804 



THE ILLIIS^OIS FAKMEE. 







CT. 



varieties which have been since prodaced in 

 ortbern I'rance, Belgium and Germtiny. 

 It resulted as a consequence, that the impor- 

 •ation of the English varieties proved a di?ap- 

 pointmcrit in regard to their hardihood, as Mr. 

 Hovey of Boston and myself, have so repeatedly 

 announced. About ten years ago. Prof. West- 

 man of this town and myself, commenced grow- 

 ing pine and Chili seedlings, and the same course 

 ■was adopted in northern France and Belgium, 

 and the result has realized the trufh of the 



I have now and shall always have an abiding in- 

 terest in the progress of all that appertains to 

 man's eternal destiny. 



Yours fraternally, 



■\Vm. R. Prince. 

 —We would call especial attention to the above 

 article on the value of varieties, presenting as it 

 does a common sense view of the reison why so 

 many varieties fail to give satisfaction. The 

 new varieties mentioned have come to hand, and 



we shall give them a trial. They will be kept in 

 scientific fact already alluded to, as we now find i ,.he green house during the winter, and we shall 

 these new European variefies to far surpass and ^^^^ ^e enabled to test them at an early day 

 supersede the tender Eaglish varieties previously | ^e have hopes of this class of " big s-rawber- 



ries," but from such as the Willson and Triumph 



introduced, and the American grown varieties 

 to be perfectly acclimated and as hardy as our 

 own native species. Dosirious as I have ever 

 been to concentrate within our own country, 

 whatsoever of value other countries presented, I 

 imported last spring fifty-four of the most splen- 

 did variotios grown in France and Beljriuni, and 

 tventy-tive plants of each. So delicate a plant 

 is impatient of long transport, and I saved but 

 thirty-six 'varieties, and in some cases, only ten 

 CT twelve plants of each, after paying for many 

 of these select varieties $6 and $7 per dozen. 

 The climax of all these varieties is the " Lucas," 

 of which I send you some strong plants. 



As soon as I perused your paper, and recalling 

 your liberal and enlightened views, to which I 

 listened when we were .on a railroad rente to- 

 gether, 1 determined io send you some of the 

 finest varieties of strawberries for your amuse- 

 ment. I shall comply ia accordance and send 



de Gand, we heg leave to be excu-ed. Those 

 wishing to try the new kinds, will do well to send 

 for Prince's Strawberry Catalogue, in which they 

 will find a vast amount of information.— [Ed. 



From the Chicago Tribune. 



The Farm and Garden. 



The Crops— Sorgham— Want of Farm Hands— 

 The White Willow— It Will make a Fence- 

 Where Io Plant Potatoes. 



In these times of war and political excitement 

 there is no reliable way to get at the real condi- 

 tion of the crops and progress of farm work but 

 to travel. Taking this hint, we left home on the 

 8th inst , passed over the Great Western road 



from Tolono to Decatur, and found, along this 

 you to-morrow these select varieties, and accom- I ''^"^''^1 route of ihe corn zone, this crop in 



pany tbem with descriptions of their merits. I 

 con.^ider it of importance to the persons making 

 Eeiecticn.s for market culture, or for their own 

 gardens, th^it they should look to the list of re- 

 jected varieties published in the Gardener's 

 Monthly for August last, and I presume the 

 highly iritcUigent and practical editor, Thomas 

 Mehau, Esq., will furnish other lists of rejected 

 vr.rieti£s of fruits as a guide to his numerous 

 eubscribers. I noticed last year the rejec ion by 

 tlie Horticultural Society of Chicago, of "Down- 

 Eer's Prolific." This would seem to be just, 

 although this variety is a great improvement on 

 the wild prairie varieties of Illinois, found by 

 myself and others near Chicago. Itissoacid- 



ious that it surpasses even the exploded Willson 

 in this respect. 



In conclusion, I have only to say, that being 



on the verge of that bourne which " every traveler 



may not re nrn as often as he desires to do so," 



rather a mixed condition. The fields planted 

 early and on dry land, will turn good crops, of- 

 ten sixty to seventy bushels to the acre, while 

 the largest share was planted late, on account of 

 the backward season, and will scarcely average 

 over ten to twenty bushels. On account of the 

 scarcity of labor and the heavy autumn rains, 

 less than the usual amount of winter wheat has 

 been sown. The same remarks hold good in re- 

 lation to the croT)S as far north as Mendota. 

 North of Bloomingfoa the farmers sow little win- 

 ter wheat, but largely of spring wheat. The 

 ground for this must be plowed in the fall, and 

 usually at this season most of tha plowing ig 

 done. Not so this season, for we only now and 

 then saw a field plowed. The scarcity of labor 

 is again apparent ; added to this that more or 

 less time has, and continues to be given to the 

 working up of the sorghum crop, nearly every 

 farmer having from ten to forty loads to haul to 



