[862. 



THE ILLINOIS FARMER 



99 



The Peach Blow is productive, but only a 

 second rate sort for the table. The Prince 

 Albert are similar to the old Pink Eye. 

 The Mexican is the best of all for cooking ; 

 it is also early but not productive, 



Mathews Early Blue is the best early po- 

 tatoe that we have seen. 



The Flukes are a fine showy potatoe and 

 productive. The coming spring we should 

 plant of the Mathews Early Blue, Garnet 

 Chili, (Mexican for baking, family use,) 

 Flukes and Neshannock. They cost the 

 most largely of all. 



Instead of plowing under in the way prev- 

 iously laid down, we should fit the eround, 

 work out the rows with the shovel plow, 

 cover with a harrow and roll. We find in 

 this way, the crop is equally good, and with 

 Turner's cultivator is easily worked, the crop 

 is more easily dug, as early plowing some- 

 times gets the seed too deep. When plow- 

 ing under, we are careful to keep a gage 

 wheel on the plow to prevent too deep plow- 

 ing- 



After the crop is in bloom, we stop work- 

 ing and cut out all weeds with a sharp hoe. 

 If this is not done, the digging will be no 

 easy task, nor will the crop be as good. 



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Chxlture of Cotton. 



In the January number of the Farmer, 

 we gave pretty full directions in regard to 

 cotton culture, but there are two or three 

 points that should not be overlooked in this 

 connection. Cotton seed is ginned in what 

 is called the saw gin j that is, the seeds are 

 taken out with a series of revolving saws. 

 These injure the seed more or less, and care 

 should be taken to use plenty of seed. Plant 

 shallow and roll the land all over. The 

 prairie winds have a wild sweep and will 

 blow the ripe flacculent fibre over the field, 

 and it will be lost. We would therefore, 

 recommend when the fields are exposed, to 

 plant belts of corn among the cotton. This 

 will protect the crop to a large extent. A 

 half dozen rows of corn running north and 



south through a field at intervals of a dozen 

 rods will give it a good protection from the 

 sweeping winds. Old cotton seed is (o be 

 avoided as much as possible, as cotton when 

 left unginned is allowed to heat, so that the 

 oil of the seed will impart a rich color to the 

 fibre. Of course, but a small per cent, of 

 such seeds will grow. And of several 

 samples tried in the greenhouse, only some 

 twenty per cent, of old seeds would germi- 

 nate. Not less than a peck of seed should 

 be planted to the acre, even of the best.- 

 If there is any doubt of its quality, double 

 this amount; have the soil deep and mel- 

 low ; plant early and plenty o* seed ; put 

 it in shallow and roll; give it thorough 

 culture; ir<>c'. n from heavy winds, and 

 we have full confidence in a paying crop all 

 south of the Great Western Railroad of this 

 State. 



Floub at New Orleans. — On the 20th flour 

 was quoted in New Orleans at $22 per barrel. 

 Sugar is 1^ cents per pound ! 



j^^It is a general remark that the growing 

 wheat never looked better or more promising, 

 for the season, than it now does throughout 

 Indiana. 



H^^By the direction of the Secretary of the 

 Interior the Commissioner of Indian Affairs ad- 

 vertises for purchasers of the Kansas, Sac and 

 Fox Trust Lands. Proposals will be received 

 for the purchase of these lands until the 1st of 

 May next. 



The Fulton (111.) Democrat says : " Farmers 

 from various parts of the country advise us that 

 the young wheat looks very promising at this 

 time, as a general thing. 



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Whitewash fob Fences.— One oz. white vit- 

 riol (sulphate of zinc), and 8 pounds of salt, to 

 every 3 or 4 pounds of good fresh lime, it is said, 

 will render whitewash very durable when ex " 

 posed to the weather. 



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— To have a clear conscience, you must pay the 

 printer. 



