74 



THE ILLIlSrOIS FA.RjMEII. 



toil of the Imsbandman. Uut a single 

 decade Las been added to the roll of 

 time since the first machine Trith success- 

 ful effort la id low the ripened grain. 

 The next season, 1851, forty Trore 

 at work; in '52 eighty-four; and then 

 commenced the great progress of grain 

 growing at the west, and in '53, four- 

 teen hundred •were called for ; in 

 '54, twenty-six hundred ; in '55, six 

 thousand ; in '5G, eight thousand, when 

 our shipments of -wheat reached nearly 

 twenty millions of bushels. Since then, 

 extensive works have been erected in 

 different States to manufacture the Man- 

 ny machine, and the shops in the picture 

 are only for the demand in our State. 

 Do we want a better evidence of the pop- 

 ularity of a home machine, — home in- 

 vented, — home made than this ? We 

 may call in the photographer and en- 

 gravers' art to present other similar es- 

 tablishments to our readers. 



AgrieuUuril Instrnetlou. 



BT 0. T. CHASB. 



The west is largely agricultural in its 

 interests. To all time this must be the 

 predominating employment of our laboi'- 

 ing people. Their experience has not 

 been of the most favorable kind. Agri- 

 culture has indeed paid, but rather from 

 a coincidence of favoring circumstances 

 than any thing else. While railways 

 were building, population rushing in from 

 abroal, short crops in the east, or in Eu- 

 rope and prices corresponding above the 

 regular or ordinary range then agricul- 

 ture was remunerating. But, for two 

 years past, it has been quite the reverse, 

 and when we come to see that with the 

 exception of these extraordinary seasons 

 of scarcity abroad, farming has not of 

 itself been a paying business, we are led 

 to inquire why things are so. The far- 

 mers nearly all tell us the profit of farm- 

 ing is in the rise of pro2)erty — but that 

 is not farming, and the advance a far- 

 mer realizes from these sources are no 

 more creditable to farming 2^<ii' sc, than 

 the gains of the speculator in corner lota 

 are to be attributed to this source. 



Kow there is manifestly something 

 wrong in this. If agriculture is the 

 great national interest of our people, it 

 should be placed by some means upon a 

 permanently prosperous basis in order 

 that general prosperity may prevail. It 

 becomes the farmer then to draw about 

 him the best means of improving his 

 kno'vledge of the art. It is unfortunate 

 for us that we have no means of regular 

 agricultural instruction in the great west. 

 1\ e improvement of science has shed 

 much light upon the subject. In Europe 



thev seem to have availed thcmscdvcs of 

 its advantages, and have established 

 seminaries of learning for the instruction 

 of youth in the several departments (>f 

 agricultural knowledge. 



The result has been the most favora- 

 ble. Agriculture is able to sustain itself 

 and prosper abundantly without legisla- 

 tive protection, where, in former times, 

 it scarcely prospered with it. To this 

 increase of reliable information and its 

 diffusion among the people, must we 

 look for the advancement of the best in- 

 terests of the people, and for the adop- 

 tion of that liberal fundamental policy 

 which shall be partial to some, but just 

 to all. 



There is too much truth in the re- 

 marks of Mr. Chase, and it is time that 

 farmers depended more on their skill in 

 culture than their claims on the rise of 

 real estate. That farmers have made 

 large sums in the rise of real estate is 

 true, but it is equally true that large 

 numbers of them arc sinking under the 

 accumulations of interest in the attempt 

 to grow rich out of too much land. If 

 a farmer has surplus means r.ot required 

 to improve his farm, we have no objec- 

 tion to his purchasing, but to purchase 

 on time, by paying a quarter down, rely- 

 ing upon his crops or the sale of the 

 land to meet the payments, is too haz- 

 ardous altogether. The subject of a 

 better education amoufr farmers or rath- 

 or a farmers education, is now drawinir 

 no small attention, and must result in 

 the establishment of agricultural schools. 

 Mr. C. is an earnest worker in the good 

 cause, and we shall be glad to hear from 

 him often. Ed. 



Beautify Your Homes. 



Editor Illinois Farmer: 



There is a cord which vibrates in our 

 hearts at the thought, that we possess a 

 beautiful home. It is rather the prop- 

 erty of the heart, and is so interwoven 

 among its tendrils, that it seems to 

 change its pulsations, direct its niove- 

 raents, improves and ennobles its nature, 

 teaches it to rise, to look up after the 

 beautiful and the good. The associa- 

 tions that spring up and gather in bright 

 clusters, around our homo, are scenes 

 fraught with life's holiest emotions. It 

 is the Sanctuary of the Lord, where the 

 Spirit inherits, its purest and holiest 

 thoughts, and wherever its influence is 

 felt, morality is purified and exalted, 

 virtue courted and happiness perfected. 

 The human mind naturally seeks the 



beautiful. It courts beauty in all its 

 forms, all its dreams are mingled with 

 the elements of imperishable beauty. 

 Home is the word Avhich, like the magic 

 ring, of old, brings to life all the nobler 

 impulses of the heart, awakens each 

 sleeping power, and prompts them to ac- 

 tion. Then beautify your homes. All 

 homes are comparatively beautiful to 

 the weary one who seeks Its shelter, rest 

 and kindness. The veriest hovel has its 

 attractions where necessity makes it our 

 home. But much may be done to beau- 

 tify and render home more cheering and 

 attractive. Beauty is of origin divine, 

 is but one of the forms chosen by a good 

 father to show his power and his love. 

 God, is the architect, and man is his 

 agent in this charming work. Many 

 think a beautiful home can be made only 

 with a great outlay of time and money, 

 and for that reason live or stay in a 

 place that derives its only beauty from 

 the fact that they can stay there. It 

 costs but little to surround a dwelling 

 with a garden of flowers, and shrubbery, 

 and these simple oft'erlngs of nature, 

 will delight the eye, and cheer the heart 

 far more than costly surroundings. If 

 you will but let the sunshine and the 

 rain lend their aid, and the skillful and 

 and active hand work In harmony with 

 nature, soon you will see the powers of 

 the great beautifier. Soon you will see 

 beauty in her perfections, rise out of 

 that Avhich has heretofore appeared but 

 an unshapely mass of discords and con- 

 fusion. Nature herself being beautiful 

 delights in beauty. She loves to brigh- 

 ten and perfect her work to make it suit 

 the fancy and please the taste of man. 

 She presents to us unnumbered bright 

 flowrcts from which she invites us to se- 

 lect to suit our taste. She ofters all to us 

 without charge, she freely gives her rich- 

 est gifts, that they may grace our beau- 

 tiful home. While our body is busily 

 engaged in beautifying our earthly dwel- 

 ling, the soul is actively at work prcpar-, 

 ing a mansion for a future time in the 

 spirit land, and being thus at work in 

 unison with the body. Heaven lends 

 enchantment to the work, and cheers and 

 brightens all you do, adds new tints and 

 new lights around our earthly home. 

 The forms and colors of the mansion 

 above blend with charms that contrib- 

 ute to the one below. Soon man begins 

 to love with all his heart his beautifuj 



