1863. 





THE ILLmOIS EAEMER. 



T^^f^^^S 



?;:-.i-Mlf»VX 



it must be remembered, is in tte face of a very 

 liiaterial falling off in the wheat crop of 1861, and 

 a consequent heavy decrease in the receipts since 

 the new crop came in, as compared with last year. 

 Then follows a tabic of weekly receipts of flour, 

 wheat and corn, of which the following are the 

 totals for the year. 



Flour. (bMs) -ir^S'^S 



Wheal, (b-a) loA,>l,».U 



Corn, (bu) -^Vl.iMoo 



Oats, (bu). 3,782,422 



Rye, (l)u) 976,752 



Barley, (bu) SUO 476 



TOTAL rj:CEr?TS01.'FLOUK AXD GiiAIX i'On rOUK YEARS. 



1859. 



Wheat, bu, 8,181,746 



Corn, " 5,410,003 



cW " 1,813,048 



Rye, ■' 228,179 



Ba:Iey, •' C62,1S7 



Total 16,298,163 



Flour into wheat 3,710,060 



Total 20,008,223 



ISGO. 



Wheat, bu 14,563,429 



Corn, ■' 15,487,966 



Oats, " 2,029,906 



Rye. " 295,436 



Barley, " 623,005 



Total 33,004,746 



Flour into wheat 3,509,000 



Total 36,504,772 



1861. 



Wheat, bu 17,539.909 



Corn, " 2(),543;233 



Oats, " 1,883,258 



Rye, " 479.005 



Barley, •' 4r7!l20 



Total 46,862,534 



Flour into wheat 7,230,685 



Total 54,093,219 



1862. 



Wheat, bu. 13,137,533 



Corn, " 31,145,721 



Oats, " 8,782,422 



Ryf^, " 976,752 



Barley, " 800,476 



^ Total _. 316,298,16 



Flour into Wheat 3,710,060 



Total 20,008,223 



It is a very significant fact, that Massachusetts 

 five per cent, stocks bring in England from one to 

 two per cent, more than U. S. six per cent. 



[From the Country Gentleman and Cultivator.] 



Comparative Value of 'Wood, for Fuel. 



Messrs EuiTons : The subject of obtaining and 

 preparing wood for fuel is one of considerable im- 

 portance, and although it will receive but little at- 

 tention from those who own land that has a supply 

 of wood on it, yet there is a large class of persons 

 who arc under the necessity of buying their fire- 

 wood, and it S'-eniM desirable that they should know 

 the comparative value of the diiferent kinds of wood 

 for fuel, in order that they may be able to spend 

 their money to the best advantage in the purchase 

 of their fuel. From experiments made to deter- 

 mine tlie comparative value of different kinds of 

 wood for fuel, results have been obtained accord- 

 ing to the following table : 



Hhelibark Hickory 100 Yellow Oak 60 



PigiuU Hickury.I 95 Hard Maple 69 



V/bite Oak 8-1 While Elm 68 



A^hite Ash 77 Red Cedar 66 



Dogwood 75 Wild Cherry 55 



Scrub Oak 73 Yellow Pine 54 



V/hile Hazle 72 Chesnut 52 



Apple Tree 70 Yellow Poplar 52 



r.td Oak G9 Butternut 51 



Vrhito Beech 65 White Birch 49 



Blflck Walnut 65 White Pice 42 



BhiCk Birch C2; 



"Some woods arc softer and lighter th.an others 

 — the harder and heavier having their fibres more 

 dimsely packed together. But the same spe- 

 cies of wood may vary in density, according to the 

 conditions of its grovvth. Those woods which grow 

 in Ibre.sts, or in rich wet grounds, are less consoli- 

 dated than such as stand in the open fields, or 

 grow slowly upon dry barren soils. There are two 

 stages in tlic burning of wood — in the first heat 

 comts chieiiy from flame ; in the second, from red 

 hot coals. Soft woods are much more active in 

 the first stage than hard, and hard wood more ac- 

 tive in the second than soft. The soft woods burn 

 v.ith a voluminous flame, iindleaA^c but little coal; 

 while the hard woods produce less flame, and yield 

 a larger mass of coal. 



"The purpose, however, for which it is needed 

 must be considered. A thorough white pine, com- 

 pared with hickory, is only as 42 to 100 for heat. 

 If a quick fire be needed for immediate warmth, 

 or kindling for coal, or other wood, the pine or 

 other soft woods is tlie most suitable." 



The comparative value of hard and soft woods 

 will depend very much on the purposes for which 

 they are used. When a steady and continuous 

 heat is required, hard wood is much the most 

 valuable but when a quick and active heat 

 with a steady flame is wanted, soft woods are pref- 

 erable. In making sugar I prefer about equal pro- 

 portions of hard and soft wood, as I can boil more 

 sap in a given time with this proportion than with 

 either kind separate. On railroads soft woods are 

 used exclusively, as a quick and a rapid flame of 

 heat is wanted. On the other hand the steady and 

 intense heat required for the furnace and forge 

 needs hard wood or coal to produce it. Experience 

 would seem to indicate that for the ordinary uses 

 of the family a portion of both hard and softwood 

 was the most economical ; but it should always be 

 dry wood. C. T. Alvoed. 



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