54 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMEE. 



Eeb. 



Phoenix — Does not the Cincinnati Red work the 

 game way if neglected ? The raspberry will not 

 boar neglect. 



Edwards — With the same cultivation as the 

 Cincinnati Bed it fails. 



The vote of last year recommending the Allen 

 for Central Illinois was rescinded. 



Mr. Overman gave an excellent exhortation 

 npon going into the Horticultural Fair next fall 

 with spirit. He said " we wanted at least a ton 

 of the fadeless flowers, from a Batchelor's But- 

 ton up to two tons of Evergreen sprigs and a few 

 bales of long moss from the southern kingdom, 

 provided the way were then open." 



The matter was referred to the Executive Com- 

 mittee. 



PEACH CULTUKE. 



Dr. Haskell — I removed to Michigan three 

 years ago, and set out trees, which are now large 

 enough to bear ; I expect a crop next year ; my 

 soil is a sandy loam well adapted to their culture. 



Merritt — 1 am trying the laying down of two 

 year old peach trees ; I dig a hole by the side 

 and work under the tree and loosen its roots 

 somewhat; then bend the tree over, and f^o lean 

 gradually get over and cover with corn stalks, 

 oak leaves or evergreen boughs, the latter being 

 best ; this will do for garden purposes. 



Edwards — I am raising peach trees by dwarf- 

 ing them and keeping in tubs, which I put in the 

 cellar in winter. 



Phoenix — We ought to have peaches from Maine 

 to Minnesota, and we will ; I feel it in my bones; 

 [great applause] ; the trouble is, people don't 

 w mt te take trouble, and will not enjoy the duty 

 and privilege of fruit raising. 



Minier — I am satisfied that fair protection is 

 what is needed. 



Overman — The collar is attacked by the white 

 grub, which is the worst enemy of the peach ; a 

 friend says brown paper wrapped around the col- 

 lar in spring is the best preventive. 



Starr — We can't protect our trees in Egypt ; 

 they grow too big ; they interlock t^eir branches 

 at a distance of sixteen feet, and have trunks a 

 foot in diameter ; we grow corn among them the 

 first year to shade them, and after that cultivate 

 them without corn ; trim up to a pood hight for 

 convenience in fighting the curculio ; have good 

 crops three years in five; the worst enemy is the 

 curculio, which is the same as that of the plum. 



To Make Good Winter Butteh. — At the an- 

 nual meeting of the Jefferson county agricultural 

 society at Watertown, on the 14th of January, a 

 tub of i-uperior winter-mads butter was exhib ted 

 by Mr. Daniel Parker of that town, for which a 

 premium was awarded by the discretionary com- 

 mittee. " The butter," says the Northern Jour- 

 nal, "was quite as yellow as much of the fall 

 made sent to market, and 'he flavor so fine, that 

 we obtained of Mr. Parker the mode of manu- 

 facture. He states that the milk into pans and 

 allowed to stand until the cream ia ready to be 



taken off, which will depend upon the tempera- 

 ture of the room in which it is set. Before 

 churning the cream must be kept in a warm room 

 at least twelve hours ; then it will require churn™ 

 ing less than an hour. He washes his butter im- 

 mediately after taking it out of the churn, and 

 at the same time salts it. His cows had been fed 

 on clover hay, without grain or roots, for six 

 weeks previous to the time of making this sample. 

 Butter made in this way is perfectly sweet, of a 

 good color, and will bring from two to four cents 

 per pound more in market than that manufactur- 

 ed in the ordinary way. It is worth the atten- 

 tion of farmers." 



—t- 



To Protect Trees from Rabbits. — Mr. A. G. 

 Hanford writes the " Country Gentleman " that 

 a good way to prevent rabbits from injuring trees 

 in winter, is to take narrow strips of cotton cloth, 

 a yard or more long — old oil cloth will do — and- 

 commence at the bottom of the tree, winding it 

 around the body till you get above the reach of 

 the rabbits, and there tie it. Remove in spring, 

 dry and put away for another season. If well 

 cared for these strips will last a number of years, 

 or as long as the trees will need protection. 



-*)b*- 



The Reduction of Pay of the Soldiers. — 

 Great opposition is made to the proposed reduc- 

 tion of soldiers' pay, embodied in the bill of 

 Senator Sherman. A memorial has been pre- 

 pared and is being numerously signed, urging 

 Congress not to reduce the pay of the officers, 

 but to assess upon the present rates whatever 

 tax may be deemed proper, even to twenty or 

 thirty per cent. This proposition is growing 

 into favor, as it is a manifestation of patriotism 

 and not the submission of hirelings. Senator 

 Browning is preparing a bill to meet this sug- 

 gestion, which covers the entire ground. 



Unpopular Measures. — Some members of 

 the Constitutional Convention propose to rein- 

 state the old barbarism of the viva voce voting, 

 and the old County Commissioner system, and 

 to set our Common Schools back on the old 

 platform, amounting to no education at all. 



We would just like to see a vote of the 

 people on these propositions in a separate arti- 

 cle to the Constitution. They would be voted 

 down by a larger majority than ever was given 

 by any State on any issue. — Chicago Journal, 



— "Why, my dear Mrs. Smith, what have 

 you done with your piano ?" " Oh, Mr. Smith 

 insisted upon my disposing of it and buying 

 instead a sewing machine for each of the girls. 

 He says they are much more useful and would 

 make much less noise." 



