212 



THE ILLmOIS FAEMEK. 



July 



The Illinois Farmer. 



BAILHACHE & BAKEE PTJBLISHEES 



M. L. DUNIAP, EDITOE. 



SPRINGFIELD, JULY, 1862. 



Editor's Table. 



June, with its waving verdure, full robed for- 

 ests and wealth of flora, is rapidly speeding on; 

 it is the month that gives promise of the harvest, 

 the month of active exertion, the month that 

 neglect shows itself in lessened crops and untidy 

 farms. 



With the war drawing off our laboring popu- 

 ation, we must expect to see untidy fence cor- 

 ners and fields more or less jagged with weeds, 

 but we are happy to know that there is less of 

 this than could reasonably be expected. The dis- 

 position to more thorough farming is showing it- 

 self everywhere, and so soon as labor becomes 

 abundant we may expect to see the prairie farms 

 patterns of nestness, thrift and profit. 



The winter wheat crop in Egypt is very fine, 

 better than for years past, and in Central Illinois 

 it is much better than anticipated at the time of 

 our last issue, the heads are long and well filled, 

 but we must put in our protest against foul seed. 

 Chess and rye are altogether too abundant, in 

 fact in some fields it is difficult to say which pre 

 dominates. The chess controversy will continue 

 so long as the farmers have no barns or good 

 fanning mills, but as these come in the chess will 

 go out. In good barns the seed wheat will be 

 threshed with flails or horses and not be injured 

 by passing through the sharp edges of the fast 

 revolving thresher which is the chief cause of 

 so many poor stands, allowing the chess which 

 no beating can injure, tc fill in the vacant space. 

 By culling the rye out of that portion of the 

 crop used for seed this nuisance can be abated. 



The corn crop is backward, but, on the whole, 

 promising. Our corn crop is the best that we 

 have seen in our late excursion through several 

 States south. In Tennessee we saw a few fields, 

 more favored, but the average even there was be- 

 low, and we again call attention to the value of 

 early planting, and that to follow the plow at 

 once and roll. 



The rye crop is fine, and oats give thus far 

 good promise. In Tennessee and Mississippi the 

 wheat and oat crops are almost entirely ruined 

 with the rust. Not a tenth part of the seed 

 sown will be harvested. 



Of the crops in the north part of the State 

 we know nothing personally, but we trust the 

 heavy rain and cold spells have checked the rav- 

 ages of the chinch bug. In the other parts of 

 the State the promise of farm crops and fruit is 

 all that could be asked. The opening of the 

 Mississippi will have the effect to command good 

 prices for this section which has suffered severe- 

 ly the past season with low prices. As we have 

 before said, we feel less the disastrous effect of 

 the war than any other western State, aside from 

 the heavy loss of life in the late battles. 



While the East is pouring out her treasure, the 

 West is pouring out the blood of her sons in no 

 stented 8tream8,and when the triumph of James 

 shall be closed is only known to Him who has a 

 purpose yet unfulfilled. 



Fruit. — Strawberries have finished their year- 

 ly visit in this latitue ; currants are in their 

 prime ; raspberries — purple cave — are ripe, and 

 soon blackberries, plums, peaches, apples, etc., 

 will add their weight to the farmers' table. The 

 Keswick Codlin apple is large enough to cook for 

 sauce by the tenth of this month ; the Early 

 Harvest and Red June will be ripe a few days 

 later. If our farmers and villagers would invest 

 more in small fruit, and eat less meat, they would 

 have smaller doctor bills to pay during the warm 

 weather. 



With the Armt. — Having been absent nearly 

 three weeks with the army near Corinth, Miss., 

 we have got behind hand with the Fabmer, but 

 intend to have it out on time in the future. Next 

 month we shall give a few notes of what we saw 

 while on our travels. 



May or Kentish Cherry has, as usual, borne a 

 full crop with us. It should be in every garden 

 and village lot in the State. 



