1862. 



THE ILLINOIS FARMEE. 



257 



Codlin and know that no- other sort has paid 

 so well in market, we feel disposed to wait 

 for further adverse facts. — Ed.] "The 

 Winesap is always hardy and loaded with 

 fruit ; it is one of the most profitable sorts 

 for winter. Willow Twig blights, but it 

 will pay under any circumstances; it is one 

 of the best. Fulton has been overestima- 

 ted by both Harkness and Overman ; it is 

 not the apple for us ; is a moderate bearer 

 of rather coarse fruit. Red June is, on the 

 whole rather a profitable fruit, but not so 

 much as Yellow June; its value is that it is a 

 few days later. Roman Stem is not satis- 

 factory ; the tree blights and the fruit is too 

 small and not enough of it. Here is my last 

 orchard planting ; you see the main rows 

 are set twenty-four feet each way, with an 

 intermediate row of small growing upright 

 sorts, for shelter, such as Sweet, Yellow and 

 Red June, etc. I be ieve in protection, and 

 while you use timber belts to this end, I 

 depend oii close planting.'' 



But Doctor, recollect that the groves and 

 timber belts almost shut you in; nature 

 itself has belted your grounds and close 

 planting is all you need. The Grand Prai- 

 rie is a different place altogether. There 

 the winds have free play for long, long 

 miles, and we need not only artificial belts, 

 but close planting and low heads. 



" Well, perhaps you are right, but you 

 have run the heads too low. I don't care 

 how low you start the branches, but they 

 must be thinned out and pruned; you and 

 Coe and some others are going too far in 

 that direction. After setting the trees Mr. 

 Coe makes it his boast that no pruning 

 knife mars his trees , you advocate thinning 

 out at the outset which is a little advance, 

 but I tell you the knife must be freely 

 used." 



Very well. Doctor, but Mr. Coe has been 

 the most successful orchardist in the State. 



" Yes, but as his trees grow older they 

 will show the bad effects of their early want 



of training. You see this young orchard is 

 planted to corn, a dwarf Yankee sort that 

 will not shade the trees and just about pays 

 for culture. I have tried grass, but in 

 grass land i lose nearly all of the fruit with 

 the apple worm ; not so with the buckwheat, 

 which I esteem highly for its anti-worm 

 quality." 



The two past years the apple crop has 

 been poor — this year good, though the 

 blight is making sad work with many varie- 

 ties. Pears and Siberian Crabs are also 

 ^adly affected. 



SOME CORN. 



For the past three years the price of 

 corn has not been satisfactory, and the 

 crop is still on hand, amounting to 30,000 

 bushels, being the surplus after feeding 

 what was required and the tenants selling 

 their part of the crop. The cribs are well 

 made, are twenty-four feet wide, with double 

 roof, and so constructed that they are easily 

 filled. First, you drive through the center 

 and fill the sides, which are seven feet each; 

 an air space of a foot on each side is then 

 made of boards, when the middle is filled 

 in. The whole is in as good order as when 

 first brought from the field. The roof is 

 made of fencing and channeled at the edges, 

 Such a crib will last a long time and will 

 keep the corn in good order. The middle 

 part has a strong floor on which to driye a 

 loaded team, and on which the shelling ia 

 done. 



AMONG THE BEES. 



In the orchard, in front of the house, are 

 one hundred and thirty stand of bees. 

 They have made a large amount of honey 

 from white clover, and are now at work on 

 the buckwheat. Mustard and rape are both 

 favorite bee food; a patch of the former 

 near by is swarming with bees. Tlie Doctor 

 intends to sow both rape and mustard next 

 year. The rape will be first in season, to 

 be followed by the mustard. Buckwheat 

 makes a large amount of honey, but it is of 



