. The pink eyes and 

 the Irish Greys were the leading varie- 

 ties, and they were of good size and as 

 fine as could be desired. Afterwards 

 other varieties were introduced — such as 

 the Boston Blues, White Neshannocks, 

 Mercers, Peach Blows, Kidneys, Jackson 

 Red Eye, White Mexicans — several of 

 which proved to be good, though the 

 seasons were'unfavorable, and some are 

 yet on probation, promising well. 



. We do believe that potatoes can yet 

 he made a productive crop in Central Ill- 

 inois. • Probably grounds the second year 

 from the prairie would suit them best, 

 but if old grounds are well managed 

 they can be made to yield : well. The 

 feeding grounds of stock — the use of 

 which may be dispensed with in sum- 

 mer — make valuable grounds for pota- 

 toes. These grounds are usually dry — 

 (they ought to be so) ; they become rich 

 by the deposits of manure — the weeds, 

 except, perhaps, "Jimsons," are mostly 

 destroyed — and when properly plowed 

 and harrowed are light and in the best 

 order. They may be laid off in drills by 

 the plow ; the seed potatoes cut so as 

 not to leave more than two eyes to the 

 piece (one is quite as well) and these 

 pieces planted in the drills six inches 

 apart and covered with the plow. The 

 cultivator plowing through between the 

 rows will destroy most of the weeds, and 

 if they appear in the drills they must be 

 pulled out by hand. We have known 

 good crops raised on such prepared 

 ground, and with very reasonable ex- 

 pense. Many farmers undoubtedly have 

 other systems of raising potatoes, which 

 are successful. 



The public generally are greatly in- 



terested in this crop. It is wanted for 

 home consumption. Twenty-live and 

 thirty cents per bu;>hel pays well whcrc- 

 evcr good crops can be had by ordinary 

 culture. AVithin a few of the last years 

 the cities of Central Illinois have been 

 .supplied with this esculent from the 

 Northern part of the State, at a price 

 ranging from seventy-five cents to two 

 dollars per bushel. 



The amount of consumption in our 

 cities is rarely calculated. For instance 

 in Sangamon county, there is a city 

 which would naturally receive her sup- 

 plies from the County, of 15,000 inhab- 

 itants. Would not the consumption av- 

 erage five bushels to each individual, if 

 they could be had as plentifully as de- 

 sired ? If so, here is a demand, alone, 

 in the city of Springfield, for 75,000 

 bushels of potatoes ! What a valuable 

 market for the farmers of Sangamon 

 county ? 



These facts suggest other thoughts. 

 The population of this country is increas- 

 ing more rapidly than farm productions 

 designed for consumption at home. It is 

 a fact well known to every housekeeper 

 that many of the productions of the farm 

 required for the consumption of families, 

 are with difficulty obtained, at fair living 

 prices — we mean prices which families 

 can afford to pay, and which ought to 

 pay producers well. Here, in Spring- 

 field, butter is bringing 35 cents per 

 pound, and quick at that price ; pota- 

 toes §1 40 per bushel ; corn meal $1 

 cents per bushel ; Hour $3 per hundred 

 pounds ; lard 12-J cents per pound; ap- 

 ples $2 per bushel ; white beans §1 60 

 cents per bushel ; hams 12 J cents per 

 pound, &c., &c. 



Look at our fertile lands, our rich pas- 

 tures, and ask why is this ? We know 

 that we shall be told of the bad sea- 

 sons and failure of crops. Then we 

 ask you to visit the farmer — who has 

 a farm of 160 acres — and half of that 

 well improved — who cultivates many sta- 

 ples — has his small dairy — a reasonable 

 number of hogs and other stock — who 

 has ft goad sized potatoe patch, works it 

 well- -who has a reasonable number of 

 acres of corn, one who drains his ground 

 and cultivates well — look over his mead- 

 ows, where he gets a good yield of tim- 

 othy — his acres of Hungarian grass — 

 all these and other crops well cared for 

 — who does not pine and grumble in bad 

 weather, but always has some profitable 

 employment, and you will find even now 

 that such farmers are holding their own 

 and many of them are making money. 



These crops, these products, are main- 

 ly neglected by those who seek to fill 

 their purses by raising their hundreds of 

 acres of wheat and corn. They are not 

 satisfied with small and handsome gains, 

 and living comfortably and in a 

 plain way, living independently. They 



want to cultivate large fields, counting 

 by hundreds of acres — looking for large 

 crops and fortunes at once ! How sad- 

 ly arc many disappointed. Their large 

 fields cannot be relied on for crops until 

 they are drained, and they cannot be 

 drained from the profits of the crops 

 raised upon them, without draining, for 

 years, if ever. 



aa^ : — 



The Rohin. 



Notwithstanding the general regard 

 the public have for the Robin, many fruit 

 growers within the last few years have 

 imbibed great prejudices against him, 

 regarding him as of very serious injury 

 to fruits. At a meeting of the Massa- 

 chusetts Horticultural Society, in Janu- 

 ary, 1858, a resolution was offered by 

 E. S. Rand, jr., to the effect that a pe- 

 tition be presented to the State Legisla- 

 ture for the repeal of the laws which 

 prohibit the taking and killing of this 

 bird. 6n the presentation of the reso- 

 lution, an animated discussion took place 

 — the result of which was that a commit- 

 tee was appointed to make a thorough 

 investigation of the habits of the Robin, 

 Prof. Jenks, Chairman. 



At the last January meeting. Prof. 

 Jenks made his report to the society. — 

 His investigations were very thorough. 

 Beginning with the first week of March, 

 1858, he obtained and examined speci- 

 mens at least weekly y and most of the 

 time dailu, to December, and during the 

 winter months. The following are the 

 results reported : 



RESULTS OF INVESTIGATION. 



First. Early in March, numbers of 

 this bird made their appearance in this 

 vicinity ; but, until the second week in 

 April, only the male birds. 



Second. The gizzards of those killed 

 in the morning were, as a rule, either 

 entirely empty, or but partially distend- 

 ed with food, ivell macerated ; while 

 those killed in the latter part of the day 

 were as uniformly filled with food fresh- 

 ly taken. 



Third. From the almost daily exami- 

 nation of their gizzards, from the early 

 part of March to the first of May, not a 

 particle of vegetable matter was found 

 in the gizzard of a single bird. On the 

 contrary, insects in great variety, both 

 as to number and kind, as well as in eve- 

 ry variety of condition as to growth and 

 development, were the sole food. 



But nine-tenths of the aggregate mass 

 of food thus collected during this period 

 consisted of 07ie kind of larva, which, 

 through the aid of Baron Ostensacken, 

 Secretary of the Russian Legation at 

 Washington, 1 was enabled to identify 



