290 



THE ILLmOIS FAEMER. 



Oct. 



Illinois Lands. — As a State for cheap farms, 

 which can be easily tilled, and which will give the 

 largest returns for the least amount of labor, Il- 

 linois stands pre-eminently above any other State 

 in the Union — or out of it. It suffers none of the 

 severe frosts of the more northern States, and 

 none of those terrible drouths that scorch 

 the country further west. A vast quantity of 

 land along the line ef the Illinois Central rail- 

 road still remains unsold, which can be bought 

 at from $6 to $25 dollars an acre on long time 

 and the most favorable terms. Indeed, the Illi- 

 nois Central Company, on account of the recent 

 political and currency troubles, are receiving 

 from farmers in arrears, their corn and wheat, 

 which is credited as cash on their notes. No such 

 terms or indulgence can be found elsewhere. — 

 Real estate dealers generally insist upon the let- 

 ter of their bonds. To those who wish to settle 

 and cultivate farms, Illinois offers inducements 

 that no other State can. — Railroad Gazette. 



An Unofacial Look among the Farms 

 and Nurseries. 



[Continued from page 258.) 

 Returning to ihe city we took the night train 

 to Cortland, in DeKalb county, to examine the 

 farm of 



S. W. ARNOLD, 



Situated four miles south of the village It was 

 the first day of August and the harvest sun con- 

 tinued to pour out his ardent heat, for the past 

 three days, bringing forward the later sown grain 

 rapidly, and from its extreme heat driving the 

 laborer to the shade or made him a laggard at his 

 work as he breathed the heated air. Cortland is 

 on one of the largest prairies in the north part 

 of the State, and yet it is nearly all under cul- 

 ture, not in large farms, but in those ranging 

 from eighty to one hundred and sixty acres. 

 Spring wheat is the great staple, and the music 

 of the busy reaper come to us on the morning air 

 from all directions. Coming from the great corn 

 zone and passing through the woodlands of the 

 lake shore where the small farms are carved out 

 with the axe, it is a new feature to see field after 

 field of ripened wheat with an almost unbroken 

 continuity, only now and then a green spot of 

 corn or may be a meadow or pasture to vary the 

 landscape. The fences are of post and boards; 

 three boards of six inches in width make the 

 fence ; of course, no pigs or sheep arc allowed at 

 large. Of sheep we saw none in the four mile 

 drive, while each farm has its small hog pasture 

 of one or two acres, where the lazy porkers take 

 their ease and grow fat. Good Suffolka are the 

 favorites, with now and then a cross of Berk- 

 shire by the way of variety. No better lot of 

 hogs oaa be found anywhere than is now owned 



by our farmers, and it is money thrown away to 

 send out of the State for better, for better can- 

 not be had. 



OECHARD PEOTECTION. 



About two miles south of the village is an or- 

 chard of two or three acres well loaded with fruit, 

 and to every appearance as healthy and product- 

 ive as the best on timber land, but this orchard 

 is completely sheltered by a belt of locust trees 

 two or three rods wide ; this is the secret, and 

 when our prairie farmers wish to grow fruit they 

 must not forget that protection is one of the con- 

 ditions of success. 



BOOK FARMING. 



On tie way our driver pointed out to us sev- 

 eral " book farmers," men who wrote for the pa- 

 pers and farmed it according to convenience, who 

 calculated their products by the number of acres 

 planted without regard to culture. One was farm- 

 ing and studying law. If his law turns out as 

 poor as his crops he will be but a poor specimen 

 of the genus shyster. Others went upon the plan 

 of farming made easy, and judging from the 

 light crops, they will have an easy time hauling 

 to market. But the majority of the farmers of 

 this four mile drive are successful, thrifty farm- 

 era. They lack barns, orchards and timber belts, 

 it is true, but we were told that a few years since 

 most of these men made their claims far out on 

 the prairie where land could be had at a dollar 

 and a quarter per acre, and in most cases have 

 from these acres paid for them and are now on 

 the high road to prosperity. 



A HUNDRED AND SIXTY ACRE FABM. 



The farm of Mr. Arnold contains a quarter sec- 

 tion, is somewhat rolling, three-fourths of it good 

 grain land and the balance pasture, but when, 

 drained will produce good corn. The soil is a 

 clay loam, with a stiff clay subsoil and adapted 

 to the use of the nnole drain, a few hundred rods 

 of which would supply an abundance of good 

 stock water. He has in crop : 



45 acres of. China Tea Wheat. 



12 Rio Grande Wheat. 



3 An early bearded variety. 



9 Oats, 



8 Corn. 



li Potatoes. 



1 Sorghum. 



1^ Garden. 



81 »cres In crop. 



