100 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMEE. 



April 



drain or tlie pipes will soon become filled up. 

 The dryness of the past two years lias had 

 to a large extent the same effect upon the 

 soil as though it was underdrained, but so 

 soon as we get our usual forty-five inches of 

 rain, with the usual number of cloudy days 

 to retard evaporation, we will see the 

 value of underdrains. We therefore urge 

 the necessity of being ready by putting in 

 the main drains or open ditches, into which 

 the small drains may be discharged. A 

 thousand feet of drain will cost but little, by 

 way of experiment, and we have the fullest 

 confidence that it will produce valuable re- 

 sults by doubling the quantity of the crop 

 upon ail land that contains standing water 

 through part or all of the year. 



Advancing tlie Wages. 



Wm, R. Arthur, General Superinteadent of the 

 Illinois Central railroad, has just issued a circu- 

 lar to conductors and others in the company's 

 employ, stating that he has decided to advance 

 the wages of employees daring train service. 

 The reasons which the superintendent gives for 

 his course are plain, sensible and to the point, 

 and show that he well understands the principles 

 that should govern an employer in his course to- 

 wards his employees. If such principles were 

 carried out on all the railroads in the country, 

 they would soon experience the most beneficial 

 results from such a course. None but good and 

 trusty men should ever be employed on a raib oad, 

 and such men shoiUd al^rays receive a proper re- 

 muneration for their services. 



The Ecperiutendent says : 



"I wish to correct the impression that length 

 of service alone entitles men to promotion in this 

 company ; it is unsafe reUance. The desire for 

 promotion should be accompanied by the most 

 vigorous performance of the duties in hand. A 

 large proportion of the applications for situa- 

 tions which I receive, come from men who per-, 

 form their present duties negligently, because 

 they think their capacity lies above the work as- 

 signo) them. Promptness, intelligence and fiilel- 

 ity to the company's interest, ia nny position, 

 will sooner or later be discovered and recog- 

 nized." 



The salary of passenger train conductors is 

 advanced from $66 G6 to $75 per mouth, and 

 other employees in proportion. — Ex. 



The same principle of advancement should 

 hold good among farm hands. But under 

 the present plan the country is flooded with 

 a worthless set of men perambulating the 

 country and begging from farm to farm. If 



we would compel these men to work and pay 

 wages in proportion to the work done we 

 would soon see an improvement. If every 

 farmer who is asked for food and shelter 

 should compel those vagrants to work one, 

 two, or three hours, they would soon save 

 their wives from a deal of annoyance from 

 these gentry. Last month we employed a 

 man for the month at low wages. Not that 

 we then had need of him, but from his ap- 

 pearance supposed he would make a good 

 hand, but he could not afibrd to do much for 

 low wages, and intimated that when the 

 wages were raised and the season's work 

 commenced he would be all right. When 

 the month was up he took his eight dollars, 

 being more than he had earned, and must 

 look up another place. A nian v,'lio v.iU not 

 be faithful under such cirr;uu;.-;taije>.s is of no 

 value, and an increase of wages will make 

 therm no better. This man was bccging his 

 »ray, stout, healthy, snd capable of being 

 useful, but the fear that he would do more 

 than earn his wages ruined him. Before he 

 left another man was hired in his place at 

 higher wages, but it was too late, he had 

 proved himself a laggard. We have worked 

 out for five dollars a month after we were six- 

 teen, and worked as hard and as faithful as 

 when afterwards our wages were a hundred 

 dollars a month. A man who will not be 

 faithful with low wages is not safe to be de- 

 pended upon at any time. Ed. 



Elevations of the Country. 

 Col. Vv'"hittlesey read the following paper 

 before the Cleveland Academy of Natural 

 Science : 



Lake Oxt.muo. — 1st, Lockage of the canal 

 along the St. Lawrence river, hy the Canadian 

 surveys, 234,} feet. 2d, Survey of the Oswego 

 canal, New York, 232 feet. Mean, 233J feet. 



Lake Ekie. — 1st, Survey of the Erie canal in 

 1817, 561,20 feet. 2d, Lockage of the Erie canal 

 ns constructed, from the mitre sill at. j^lbany to 

 the mitre sill at Buffalo, 567 feet. 3d, (railroad 

 survey) Catskill to Portland hcrbor, in 1828, 

 565 feet. 4th, By Captain Williams' survey of 

 the Niagara ship canal, September, 1831, assum- 

 ing the Canadian level, 234;^ feet for that lake ; 

 abovf? Lake )r.t:.rio, 325} feec — 5C3 feel. Mean, 

 564 feet. 



