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THE ILLINOIS FA^RJNIER. 



313 



a given space of ground as he saw grow- 

 ing of this kind. 



Elypse — early, bright scarlet, on up- 

 right stalks, clean and beautiful. 



Minerva — very estimable in quality, 

 produces more than t\Yice AVilson's Al- 

 bany. 



Imperial Scarlet — large, bright scar- 

 let, firm for market, upright stalks. 



Perfumed Pine — seedling of Burr's 

 Pine, obtuse cone, very large, bright 

 scarlet, sweet, juicy, high flavor, plant 

 vigorous, very productive, combines more 

 valuable qualities than any other berry. 



Ilovey — qualities well known. 

 Malvina — same qualities as Hovey, 

 but more productive, brighter color, 

 better flavor, and one week earlier. 



Globose Scarlcc — large, rounded, 

 very productive. 



Florence — very large, conical, splen- 

 did scarlet, fine flavor, vigorous, very 

 productive, valuable. 



Prince's Globose — a late variety, very 

 large, scarlet, moderate flavor, very 

 productive and vigorous, ripens twelve 

 days after the general crop, and 

 therefore valuable as a late market 

 fruit. 



The following are the six best Stara- 

 inate varieties for field culture, in stools 

 with the runners cut oJ0f, thus entailing, 

 howerer, additional expense, besides 

 leaving much of the ground unoccu- 

 pied; 



Scarlet Prize — very large, fine flavor, 

 bright scarlet, productive. 



Wilson's Albany — qualities well 

 known. 



Sirius — monstrous size, light orange 

 scarlet, splendid. 



Barry's extra — fine flavor, light scar- 

 let. 



Primate — each flower produces a fruit, 

 bright crimson, moderate flavor, showy 

 for market. 



Montrose — very large, splendid, pro- 

 ductive, estimable. 



Varieties preferable for families, be- 

 ing of finest flavor — Le Baron, Ladies' 

 Pine, McAvoy's Superior, Sirius, Loug- 



worth's Prolific, Ward's Favorite, Glo- 

 bose Swainstono,Fragrant Scarlet, Hook- 

 er, Imperial Crimson, Minerva, Scarlet 

 Prize, Perfumed Pine. 



Cheat. 

 The Oregon farmer contains several 

 articles in reference to the vexed ques- 

 tion — "Does wheat turn to cheat.'' — 

 In one of those articles it is stated that 

 the subject, several years since, Was 

 settled in this county — tufts of "wheat 

 having been found and exhibited on 

 •ndiich there was growing wheat and 

 cheat. We have known cases where 

 roots of wheat, in which were embraced 

 the foliage, stalks and seed of cheat, 



were triumphantly shown, and which 

 on dissection, were found to contain 

 roots of cheat, separate and distinct 

 from wheat. Some fifteen years age 

 we were authorized to oflFer a reward 

 for a plant from the roots of which 

 should be found growing cheat and 

 wheat. The subject excited at the 

 time great interest. W^e have no doubt 

 that much diligence was used to obtain 

 the plant for which the reward was 

 offered. Finally, one was brought from 

 Christian countv, and the fortunate 

 discoverer claimed the reward. As we 

 were interested in the matter — and as 

 we Avished that there should be a just 

 and correct solution, Col. Wm. F. El- 

 kin, a well known citizen and farmer, 

 then sheriff, and now residing in this 

 city, was called in and the plant put in- 

 to his hands for dissection. With the 

 utmost care he dissected it and found 

 that there were two distinct plants pres- 

 ent, one of cheat and the other of 

 wheat. Every man present (and 

 there Were several,) concurred in this 

 opinion. We think that the impression 

 of our friend, the wri.er in the Oregon 

 Farmer, was based on the rumor that 

 the plant from Christian county (which 

 rumor was in circulation before the 

 examination) had solved the problem, and 

 which was differently solved subsequent- 

 ly by examination. Our impressions 

 are strong and decided, that wheat does 

 not turn to cheat — and that cheat comes 

 comes from the seed of cheat. Let 

 farmers thoroughly purify their wheat 

 when sown, from cheat, and we appre- 

 hend they will not be troubled with it.^ 

 Mr. J. Johnson, of Senoca coun- 

 ty, New York, a distinguished and ex- 

 tensive farmer, says that he has had no 

 cheat on his farm for twenty yen rs -six 

 years, and for the reason that he has 

 not sowed it. 



Blackberries. 



These are a very popular wild fruit 

 of Illinois. But the wild crop is uncer- 

 tain. A lonfir droucrht at the season of 

 their maturing will dry up the fruit, 

 make it small, sour and disagreeable. — 

 Can we not have this fruit, in the sea- 

 son, always in perfection ? 



This question can be easily consider- 

 ed. The blackberry blossoms late, and 

 is not injured by frosts. The fiuit, as 

 a general fact always sets thick. 



Persons who have gathered wild 

 blackberries have often noticed that the 

 largest, fairest, sweetest, best, are usu- 

 ally found growing in the shade. Some- 

 times bushes can can be found on which 

 the sun never shines, and these will be 

 loaded with the richest fruit. These 

 facts furnish useful instruction for the 

 cultivation of the blackberry. 



Mark the plants of good varieties in 

 the summer as they show fruit. In the 

 fall dig them up. Plant them in your 

 garden or orchard in hills four feet apart, 

 and forget not this important rule — 

 plant them so that but little if any 

 sun will shine upon them, and 

 in rich, loamy earth. The second year 

 the plants will bo loaded with fruit; and 

 you can go out with a basket when the 

 fruit is ripe, and can gather in a few 

 minutes, fresh and fair specimens, for 

 making pies or puddings; and with more 

 time, you can gather enough to can for 

 winter. And in winter canned, they 

 retain their full and rich flavor. 



Who will do this thing? Who will 

 add to to the pleasures of a farm life 



by adding this to their best fruits? 



«•» . — _ ■ 



Attendance at Fairs. 

 Attendance at Fairs should be made 

 useful. This can always be done. To 

 attend a Fair and hurry through the 

 different departments without investigat- 

 ing the use and value of the articles ex- 

 hibited, may be amusing, but will be of 

 little service. Let a man go to the 

 Fair, examine the horses, mules, cattle, 

 hogs, sheep, fruits, vegetables, cereals, 

 agricultural implements, &c., &e., until 

 he caji get a definite idea of them, can 

 fix their appearance and value upon his 

 mind, and investigate and understand 

 their advantages over the stock and ce- 

 reals and implements, ttc, to which he 

 is accustomed, and thus give his mind 

 food for thought and reflection. Goino- 

 to Fairs under such circumstances, will 

 be a benefit to every man who aims at 

 obtaining information which will be use- 

 ful to him. There is much of humbuw 

 in all branches of business; but the in- 

 telligent farmer, with a right use of his 

 faculties, can separate the useful from 

 that which is of no value. Much prof^ress 

 has in latter years been made in Ajiri- 

 culture. That farmer who will not ac- 

 knowledge this fact, is behind the times. 

 There arc few farmers of this description, 



