Wr^r 



1861. 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMER. 



275 



[For fho Illinois Farmer.] . 



A Valuable Chapter from Prof. J. B. 

 Turner. 



Ei>. Fakmek : Dear Sir : I fear that you may 

 have made the same discovery that I have in re- 

 gard to our Illinois Cultivator. I bought one of 

 the manufacturer, for which I paid him the full 

 price last spring, as other purchasers do; I did 

 Dot particularly examine the detail of the work, 

 hut after usirg it a time I found that the manu- 

 facturer, for the sake of saving twenty-five cents 

 on the drums — which Mr. Eao got made by con- 

 tract — had so made them that they were good for 

 nothiug — wood screws, instead of bolts, in the 

 flanp,P3, contrary to my express order ; and poor 

 gappy lumber half bound and put together, in- 

 stead of a good firm drum. Now I am mortified 

 to think that all those diums are probably of the 

 samo sort, and if so, good for nothing at all. At 

 the time they were brought to Mr. Eno's shop 

 and painted and put into the frames I was using, 

 and did not examine the drums till they were 

 shipped oif, or I would have had them all changed. 

 There are other weak points in my machine, also, 

 I find, v/hich it would have cost no more to have 

 mad 3 jight than to have dene as it is. 



I shall allow no more machines to be made in 

 this way, you may rely upon that. I will put 

 every manufacturer under contract to do then as 

 ordered, or not at all. But as I have never ask- 

 ed a cent's profit on the machines as yet, in any 

 way, and even paid for my own without any de- 

 dacfiou of patent fee, while I am out of pocket 

 in the experiment, I doubt not thousands of dol- 

 lars in time and money, I thought I could learn 

 those interested in the whole profits to look after 

 the dutai's of the work ; but I find I cannot ; 

 they get too many fingers in the pie, that do not 

 feel a personal responsibility. 



All the reports of the working of the machine, 

 without exception, are of the most favorable kind 

 so far. Hired men, and even lame men, who can 

 not walk, have tended, as they report, from sixty 

 to seventy acres of corn with them in the best 

 style, and have had time to spare for other work, 

 with only one span of horses each for any part 

 but the breaking of the ground. I thank you 

 for your kindly notice of it, and if yoti have dis- 

 covered the same great defects in the manufac^ 

 ture that I have I hope you will be as lenient 

 toward it as is consistent on the assurance that it 

 shall not occur again if I live and am well. No 

 one meant wrong, I presume ; but it is a new 

 thing, and they did not consider how much 



strength such constant racking would require at 

 certain points ; but for putting those word screws 

 in the flanges they were inexcusable, for I had 

 tried them the year before and told them express- 

 ly they would not do. 



COAL OIL AND TUKPENTINE FOK INSECTS. 



Your paper has spoken frequently of remedies 

 for vermin of varied sorts on animals and trees. 

 Now I know of nothing so effectual for all that 

 sort of thing as coal oil and spirits turpentine and 

 coal tar, wherever they can be applied, for they 

 are all instant death to all forms of insect life. — 

 Coal oil can go safely upon all animals, cattle, 

 horses, sheep, etc , in moderate quantities, and 

 will kill all imaginable forms of lice, tick, ani- 

 malcuiEe, etc., and cure many, if not most forms 

 of diseases of the skin, particularly all forms of 

 itch, human and animal more surely and at far 

 less risk and cost than anything else. I have or- 

 dered it repeatedly and never failed to care im- 

 mediately the worst forms of "Illinois mange,"' 

 as it is called, and other similar diseases, on those 

 who have had it. The only thing needed is to 

 apply it moderately to all parts effected. Same 

 of cattle, horses, sheep, etc. Also, if you have 

 ants or other troublesome insects in the cracks 

 of the house, or barn, or in a defective tree 

 where you do not want them ; a little poured into 

 their retreats will drive them away at once. 



On the bark of trees it seems not to injure the 

 apple, in small quantities, or the pear, but it does 

 the peach. I therefore prefer the spirits turpen- 

 tine for all forms of vermin on the bark of trees, 

 which I have used with success for years. 



COAL TAR, 



Also, which is equally destructive to all insec 

 life. But it is not good on animals or about pre- 

 mises like the other, and is dangerous if not used 

 with care on the bark of trees, of all sorts ; but 

 a little can be poured into the hole of a borer of 

 the apple or peach, with a small spoon or better 

 a small oil can, with much more ease and effect 

 than he can be dug out But tobacco moistened 

 and stuffed into the hole will answer the same 

 purpose, only it takes loaapr to do it. 



I attack all insects on^^mals, then, with coal 

 oil ; all on the bark of trees with spirits turpen- 

 tine or weak lie, or strong soap : all in trees or in 

 other hidden places, with whichever is at hand 

 and most convenient, and they soon make them- 

 selves scarce. 



It is also true, that if a small cup of salt or a 

 small bar of soap is laid in the crotches of trees, 



