10 



THE ILLINOIS FAKMER. 



Jan. 



rooTi to wnlk between the rows. Elevate the 

 Eouth ends of the platforms about eighteen in- 

 ches, and the north end about six inches from 

 the ground, putting poles or sticks to support 

 them— this will greatly facilitate drying. After 

 the second or third day drying, the madder must 

 be protected from the dews at night, and from 

 rain, placing the platforms one upon another to 

 a convenient h ght, and covering the uppermost 

 one with boards. Spread them out again in the 

 morning, or as soon as the danger is over. Five 

 or six days of ordinary fine weather will dry the 

 madder sufficiently, when it may be put away (ill 

 it is convcient to kiln-dry and grind it. 



Kiln-drying. — The size and mode of construct- 

 ing the kiln may be varied to suit circumstances. 

 The following is a very cheap plan, ai d sufficient 

 to dry one ton of roots at a t me. Place four 

 strong posts in the ground, twelve feet apart one 

 ■way and eighteen the other; the front two four 

 teen feet high, and the other eighteen ; put girts 

 acro'^s the bottom middle and top; and nail 

 boards perpendicularly on the cutside as for a 

 common barn. The boards must be well seasoned, 

 and all cracks or holes should he plastered or 

 otherwise stopped up. Make a shed roof of 

 common boards. In the inside put upright stand- 

 ards about five feet apart, with cross pieces, tr> 

 Buppoit the scaffolding. The first cross pieces 

 to be four feet from the floor; the next two feet 

 higher, and so on to the top On these cro^s 

 pieces, lay small poles about six feet long and two 

 inches thick, four or five inches apart. On these 

 scafFilds the madder is to be spread nine inches 

 thick. A floor is laid at the bottom to keep all 

 dry and clean. When the kiln i,s filled, take six 

 or eight small kettles or hand furnaces, and 

 place them four or five feet apart on the floor, 

 (first sf-cur ng it from fire with bricks or stones), 

 and make fires in them with charcoal, being care- 

 ful not to scorch the madder over them. A per- 

 son must be in constant attendance to watch and 

 replenish the fires. The heat will ascend through 

 the whole, and m ten or twelve hours it will all 

 be sufticiently dried, which is known by its be- 

 coming brittle like pipe stems. 



Breaking and Grinding. — Immediately after 

 being dried, the madder must be taken to the 

 barn and threshed with flails, or broken by ma- 

 chinery, (a mill might easily be constructed for 

 this purpose), so that it will feed in a common 

 grist mill. If it is not broken and groumi im- 

 mediately, it will gather dampness so as to pre- 

 vent its grinding freely. Any cimmon grist- 

 mill can grind madder properly. When ground 

 finely it is fit for use, and may be packed in bar- 

 rels like flour for market. 



— The above we find in the Rural New Yorker, 

 credited to the pen of Mr. M. B. Batehan, of 

 Ohio. In our deep, rich soils there is no reason 

 why madder should not prove a valuable farm 

 product. It will be seen that to grow madder 

 •will require capital, skill and energy, and wi'h 

 these success must be certain, especially in all 



that part of the State lying north of Mattoon, 

 Springfield, Peoria and Galesburg. On the light 

 colored soils south of these points we should not 

 be over smguine, from the fact that they are not 

 so well adapted to the tuberous rooted plants as 

 the clay loams to the north. Of course sandy 

 and gravelly soils will be avoided, and all heavy 

 clay soils not thoroughly drained. 



The water power of the Mississippi at Moline, 

 of the Rock and Fox rivers, must at no distant 

 day be used for turning thousands of spmdlee, 

 when madder will be needed to color the goods 

 made. In the meantime, it would be well for 

 some of cur more enterprising farmers to get 

 their hand in, so far, at least as to get up a good 

 stock of plants for seed, and to become familiar 

 with its culture. Ed. 



<•►- 



A New Invention. — We have been shown a 

 very ingenious and practical invention, for 

 wringing clothes, or rather a substitute for 

 wringing. It consists of two iron cylinders, 

 perhaps two inches in diameter; covered with 

 gutta percha, attached in a horizontal position 

 to a tub, and made to turn by a crai.k. The 

 clothes, after being washed, are passed between 

 those cylinders by turning a crank, completely 

 and effectually pressing the water out of the 

 garments. So nicely does it do this that scarce- 

 ly a drop of water is left, and not a thread is 

 broken or in the least strained in the op' ration. 

 It strikes us as being a valuable labor-saving apa- 

 ratus, and destined to create a sensation among 

 the housekeepers. Persons desiring further in- 

 formation in reference to it, are referred to Mr. 

 Jas. Frisbie, who will be found at the American 

 House. Those wishing to negotiate for county 

 or State rights will do well to call on him. 



The Socthebs Emblematic Bird. — In one of 

 the Southern cities a party of the leaders of 

 the great r* bullion were seated in a cosy room 

 of one of the large hotels, having a mt rry time 

 over their campaign, when the question arose 

 as to what bird or animal should be adopted as 

 their National emblem. Suggestions from each 

 one had been discussed and all rejected, when 

 one of the number called to his aid one of the 

 waiters. Old Zeb scratched his wool a minute, 

 when his eyes began to brighten, and he said : 

 "Massa, guess de Gull will be de emblematicist 

 when dis fuss be ober !" 



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We are never satisfied that a lady under- 

 stands a kiss, unless we have it from her own lips. 



