144 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMER. 



May 



Take equal parts of coal tar and rosin ; heat 

 them until the rosin shall be dissolved and •well 

 intermixed with the tar ; then apply it to that 

 part of the timber ;ou intend sinking in the 

 ground. 



To test the virtues of such a preparation I took 

 a sap shingle, split it in two pieces, one of which 

 I smeared with coal tar and rosin ; the other I 

 left uncovered. I then di ove them side and side 

 in the ground. At the end of nine months I took 

 them up, and found the progress of decay to 

 have been very rapid in the piece uncovered, 

 while the other was perfectly sound. This ex- 

 periment fully convinced me of the efBcacy of 

 such a preparation, and if properly applied I be- 

 lieve all kinds of timber would be indestructable 

 by decay. For posts I hardly think it necessary 

 to cover more than twelve inches below and six 

 inches above where the surface of the ground 

 will come, as that part of the post is more expos- 

 ed to the action of the elements, consequently 

 needs the most protection. 



I have not time or I would write more on the 

 subject, as I consider it a very important one, and 

 oDe of much interest to the farmer or real estate 

 owner. And yet heretofore the preservation of 

 timber has received but a. small share of consid- 

 eration in comparison with what has been said 

 and written on other subjects. 



8@*The Vincennes (Ind.) Sun says that Dan- 

 iel EUioot, of that vicinity, realized, the present 

 season, from 210 maple trfees, 860 pounds of 

 sugar and ten gallons of molasses. 



[n a voluminous historical work, where a 

 thousand trivial occurrences must be recounted, 

 many dry subjects discussed, it is imagination 

 alone that can carry the reader through the mass 

 of details, and '* float truth down the flood of 

 time." 



-«•»- 



"Not less than 262 new canal boats of the 

 largest size will be ready on the opening of nav- 

 igation. So says the Albany Evening Journal. 



-<•*- 



"Pa ain't I growing tall?" '«Why, 

 What's your height, so any?" " Seven feet, lack- 

 ing a yard." Pa fainted. 



-<•>- 



." How long did Adam remain in Paradise 

 before he sinned ?" asked an amiable spouse of 

 her husband. "Till he got a wife," was the 

 calm reply. 



[t is justly said of woman that she divides 

 our sorrows and doubles our joys. Pity she 

 quadruples our expenses. 



. ^ ^e are commanded to let our light shine 

 before men ; the man with a red nose keeps his 

 light shining before himself. 



Cost of Baising Corn. 



The "Country Gentleman'' has an article cn 

 the cost of corn growing, whi^ we copy below. 

 Twenty-one dollars and seventy cents an acre for 

 the cost of corn, with sixty bushels to the acre, 

 may pay in Northern New York, but not so well 

 on the prairie. As will be seen, the stalks are 

 valued at five dollars the acre, leaving the cost of 

 corn at twenty-seven cents. It is not probable 

 that another as favorable a case can be found as 

 this in that part of the State. Taking one year 

 with another, twenty-five or thirty bushels may 

 be considered a fair average yield with this high 

 culture. St. Lawrence county may as well give 

 in to the prairie first as last. Eb. . v. ' 



" We had always been surprised that wes- 

 tern farmers could raise corn at a profit, at 

 prices varying at from fifteen to thirty cents per 

 bushel ; but the past year we kept an accurate 

 account of the cost of our corn crop, and cam' 

 easily believe that on the fertile and easily cul- 

 tivated lands of the west, where horse power can 

 be used instead of the hoe, corn can be profitably 

 raised at the above prices. 



Our cornfield consisted of three acres. It had 

 been mowed for three years previous — was 

 strong, and required two yoke of oxen and tvo 

 men to break it. 



To 4 days work plowing $10 00 



3 day's drawing manure with two men 



and team , 6 76 



Spreading manure 75 



Harrowing 3 00 



Chaining both ways 60 



Three day's planting 2 25 



Three pecks seed corn 75 



Interest on land at $30 6 80 



Three hundred pounds of plaster 90 



Plastering 62 



Cultivating both ways three times. .... 3 75 



Twelve day's work hoeing three limes . . 9 00 



Four Day's work cutting 3 00 



Husking and drawing in corn and fodder. 10 00 

 Sixty loads of manure at half price on 



account of future benefit 7 50 



Total cost $65 09 



CornFodder 15 00 



$50 07 



Three hundred and seventy bushels of ears at 

 a cost of twenty-seven cents per bushel shelled 

 corn — showing that corn can be profitably pro-^ 

 duced even in this stony country. 



St. Lawbkhcb; y 

 St, Lawrence Co., N. Y. • -i.;; 



-••»- 



J8@"W omen can easily preserve their youth ; 

 for she who captivates the heart and underBtand- 

 ing never grows old. ■ , 



