92 



THE ILLII^OIS F^TOVEEH. 



She lUiuoiss gmmx. 



SPRINGFIELD, JUNE 1, 1800. 



BAILHAGHE & BAKER, PubUsher*. 



M. L. DUNLAP, Editor. 



"VYe enter upon the threshold of sum- 

 mer yfiih the most cheering prospect of 

 Buccess. Everywhere the farmerg are 

 jubilant -with hope, — everyvthere the me- 

 chanics' hammer is busy, and every- 

 where the word progress is standing out 

 in pleasing letters. Money is yet hard 

 to be obtained to pay off old debts, but 

 the phantom of hard times has ceased to 

 operate as an incubus on our daily ef- 

 forts, and every department of business 

 is feeling the kindly influence that the 

 genial season has infused into every de- 

 partment of rural labor. 



In the north part of the State, abun- 

 dant rains have given the immense 

 breadth of spring \Theat a most luxuri- 

 ant growth; the corn and oats never 

 gave a better stand. While Pomona 

 has spread her mantle over them and 

 the promise of fruit is met with no mea- 

 sured rejoicing. 



In the central part of the State, the 

 great corn zone of the north west, a 

 little more rain would have been agree- 

 able, but nothing is Buffering seriously, 

 and the great corn fields lay smiling un- 

 der the haze like sun with which spring 

 loves to pass her charge over to the ar- 

 dent embrace of summer. Here our 

 most serious drawback has been in the 

 loss of fruit by severe frosts in April, 

 making the crop a light one. Winter 

 rye, oats, spring and winter wheat look 

 very promising, and the corn never bet- 

 ter. 



In Egypt the winter wheat is only a 

 fair crop, corn good, and fruit of all 

 kinds exceedingly promising. Taking 

 the whole State throughout, we have 

 never seen a better crop prospect. 



The excellent and abundant hay crop 

 of last year, with plenty of corn, brought 

 the stock through the winter in excellent 

 condition which with the early and abun- 

 dant pasturage, has put them in the best 

 of condition to enter on the heats of 

 summer. We have never seen such an 

 abundance of butter and of such good 

 quality as has been sent to market dur- 

 ing the month of May since our resi- 

 dence in the State, whicn dates back to 

 1836. Illinois beef will again stand 



high in the markets of the world, and 

 our stock growers cannot fail to make 

 good profits. Emigrants are coming in 

 and making purchases of farms. Every- 

 where we see the signs of improvement 

 and hear the busy notes of preparation 

 for a vigorous prosecution of every de- 

 partment of productive industry. The 

 vocation of the speculator is gone, and 

 the great prairie State is returning to 

 the legitimate business for which her 

 great prairie slopes, her vast water pow- 

 er, immense beds of coal, her stately 

 forest and unrivaled facilities of trans- 

 portation have fitted her. Henceforth 

 she will move on in the steady path of 



progress and take her stand among the 



most progressive States in the Union. 



.«. 



Tremont, Tazewell County, May 21, 1S60. 



Friend M. L. Duxlap : — Fruit gro^ving 

 in Central Illinoia having employed the 

 thoughts of the writer for several years, you 

 will perhaps welcome any communication 

 on that subject from nie, even if it prove a 

 thrice-told tulc, in consideration of my en- 

 thusiasm, if not on account of its practical val- 

 ue. I propose to confine my remarks mainly 

 to apple orcharding, and consider, first, 

 whether as a reliable business orcharding will 

 pay. I assume as a basis of calculation, that 

 owing to the common negligence of farmers 

 and the acknowledged and serious obstacles 

 in the way : such as a soil too warm and too 

 rich, a climate too warm often for the good 

 of the apples which we wish to keep; and 

 occasionally too cold for the health and lon- 

 gevity of any but the hardiest variety of 

 trees, and a soil so light and porous as to har- 

 bor great numbers of insects and at times to 

 hold great quantities of water, and most of 

 all, to the somewhat common opinion that 

 the prairie country will not grow fruit. — 

 There is no immediate prospect for an over- 

 production of fruit to such an extent as to 

 make prices rule very low, or to make the 

 supply greater than the demand. AVe may 

 then hope for many years fgr a home market 

 that is either in our large towns and cities, 

 or in those of the States immcdately adjoin- 

 ing, and at remunerating prices. 



Let us look at amount cf capital necessary 

 to be invested in, and the probable proceeds 

 of a twenty acre orchard : 



20 acres land Improved at ?30 $000,00 



CO trees to the acre, l'2i)0 at lOctg 12(i,00 



Setting of name and care for one year 80,()0 



Subsequent care for six years 100,00 



Interest on abore amounta six years 100,00 



$1000,00 



The use of land during the six years is 

 supposed to cover all that it may cost, except 

 as above, for cultivation. We have then at 

 end of six years, invested in twenty acres of 

 orchard, a value of one thousand dollars, to 

 which add 10 per cent, as an insurance fund 

 against hail storms and hard winters and we 

 have an investment of 81,100 00. The year- 

 ly account with said twenty acres will stand 

 then about as follows : 



Interest on $1,100 00. . . .-. $110,00 



Cost of culti valiou, picking, etc 19 ',00 



$300,00 



We may safely put the avcra^'c crop of 120 trees for 

 the first five bearint; years, at one bushel per 

 tree, and a probability of much more, say I'^^OO 



at bOcta $fi00,00 



Deduct expenses as above 300,00 



$300,00 

 Or near 80 percent, on the Investment, and during 

 the next five years we may expect at least dou- 

 ble the produce— 2,400 at bOctg $1,200 01 



With the eame expense 300 00 



$900 00 

 Or over SO per cent, on the Investment, and the en- 

 suing five years, an average of four bushels per 



. tree, or 4,SU0 buihels at SOcta $2,400 00 



At same cost 300 00 



$2,100 00 



Or near 100 per cent, on the investment, 

 by wliich time the proprietor may be sup- 

 posed capable of judging by the weight of 

 his purse whether the apple crop can com- 

 pare with any of the grain crops or grasses 

 as a standard and reliable crop. 



In these calculations, I have endeavored to 

 make the most moderate estimates of the 

 average yield even in our fickle climate, but 

 have presumed tliat the varieties shall be 

 well selected — say of such varieties as Car- 

 olina Pine.Pcswick Codlin,Moreten's Blush, 

 Rambo,^arnese, llomanite. Yellow Bell- 

 flower, Winemp and Roule's Janett (largely 

 of these) and a small number of White 

 Pearmain, WhHe Pippin, some of Willow- 

 twig, Limbertwig, Milburn, and others; that 

 cattle and horses are excluded, as well as 

 crops of small grain and injurious insects, es- 

 pecially borers, be diligently hunted out. 

 Yours, Henry Shaw. 



Mr. Shaw has had large experience in 



orcharding, and it is with plea.sure that wo 



present his views to our readers. — Ed. 



■%. ■ 



LowEB Egypt, April 29, 1860. 



EniTOR Illinois Farmer : — Having lo- 

 cated down in Lower Egypt, with the inten- 

 tion of engaging extensively in growing 

 fruit, I find it very inconvenient to plant 

 trees with any regularity or precision, among 

 the stumps, which these "wood crowned 

 hills" are covered with. And I am desirous 

 to know if there is any better mode of get- 

 ting rid of these "jsesA-y stvmjx'i/' than the 

 usual way — grubbing hoe and axe? Is there 

 such a thing as a practical machine for pull- 

 ing out stua^ps ? One that can be used with 

 economy and dispatch; one that will take out 

 stumps from 2 to 3 feet in diameter ? And 

 if there are any such, where can they be 

 had ? and what would be the expense of one 

 at the shop ? Any information through the 

 Farmer will be thankfully received by your 

 numerous friendi and patrons in Lower 

 Egypt. Finis Evans. 



Makanda, Jackson co.. 111. 



Yes, there are several patterns of stump 

 pullers, which arc cheap *nd effective ; wa 

 send you drawing of one per mail, at our 

 earliest convenience. 



The above letter has just come into our 

 hands, as we are at the ofiice of publication 

 to make up this number; it should have 

 been sent to our home address. We hopo 

 our friends will bear this in mind. We only 

 go to Springfield to spend one or two days to 

 read proof and arrange the paper ; the copy 

 is all sent over by mail, as fast as prepared, 

 and set up before our arrival ; they will thus 

 see why their favors are too late for us to use 

 when directed to Springfield. 



