134 



THE ILLINOIS FARMER. 



should it be fortunate enough to reach 

 that month in safety; drill your wheat 

 by all means. For sowing on prairie 

 sod, use the rolling cutter drill, or at- 

 tach rolling cutters to thePennock drill; 

 this will save harrowing, and ensure 

 germination of the seed by certainty of 

 having it well covered. 



linen and Flax. 



We notice in an exchange, that a per- 

 fectly successful method has been adop- 

 ted for the preparation of flax fibre for 

 the spindle, in the form of "flax cotton.'' 

 A vast amount of thought and labor with 

 in the last ten or fifteen years has been 

 expended in experimenting on this ma- 

 terial with a view to adapt it to cotton 

 manufacturing machinery ; and although 

 several inventors claim to have been suc- 

 cessful in this, no extensive manufacture 

 has been established. That this process 

 will yet be successfully accomplished, 

 and flax fifbrc to a great extent take the 

 place of cotton, which now has such a 

 world-wide demand, we entertain not the 

 shadow of a doubt. The demand for 

 cotton is constantly increasing, and un- 

 less a substitute is found for it in some 

 degree, the cotton growing regions of 

 the United States will not be able to 

 meet the demand. In view of these 

 facts we know of no subject that pre- 

 sents a more encouraging field for study 

 and invention than that of some econom- 

 ical mode of preparing flax fibre for the 

 mill. 



Dr. 0. S. Leavitt has devoted several 

 years of labor, and has epended a large 

 amount of money in endeavoring to aci 

 complish this desirable result, in which 

 he claims to have been successful. But 

 the doctor has been unfortunate in his 

 efforts to secure men and means to aid 

 him in carrying in his inventions into 

 extensive practical operation. With the 

 view to secure this end, and that the 

 world may have the benefit of so impor- 

 tant a discovery. Dr. Leavitt has written 

 a letter to the editors of the Scientific 

 American, in which he proposes to sur- 

 render his process and patented inven- 

 tions to the public. The letter is as fol- 

 lows : 



" Several years ago I invented various 

 machines and processes by which linens 

 can be made as cheap as cotton goods, 

 at the average cost of cotton, by the use 

 of unrotted flax, thousands ot tons of 

 which are thrown away as worthless 

 throughout this country, it being grown 

 only for the seed. I have four patents, 

 but other valuable inventions have not 

 been patented, and have been used only 

 for tests in a private way. A full and 

 satisfactory demonstration was made a 

 few years ago, in your State, by a com- 

 pany w^hich was broken up by the expo- 

 sure of an attempted wrong (the details 



of which it is not necessary now to give) 

 when the patents reverted to me. Since 

 that time all my efforts to secure capital 

 to bring out my inventions on a large 

 scale have been unavailing ; and knowing 

 their great value to the world I design 

 to surrender them to the public. With 

 this view I have in course of prepara- 

 tion a work on the manufacture of hemp 

 and flax, in which the various machines 

 and processes, which have proved suc- 

 cessful, will be described and illustrated 

 with sufficient clearness to enable all 

 mechanists and manufacturers to build 

 and use them. 



*'I also propose to lecture on the 

 'Commercial Causes Affecting Social In- 

 stitutions," throughout the country, 

 wherever my services may be required ; 

 proving (as I can prove to all persons 

 of candor and intelligence) that linens 

 can be made rs cheap as cotton goods. 

 My greatest regret in connection with 

 this matter is that it is out of my power 

 to lecture gratuitously. 



0. S. Leavitt." 



Hichmond, Ind. 



«•• 



Those Agricultural Lectures on 

 TuE New Haven Plan. — During last 

 winter a course of lectures were given 

 under the ausjj^ces of the faculty of 

 Yale College. These lectures undoubt- 

 edly did good, but that they entirely 

 failed to meet the popular wants of the 

 great mass of farmers, from their in- 

 tensely and Bcientifie and professional 

 character and we can safely say axe- 

 grinding proclivities is very evident to 

 our mind. 



We like to see business men advertise 

 liberally and well, and to get all the 

 customers they can, but when they thrust 

 my heed on 7mrsery or green-house, or 

 grapery before the public, under the 

 guise of philanthropy, wo cry Bah ! 

 Bah ! Bah ! again. If we arc to have 

 a course of lectures, let them be by 

 plain, practical farmers, upon farm sub- 

 jects, and not men selected mainly for 

 their blarneying qualifications. Let 

 the professors stand back and some of 

 those hard-fisted yeomanry we hear these 

 buncomb chaps talk so much about, give 

 us somo good plain common sense talk 

 after they are done, then let the scien- 

 tifics go in on their muscle, and mystify 

 us all they can. But we beg of you, 

 gentlemen, especially of that tremenje- 

 ous enlightened and liberal body (?) the 

 State Horticultural Society that you 

 give us sense before nonsense, as applied 

 to practical farm life. 



If there is to be a series of such lec- 

 tures in Illinois the coming winter, as 

 proposed in a resolution of the late Ag- 

 ricultural Convention we offer the above 

 for their consideration. — Quiney Whig. 



We have an abiding iaith, that the 

 officers having this matter in charge will 



do their duty. We understand that the 

 plan embraces practical farmers in the 

 list of speakers, as it certainly did at 

 New Haven last winter, but our friend 

 Jones will recollect that we have very 

 few among all of our best practical far- 

 mers who are accustomed to public 

 speaking or writing, and it will there- 

 fore be difficult to fill up the time wholly 

 with this class. We hope to see both 

 classes represented. — Ed. 



EDITOR'S TABLE). 



Now when the air is all aglow with solar heat, iiow pleas- 

 ant, as tlie eveniog shades cool down bis ardent gaze, to 

 gather with the former's family onder the canopy of some 

 beauteous tree, or under the porch made pleasant by creeping 

 vines, and hold our monthly converse with the tillers of tho 

 soil. We even hear with pleasure the critlciimg on our edi- 

 torial short comings and take heed for the future. Lilce 

 the story tellers of the east, we have for the past month been 

 gathering up material for this our monthly greeting, and 

 most successful have we been [as to the amount of material 

 gleaned, but of the manner of presentation we will not speak; 

 suffice it to say that all have been busy since we last met, and 

 vast pyramids of golden sheaves dot the landscape as evi- 

 dence thereof. 



Pbioh Tbbbb and Silver Maples.— We take pleasure In 



calling the attention of planters]'^to 'the card.of Mr. Pullen. 

 We have dealt more or less with him for the past ten years, and 

 have always found him a gentleman of'the strictest integrity, 

 nig long experience in peach culture is of no small value and 

 those intending to send east for their pea«h trees, will do well 

 to give him their orders. His trees are always remarkably 

 well grown, and his selection of market varieties cannot fall 

 to please. The silver maples arc of the highest value for tim- 

 ber belts on account of their rapid growth. We expect to 

 take the f 10, offered for "the best acre of tranKplonted forest, 

 trse of not loss than six feet growth," on a lot of two year old 

 trees, that is of trees grown from seed matured in season of 

 1S58. The trees arc set In rows four feet apart, and four feet 

 in the row, making 2,720 to the acre, certainly not very ex- 

 pensive at the rate Mr. Pullen sells his seedlings, send for 

 his catalogue. 



NL'UDEB OF TREES ON AN AORE, AT| VARIOUS DISTANCES. 



At 4 feet ai)art, each way. 2,720 



•• 1,743 



" 1,200 



" 680 



" 489 



•• 825 



200 



135 



«' 110 



" 70 



" 60 



The above tabic will be found convenient. Currants, goose- 

 berries, raspberries, blackberries, and grapes should be 

 planted In rows six feet, bo that they can be easily worked 

 with a horse, the grapes can be set four feet apart In the rows, 

 and the others three to four feet,',when planted three by s x 

 feet, it will require 2,400 plants, and at fonr feet 2,0U0. Eight 

 feet Is a good distance for dwarf pears and apples; sixteen 

 feet for the May cherry, peach, almond, and nectarine, and 

 twenty-four to twenty-five is a good distance for the apple 

 orchard, ours are set the former distance. 



Dbillino Wheat.— Winter wheat sown on old land should 

 In all cases be drilled. We would not think of sowing It 

 broadcast. If we expected a good crop. With the use of a 



good drill, the grain is all planted at^a uniform depth, Is more 

 flure of germinating In our prairie soli, so liable to contlnuaj 

 dry weather at the sowing season — the March winds are not 

 liable to blow the earth from tho roots, and which causes so 

 mnch loss — a saving of seed and oj labor. Pennocks grain 

 drill is among drills, what Woodworth'g patent* is among 

 planers, or pure coffee to the thousand imitations, it Is the 

 successful implement, around which has grown up a spurious 

 progeny. By reference to our advertising columns, It will be 

 seen that a few of these Invaluable drills can be had at a 

 greatly reduced price to close up a coucern. Mr. Woodruff 

 has retired from tlie shop to the farm, and therefore offers the 

 remainder of his stock. Our farmers can reiy^upon a good 

 article from him. 



