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1862. 



THE ILLINOIS FARMER. 



195 



extent, depend upon the market. At the 

 present price, corn and oats are of less value 

 than wheat and clover, especially on a farm 

 like the one under consideration, moderate- 

 ly rolling, a part only adopted to wheat and 

 the remainder to pasturage, they being ad- 

 mirably adapted to a mixed husbandry. 



Nature has made a rule on all the prairie 

 slopes to plant her forests on the east side 

 of water courses, ponds, sloughs, or small 

 lakes ; in this case we have a miniature lake 

 about half the size of the grove, thus afford- 

 ing to bird and beast shelter from the sun, 

 and a supply of water at all times, the two 

 combined affording irresistable attractions, 

 but now the cattle are debarred the ground 

 and the birds have it nearly all to them- 

 selves. A dozen gray squirrils caught when 

 young, have become domesticated and come 

 down from the trees to feed from your hand. 

 Their pleasant chatter adds no small attrac- 

 tion to the ground. 



It is astonishing what beauty and value 

 a small grove like this adds to the surround- 

 ings of the homestead. A year ago and 

 there was no home ; the wild uncultivated 

 prairie and this waif of trees ; the home 

 was nestled under its margin, and its leafy 

 aisles became trodden by intelligent men ; 

 under its leafy canopy the plans for further 

 progress were laid ; long furrows wrote out 

 from it, and line after line of fence carved 

 the landscape into fields that now teem with 

 luxurious crops. It was the grove that at- 

 tracted its present owners to the adjacent 

 acres and tempted their purchase. 



Its bounds will be enlarged and the fields 

 belted in with forest verdure, beautifying 

 the landscape and shutting out the bad ef- 

 fect of the sudden changes of climate that 

 would sweep over the fields. When will 

 farmers learn to plant trees ? when will they 

 double the intrinsic value of their farms by 

 a small outlay in this direction ? Echo, as 

 yet, answers when. But we think the time 

 cannot be long delayed and thousands of 

 homes be made redolent with rural beauty. 



Near the west part of the village is a large 



orchard, some three years set out, but the 

 apple trees have been raised with the knife, 

 and it can never be made valuable ; trees 

 like Lombardy Poplars, with heads from 

 four to six feet high, will never answer for 

 prairie orchards. This orchard is set with 

 rows two rods apart "and a row of peach trees 

 between each. The peach trees are large 

 and well grown, but have no fruit on them. 

 The owner resides in the village, but we did 

 not call on him. We should have advised 

 him to saw off his trees to within two feet of 

 the ground next spring, but to this he would 

 never consent, and as we have no other 

 remedy to propose for his benefit, it was 

 useless to waste any time over it. We could 

 have spent two or three days more in visit- 

 ing farms in the vicinity, profitably both to 

 ourself and readers, but a day from home 

 was the most that could be spared and we 

 took the night train home after making the 

 discovery that the spell that bound Mattoon 

 and cursed its progress with miserable ho- 

 tels was broken by mine host of the Essex 

 House. Mattoon has a bright future before 

 her. Nothing like a good hotel in such a 

 place, where the seekers of a new home can 

 be made comfortable while selecting a loca- 

 tion. To this we can add a good local news- 

 paper, alive to the interest of its patrons, 

 like the Mattoon Gazette. 



-«•»- 



Low Headed Trees. 



W e are in receipt of numerous inquiries 

 in regard to the treatment of low headed 

 trees, and how to reduce the long legged 

 kinds to this condition. The first season 

 trees are set and in leaf, it is inaf^missible to 

 take off any of the leaves, not even the suck- 

 ers should be removed. Therefore you must 

 wait until the season's growth is completed 

 before proceeding to cut down the high tops. 

 Trees, if two inches in diameter at the base, 

 can be sawed off and the wound covered 

 with white lead or other varnish to keep it 

 sound, when the spring growth will push out 

 new buds that will rapidly grow into branch- 



