THE ILLINOIB F^HMEH. 



, ( 



207 



Coxon and his wife, and Mr. A. Shaw 

 of Hill Top, and his wife. They are 

 now in the possession of the Rev. T. 

 Chevalier, of Esh, and will be placed in 

 the Durham University Museum. — Dur- 

 ham (^England) Advertiser, 



-—-■ 



Cobs for Fuel— Hand Corn Shellers. 



Our people are just beginning to appre- 

 ciate the value of Cobs for fuel. Nearly or 

 quite all the cobs at the depot are now used 

 for domestic fuel and to generate steam. — 

 This to our city Is worth several thousand 

 dollars annually, and must increase with the 

 growth of the place and the extension of 

 corn culture. A large amount of these cobs 

 are hauled back to the farms for use, thus 

 making an extra expense which would be 

 ' saved if the corn was shelled at home. — 

 There are a great number of farmers who 

 grow small lots, say one to two thousand 

 bushels, and who haul this eight or ten 

 miles to the depot, where it is sold in the 

 in the ear. Now if they use the cobs they 

 must haul them back again. Let us look 

 at this and see if a better way cannot be 

 devised. A ton of corn makes a good load 

 and there is three tons and a half of corn to 

 the one hundred bushels. At the distance 

 of ten miles it is worth two dollars, and at 

 five miles one dollar a ton to haul it, in a 

 hundred bushels of corn there is fourteen 

 to nineteen-tweutietha of a ton of cobs and 

 corn to pay the shelling, say of cobs about 

 twelve hundred pounds. Here is a loss of 

 about one cent on the bushel in hauling, to 

 say nothing of the hauling back of the cobs, 

 or doing without them. In bujing the corn 

 the sheller takes enough to pay him for 

 shelling, say two to five pounds. Now with 

 a hand sheller and seperator, two hands can 

 shell and sack one or two hundred bushels 

 per day, depending on the dryness of the 

 com. With this advantage that they can at 

 the same time assort it, wbioh under the 

 present regulations for buying is an item 

 from one to two cents per bushel — nearly 

 enough to pay the cost of shelling. We 

 believe that good dry cobs are worth half as 

 much as coal. To be safe, we will put them 

 at two dollars, and this is no more than they 

 cost to haul them. We saw an excellent 

 hand sheller and separator, all of iron, 

 standing in front of a warehouse, marked at 

 $15. Now, we think we are safe in saying 

 that in marketing fifteen hundred bushels 

 of corn at the present low price its cost can 

 be saved in shelling it on the farm. 1st. 

 The saving in the weight, as seventy pounds 

 in the ear will make more than fifty-six 

 shelled. 2d. The assorting. 3d. The 

 haulinsr of the cobs to market. 4th. The 

 value of the cobs. In addition to this the 

 shelling can nearly or quite all of it be done 



in bad weather, and at such times as the 

 other farm work is not pressing. We think 

 our small farmers will consult their interest 

 in looking a little deeper into this subject. — - 

 It xcay save them many times hauling wood 

 through the mud, and having something that 

 will make a pleasant fire at all times, that 

 has not to be cut up in short lengths with 

 a dull axe or a duller saw. - 



Illihoib State Aoricultural Soctett's Rooks, I 

 Springfield, Dec, 1860, J 



Editor Illinois Farmer : — Dear Sir: 

 — While each competitor is Buppoaed to 

 know the rules published in the Premium 

 List, which may affect the award of the 

 premium he seeks to obtain, it may be well 

 to republish the following, from page 14, of 

 the List of Premiums offered by this Society 

 for 1860 : 



''All exhibitors competing for premiums 

 on farms, will be required to give the foUow- 

 statistics in writing : 



"1st. The number of acres under culti- 

 vation, and the number devoted to each 

 crop. ■ ■_ ■ 



"2d. The number of bushels of wheat, 

 corn, oats and other grains raised, and the 

 amount of land appropriated to each one. 



*'3d. The number of tons of hay, and the 

 amount for each acre. 



"4th. The amount of stock raised, fed and 

 grazed on the same, viz : cattle, horses, 

 mules, sheep, hogs, etc., and their probable 

 value. 



"6th. The number of hands employed, 

 the cost of their labor. 



"These reports to be made to the Corres- 

 ponding Secretary, previous to the first day 



January, 18G1." 



The Executive Committee will assemble 

 here on Wednesday, the 9th of January, 

 1851; to transact the usual business, receive 

 Reports, make awards, etc. 



The Executive Committee, under 

 the new Constitution, will also meet here on 

 the second Monday, (14th) of January, 



Competitors for premiums on Field Crops 

 ought to send the required samples of the 

 crops to these Rooms, before the meeting on 

 the 9th January. 



Parties who desire to have plates of An- 

 imals, or articles inserted in the next vol- 

 ume of the Transactions of this Society, 

 will please communicate with me as early as 

 convenient. 



Secretaries of County Agricultural Socie- 

 ties who have not already done so, are ear- 

 nestly requested to send me at an early day 

 the reports of the doings of such Societies, 

 for the years 1859 and 1860. 



Yery respectfully, yours, 

 John P. Reynolds, 



Cor. Sec'y Ul . state Agricultiiral Society. 



.•> • 



How TO Cook a Beefsteak. — The 

 following were the rules adopted by the 

 celebrated *' Beefsteak Club,'* started 

 in England in 1734: 



Pound well your meat until th« fibers bre&k. 

 Be sure that next you have, to broil the steak, 



Good coal is plenty ; nor a moment leave, . 

 But turn it over this way and then that, 

 The lean should be quite rare — not «o the fat. 



The platter now and then the juice rec«ive, . 

 Put on your butter, place it an your meat. 

 Salt, pepper, turn it over, serve and eat. 



[From the Chicago Democrat. 1 



How AND Whebe to Buy Books Cheaply. — 

 The Great Gift Book Stobe of J. A. Colby. — 

 Now the election is over. The long winter 

 nights are coming on. The hohdays are ap- 

 proaching. Our farmer friends, and our read- 

 ers in the country towns and villages, vrill be 

 thinking of procuring their stock of winter 



books, for reading and for presents at Christ- 

 mas and New Years. We will do them a real 

 kindness by indicating to them where and how 

 they can buy their books the cheapest and 

 best. 

 The book store of J. A. Colby, 118 Randolph 



street, is one of the institutions of this city, — 



There the visitors will find a stock of books of 

 every kind, unequalled in extent, completeness 

 and elegance. Every book, ancient, modem, 

 gay, lively and severe ; History, Religion, Ro- 

 mance, Poetry, all find iheir place on the shelves 

 and tables of this extensive store. These books 

 are all sold as low as they can be bought at any 

 other establishment in the country. But in ad- 

 dition to this, the purchaser of every book re- 

 ceives a free gift of jewelry, ranging in value 

 from fifty cents to one hundred dollars ! Mr. 

 Colby was the parent and originator of this gift 

 book system. He has pursued it for seven or 

 eight years, and all over the country no one can 

 be found to say that they did not receive full 

 value, and more, for all they invested with him. 

 Let our friends call at this establishment when 

 they come to the city, or send to Mr. Colby for 

 a catalogue of their publications, which they will 

 send free of charge. They can take our word 

 for it that they will be more than satisfied with 

 the manner in which they can buy books here. 

 The patrons of this house will get their returns 

 for money sent to J. A. Colby for books, much 

 sooner than if they had sent to the eastern cities 

 for them, as the distance is so much less ; and 

 the charges will not amount to more than one- 

 third as much as they would if the books were 

 sent from New York, Philadelphia, or any other 

 eastern city. The g^ifts which are presented to 

 the buyers of books consist of gold and silver 

 watches, gold chains, silk dresses, lockets, 

 bracelets, breast pins, etc. The articles are of 

 good quality, and the distribution of the gifts is 

 so arranged that no deception is practiced upon 

 the buyer. For full particulars send for a cata- 

 logue., : ■ .: <llOdaf It 



From the Chicago Tribune. 



New Gbain Elevatobs. — Chicago, already 

 the largest grain market in the world, is steadi- 

 ly aiding to its facilities for carrying on this 

 trade. We notice with pleasure that Munger 

 & Armour, and Smith and Sturges, who are 

 among our most experienced and enterpnsing 

 houses in this line, are each building a new El- 

 evator on the South Branch. These are to be 

 of the largest class, built in the most substan- 

 tial manner, a^d furnished with the best and 

 most approved machinery, and are to be com- 

 pleted early in the spring. Some idea of the 

 immense amount of grain which may be handled 

 in them, may be gathered from the fact that 

 they are furnished with near thirty of Fairbanks' 

 400 bushel and 500 bushel Hopper Scales, which 

 are by universal consent the best in use, and 

 that each of these scales, so perfect will be the 

 machinery, can be loaded to its full capacity ,and 

 the grain discharged again from the Hopper, in 

 less than ten minutes. In view of the immense 

 and fertile country lying back of us, traversed 

 in all directions by numerous railcoads, having 

 their centre here, and of our present and in- 

 creasing facilities for receiving and shipping 

 grain, and the experience and enterprise of our 

 business men, it is reasonable to expect Chicago 

 will be in the future, as now, the great grain 

 market of the world. 



