106 



THE ILLINOIS FARMEK. 



April 



TJnguentum is a certain remedy, but is a dan- 

 gerous one in unskillful hands. Its active prop- 

 erty is probably quicksilver (mercury), and has 

 a powerful influence upon the skin, rendering 

 the animal liable to take cold upon exposure. 



Spirits of Turpentine is another remedy, and is 

 said to be a most effectual one. The mode of 

 using it is to take a common wool card, and pass 

 it over the animal until the teeth are pretty well 

 choked with hair, then pour on a small quantity 

 of spirits of turpentine, sufficient to moisten the 

 hair in the card, and again pass it over the ani- 

 mal's coat — applying the card first in places 

 where the vermin " do most congregate." In 

 this way every insect will be compelled, almost 

 immediately to "vamoose." The operation 

 should be repeated in the course of three or four 

 days, as newly-hatched lice may supply the place 

 of their proL'enitors which have been destroyed 

 or driven off by the first. As turpentine is of a 

 very diffusive and penetrating nature, one wet- 

 ting of the hair in the card will be sufficient to 

 dress off an animal of ordinary size. This last 

 remedy we give on the recommendation of others, 

 and not as the result of our own experience. — 

 New England Farmer. 



All in the E,at Line. 



The Circleville ('>hio) Watchman tells of a 

 movement among the farmers of one of the town- 

 ships of Pickaway county to rid their barns and 

 Stacks of rats. Some forty^-two citizens formed 

 an association, and divided equally twenty-one 

 on a side, and then proceeded to hunt and get 

 rat tails as best they could. The conditions of 

 the bunt were as follows : 



"The party or side that produced the least 

 count of rat tails on the 20th of December, were 

 to pay Abram D'-nnis, landlord, $2 each for sup- 

 per for self and partner, the priviledge of the 

 ball-room and enjoying a social dance, and the 

 ■winning party to go in free of charge." 



On the appointed evening the XaX tails began 

 to pour in by hundreds and thousands. A com- 

 mittee was appointed to make the count, and the 

 following was the result: Whole number pro- 

 duced was 17,370, making an average of 413 to 

 each man in the hunt. One side beat the other 

 by 2,476. The contest being over, the supper 

 was served, of which 175 persons partook. Affer 

 supper the party proceeded to the ball-room, 

 danced all night and went home with the girls in 

 the morning. 



The Watchman estimates that the killing of 

 these rats will save 35,000 bushels of grain in a 

 year, and, if followed in each township in that 

 county, with the same result, would save 525,000 

 bushels of grain every year, which would be 

 •worth $150,000 at least — a pretty nice item. 



That was combining the useful and the agree- 

 able in a way highly commendable to the parties 

 engaged. 



Sorghum Mill and Refinery at Tuscola. 



The meeting of farmers yesterday, resulted in 

 all that was desired. The 800 acces was pledged, 

 mostly in small quantities. For the location of 

 the mill Messrs. Lathrop & Smith desire twenty 

 acres near the lower railroad crossing. The 

 ground is owned by Mr. Baker, of Charleston, 

 and we understand that Mr. Ficklin, who owns 

 the adjoining tract, has offered to deed Mr. 

 Baker twenty acres of any pirt of his farm, if 

 he will deed to Messrs Lathrop & Smith the 

 twenty acres they desire. It is thought Baker 

 will accept, and if he does, they will commence 

 the erection of the mill without delay. When 

 completed it will cost about $36,000. Its benefit 

 to the place and surrounding country '\\ beyond 

 calculation. The trade it will draw here will tell 

 immensely on the prosperity of the town.; — 

 Douglas Co. Hhield. 



Ourfarmers anlbusinessmen appear in earnest 

 in regard to sugar making. Our fine climate, 

 rich soil, and enterprising people, will form a 

 full match for the south in their present disor- 

 ganized condition. Boll on the ball ! Tuscola is 

 setting a good example for other points in Cen- 

 tral Illinois. Ed. 



^ ■ > ■ »■ 



"He that would live at peace and ease, 

 must not speak all he knows nor judge all that 

 he sees- 



Tobacco Culture— Minute Directions 

 to the Farmers of the West. 



Some days ago we printed a brief article, in 

 which we urged the farmers of the northwest to 

 p y some attention to tobacco as a crop for this 

 year, basing the appeal upon the fact that all to- 

 bacco-growing districts in the country are suffer- 

 ing from the rebellion, and that the year's crop 

 will necessarily be small and prices high. A gen- 

 tleman of this city — a man of sense, education 

 and character — who has had much experience in 

 tobacco culture in New York, has undertaken to 

 prepare for our columns a series of articles, in 

 which minute directions to the sower are set 

 forth. His information is reliable and valuable. 

 We print the first of his communications below : 



EmxoKs Chicago Tbibunb: — Noticing an ar- 

 ticle in a late number of your psper on Tobacco 

 Culture, it occurred to me that some practical in- 

 formati on on the subject might be of value to 

 some of your readers, and therefore I volunteer 

 a few remarks to that end. 



The only kind of tobacco grown succe?fully in 

 the northern States is the "Seed Leaf," used in 

 the manufacture of smoking tobacco, and has 

 been mostly confined to snaall districts in Con- 

 necticut, New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. 

 Connecticut having taken the lead in its produc- 

 tion, her tobacco has become the standard of 

 quality, and consequently much of the higher 

 grade of seed tobacco furnished for market is 

 sold as Tonnecticut seed, though actually grown 

 in New York, Pennsylvania, Obio, or elsewhere. 

 It- main feature is its quality, and the profitaris- 

 ing from its production upon the ability of the 

 producers to furnish a quality which will com- 

 mand a ready market and a good price ; and, I 



