303 



THE ILLmOIS FAEMEE. 



Oct. 



thus grafted had at this time made over twelve 

 feet of new shootg, besides the laterals. He top 

 dresses h's grapes with leached ashes. Next 

 spring he will add two thousand Delawares graft- 

 ed on Clinton to his vineyard. 



STRAWBERRY. 



Mr. S. sold one hundred bushels of strawber- 

 ries the season just closed, mostly Willson' Al- 

 biny. It will thus be seen that he has some 

 fruit-growing, as well as some tree-growing pro- 

 clivities. 



RECirE FOR HORSE BROOLISS. 



As Mr. Turner .makes a liberal use of clover, 

 his horses are liabla to be troubled with this dis- 

 agreable complaint. His remedy is to cut up 

 "burdock" leaves and feed with his oats. On 

 our return to the city, Mr. Chase parted compa- 

 ny with ud to visit Mr. Chatton, and as his 

 business engagements would not permit of his 

 presence with the committee only as stated. He 

 will probably visit the competitors at his leisure, 

 and thus assist in making up the committee's 

 awards. 



THE CLOSE. 



Our official visits were now closcl, and with a 

 half day's leisure before the time would expire 

 when we could leave for home, we there*"orc ac- 

 cepted the kind offer of Mr. Turner to drive us 

 about the city. 



THE VALUE OF HORSE FEED. 



In consequence of the foray of the " army 

 worm" on the hay crop, hay is selling at $8 per 

 ton ; oats, 14 cents per bushel, $8 per ton ; corn, 

 15 cents per bushel, $4 40 per ton. 



Our first visit was to the residence of 



EX-GOVERNOR WOOD. 



The Governor was absent at Springfield, but 

 one of his sons kindly invited us to look through 

 the new house and the grounds. 



The house is a fine specimen of octagonal arch- 

 itecture, but, on the whole, too much of a house 

 — too aristocratic for a Republican Governor. 

 Too much cut and hammered stone about the 

 walks — too inlensely ornamental. We turned to 

 the shade of the giant chesnuts, for though only 

 two feet in diameter, yet their great spreading 

 heads festooned with burrs, give them the ap 

 pearance of giants — young giants at least, and 

 as they were planted within the present genera- 

 tion, they may yet become old giants in (heir 

 time. Certainly no shade tree have pleased us 



like these, with their fine heads, glossy leaves 

 and clustering burrs, they have no superiors in 

 stately beauty, and wh en the autumn frosts shal' 

 loosen the footstalks of their leafy garniture, 

 open the husk of the prickly burr, and shower 

 down the nut-brown fruit, we have a combination 

 of the useful and beautiful that should induce us 

 to more fully appreciate this valuable tree. From 

 the top of the house we look far over into the 

 State of Missouri. The white houses of the vil- 

 lage of Palmyra are just visible through the blue 

 either that arises over the vast forests that belt 

 in the river. Lagrange, up the river, presents 

 its broken outline ot bluffs and river bottom, 

 amid the windings of the great river. 



THE DROUTH 



Is burning up the vegetation in and around the 

 city, and unless a tin:ely rain should visit them, 

 we would not like to predict the results. 

 We next called on 



DR. MERRICK, 



At the north end of the city, and near to the 

 bank of the river, on a bluff a hundred feet 

 above the water. The Doctor has retired from 

 active business, and is giving his attention to his 

 garden. Leaf mould, leached ashes,and cow stable 

 manure is being composted in large quantities 

 for his grapes, trees and vegetables. 



The drouth is beginning to be felt in his 

 ground?, and the strawberry beds are the first to 

 yield to its influence. 



His new seedling Union strawberiy was badly 

 parched up. This strawberry, the Doctor thinks, 

 is bound to win. It is now three years' old, and 

 the past season, on a plat three by six yards, 

 yielded ten quarts at a picking, every other day, 

 during the season. The fruit is dark red and 

 golssy, of large size, stem long and upright, 

 holding the fruit well off the ground, 



THE CHICKASAW GRAPE, 



A new seedling of the Doctor's, is loaded with 

 fruit, and is the only grape in his grounds free 

 from rot. We will here state that, commencing 

 with the gardens at Centraiia, the grapes were 

 found rotting badly in every locality that we 

 have visited, perhaps except those of Mr. Wilson] 

 at Winetka, we do not recollect to have seen any 

 rot on his vines. While all other varieties are 

 rather seriously affected, the new seedling is not 

 touched, even when they are side by side on the 

 same trellis. Even the Delaware are to some ex- 

 tent damaged. This grape has not before been 



