1863. 



THE ILLmOIS FAEMER. 



43 



IllinoiB 



and 



Central B. R. Land 

 Commission Agency. 



The Illinois Central R. R. Land Department 

 have made a new arrangement and one that cannot 

 fail to give general satisfaction. They new re- 

 ceive from farmers all kinds of produce, stock, 

 etc., in the payment of lands on both new and 

 old contracts. These articles are sold to the 

 best advantage, and a reduction of thirty per 

 cent, is made on the freight. 



This is much better than the old plan of pur- 

 chasing corn and cribbing it, entailing on the 

 Company a heavy tax without any corresponding 

 benefit to the farmer. Should the price of grain 

 rule lower it is probable that they may make a 

 further reduction on the freight. Withthe opening 

 of the Mississippi, a large amount of grain will 

 seek an outlet over the I. C. R. R. to Cairo, and 

 a general agency at Cairo and New Orleans as 

 well as at Chicago will be needed. Farmers will 

 find two advantages in shipping to the Company's 

 Agents ; first, in realizing the full market price 

 for their produee, and in the next the reduction 

 of freight. 



We have shown in another article the former 

 and will now revert to the latter. The freight 

 on wheat by the car load from Chicago and all 

 points as far south as Champaign is eighteen 

 cents per bushel to Cairo, one third of this is six 

 cents. Oa corn seventeen cents, or five cents 

 saved. Taking the price of corn at twenty-five 

 cents at Champaign, and we have a saving of 

 twenty per cent, and when sent to Chicago of 

 about eleven per cent, and on other products a 

 much larger sum; on potatoes of about eighteen 

 per cent. This reduction will stimulate the 

 growth of more heavy products. Th« potato 

 ;rop from Mattoon north is always a good one, 

 md less liable to rot than at the north, but the 

 leavy freight against it has prevented shipment 

 nthat direction. They are a profitable crop 

 lehvered on the cars at twenty cents, take the 

 ■eduction of freight and the cost additional to 

 jet them in Chicago and selling will be nine and 

 I half cents a bushel, and at Cairo at fifteen 

 ents. This will give to points south of Chicago 

 ■Imost the monopoly of the patato crop. * 



J. M. 



THS AGENCY. 



Redmond acting commissioner of the 

 'and Department will be the general agent of 

 be Company, but this will not preclude farmers 

 'om shipping to other parties to sell, when they 

 refer It, and in that case the same deduction of 

 •eight will be made. la the selection of Mr 



Redmond we have an active and efficient busi- 

 ness man. His long acquaintance with the Land 

 Department will make him useful, being familiar 

 with all its parts, first as the successor of the 

 gallant Gen. Burnside in the Treasurer's office, 

 and later as successor of Col. Foster in the Land 

 Department. A gentleman of tried integrity 

 and so extensively known that the interest of the 

 farmer will be safe in his hands. We congratu" 

 late the officers and purchasers of lands of the 

 Company in the new arrangements, and have no 

 doubt that it will lead to great results, and prove 

 a benefit to both. To the one in cheapening of 

 freights and the enhanced price of farm pro- 

 ducts , and to the other a saving of expense in 

 cribs and loss in handling. When many of those 

 lands were sold the price of farm products were 

 much larger than now, leaving a wide margin of 

 profits, and the ability to pay for land at good 

 prices. Now when the price is down to the low' 

 cost of production, it is but right that some relief 

 be adopted. We shall now hope to see not only 

 a paying up of the old contracts, but a large sale 

 of new farms, along the line of this great high- 

 way. Farmers can now pay for their farms in 

 produce, and will be exempt from taxes until the 

 land is paid for. These two facts will operate 

 to add to our farming population to say nothing 

 of the profits on cotton, tobacco and sorghum. 



It is proper to state that Mr. Redmond will 

 retire from the Land Department, and devote his 

 time to the Agency. He will be found on the 

 second floor of the building of Tuttle, Hibbard 

 & Co., north east corner of Lake and State sts. 



Chicago. 



«•» 



To Cure Hams — Loss in Weiglit. 



John C. Bishop, Fond du Lac, Wis., writes to 

 the American Agriculturist: " I have never failed 

 of having most excellent hams by using the fol- 

 lowing recipe — the shoulders are equally good, 

 only fatter: Rub the hams thoroughly around 

 the bone with salt, using the best quality. To 

 four pails water add one quart molasses, six 

 quarts salt, and one tablespoonful of saltpetre: 

 they should remain in this pickle covered, five 

 weeks. Cobs are preferable to any other article 

 to smoke with : sack and whitewash and you will 

 have first quality hams the year round. In pack- 

 ing my pork last Fall, it occurred to me to ascer- 

 tain how much is lost ia weight by smoking 

 hams. I cut out a ham which weighed 24 J ib3. 

 After taking from the pickle, in which it had re-* 

 mained some five weeks, it weighed 2b\ fts. One 

 month after smoking it weighed 22^ R)s.' having 

 lost over three pounds. A barrel of side pork 

 weighing 200 lbs. that I packed freed from bone 

 and most of the lean meat, on being re-weighed 

 had gained eight lbs. 



