THE ILLINOIS FA-HnVIER. 



47 



Bethlehemitb. — We have copied the 

 above cut from Elliott, as our specimens 

 were all above medium siie. The tree 

 is an upright, vigorous grower, and ex- 

 ceedingly productive. J. W. Wakeman, 

 of Cottage jHill, Du Page county, has 

 fruited it several years, and it has not 

 failed of a large crop. Size, medium ; 

 roundish, flattened; color pale yellow 

 ground, striped, and shaded with bright 

 red, dotted with irregular brown dots and 

 covered with a bloom, which is easily 

 rubbed off; flesh yellowish white, tender, 

 with a mild sub acid juice and pleasant 

 flavor. Keeps well until April. "We 

 esteem it highly valuable for hardiness, 

 thrift, early and constant bearing and 

 good quality. 



We have no trees of it for. sale, but 

 will be happy to send our friends scions 

 and buds for trial. 



There are many varieties of apples 

 that have proved valuable, but unfortu- 

 nately only a few trees have been set out, 

 and hence the attention of fruit growers 

 has not been called to them. Nursery 

 men do not have them for sale as yet, 

 and they are passed by. In our orchard 

 at Leyden we have several specimens of 

 this kind, which we intend to bring for- 

 ward for further trial. Among these we 

 have two trees of the 



Newtown SpiTZBNBERa, a drawing of 

 which we give above. This fruit some- 

 what resembles the above, but it is dis- 

 tinct. Hodge sent it out under the name 

 of Tandeveer, and Downing calls it New 

 York Vandeveer. The tree is hardy and 

 productive, and the fruit of an excellent 

 quality ; keeps until March. The tree 

 is a good grower; and has produced good 

 annual crops ; it is not so early a bearer 



as we could wish, being in this respect 

 like the Yellow Bellilower. 



Both of these fruits we are working 

 largely into our orchard, and feel confi- 

 dent that they will not disappoint us. 

 We will here say thfct in putting out our 

 Orchard (now 30 acres,) we have made 

 such selections as we have found from 

 personal observation to be the best adap- 

 ted to prairie culture, without regard to 

 the endorsements of conventions. In a 

 convention it would be improper to re- 

 commend a fruit known only to one or 

 two persons, but in our own case we 

 can consistently adopt that which our 

 own experience has told us is safe. It 

 is individual experience that we want, 

 not the votes of conventions that have 

 been carried away by the eloquence of 

 some enthusiastic admirer of a special 

 fruit that has happened to please his 

 fancy. 



part of the State will not complain of 

 the space occupied by the above, and to 

 those at the south who do not grow this 

 grain, we can only propose to make 

 amends by giving them a chapter on the 

 culture of winter wheat, in the proper 

 season. We have grown spring wheat 

 nearly every season since 1840, and the 

 above are our practical views of the 



subject. — Ed. 



<#, . 



Vetches. 

 Editor Illinois Faemee: — In Ire- 

 land, farmers grow vetches for soiling 

 hogs, cattle, &c., in the summer. There 

 are two varieties, the winter and spring; 

 the winter vetches are sown broadcast 

 early in the fall, and come in about the 

 middle of May, the other variety is 

 sown early in the spring, and come in 

 about a month later. Although we have 

 plenty of grass about that time in Illi- 

 nois, in some districts farmers are 

 obliged to keep their animals in a dry 

 lot or small pasture, owing to the in- 

 different fences; moreover, the best breed 



of hogs in a short time become prairie 

 aligators when allowed to roam in frog 

 ponds, &c. 



If farmers in Sangamon have not 

 given vetches a trial, there is time to get 

 a little seed, and the house of William 

 Wilson, Limerick City, Ireland, w^ould 

 be a likely place to procure it from. 



One acre of vetches will feed more 

 than three acres of oats, and it leaves 

 the ground in good order for wheat. 



F. Calhane. 



Christian Co., Feb. 10, 1860. 



Why do not some ot our Irish or 

 English farmers give their favorite soil- 

 ing food a trial in the country of their 

 adoption. We shall be at all times 

 happy to record their experiments. 



Ed. 



King Phillip Corn; 



Editor Illinois Farmir: — ^In vol. 4, 

 page 327, is an account of a large yield of 

 the above cora. Can seed be had of Mr. 

 Ilowlet, or in Springfield, and at what 

 price? James A. Hunter. 



Sparta, Eandolph County, Jan. 19, 1860. 



Remarks. — The above corn is no great 



farorit* in this part of the State, the best 

 crop of it was in 1858, but last season it was 

 poor. We hare planted it several times but 

 have thrown it out as much less valuable 

 than early varieties of the dent. On the 

 lime soil of Egypt we have always found it 

 almost a total failure, and would not recom- 

 mend it for even early roasting ears. Seed 

 can be had at all the agricultural seed stores. 

 Several parties near us grew it last season. . 



Ed. 



The Wholesale Ronery Trade and the Tree 



- :>.,■;-■■■■ :; Peddleri. .::.■-.:;./,■•••■;;•.,■.■. 



Not wiihlng to be lield responmble for the tranMctioni of 

 other parties, yrt hereby caution the public against certain 

 persons who are In the habit of using our catalogues, and rep- 

 resenting themselves as our agents, but who in reality hare no 

 dealings with us. 



The reputation of our establtstunent lias already been li^ured 

 in sereral parts of the country by such parties. 



All our agents, and those who purchase from us extensirely 

 to fill their orders, have certificates bearing our signature. 



Those who have no such certificate are to be regarded as im- 

 postors. 



The above extract I have clipped from 

 an advertisement of Ellwanger & Barry; 

 in the Grardener" a Monthly . 



As I hope the time is soon coming 

 when Western nurserymen are to supply 

 the tree peddlers and the wholesale trade, 



