112 



THE ILLIISrOTS FA.II]V1Ii:R. 



TakeYi before symptoms of fever are 

 noticed, it is supposed to be curable, at 

 least 60 it is claimed, and there are 

 some cases now known in this county 

 which having had the disease, were much 

 better, and when killed in a way to 

 recover; and others are now living which 

 may gain a state of fair health, though 

 doubtless at the expense of a part of 

 their lungs. 



We have not seen the least evidence 

 that it is not as contagious as at first 

 claimed. Animals, in all conditions, 

 take it, calves, heifers and old catile, 

 cows in pregnancy, cattle in good flesh 

 and in poor ilcsh, weathered and 

 "toughened'' to the last extent, and 

 those housed and well cared for. The 

 Massachusetts Commissioners say that 

 they " have not failed to find this dis- 

 ease whenever there has been exposure." 

 Under these circumstances is it the 

 part of wisdom for us or for the com- 

 missioners to wait till the disease shows 

 itself by the animals dying by scores in 

 limited districts, or should they take 

 such measures as are possible to keep 

 our cattle away from this contagion, by 

 preventing their associating with others 

 as far as possible, and of course it will 

 be the first duty of the commissioners to 

 secure the same non-intercourse between 

 all those cattle which by any possibility 

 may have become contaminated, and 

 others now free, no matter at what in- 

 convenience to those concerned; and we 

 doubt not they will have in this the 

 hearty co-operation of every well-in- 

 formed man. 



The history of the disease is one of 

 death and almost annihilation of the neat 

 cattlo. TVherc it has been ncAvly intro- 

 duced it has made a clean sweep as in 

 Africa; where it has existed before or 

 when the climatic influences and general 

 care bestowed on the health of animals 

 has modified it, its fatalitv has been re- 

 duced to 25 or 30 per cent of the stock 

 exposed. It is here upon our borders, 

 aye, in our midst, to a certain extent. 

 Shall we think that every aninial that 

 coughs has probably got a cold ? — that 

 cattle may run in the road without dan- 

 ger ? — that drovers and butchers may 

 buy their cattle where they will, and 

 drive them where they list ? Shall the 

 cattle fleeing before the pestilence be 

 taken to feed upon our pastures or those 

 of our mercenary neighbors when none 

 can tell certainly whether they have 

 been exposed, and they may even now 

 be sowing broadcast the seeds of death? 



Let these questions come homo to 

 every man, and let hira beware, while 

 a calamity like this certainly is impend- 

 ing over us, how he trifles with or sneers 

 at the natural and well grounded fears 

 of any persons. 



Suppose it is controlled, and that 

 timely measures check it, as we devoutly 



pray they may — sneer then, and call us 

 fools for being scared, if you will; and 

 take credit to yourselves, "conserva- 

 tives," for being very brave in the pre- 

 sence of such facts, and for having al- 

 ways told us so — that it would never 

 come here — but, now, for humanity's 

 sake, do nothing^ to interfere with effi- 

 cient measures to check the spread of 

 the malady, or to allay the alarm which 

 makes people careful of their slock. 



We present the act which became a 

 law of this State on Wednesday last. 

 We consider it vciy faulty in several 

 particulars, but believe that it is the 

 best law that could have been " got 

 throuch " at present, and hope that its 

 faults may not render it inoperative in 

 any important cases. 



It is highly important that the com- 

 missioners should be able to ascertain 

 accurately and immediately whether an 

 animal has the disease or not. This 

 can be done in case it dies, or some- 

 times, perhaps usually, in case they arc 

 accompanied by an experienced veterin- 

 ary surgeon, wlicn the animal is living, 

 but sick; but in the case of an animal, 

 diseased and able to communicate the 

 contagion, yet not apparently very un- 

 well, unless they kill it and examine 

 the lungs, there no way of ascertaining 

 the truth with certainty. In many in- 

 stances tliey may be able to bargain for 

 and buy the animal at the expense of 

 the State; but often a contrary, cross- 

 grained owner would not part with his 

 beast except at an extravjigant and un- 

 warrantable price. So the hands of the 

 commissioners will be tied, and they 

 cannot act with a full knowledge of the 

 case. 



The ^-25,000 limitation, considering 

 nil the other checks upon extravagance 

 imposed by the bill, looks narrow, and 

 may cause embarrassment, though ^ve 

 presume it may bo sufficient to meet all 

 necessary demands, especially if the 

 Selectmen in the various towns act 

 promptly. 



The provision in the Sth section which 

 provides that owners and keepers shall 

 inform the Selectmen when their cattle 

 are attacked by cr exposed to the dis- 

 ease, throws* the responsibility of recog- 

 nizing the discnse upon the owner, and 

 not upon the Selectmen, and conse- 

 qnentiy, UTiless a man is fully awake to 

 the necessity of knowing wliethor or not 

 his cattle are affected, his hopes will get 

 the better of his doubts, and he will be 

 confident that his animals have only a 

 little cold or "horn-ail," when the dis- 

 ease may be upon them. The provision 

 should have been that all cases of serious 

 disease of every kind, and all lung 

 disease, coughs aiid colds, should be re- 

 ported to the Selectmen, and that such 

 animals should be treated as if they had 



the pulmonary murrain, unless the evi<'- 

 ence to the contrary is clear. 



For the Illinoia Farmer. 



STRAWS. 



Having just completed the assessing 

 of the town of "Marion," in the county 

 of Ogle, which is considerably larger 

 than a congressional townships, having 

 nearly one half of the town of "Byron" 

 added, I have made the followin*: obser- 

 vations, and I will only premise that 

 our town is thickly populated, and has 

 within its borders few untilled acres and 

 wood lands. One farmer has a dozen 

 four year old steers, outside of which 

 there are four or five single ones, and 

 three yoke of oxen. We have within 

 our town limits less than one hundred 

 sheep in two or three small flocks. 

 Only four farmers have twenty hogs or 

 more, and only one over fifty. Three- 

 fourths ^f the inhabitants will not make 

 more than their own supply of pork and 

 the majority of the other fourth ivill sell 

 less than ten hoys each. We have within 

 this town, perhaps as many horses as 

 any one town in the State ; one farmer 

 having listed thirty-two and quite a 

 number over twelve each, I may give 

 the exact number perhaps in my next. 

 Rye, of which there are many acres, 

 will be ready for the reaper by the fourth 

 of July. AH crops look well. Wheat 

 will be heavy if it fills well — as yet no 

 ravages of chinch bugs. I never saw 

 corn land cleaner from weeds and better 

 tilled than in our town, as a whole. — 

 Farmers are working hard, and the pros- 

 pect is that their toil and labof will meet 

 with its just reward. Grass is thin, and 

 in most cases one ton of timothy hay 

 per acre, will be considered a good yield 

 this year. 



I am trying a few experiments with 

 potatoes, to determine (to niy own satis- 

 faction) whether it is best to plant whole 

 or cut potatoes, or even eyes, and arrive 

 at some conclusion about the quantity 

 of peed. One thing I have found al- 

 ready, and have also good authority to 

 back up my conclusion, viz : To cut out 

 the eyes or plant the parings only, will 

 retard the appearance of potatoes above 

 ground nearly ten days, or in other 

 words, whole potatoes planted will show 

 their tops ten or twelve days sooner 

 than parings, small pieces, or 'seed will; 

 but they (the eyes) are pretty sure to 

 come evon if dried enough to ring, I 

 raised some very good potatoes, and a 

 good yield also from parings last year. 

 I shall also be able to find out something 

 about deep and shallow planting. It is not 

 good policy to plant all your crop of pota- 

 toes at the same time. In 1858 I had, 

 late in the season some old potatoes more 

 than were needed for the family supply 

 — having a suitable piece of land, I 

 planted them on the sixth day of July, 



