56 



THE ILLIIsrOTS F^RMiEH. 



them for sleepers in the barn, sixteen 

 feet long, to replace a lot of white elm 

 ones that had given out. These trees 

 are about eight feet apart; they were 

 sown in rows four feet apart and have 

 been cut out to that distance. If they 

 are too close, some Avill die out to give 

 room for others, and if too far apart, 

 •will be lower and spreading. In grow- 

 ing timber the object is to have the trees 

 tall and straight, and to do this, close 

 planting should be resorted to. From 

 our own experience we think eight feet 

 about right, and are putting in our belts 

 in that way; that is, we intend to thin 

 them to that distance. We have put 

 them in four feet apart, intending to 

 take out every alternate roAV and every 

 alternate tree in the row left; this will 

 require six hundred and eighty trees to 

 the acre. For our timber belts about 

 the orchard we use the silver leaf Maple, 

 8,000 of which we had of Mr. Pullen, 

 whose card is in the Farmer. 



We will suppose that a farmer has a 

 q-iarttT section, and wishes to divide it 

 into forty acre fields, he would at two 

 rods width have about twelve acres in 

 timber belts; should he want more, he 

 could add to the width. A quarter sec- 

 tion thus protected, would be much more 

 valuable for any kind of a crop. An 

 Osage hedge could be set next to the 

 timber belt and would require no further 

 attention after the first three or four 

 years, for it would not matter whether it 

 was six or twenty feet high, so that it 

 turned the stock. We like the Silver 

 Maples for their thrift, beauty, hardiness 

 and exemption from insects; the timber 

 makes good wood for fuel and for turner's 

 use. The Locust we would not plant, 

 on account of its liability to destruction 

 by the borer, especially if we were near 

 the grove, out on the prairie it would 

 be much safer. Our native White Ash 

 wo intend to use, also the Tulip tree and 

 the Catalpa, the latter of which makes 

 the most durable timber for posts. Wo 

 would grow the trees oneyearin nursery 

 beds and then transplant; as a general 

 thing, the farmer 'will find it cheaper to 

 purchase the trees of those who make a 

 business of growing them, than to at- 

 tempt to grow them himself. Two year 

 old Maples, two to four feet high, can 

 be had for $40 per 1,000, and those in 

 a hurry can plant theie, but yearling 

 trees are very much cheaper. 



The seeds of the White Ash ripen in 

 June, and should be sown at onco in a 

 rather moist soil. They -will como up 

 the next spring. Silver Maple seed 

 ripens in May, are sown at once and 

 come up in a few days, and are ready to 

 transplant the next spring. The com- 

 mon Soft Maple is also a valuable tree 

 for timber belts, but little inferior to the 

 Silver Maple; plenty of seeds can be had 

 on any of our river bottoms. The seed 

 must be covered very lightly and rolled 

 These belts should be thoroughly culti- 

 vated for two or more years and until 

 they shade the ground and the roots get 

 too strong to work them. Beans are a 

 good crop the first season, we grew 

 over forty bushels of them in our belts 

 last season. Ed. 



-«•»- 



Agricultural Proffess in Adams. 



QuiNCT, March 12, 1860. 

 Editor Illinois Farmer: 



I herewith send you a statement in 

 regard to a crop of potatoes entered for 

 premium at our last county fair, you can 

 do as you think best about publishing it, 

 at any rate, it will show what can be 

 done in Adams county in the way of 

 raising potatoes. 



Yalentine Davis, being duly sworn, 

 says: "that he raised a crop of potatoes 

 ou his farm in Concord township, Adams 

 county, the present season, on land 

 measuring one half acre; and that the 

 produce of said crop was two hundred 

 and eighty (280) bushels, estimated by 

 legal measurement, being equal to five 

 hundred and sixty (560) bushels per acre; 

 that the specimens presented are a fair 

 average sample of the whole crop," &c. 



And in answer to the questions os 

 printed in our lists, he replied as follows: 



1. Kind of soil? 



A. Rather sandy timbered land. 



2. What kind, and how much, man- 

 ure applied? 



A. jS^o manure for seventeen years, 

 except on about four rods had a straw 

 Stack, and on this the potatoes were 

 smaller, but quite as many in a hill and 

 now and then a rotten one, but no rotten 

 ones in any other part of the piece. 



3. W^hat crops have preceded it, on 

 the same land, for three years past? 



A. Wheat; then corn, stood over in 

 the corn stalks; broke up late for wheat, 

 but not the four rods new ground, broke 

 up just before planting. 



4. When, and how sown? 



A. Planted about the 25th April, 

 ground furrowed four feet apart, planted 

 about twenty inches apart in the furrow; 

 potatoes cut up, one or two eyes in a 

 place. 



5. What kind of seed? 



A. New kind, do not know the 



name, I call them "Davis Seedlings." 



6. How much seed used per acre. 

 A. About six (0) bushels per acre. 



7. What was the expense of cultiva- 

 tion and the manner of cultivation? 



A. Cost about four dollars, beside 

 digging the potatoes; in eight rows 

 plowed the dirt away from the potatoes, 

 the ground being wet, I stopped, and 

 when the ground got dry enough I threw 

 the dirt to the potatoes on the whole 

 piece; then cleared out the weeds in the 

 rows with the hoe. 



This may. be considered a favorable 

 yield and encouragement for our farmers 

 to see what they can do in this line. 

 The sample of potatoes shown are 

 splendid, large, smooth, with a red skin 

 and many large eyes, and white and ex- 

 tremely solid and fine grain within. 



Our county fair ofiicers met last week, 

 completed premium list, and we expect 

 to have the best fair we ever held, which 

 will make it the best in the State. The 

 plan adopted last year of throwing 

 open our fairs and inviting competition 

 from other States and counties, proved a 

 great benefit and drew many from 

 Missouri and the neighboring counties. 

 This year we hope to see some of the 

 fine stock from Morgan and Sangamon 

 grace our beautiful grounds — the finest 

 1 know of any where. I will send you 

 our list as soon as it is out and the time 

 for holding our fair is decided. If you 

 know, 1 wish you would publish the 

 time of the other county lairs. 

 Truly yours, 



H. D. WOODRTTFF, 



Secretary A. C. A. & M. A. 



The clouds of darkness are being dis- 

 pelled, and old fogyism, who has been 

 preaching that good crops of potatoes 

 could not be grown away from the 

 woodlands of the north, may step out 

 of his pulpit if he would save his repu- 

 tation for truth. Sending to Michigan 

 and Wisconsin for potatoes is now out 

 of joint, and the farmers of Central 

 Illinois will hereafter have potatoes "to 

 sell and to keep." Adams county is 

 taking her true position, she is one of 

 the most important counties in the great 

 corn zone of the State- We intend to 

 take a look through her borders in 

 June. 



We shall publish the time and place 

 of holding fairs, soon as we get them. 



Ed. 



X. 



— "Wc have received a copy of a pretended 

 literary paper from Illinois, entitled "The Sub- 

 lime." \Vc have not read it, but wc think, 

 from its title, that there is just "one step" be- 

 tween it and its editor. 



— A local paper says that an old lady applied 

 to a grocer for a pound of oblong tea. 



