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THE ILLINOIS F^HIMER. 



1-29 



Henry Taylor, Barrister, and EdJtor of Oxford Htrald. 



S. J. Jones, Editor London Liberator. 



Jas. Ferguson, Esq., Register Middlesex county. 



Hon. Geo. Alexander, member Upper House, and member 

 Board of Agriculture, Woodstock, 



Dean Tillany, Delaware, C. W extensive Agriculturist. 



Norman Holt, London, Mercfiant. 



Elijah Leonard, Ex Mayor, London. 



Kobt. Kobson, Agriculturist, London. 



nobt. WauK'b, " 



Thos. Carling, father member of Parliament, from London. 



Wm. Carling, London. 



Wm. Bissell, merchant, London. 



Joseph S. Splttigen, London, Merchant. 



Edmund Beltz, London, Merchant. 



J. Perroult, Montreal, Editor Lower G&TaAa, Agriculturist. 



Cliarles J. llynes. Editor Prescott Messenger. 



W. S. McMurry, Paris, C. W. 



W. Gillespie, Editor Spectator, Hamilton, C. W. 



Thos. J. Angel, U. S. Consul, Kingston, 0. VV. 



James Somerville, True Banner, Dundas, C. W. 



James Cummings, WhrlesiUe Merchant, Hamilton. 



M. D. L. Tisdale, J. Peace, Aneaster, C. W. 



E. Pevaiit«e, Secretary board of Agriculture, Montreal. 



Thos. Piper, Grain Merchant Hamilton. 



Thos Sandford, Dundas, Merchant. 



S. Morrill, London, Tanner, and large land owner, and 

 founder of Moerille Lodge of Good Templars. 



Robert McLain, Guelph, C. W. 



James Gowe, " " 



Win. Bross, Press and Tribune, Chicago. 



C. D. Bragdon, Prairie Farmer, Chicago. 



D. S. Craudall, C/iamjtaign Gowity Union., Champaign, 



Xil. « 



.M. L. Dunlap, lUineis Farmer, Champaign, 111. 

 Lewis Ellsworth, Pres't HI. State Ag. Society. 

 Hon. H. C. Johns, Ex-Pres't " " 



W. II. Van Epps, Vice Pres't " " 



J. B. Austin, Esq., of I. 0. Land Dep't. 



^N'e do not vouch for full accuracy of the 

 names, but there are few errors. 



At Mattoon the party spent some hours, much 

 of the time in listening to debates between the 

 Douglas Democrats and the Republicans, in 

 which they became somewhat posted in the 

 manner of Western stumping and in Western 

 politics. They were greatl}^ amused. Speech- 

 es were made bj' a gentlemen from Douglas 

 county, whose name we have forgotten, D. S. 

 Crandall, Dumas Van Doren, and others. The 

 corn fields with their wondrous development, 

 was the great point of attraction, nor did the 



slovenly manner in which some farms presented 

 themselves, escape attention. The great prairie 

 slopes were passed, and now came the winding 

 among the hills of Pomonal Egypt, as they pass 

 up the narrow valley of the Drury, hedged in by 

 massy walls of .sand stone, whose ramparts have 

 been cut into guliies, or whose ragged shelves 

 overhang the minii<3 stream. This was once the 

 outlet of tho great lake whose bed now presents 

 the greyish lime soil, that gives to I'lpper Egypt 

 its value for wheat, but a deeper and broader 

 channel was forced through this sand stone 

 chain, and through which the Upper Mississippi 

 now pours her immense volume of water. They 

 regretted the want of time to spend a day 

 among the great peach orchards that are to 

 make these old sand stone hills famous in after 

 time. On swept the train down the valley of 

 tho Cache from Jonesboro, presenting along the 

 southern slope a rapid descent of three hundred 

 feet to the bottom lands of the Ohio, and soon 

 the Ohio and the Missis.sippi presented them- 

 selves, ready for the wedlock of waters, that 

 have flowed on in harmony, carrying immense 

 quantities of soil from the upper country, held 

 in solution to make another State that is yet to 

 be built up in the waters of the Gulf. 



After dining at the St. Charles, the excursion 

 was taken in charge by Mayor Taylor, of Cairo, 

 and landed at Bird's Point, at the terminus of 

 the Cairo and Fulton Railroad, where a special 

 train was in waiting to convey them to Charles- 

 ton, a distance of thirteen miles. The road runs 

 through heavy timber land nearly level, and in 

 some places swampy. We noted fine specimens 

 of cypress, real giants of the woods. There are 

 a few plantations along the road, but as long as 

 prairie can be had, our western fanners have lit- 

 tle desire to carve down the forest for agricul- 

 tural purposes. Charleston is located on a beau- 

 tiful prairie, rather level, with a soil inclining to 

 be sandy. It is flanked by immense com fields, 

 tilled partly with slave labor. The village is 

 neat and thrifty, and contains some six hundred 

 inhabitants. About half a mile to the nortl '^ 

 the plantation of Col. Moore, and here undei .de 



shade of a weeping willow of twelve feet in cir- 

 cumference, and whose graceful branches spread 

 their broad arms in a radii of thirty-five feet, 

 the excursionists came to a halt. This tree was 

 a simple cutting twenty-seven years since, and 

 now stands like a great sentinel on the lawn in 

 front of the homestead. Its top is fifty feet 

 high, and its outermost branches measure from 

 tip to tip a distance of ninety feet, while the 

 average diameter of its top is seventy feet. In 

 a short time the young negroes came in with an 

 ample supply of well ripened water melons, 

 which afforded a rare treat. The climate of 

 Canada does not give to this fruit that richness 

 that it here receives, and instead of their being 

 cholera bombshells, here it is full of health, and 

 were partaken of accordingly. 



Dr. Moore welcomed the excursion in a neat 

 speech, and was replied to by the Hon. George 

 Alexander. He had been pleased with his 

 journey here. The rich prairies afford great fa- 

 cilities for culture ; and the country but lacked 

 time to make it one of the most dcsirafcle in the ' 

 world. He would like to see the reciprocity 

 now existing between the Canadas and the 

 States extended to aJl ; not only to products of 

 the soil but to manufactures. The water pow- 

 er of Canada will take care of itself without 

 protection, and he would like a free interchange 

 of the products of its power and the rich soils 

 of the West. He would extend reciprocity by 

 educating the people and in the extending of 

 commercial facilities. On the part of his Cana- 

 dian friends, he had to thank the Illinois Cen- 

 tral Railroad Compan}'- for their kindness, and 

 Mr. Austin in particular, for the manner in 

 which the favor had been given ; for without 

 that great highway how could we have been 

 here to enjoy this invaluable treat, away here 

 on the hither shore of the Mississippi. lie was 

 followed by Wm. Bross, who made one of his 

 best efforts. Mr. Bross was followed by Wm. 

 Elliott, who paid some high compliments to the 

 last ; in closing he said that he who visits the 

 West without seeing the prairies has seen little. 

 Niagara is one of the wonders of the new world. 

 The vast improvements and cities of the East 

 are wonders, but the prairies are the most won- 

 derful of them all. Several other speeches were 

 made by residents and excursionists, all of 

 whom united in not only preserving the Union 

 but in allowing the Union to be annexed to 

 Canada. 



We all bade good by to our new-made friends 

 at Charleston and were soon driving through 

 the dense forest that walls in the gieit river. — 

 At Bird's Point we were again under charge of 

 Mayor Taylor, on board of one of the Cairo 

 steamers, which was headed up the Mississippi 

 for some miles, returning we were landed on 

 the Kentucky shore just as the 



" Stars shone out with their .silvery light 

 And the moon was just filling her horn." 



So in a glass of Scotch ale, the company 

 drank a health to Mayor Taylor and to the three 

 great States that are here divided l)y the belt of 

 water now shining like silver under the rays of 

 the crescent moon. All went on the Kentucky 

 shore, and sent up three hearty cheers for old 

 Knintuck. Another half hour, and we were 

 doing yeoman service at the St. Charles, where 

 a most magnificent dinner was served up. At 

 two o'clock the guests were on board a large 

 barge to take a moonlight ride on the Ohio, to 

 Mound City, which closed the proceedings of the 

 day. On Friday morning at four o'clock, the 

 excursionists were on their way North, took 

 breakfast at Centralia, and at Odin found a 

 c ach in waiting to take them over the Ohio and 

 Mississippi road to St. Louis. Col. Hinkley, 

 the Superintendent, had charge in person. The 

 immense corn fields now within a few weeks of 

 ripeness, and the wonderful growth of vegetation 

 that can only be made in this soil and climate, 

 and especially on the American Bottom, was a 

 theme of admiration. 



At St. Louis, the Planter's House was laid 



under contribution, and an excellent dinner at 

 2 P.M. put the excursionists in condition to see 

 the citjr. The members of the Press, and many 

 prwninent citizens called on them, and the par- 

 ty was soon dispersed about the citv in sight 

 see-ng. 



In company with Mr. Bragdon, of the Prairie 

 Farmer, we drove out five miles to the residence 

 of N. J. Coleman, editor of the Valley Farmer^ 

 and unfortunately found him confined to his 

 bed, with a severe cold and symptoms of remit- 

 tent fever. Mr. Coleman is a practical cultiva- 

 tor, and knows whereof he writes. He has 

 some sixty ^icres in nursery and market garden, 

 the whole of which is under charge of M. San- 

 ders, and now in the most admirable order, in 

 fact we have never seen every part of so exten- 

 sive groundis in such complete order. 



The Ilooghton gooseberry receives a large 

 share of attention, and large plantations are be- , 

 ing made for market purposes. The Catawissa 

 RHspberry fs now loaded with its autumn crop 

 of'frilft, the most forward of which is beginning 

 to ripen. The fruit is in all stages of growth, 

 from the blossom to the ripened berry. We can 

 but think that this fruit will prove valuable on the 

 prairie. Currants do but indifferently in the 

 climate of St. Louis. Here tho gooseberry and 

 raspberry become great favorites. The Will- 

 sons Albany strawberry is largely grown and 

 quite a favorite with Mr. Sanders, wbo think it 

 the want of a vigorous sun to ripen up this fruit 

 is the real cause of complaint with our Boston 

 friends. At twelve p. m., superintendent Hinkely 

 was in waiting at Illinoistown, with a special 

 train for Sandoval, where on arriving we found 

 our special cars ready for the main line of the 

 Illinois Central, bound for Dubuque. At Oco- 

 nee, ten miles south of Pana, is a large peach 

 orchard, one year set, looking very fine. At 

 Decatur, the parly took breakfast, and spent an 

 hour in visiting the fine residence of Hon. H. C. 

 Johns, one of our party. From the top of the 

 house, which of itself stands on a high mound, 

 they could see far over the great stretches of 

 prairie studded with groves and the long sinu- 

 ous belt that skirts the Sangamon, and which is 

 spread over with great fields of corn or unculti- 

 vated plains, on which vast herds of lazy cattle 

 are feeding on the luxuriant pasturage. At the 

 the depot we bid our friends good bye, and took 

 the G. W. train for Springfield, to send the 

 August number of the Farmer to its thousands 

 of readers. We could have extended this arti- 

 cle to more than double its length, but our space 

 would only permit this hasty sketch of our 

 excursion, the beneficial effects of which we 

 shall see at no distant day, in the influx of well- 

 to-do Canadian farmers, just such men as we 

 shall be most happy to welcome to the great 

 corn zone of the west. 



EorroB Illinois Farmeb. 



— The Fall was a step downwards from inno- 

 cence, but also it' was a step onwards — a giant 

 step in human progress. It made goodness 

 possible, for to know the evil, and to conquer 

 it and choose the good, is far nobler than a 

 state which only consists in our ignorance of 

 both. 



— Remember that love is dependent upon 

 forms — courtesy of etiquette, guards and pro- 

 tects courtesy of heart. How many hearts 

 have been lost irrecoverably, and how many 

 averted eyes and cold looks have been gained 

 from what seemed perhaps but a trifling negli- 

 gence of forms. 



— There is a wisdom that looks grave, and 

 sneers at merriment; and again a deeper wisdom, 

 that stoops to be gay as often as occasion serves, 

 and oftenest avails itself of shallow and trifling 

 grounds of mirth, because if we wait for 

 more substantial ones, we seldom can be gay at 

 all. Y"^^ • 



