1863. 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMEE. 



m 



light on this subject, and a little encouragement 

 would be acceptable. 



Yours respectfully, 



EoBEET Mason. 



The English Gooseberry belongs to a mara- 



tine climate, and will only succeed in such loca- 

 tions. On our prairies, except on the margins of 

 streams, is always unhealthly — will not grow 

 thrifty, and is sooner or later oTcrtaken with the 

 mildew. 



To gi'ow the seedlings, wash out the seeds, sow 

 in autumn, press the seeds into the surface and 

 shade with moss, straw or fine brush. 



The native seedlings have an intense sour that 

 is difficult to overcome with a reasonable amount 

 of sugar. The Uoughton and American Red are 

 valuable varieties. Doubtless valuable varieties 

 may be obtained by a judicious crop with the grale 

 sorts. 



We have several varieties of Kentish Cherries, 

 all more or less valuable ; but the May, (Kentish 

 of Downing), is by far the most valuable. Those 

 can be had from twenty-five to fifty cents each, de- 

 pending on the size and age of the trees. We 

 have them grafted two feet high for gardens; these 

 will produce fruit the year after planting. We 

 can see no object in enlarging the number of va- 

 rieties of this class of cherries. Dr. Warder, in 

 his forthcoming Fruit Book, will arrange our wes- 

 tern nomenclature. Ed. 



Okra. 



Decatur Ills., Dec. 2d, ,1863. 

 Uditor Illinois Farmer^ Chamjyaign Illinois : 



Noticing in the Xovember number of the Far- 

 mer the " Gumbo Dinner," I was considerably 

 amused at the reception of an old (vegetable) horti- 

 culturist of this State, and thought I would drop 

 you a line giving you a few hints in regard to this 

 useful vegetable. I have grown it in my garden 

 for a number of years. It is raised extensively in 

 the south. In my own native State, (Miss.)" no 

 vegetable garden is ever without it. It resembles 

 cotton very closely, so much so as to be often mis- 

 taken for it. It is also subject to the same laws 

 of climate, being very tender and easily killed by 

 frost, or wilted by the hot sun when young and 

 tender. It therefore, is necessary in order to grow 

 a good crop to plant early in protected situations. 

 It should be planted in hills, four feet apart, four 

 seeds in a hill ; these thinned out at each hoeing, 

 or when they begin to crowd, so as to leave only 

 one or two stalks in a hill. Care must be taken 

 not to bruse the plant, as it is very sensitive. 



TO USE. 



The pods must be gathered when tender; try 

 them as you would squashes. They must be used - 

 the same day they are plucked. Slice up in thiu 

 slices into the soup ; it thickens it as well as im- 

 parts a delicious flavor, and can be used with any 

 kind of soup. It is also cooked the same as as- 

 paragus. The seed, when ripe, makes an excellent 

 substitute for coffee, so good that the best judges 

 have been deceived. The diference, however, is 

 readily perceived where cream or milk is not used. 



Why cannot some of our farmers experiment 

 with it as to its productiveness ? Sorghum and 

 imphee are furnishing us with molasses, why not 

 okra give us our coffee ? 



One word more. Okra is not called " gumbo" 

 down south. Gumbo is a peculiar dish prepared 

 by the French cooks, chickens and okra being the 

 principal ingredients. But few cooks know how 

 to prepare a good dish of gumbo. Any good 

 housewife can improve her soups by slicing one or 

 two tender pods of okra into it. *•' ; 



Respectfully yours, 



W. J. USREY. 



— Many thanks for the above. Now that the 

 value of this plant is better known, it can be made 

 useful instead of being planted as a curiosity. 

 Seed of it can be had at Hovey's Seed Store, in 

 Chicago. Ed. 



Sap of the Wild Strawberry — Effects 

 of Drainage. 



Editor Illinois Farmer, Champaigri Illinois : 



Flushing, N. Y., Nor. 2*7, 1863. 



Dear Sir : — At the meeting of the North Amer- 

 ican Pomological Society at Boston, it was con- 

 tended by many that with the strawberry, pistillate 

 plants are not found in nature, but are the result 

 of lusus nature or montrosities. 



Now my dear sir, if yon will step forth on your 

 boundless prairies in the season of blossom, you 

 will find myriads of pistillate plants. I notice by 

 several articles in the Farmer that selections of the 

 different classes of fruits, comprising such as are 

 most hardy and productive, excellent in quality 

 and suited to your very trying winter climate, are 

 anxiously desired. 



I will make out such a general list, and shall do 

 so guardedly. Permit me to say that it is not the 

 severe cold of your climate that has been so fatal 

 to your trees — it is the freezing of the saturated 

 earth, which no tree can withstand, and it is this 

 which in the depressed prairies, does now and will 

 forever prevent the formation of permanent and 



