1862. 



THE ILLINOIS FARMER. 



273 



their decision, it will cary but little weight 

 with it, or have little influence in determining 

 inventors and manufacturers what particular ma- 

 terial or form will be used ; and the question of 

 hand-rakes, of self-rakers, and of headers, is 

 yet at loose ends ; but the people will soon settle 

 the question of the binder, by giving it a proud 

 position and crowning it with the wreath of merit. 



PEESONAL- 



The important part of our task is done, 

 and we turn with pleasure to return our thaaks 

 to Dr. Reynolds of Dixon, whose latch string 

 was out ; to President Van Epps, for many kind 

 attentions during the last two days of the exhi- 

 bition, and to mine host of the Nocosha, whose 

 kind sympathies revolted against indulging edi- 

 tors the pleasure of sleeping on the floor for 

 more than one night. Notwithstanding the large 

 crowd at this house, the meals were in season 

 and abundant. We regretted exceedingly that our 

 time did not permit us to accept the kind invita- 

 tion of our friend, J. T. Little, whose beautiful 

 grounds have added so much to the value of 

 Dixon. Of Dixon itself we have no very exal- 

 ted opinion as a suitable place to have a reaper 

 or any similar trial, yet it lies in beauty on the 

 slopes that make the banks of the Rock river so 

 desirable as a residence, and as associating with 

 it much of the history of the early settlement of 

 the county. We have nevtr spent a week at any 

 gathering of the kind that drew more largely 

 upon our energies than this, and glad were we to 

 see the sun ^ down on the last day of the week. 



Flushing, New York, "r 

 August 21, 1862. r 



Editor Illinois Farmer, Champaign Illinois : 



Sir: — Altgough the Illinois Farmer is pub- 

 lished at Springfield, yet I suppose it is the most 

 direct course to direct to you at Champaign. I 

 sent you Strawberry Sheet, 47th edition last 

 spring. I have recently perused some notices 

 about Mr. Davis' and Mr. Sim's srawberry plant 

 in your State. I wish you would give me a list 

 of the strawberry growers of your State, and 

 the number of acres each cultivates, as I am pre- 

 paring the statistics of the strawberry culture 

 of all the States. Also, I would like a list of 

 the amateurs of the strawberry, so that I may 

 mail our new 48th edition of the Strawberry 

 Catalogue, now in press, to them all. The Pat- 

 ent Office Report forthcoming, will have descrip- 

 tions of all our varieties, except twelve new 

 seedlings named and described last June. I 

 suppose you perased my article in the Jan 



uary number of the Horticulturist, (twelve 

 pages.) I should like much to receive 

 the Transactions of the Illinois State Agri- 

 cultural Society. To whom must I apply to ob- 

 tain it ? I notice that the most of the varieties 

 that Knox praised at the meeting of the Fruit 

 Growers of westtrn New York, are mere trssh. 

 He pronaunces positive opinions on the shortest 

 culture, and therefore commits a mass of blund- 

 ers. See his statement that the "same strawbery 

 plants may be cultivated ten y«ars," when the 

 plants usually die the third year. He has ex- 

 toled British Queen as suitable for field culture, 

 when you cannot get a quart from twenty feet 

 square. I now find it is Kivers Eliza he has 

 been selling for British Qaeen — a good variety 

 as to quality of fruit, but will not yield twenty- 

 five bushels to an acre. Triumphe de Grand 

 will yield about one-third of a crop, say sixty to 

 seventy bushels to an acre. I see that G. B. 

 Davis, of Chicago has Knox's British Queen, 

 which is River's Eliza, also Longworth Prolific 

 and Hooker, both of which only yield one 

 half, a fai? crop, such as any really productive 

 variety yields. Willson's Albany produces two 

 thirds of such a crop as Diadem, Globose, Scar- 

 let, Suprema, Weleone, etc. produced. The Wel- 

 come and Bayne's Favorite Scarlet, are the most 

 important early berries to begin the season ; the 

 former is twice the size of the Early Scarlet and 

 Jenny Lind, and far superior in quality. The 

 varieties to follow next are Crimson Eclipse and 

 Sultana, both beautiful berries ; and next the 

 Victorine, Suprema, and Truimvirate ; then 

 comes Diadem, Semprema and Trevirana. These 

 are succeeded by the Scarlet, Magnate and 

 Ophelia, the two heaviest, and foremost and most 

 showy of all the American varieties suitable for 

 market and long carriage. Areadne and Prince's 

 Large Globose will come in at the last of the 

 Scarlets. After these, the late Pine varieties, to 

 which family the Triumph de Grand belongs. 

 This ripens its latest berries after the Scarlet 

 and Iowa varieties are past. It is, however, so 

 far surpassed in sweetness, flavor and perfume 

 by other Pine varieties, that it will receive no 

 encomiums after its growers shall have cultivated 

 the moat estimable Pine varietiee, such as La 

 Constante, Lucas, Oscar, Margueritte, White 

 Pineapple, Auguste Piedmyer, Compete de Beau- 

 mont, Duke of Cambridge, Jucunda, Lorio, Royal 

 Victoria, Delices du Palais, etc. 



Such amateurs as are desirous to continue the 

 chain, can have a September crop from the Belle 

 Bordeiaise and Prolific Hantbois, if they will 



