156 



THE ILLINOIS F^RMIER. 



OnicAGO Bank Notk List.— Among our exchanges Is this 

 valuable paper, posting ua up seml-montlily in the changes of 

 the Banking institutions of the day, and giving ub warning of 

 new counterfeits. Farmers handling but little money will lind 



it useful. Our farmers are the great losers by bad money, 

 which is palmed oCfonthem. Businessmen cannot afford to 

 do without such publications, and we suggest that farmers 

 would ffnd it to their advantage to invest in the same line. — 

 An ounce of preventive is said to be worth a pound of cure. 



STOva Coal fob Swinb. — For several years we have been 



In the babit of giving stone coal dust or screenings to our hogs, 



and find tliem fond of it, and theyjseem to enjoy themselves 



In grinding up the small lumps. Sulphur Is very healthy for 



them, and It is probably to this that It owhs Its value. We 

 give half a dozen hogi a shovel full a week, and keep them In 

 a small yard without grass, yet they are fine and healthy. 



Bark Licb. — Mr. Brayton, Horticultural editor of the 

 Northwestern Farmer, says that these pests have disappeared 

 from hii trees, and that with the most careful inspection, he 

 hat act been able to find on of them. He says that in exam- 

 ining the old scales,the under part appear to have dried up. We 

 hope this is true of other places, for we have feared that these 

 pests of the orchard that have ruined thousands of trees in 

 Wisconsin and Northern lillnois, were gradually extending 

 west and south. Can any of our readers give us similar news 

 from the prairie orchards. In our orchard at Leydcn which 

 was badly infested, we have kept them in check and material- 

 ly lessened their numbers. By washing with soda and lime in 

 June, they con be held In check, as we know from experience. 



Concord Graphs. — By consulting the card of Messrs. Smith 

 & Son, It will be seen that they offer a large lot of tlic vines of 

 this valuable grape, and at such rates that people wishing to 

 plant can put them in by the hundred. They are usually sold 

 at a dollar each and this is the first time that wc have seen 

 them offered within the reach of common pockets. The 

 Messrs. Smith are entirely reliable and will do just aa they 

 say. We have been personally acquainted with them for 

 years. 



The Potatob Crop and a Market. — We have letters and 

 enquiries from tlie north part of the State enquiring what they 

 should d* with the large crop of potatoes now growing. We 

 answer that they will all be wanted at reasonably fair prices. 

 In the South the crop of Irish and sweet potatoes are mined, 

 and the same is nearly the case all south of the Terre Haute 



& Alton Riiilroad. The crop in the central part of the State 



Is only moderate and will afford but a small supply, and then 

 the large crop North will be wanted South to supply the deficit 

 made by the severe drouth. We hope our farmers will be pa- 

 tient under the blessing of this Immense crop. It is all very 

 likely to be wanted at fair prices, but do not hold on for fam- 

 ine prices, for these will not rnme at your bidding. BcU -wUcu 

 you can get a fair price. 



Pdbple Cone Raspberbt. — This raspberry continues to 

 fruit with us, (ISth.) The plants were set last spring, and cut 



back to within eight inches. They threw out vigorous side 

 shoots, which have produced a good crop of fruit, and on sev- 

 eral plants there is yet a good crop of half grown berries. The 

 cutting back of raspberries we have found to be a decided ad- 

 vantage. 



Scotch nrsRio Rhubarb we look upon as worthless, wlien 

 we can get plants of Myatts, Victoria, or Linneus. It is pos- 

 sible with the aid of slaughter house offal to make It produc- 

 tive, but common garden culture, such as farmers give It, it Is 

 certainly of little valne, being a week later in the Spring, and 

 small sized stalks. 



Wisconsin Fruit Grower's Association. — Through the 

 kind attention of A. G. Hand ford we are In receipt of the 

 premium list for the Fair, which will be held in connection 

 with the State Society; at Madison, 24th;to 29th of Sept. Our 

 Wisconsin friends are determined to make fruit growing one 

 of the institutions of the State, and are wide awake on the 

 subject. The list is a liberal one, and must draw out a good 

 show of fruit, wines, flowers and plants. 



Since writing the above we have received a complimentary 

 ticket from the Secretary, O. S. Wllley, for which kind atten- 

 t ion he will please accept our thanks. 



Drouth in Eqtpt. — We learn that in all Kgypt, and es- 

 pecially the prairie portion, that the drouth Is doing much 

 damage to the corn, potatoes and finit. Peaches especially 

 are small, j 



Crops in Wisconsin.— We take the following extract from 

 a private letter from Waukesha, Wis., written by A. G. 



Handford :— "This has been a very fruitful season, and Wis- 

 consin never before had so great abreadth sown to wheat, and 

 never so large a yield per acre. The quality Is fine. Corn Is 

 now promising, indeed everything in the hands of the farmer 

 has seemed to prosper. Our fruit crop will also be good." 



Mrs. Eirkland's Memoirs op Washington— D. Appleton 

 & Co.. New York. — Our younger members of the family of 

 readers of the Faiimkb, have a wish to look into history, and 

 to see who have been the pattern men of the past, so as to 

 form a model for themselves ; with this view we commend to 

 their attention the above work, not only for its historic value, 

 Its high mural sentiment, but the clear, vigorous and pleasant 

 style in which it is presented. It is happy for the develop, 

 ment of a good, clear Saxon-Engltsb style among all classes 



of our country, that the Lives of Washington most popular, 

 have been by authors noted for the simplicity and purity of 

 their diction, the absenceof inversion and distortion in the 

 construction of sentences, and the great preponderance at the 

 sliort, terse Saxon words, over their longer and weaker 

 slnonymes of Latin and French origin. An observant literary 

 man once said to us " You may read page after page of Irving, 

 and scarcely find a parenthesis or parenthetical clause in any 

 sentence," and this is a true remark, and the fact herein stated 

 gives the clue to one of the great secrets of Irving's immense 

 popularity as a writer. To read his short, simple paragraphs 

 fstiot a labor for the mind, nor does It require an effort of the 

 attention to remember at the end of a sentence what he was 

 driving at when it began. In this simplicity, Mr. Irving, and 

 most other truly great masters in literature, present a marked 

 contrast to the mass of writers for public amusement, especi- 

 ally the young beginners in authorship, and more particularly 

 well-read and college-bred men, who have drawn their mater- 

 ials from European and Ancient languages, or from English 

 writers of the last century, such as Johnson. The English of 

 the present day are apt to run to the o])posite extreme in their 

 Idolatry to the Saxon as opposed to the Norman element in our 

 noble tongue — witness Carlyle's vagaries and absurdities as 

 exhibited in his last book, the Life of Frederick the Great. 



There is probably no American writer who would claim to 

 be nearer to Mr. Irving in the matter of style than Mrs. Kirk- 

 land. Her " Memoirs of Washington," as well as her many 

 previous works, are a " well of English undeflled." 



Irving's Life of Washington is directed and adapted to the 

 reading public generally, and is an admirable picture of the 

 whole life, public and private of the Father of his country, 

 with a great deal of Interesting matter on all the atfairs which 

 occurred in this country during Washington's life time. The 

 whole forms a handsome duodecimo work in several volumes, 

 one, at least, of which is not yet published. Mrs. Klrkland's 

 " Memoirs on tlio other hand are prepaied expressly for 

 the young, and aa shs says in the dedication, are an " attempt 

 to introduce AVashiiigton to their more intimate knowledge 

 and tenderer regard, and so to make hts goodness and patriot- 

 ism Irresistibly inspiring to them." 



To this end the "Memoirs" treat more especially the 

 private, or imitable side of Washington's character, and fol- 

 low him, from his cradle to his grave, as closely and person- 

 ally as the most careful research into alibis ])rlvate journals 

 and letters now in existence (and they are many) will enable 



any one now tu do. His school copy books and studies in 

 arithmetic, bis field-books as a civil engineer and surveyor 

 and his journals kept while out on surveying expeditions, 

 the journals and memoranda of which he was a methodical 

 and voluminous author all through life — all are preserved in 

 the State Department at Washington, (having been bought by 

 Government from his heirs for $;}0,( 00,) aud into all these, 

 and also into all the local traditions connected with him 

 among persons now alive. Mrs. Kirkland has made careful 

 research, and the resulf is a charming story cf the home 

 aspect of a great man ; a story as fascinating to many minds 

 as a novel, for a grey-headed lawyer assured the writer hereof 

 that he sat up the great part of a night to finish it. When he 

 bad got near the end that he could not bear to leave off ! 



We recommend this book in its cheap form as now before 

 us, to the school authorities. The Ohio school libraries are all 

 jirovided with it, and au effort is being made to extend its use 

 to schools further west. May it be successful as far as Illinois 

 Is concempd, nay w»» Vow tho moral Itisoon -wliicH it> -will 

 teach tho young will never be lost, but remain through long 

 years. 



Maryland AoBici;LTUBiL College. — The second circular 

 of thiscollege is before us. It contains all the laws passed in 

 relation to it, with catalogue of officers and students. The 

 Trustees set forth the objects as follows : 



" Their scheme, then, isflrst, an educational institution In 

 Its most comprehensive sense. Its definition of education is, 

 tliat It Is the united symmetrical development and Instruction 

 of the religious, the Intellectual, and the phj'slcal qualities of 

 the man. It recognizes the whole man, in ail the departments 

 of his being, as the object of Its care. Its aim is not to In- 

 struct merely, not to impart knowledge merely, but to 

 awaken, to develop, to train and discipline all the latent in- 

 born powers and faculties of the man, that he may command 

 them for the high and noble uses of which they may bo capa- 

 ble, or for which they were designed. 



" It is not to be supposed, ttien, that what we designate an 

 agricultural college, aims merely at professional instruction in 

 agriculture. The plan undoubtedly embraces such instruc- 

 tion, but it is far more comprehensive. It claims for the 

 farmer or mechanic, or for whomsoever Its care may be 

 Bought, first his development as a man, trained and fitted, to 

 the full extent of his capacity, for all the duties cf a man and 

 acitizen. To this end it offers him the advantage of the most 

 approved systems of moral and intellectual culture, and 

 superadds to these, for his physical training, moderate and 

 systematic exercises in the field and in the workshop, as the 

 best means of laying the foundation of future heaitli and en- 

 ergy, in a well-developed, robust, physical constitution." 



This may all be well enough for a literary institution, but 

 we can see nothing of particular value to the farmer. All such 

 farmer colleges are of Itttle or no account, there are many so 

 named to rope In students from the rural population. A neat 

 advertising dodge. 



Moth Tbap. — We have given bee culture considerable 

 promlnance the postseason, for the reason that so little atten- 

 tion has been paid to It for the last few years. We have tried 



the moth trap of E. W. Phelps, and find it all that It Is recom- 

 mend to be, simple, cheap and efficient. We examine ours 

 every evening and find from one to five worms ready to go 

 into the comb, but by this trap we have them so they can do 

 no harm. For a further description we refer our readers to 

 the communication of H. B. G. In the present number. Our 

 bees (August 18.) have began to kill off the drones In some 

 hives. See that your bees have plenty of surplus boxes, as 

 soon as one is filled take it off and put on another. Remove 

 the box with tlie bees to the cellar or some dark place and 

 they will leave it iu twenty-four hours or less, without any 

 smoking. ♦ 



400,000 bushels. The receipts for the same day amounts to 

 288,000 bushels. This is the largest day's work ever done in 

 that or any otlier Western city. ., 



Sanoamon Countt Fair will be held at Springfield from 

 the ITth to 2l3t September. A. B. McConnell, President, and 

 John Cook, Secretary. This society la one of the oldest and 

 best managed In the State. The grounds are very fine and 



easy of access, as all know who have attended the great 

 political gatherings of late. The society are now expending 

 four thousand dollars for new and additional building's which 

 will add much to their usefulness. A hall for textile fabrics, 

 twenty-five by fifty feet ; farm products, the same size ; ag- 

 ricultural implements, same size; tliesc are to have shingle 

 roofs ; a new amphitheatre four hundred feet, being half the 

 circle ; a new pagoda, three stories high ; a dressing room for 

 the ladies with enclosed grounds. All of these buildings to 

 have shingle roofs and to be finished in first rate style. 



This society has broken away from old fogyism and is going 

 ahead on its own hook. Success to it. We clip aa we go : 



" At the annual March meeting of the society, the following 

 resolutions were unanimously adopted : 



nResolved, That the Sangamon County Agricultural and 

 Mechanical Association pay its premiums in gold. 



Resolved, That in Class " B." Horses, owners shall not be 

 restricted tu entries in one ring, and the award of premiums in 

 any one class shall be no bar to the receipt of premiums upon 

 the same animal in other classes where the animal is deemed 

 worthy. 



Renolved, That ail animals having received first premiums 

 at preceding exliibitions are hereby entitled to right of entry 

 and the receipt of premiums if deemed worthy. 



Jieaolved, That we invite the citizens of the whole State, 

 and especially of the counties of Morgan, Menard, Scott, 

 Macon, Montgomery, Christian and Logan, to unite with our 

 citizens as competitors at our next Fair. 



The citizens of Sangamon county will most gladly meet the 

 citizens of the counties named, and others, at their county 

 Fair, in comi)etition for the liberal premiums offered by the 

 Sangamon Ooimty Society." 



PLEnRO-PNEUM(piA.— We would call the especial attention 

 of our readers to the very able report of Capt. Brown on 

 this subject. It not only gives the true history of the disease, 

 but treats of several other alarming diseases that have ap- 

 peared from time to time. The Captain assures us that in his 

 exi)erience of twenty-five years he has lost but two animals of 

 his own breeding from disease; at the same time, from among 

 the great number of purchased animals that he has fed, he has 

 lost from two to twenty per cent. We shall hope to see our 

 usual show of anima's at the State and County Fairs. They 

 are the great feature, and one that we view with pride. Bring 

 them on and take down the premiums. 



Amalgim Oast Ibon Bells. — Since our last issue we have 

 received one of these bells from the Foundery of Messrs. Wat- 

 kins, Free & Co., Cincfnnati, (see their advertisement) and 



thus far It fully meets our expectations. It weighs two hund- 

 red pounds, and is heard In a circle of two miles. Its tones 

 are clear, and Its message for dinner is always musical. By 

 arranging a certain number of strokes for each individual, 

 there is but little trouble in calling them to the house sepa- 

 rately if required. These bells are bound to havo a great run, 

 for they are great labor saving institutions, real farm tele- 

 graphs, to carry a message to the most distant part of the 

 farm. Their cheapness and utility will soon place them on al- 

 most every farm house in the country, while for churches and 

 schools they are already in large demand. 



Orkknb Countt Fair.- This Fair is to be held at Carroll- 

 ton, October 16th, 17 and ISth. Fifteen hundred dollars are 



offered in premiums. Joseph S. Ballinger, President, andC. 

 Armstrong, Secretary. 



The Handbook, or Annual Record of Agricultural and 

 Horticultural Statistics, by Wm. P. Sheppard, New York, 

 price |1, has been received from the author. It is a valuable 

 work for nurserymen, gardeners and farmers, in fact they 

 cannot well do without it. It contains a large amotint of val- 

 uable matter. 



Chesncts. — At Jacksonville we saw two very thrifty ches- 

 nut trees, in a yard a little west of the Dunlap House, one of 

 them was loaded with fruit. These were well sheltered by 

 other trees. It would appear, from what we know of this 



tree, that it would grow well in our State. It is a difficult 

 tree to transplant, but we think its value sufficient to warrant 

 the planting of it where it is to grow, or perhaps root pruning 

 in the nursery rows would answer the same purpose. 



Immense Movement op Grain. — The shipments of grain 

 from Chicago last Saturday (ISth) footed up an aggregate of 



Personal and Peachfcl. — Being at the station yesterday, 

 (nth) the Exjiress Agent handed ua a box of red-cheeked, lug- 

 clous looking peaches. They were marked to our addrers, 

 with the Initials E. N. C, Cobden, In small letters in one cor- 

 ner. We deciphered this to be E.N. Clark, of the firm of 

 Newhall k Clark, Cobden. Those gentlemen have a large 

 fruit farm a mile north-west of the station, where they are 

 growing apples, peaches, pears, strawberries and raspberries. 

 Mr. Newhall Is a large fruit dealer In the city of Chicago ; fif- 

 teen years aeo he was the pclncipal dealer in the city.and was 

 the pioneer to make the sale of fruits an exclusive business. 

 He has been very successful In building up a large trade. Mr. 

 Clark is the active fruit man at the great fruit farm, which Ii 

 already becoming known at the North for the careful manner 

 In which his fruits are selected and put up for market. In be- 

 half of our assembled family and a few friends, all of whom 

 pronounced the peaches delicious, we take pleasure in return- 

 ing Mr. Clark our thanks for his timely and agreeable remem- 

 brance. 



A Deep Tiller.— The best deep tiller that we have tried 

 was made by Bosworth, Andrews & Co., of Grand De Tour, 

 Ogle County. 



