130 



THE ILLINOIS FA.R]VEER. 



®lie ^llim^ |avma 



The season continues favorable, abun- 

 dant rains have fallen since our last 

 issue and the "wheat and oats have been 

 mainlj harvested. The yield of both is 

 satisfactory, and as the price is high, the 

 margin of profit is all that could be de- 

 sired. Threshing is fairly commenced, 

 and we shall soon hear of large ship- 

 ments. Nothing has occurred to mar 

 the fine prospect of the corn crop which 

 must in any event be enormous. The 

 potatoe crop in the north part of the 

 State is said to be good, in the central 

 it will be fair, tubers large, but too few 

 in a hill. Of buckwheat not the usual 

 breadth hasHbeen sown, nor will it be 

 needed, as with such an abundance of 

 fine vegetables, less will be used. Far- 

 mers have sown more or less turnips, as 

 this crop is becoming more of a favorite 

 from year to year. 



The hay crop in many 'parts of the 

 State appears light, especially is it the 

 case with prairie hay in the Central and 

 South part of the State. Many have 

 sown Hungarian grass, and thanks to 

 the forbearance of the chinch bug, the 

 crop is good, but with the abundance of 

 corn fodder, we think little inconveni- 

 ence need result from the shortness of the 

 hay crop. We^have some fears for the 

 fall pasturage, on account of the grass- 

 hoppers, which have traveled down from 

 the North upon us and appear in suffi- 

 cient numbers to create alarm. A cold 

 storm would check them, but with dry 

 warm weather they would increase very' 

 rapidly and prove troublesome custom- 

 ers. It is but a few days since they 

 made their appearance here, yet the 

 grass is swarming with the young brood 

 which in a few days will be Jnot only 

 quadrupled but quintupled. 



In the North part of the State, on 

 many farms the apple crop is good, the 

 same may be said of the Central, while 

 at the South apples, pears, peaches, and 

 plums are said to be abundant, to prove 

 this, we shall make our Egyptian friends 

 a visit this week, and may have some- 

 thing to say "of it in||this number,]should 

 we return in time. 



Of the small fruits, our farmers are 



beginning to appreciate their value. — 

 Among strawberries the Early Scarlet 

 with us maintains its high reputation; 

 LoNGWoRTii's Prolific promises to be 

 valuable; McAvoy's for home use is ex« 

 cellent for its size and pleasant flavor; 

 Hudson is still among the most valued; 

 Willson's has not been thoroughly test- 

 ed, as the demand for plants has not 

 given the opportunity, and we have only 

 fruited those set in the spring; that it 

 is hardy and a most abundant bearer all 

 concede, but as to its other merits it has 

 no small number of bitter opponents 

 who decry its value. Hovey in the July 

 number of the Magazine of Horticul- 

 ture condemns it in no stinted terms. 

 "We have some fifteen other varieties on 

 trial on which we hope to report favora- 

 ble next season. 



Of Currants, the Red Dutch stands 

 at the head of the list, notwithstanding 

 the efforts of nurserymen to introduce 

 new kinds. This variety is'now'disem- 

 inated everywhere, and the plants are so 

 cheap that the nurserymen can make 

 but a small profit, but if he could get up 

 a demand for some new variety of course 

 every body must have them, and hence 

 his profits, to say nothing of his disin- 

 terested zeal. The White Grape and 

 White Dutch, are similar in fruit, but 

 differ in foilage. 



Of Raspberries. The Black Cap 

 should find a place in every garden. 

 The plants can be had for the digging 

 and hauling. In transplanting raspber- 

 ries care should bo taken to cut thorn 

 back to within two or three eyes of the 

 ground; in this way'youj'get little or no 

 fruit the first season, but you will have 

 a strong growth of canes for the next. 

 The Barnct (?) a red raspberry is a most 

 abundant bearer and in Central Illinois 

 needs no protection, while more to the 

 North it does. Purple Cane, promises 

 to he the great raspberry of the prairies, 

 it is every where hardy, a strong grow- 

 er and most abundant bearer, no garden 

 however small, should be without it. 

 The Allen, or English Red Cane, is 

 late in the season, and we think will 

 prove valuable. We have a ^few plants 

 from Lake Superior, butjthe^fruit|is not 

 more than half grown at this writing, 

 in its native habitat itjs said to be very 



productive, and large quantities of the 

 fruit is sent to market both dryed and 

 caned. 



The small fruits are almost always re- 

 liable, are easily and cheaply grown, 

 are early and late, and by drying can 

 be had the year around. Had Ave to 

 choose between the small and the large 

 fruits, we should rather depend on the 

 former more especially in the North part 

 of the State. 



*9»- 



Ilorsf Taming. 

 Within a few years, great improve- 

 ments have been madp in the training of 

 the horse. Nostrums and nonsense have 

 been thrown aside, and the disposition 

 and capacity of the horse have studied 

 and substituted in their stead. The re- 

 sult has been a decided progress in sub- 

 duing and controlling him. It is use- 

 less to go into a history of the past, and 

 we prefer to deal with the active pre- 

 sent. To those who fancy the Rary sys- 

 tem of horse taming a humbug, we would 

 say that they know nothing of it, or 

 have been imposed upon by some travel- 

 ing quack, with more brass than horse 

 knowledge. This race of men will live 

 and thrive so long as our farmers fail 

 to keep posted up in the progress of the 

 age, so long as a part of our farmers can- 

 not distinguish truth from error, ignor- 

 ance is always the ready victim of hum' 

 bug, and the first to swallow the fiction. 

 To break an active wide awake colt to 

 the bit, to be rode and to work, was no 

 small task with the best of horsemen, 

 worth in labor at the usual rate, about 

 five dollars, and then the horseman was 

 not always successful, while the less ex- 

 perienced would often fail or succeed, 

 but indiferantly; but now the training of 

 a horse is reduced to a science, and can 

 be counted on to a certainty, by any or- 

 dinary individual, and the farmer boy of 

 fifteen with willing hand and steady 

 nerve, can subdue and train the most 

 stubborn four year old to his will, make 

 him the most docile and tractable with 

 but a few hours training. The unhalter- 

 ed colt is driven into the barn floor or 

 stable, and in less than half an hour is 

 made to submit to the halter, and in an 

 hour is completely halter broke, he is 

 then put in training for the bit,'orVhat 

 i3 better tie him in the stable and wait 

 until the next day, when an hour's train- 

 ing will have him perfectly bitted, and 

 this without the aid of any other person 

 to assist. We do not recollect to have 

 seen this style of halter-breaking and bit 



