1861. 



THE ILLrN"OIS FAEMEE. 



185 



Our Fhuit Garden — In the spring of 1857 we 

 commenced setting out our fruit garden and have 

 made annual additions since. Of course, the 

 trees are young and not expected to bear much 

 as yet, but for the encouragement of those both 

 on old and new farms who have no fruit, we will 

 give our prospects for the season : Apples — The 

 frost of May 1st did damape the crop, as the fruit 

 has failed to set as full as desirable, though many 

 of our young trees will be loaded, particularly 

 that most valuable of all Summer apples, the 

 Keswick's Codlin. Peors — Our dwarfs are quite 

 full, and prospect good, though the trees were 

 all set in the fall of 1859, then two years old. 

 Plums— Trees loaded down. Cherries — One tree 

 of the English Morello is full; this tree was sent 

 us by A. J. Hanford, now of the Columbus, Ohio 

 nursery, and gives promise of being all that Mr. 

 H. predicts of it. The Early May trees are also 

 all loaded, while the Heart, and other sweet cher- 

 ries have succumbed to the elements. Apricots 

 — But few left. Almonds — Nearly all winter 

 killed, blossoms few and far between, trees grow- 

 ing well. Peaches — ! adly thinned by the cold 

 turn about the l5th inst., not a quarter of a crop 

 left. Houghton Gooseberry — A full half crop, 

 bushes set in too low ground, shall have several 

 bushels of fruit. Currants — Full crop. Rasp- 

 berry, the Black-Caps, "are full ; plants cut back 

 and need no tying up. Purple Corn — All full as 

 UEual; all others look fine, including the Lake 

 Superior. Blackberries, Egyptian, promise a 

 full crop ; same of Lowton. Strawberries are 

 late, but promise a fair crop, of which we shall 

 give full notes in our next. 



Peusosal. — We can but return our thanks to 

 those readers and friends who so kindly send us 

 encouraging words. The truth is, we have no 

 real time to spare in editorial duties, and should 

 not assume its responsibilities. The care of 

 a large farm and nursery, with other business, 

 so fully occupies our time that we can only take 

 up our pen at odd snatches. We therefore feel 

 thankful that our short comings meet with such 

 leniency. Were it not for this we should throw 

 down the quill and retire to a more quiet life. — 

 As it is, we shall work on, to the best of our time 

 and ability, tugging at the wheels of progressive 

 culture, and greet our readers with a cheerful 

 smile as they wf Icome us to their firesides through 

 our monthly visits. 



<•» 



Plums. — At this writing. May 26th, our plum 

 trees are loaded with fruit a half inch in length, 



and not one of them disturbed by the curculio. 

 (See pages 167 and 168.) We can and will grow 

 plums. 



-«•»- 



Grand Detour Plows. — A full list of these 

 valuable plows will be found in our advertising 

 pages. They are now sold in the principal cities 

 in the State. 



iDraining. 



Ed. Farmer : I have ben a farmer of this part 

 of Illinois for the past twenty-eight years, and 

 having seen the necessity of draining and hav- 

 ing some experience therein, I take the liberty of 

 writing you on the subject. My first effort in 

 mole draining was in the year 1850, eleven years 

 since, and which I believe to be the first attempt 

 of the kind in the State. The amount made was 

 one hundred and fifty rods. In 18551 made sev- 

 enteen hundred rods or over five miles, all of 

 which, including the first, has proved satisfacto- 

 ry and remains to all appearance as good now as 

 when first made. Since then I have made mere 

 or less every year, and from the great- benefit 

 that I have derived from it in the supply of stock 

 water and better crops, I would advise every 

 Illinois farmer to thoroughly drain his land, for 

 it will pay Underdraining has the advantage 

 over the open drain that you can cultivate over 

 it, at the same time it drains the land more thor- 

 oughly than it is possible with the open ditch ; 

 it enriches the land by arresting the ammonia and 

 other gases that the soil absorbs as the water 

 passes through the earth to the drains — by the 

 creation and consequent disintegration of the 

 subsoil. I think by thoroughly underdraining a 

 piece of land is better than a heavy coat of ma- 

 nure annually repeated, for the ammonia and 

 other gases carried down from the atmosphere is 

 retained in the one case, but evaporated and car- 

 ried back into the air in the other, together with 

 a large part of that from the manure. As the 

 rain water comes out pure from the drains it fol- 

 lows that the soil has absorbed all of its fertiliz- 

 ing properties, while the pores of the subsoil are 

 opened to the air, and hence we have a vigorous 

 growth of whatever is planted. Where the land 

 is underdrained the soil will not work, as the 

 rain soaks at once into it, and is carried off 

 through the drain instead of ou the surface, car- 

 rying the most valuable part of the soil with it. 

 It is well known that the air contains large quan- 

 tities of matter for the growth of plants, and if 

 the soil is compact or filled with stagnant water 

 the air cannot reach their roots, and of course 



