« THE iLLiisrois F^iinvrEii. 



205 



our farms, and that is hay for shipment 

 south. No crop will roh our farms faster 

 and more surely than this crop, and un- 

 less we devise some means to stay the 

 waste, even our rich and almost exhaust- 

 less prairie soil will yield to its bad ef- 

 fects. ■;;,■' .v 



As but little fall plowing is done in 

 this part of the State, there is plenty of 

 time before winter sets in, to get out the 

 manure. 



We ask all those who have not given 

 it a trial to do so at once, and we will 

 pledge them that it will pay. 



At present, we are going the way of 

 the Mohawk farmers, who, from throwing 

 their manure into the stream that run 

 past their stable doors, now purchase 

 leached ashes and other fertilizers by the 

 thousands of dollars annually. It is 

 true that it will take years to reach that 

 point; but as good crops, instead of ex- 

 hausting the soil is our aim, we may as 

 well begin now to exercise them and 

 thus ward off the disastrous effects that 

 are sure to follow. It is possible that 

 we may learn too late, the reason why 

 so much is said of manure in the eastern 



journals. 



— It 



Macon County Fair. 



We spent three days at this Fair, and 

 of course examined into its details. It 

 was what was called a successful Fair. 

 That is, there was a good attendance, a 

 fine show of industrial products, monkey 

 shows, watch stuffers, galvanized jewel- 

 ry; but to have completed the list, pick- 

 pockets should have been licensed at 

 ten dollars each, to pick the pockets of 

 the farmers. We like to see fair play, 

 and if monkey shows, watch stuffing and 

 swindling, with a "free draw" for bogus 

 jewelry, is right, and a legitimate sub- 

 ject of license, most surely the pick- 

 pocket should not be turned out of the 

 ring. Certainly his calling is as res- 

 pectable as the others, and in some res- 

 pects much the most valuable of the lot. 

 This Society has most beautiful grounds, 

 with a fine spring pouring its wreath of 

 water, into a trough, under the- shade of 

 the giant oaks. The show ring is a pret- 

 ty amphitheatre, snugly ensconced amid 

 the sloping sides of the miniature hills, 

 whose sides are clothed with a carpet of 

 blue grass, above which wave the leafy 

 branches of the oak openings. 



The officers are an excellent and en- 



ergetic set of men. They erred in the 

 granting of license to the parties named, 

 and as freely admit the error as we do. 



They pledge themselves that no more 

 of this shall come in to mar the future 

 usefulness of this valuable institution.— 

 They have done no more than many of 

 our other county Fairs have done, and 

 not even as bad as several that we could 

 name — one in particular, where a man 

 was murdered in a drunken brawl, with- 

 in a hundred feet of where we stood 

 examining anew corn planter. 



Some think the usefulness of our 

 county Fairs have culminated, and they 

 will soon sink into nought; but we 

 think the evils that have followed in 

 their train have rather culminated, and 

 that the bright day of their usefulness 

 is now ready to dawn upon the public. 

 •Good and true men everywhere have seen 

 where we were drifting, and are putting 

 forth their best energies to check our 

 downward career. We know and feel 

 that a great change is to come, that the 

 Fairs of 1861 will be unlike those of 

 1860, in this, and that they will be the 

 true exponents of our industrial pro- 

 gress. ;. .■ ^-.^ ::■ .; 



IMPLEMENTS. 



A three shovel plow, made by "Water- 

 man & Co., Decatur, is well made, and 

 looks as though it might be a very use- 

 ful implement. It will need to be doub- 

 led and placed on a pair of wheels, with 

 a driver's seat, to come in competition 

 with the new cultivators. The days of 

 the shovel plows and cultivators, as now 

 constructed, are on the wane; their star 

 of empire is just setting, and their use- 

 fulness must form new combinations. 



A fine show of plows, from the shop 

 of Toby & Anderson, Peoria, attracted 

 no small attention. These plows have 

 a good reputation throughout the State. 



Keller's corn planter is the only one 

 on the ground;* is simple, looks durable 

 and efficient. :; 



The "Telegraph Fodder Cutter," ex- 

 hibited by R. Greeley, of Decatur, drew 

 crowds. It has a capacity for almost 

 anything, but corn stalks, with the great 

 ears on, was its favorite food, slicing 

 them up with perfect ease. These are 

 made for either hand or horse power. — 

 They are the best cornstalk cutters that 

 we have seen. - X: '.. •: ; /. 



dorsey's adjustable cultivator. 



This is another of the new cultivators. 



to work the corn crop, with two horses, 

 and on which the driver has a seat to 

 ride while driving his team. It is a 

 long way ahead of the common cultiva- 

 tor, though far from bein|[ perfect. We 

 expect large things from this new style 

 of implement, but we are not disposed to 

 be satisfied short of perfection ; these 

 crude machines promise well, when we 

 consider that it is the first year that they 



have been brought out, and we may now 

 look forward with confidence ftfr a rapid 

 improvement in their construction. 



THE BIG APPLE. :.;: 



Yisitors and pomologists at the State 

 Fair will recollect the plate of large ap- 

 ples, presented by Mr. Oapps, from Lo- 

 gan county, one of which weighed thir- 

 ty-six and a half ounces. Mr. Capps 

 called them Glori Mundi, but others 

 beside ourself dissented from this opin- 

 ion, as they bore evidence of difference, 

 though the general conclusion was that 

 the wonderful size and growth would ac- 

 count for the difference ; but we now 

 have the most conclusive evidence that 

 they are not identical. Mr. James 

 Buckles, residing five miles north of Illi- 

 opolis, in Logan county, had on exhibi- 

 tion several samples of the same variety 

 exhibited by Mr. Capps at the State 

 Fair, and which Mr. B. calls "Moun- 

 tain Flora." Mr. B. purchased the 

 trees nine years since of an Englishman 

 by the name of Lopham, who had a small 

 nursery near Decatur, but who has since 

 deceased. Mr. Capps is a neighbor of 

 Mr. B., and purchased his trees of the 

 same person. Mr. B. says there are but 

 four trees of this variety, so far as he 

 knows. He thinks the trees sold by 

 Mr. L. came from England, at least so 

 Mr. C. stated to him, and the variety 

 under no tic ehe named as above. The 

 trees have borne for three or four sea- 

 sons, and the fruit exhibited is but a fair 

 sample of the crops. He has exhibited 

 them at several Fairs, and they have not 

 before attracted any very marked atten- 

 tion. Mr. C. R. Overman was at this 

 Fair with a fine show of apples, and call- 

 ed our attention to this fruit, and not- 

 withstanding their enormous size,visitors 

 looked at them, wondered, and passed 

 on without further inquiry. But to Mr. 

 0. and our humble self, this could not 

 be so easily done, and we hunted up the 

 owner, and learned what we could of its 

 history. Mr. B can neither read nor 



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