140 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMER. 



May 



The Catawba is the principal variety now in 

 cultivatioTi, thoup;!! Mr. Freeman and others are 

 tryiug Norton's Virginia and other new sorts. 

 We saw extensive hot beds of tomato phxnts many 

 of them ready for the cold frame, that is, they 

 are tvaosfeneJ from [the hot-hed at about two 

 inclies liigh to the open ground, in beds, over 

 ■which is placed the usual hot bed side boards 

 and sash.. They stand in these until danger of 

 frost is over, and at that time are nearly or quite 

 in bloom ; this is so i;eihing like repotting in 

 green houses and put them toi ward at a compar- 

 ative cuc.-p rate, as several plnntscan thus stand 

 undtr a square of glass. Lettuce for the Chi- 

 cago miirket is cultivated to some extent at this 

 point, we saw two long ranges of cold frames 

 tilled with this plant, a portion of v. hieli is to be 

 sent out next week. The seeds are sown in the 

 latter part of summer, and are reset in beds five 

 feet wide from by six inches apart in the rows, 

 about the iii'st of Octuber; they thus get well 

 rooted before winter, but iti ths mild climate they 

 need no o:her protection than rough boards fur 

 the sides, upon which the gl.ss frames rest. 

 Sometimes the ground becomes slightly frozen, 

 but thou'jii most of the winter they continue to 

 grow, and are thus early re;uly for market, The 

 plant.s are pulled up, packed in barrels and ship- 

 ped by L'ipitss. The great drawback to garden- 

 ing at this point is the want of capital, manure 

 and ihcap trausportion. Capital and skill are 

 fast accumulatiiig, and the growing of clover and 

 Kurd's grass, which are now a'tractiug attention, 

 will so'ui supply the manure for hot-b* d pur- 

 poses, and as to freights, we shall have less com- 

 plaint hereafter, both from the I. C. R. R. and 

 the Express Co. 



EVEROKEENS. 



Around the rocky ledges of the "Grand 

 Chain," and within a few miles of this point are 

 large quantities of seedling plants of the red ce- 

 dar, a d as the cedar makes an excellent low 

 Bcretn for garden and liouse grounds, they are in 

 demaud, and at this time several parties are busy 

 gathering and packing them for the prairie re- 

 gion. Pliints about six inches high are put up 

 lor about five iloUars the thousaati, or half a cent 

 each. Tiiis will make a cheap and desirable 

 screen. We know of no point at which good 

 plants can be so readily and cheaply obtained. 

 We have frequently said that thise Egyptian for- 

 ests contained a mine of wealth, wherewith to 

 beaut fy the prairie, and we take pleasure in 

 pointing out this one just 0[ ened. 



Jonesburo is six miles south of Cobden, and we 

 learn that large plantations of gooseoerries and 

 strawberries are being made. Khubarb does not 

 appear to thrive; it is a gross teeder, requiring 

 muck and manure, and botli out of the question 

 here. 



AsHLT, March 7. — A soaking rain throughout 

 the day has prevented a look into the country. 

 Vegetation is a week behind that at Cobden, but 

 the [jromise of fruit is good. At this point there 

 are large numbers of small apple orchards, and 

 also of seedling peaches, but winter wheat is the 

 great sta[)le which now looks very promising. 

 There is a demand for seed oats at all the small 



stations in this part of the State. For two years 

 the rust has destroyed this crop, and last season 

 but few were sown, but proved a good crop, and 

 now the farmers are willing to try again. The 

 failure of the wheat and corn crop last season 

 makes a pretty general complaint of hard times. 

 Centralis, March 8. — Within the last three 

 years, couhiderable attention has been paid to 

 fruit culture in this vicinity. A large number of 

 the employees of the I. C. R. R. have fine gar- 

 dens in the village, and in no part of the State is 

 thete so much attention paid to the growing of 

 fruits and vegetables for family Ufe a' this point. 

 Mr. C. A. M ntross, one of the passenger con- 

 ductors, has one of the finest fruit and vegetable 

 gardens in this State, and is now busy in filing 

 some vacant lots with dwarf pears, over three 

 hundred of which he has set out Such examples 

 as this will have a most valuable efif.'ct among 

 conductors and employees, professional men and 

 mechanics. Our villagers pny too little attention 

 to this subject, but we hope to wake them up to a 

 proper sen e of its value. At three o'clock con- 

 ductor Robinson, signaled the brakes and we 

 found ourself at home RutiAL. 



Abstract of Reports from Various 

 Counties in the State as to the Con- 

 dition of Leading Growing Crops, 

 and other Subjects of Special Inter- 

 est to the Farmer. 



Rooms of Ills. State Agrcultural Socety,^ 

 Springfie'd, April 2, 1861. ^ 



FOR M \RCI1. 



Macovpin County. — Repoiter, T. L. Loomis, 

 Carlinviile. 



Entire area 552,990 acre", one third in cultiva- 

 tion. 



Fall Wheat— 37,000 acres sown in the fall of 

 18G0 — uninjured by the winter, never looked bet- 

 ter in March. Less sown last year than usual. 



Spring whe^^t — 10,000 acre-; sown and being 

 sown — ground favoraide to good seeding. 



Fruit — Prospect good. Peach buds not killed. 



Quantity of wheat in the hands of producers, 

 100,000 bu.-hels. 



Quiintitv of corn in the bauds of producers, 

 9.000,000 bushels. 



No seriou- damage to either of the above crops 

 from in-ects was suifered last year. 



Edgar County. — Reporter, Dr. William Kilo, 

 Paris. 



Fall wheat — One-fffth more sown than usual. 

 (This is a large and fine wheat growing county 

 — Ed.) Present conuitijn and prospect of this 

 crop better than ever before. 



Spring wheat — None sown yet (March 12). 



Fruir. — Condition of the buds yettrood, though 

 peaches are much swollen in souther exposures. 



Quantity of wheat in the hands of producers — 

 about one-fifth of surplus. 



Quantity of corn in the hands of producers — 

 tws-thirds of the surplus. Owing to high rail- 

 road, rates and low markets at St. Louis, there 

 has been a dead lock in the corn trade in that di- 

 rection. Our shipments have been mostly South 

 via Louisville, Ky. 



