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^mE ILIIKOIS i'ARMSt. 



State. We present tobacco culture in another 

 part of tlie paper to which we call especial attei\- 



tio^- ^ '- '^^^ 



Cotton Seed. — At the cotton gin at Carbondale 

 we learn that about 1000 bush, have been saved and 

 probably as much more at Jonesboro and Vienna. 

 This will plant about two thousand acres. We ask 

 where the balance of the seed is to come from to 

 supply the demand. Every mail brings us letters 

 of inquiry in regard to seed. Some enterprising 

 person might drive a good trade. If the willow 

 speculators would turn their attention to the sup- 

 ply of cotton seed, a hundred thousand bales would 

 be sent out of the State — the growth of 1863. 



The Commissioner of Agriculture is willing to 

 do all in his power, but Congress is too parsimoni- 

 ous. If that department could have the avails of 

 our ship charter swindle, Mr. Newton could give 

 us a good supply of seed. Last year the Patent 

 Office sent out that drunken dog, Dennis, after cot- 

 ton seed, but no seed came, and this same scamp 

 would like to have the same job again. But we 

 have a sober, trustworthy Commissioner of Agri- 

 cultural, and what funds are put in his hands will 

 be put to a good use. 



Twenty thousand bushels of seed should be plant- 

 ed this spring, and we believe it would be if seed 

 could be secured in time. We hope some of the 

 merchants will move in the matter. 



The China cotton seed, we fear, will not prove 

 as good as anticipated on account of its age and 

 sea exposure but we hope enough of it will grow 

 to give it a fair trial. Seeds of all kinds from the 

 north of China have appeared to do weU in this 

 climate, and we have high hopes of this China 

 cotton seed. Those wishing to try it will apply to 

 L. Tilton, Springfield, Illinois. 



The Chicago I'ost, in an article entitled " Illinois 

 Cotton," says : " We .understand that extensive 

 preparations are being made in Central and South- 

 em Illinois for the cultivation of cotton during 

 the coming season. Last year the scarcity of seed 

 prevented hundreds of farmers from planting cot- 

 ton who would otherwise have done so ; but we 

 learn that ample provision has been made to fur- 

 nish all who wish to cultivate the Kingly Plant with 

 iiative seed well adapted to the soil of Illinois. 

 We also learn that Mr. Griswold, former president 

 of the Illinois Central railroad, has imported a 

 quantity of seed from the north of China, which 

 he has deposited at Springfield, with the president 

 of the Great Western raUroad, who will furnish it 

 to those who wish to try it, at par. The fact that 

 there are hundreds of old settlers in Southern Illi- 

 nois who have cultivated cotton successfully for 



over fifty years, and that over 40,000 pounds of 

 seed cotton has been cleaned by the cotton gin at 

 Carbondale, besides large quantities at other points, 

 should be ample proof that cotton can be success- 

 fully cultivated in Central and Southern Illinois. 



-«•»- 



A Word for the Illinois Farmer. — In these 

 war times when agricultural journals have to wait 

 the slow march of conflicting sentiment, when many 

 of them have fallen victims to the war, it is with 

 pride that we turn to the encouragement that we 

 receive on every hand of the valuue of a practical 

 rural journal devoted to the interest of the plant- 

 ing public, and making the farm, the garden, and 

 the orchard, its exclusive business. That such a 

 journal will be sustained we have many good reas- 

 ons to know from the very many kindly letters re- 

 ceived within the past few months. We take the 

 liberty of copying the closing paragraph from 

 one from the south part of the State enclosing his 

 subscription: "A journal rich in editorial con- 

 tributions from observation and experience, not 

 made up too much of matter taken from other 

 journals, — ^familiar with latitudes, the contour of 

 surfaces, the difierences in soils on which depend 

 climate and its varied productions — ^familiar with 

 the details of careful experiment is the journal 

 everywhere needed, and in few places more than in 

 Southern Illinois, where much is being done. Such 

 a journal, in my judgment, is the Illinois Farmer. 

 Respectfully, 



Elijah Beckwith." 



-•»- 



Business of the Illinois Central Land Depart- 

 ment, — The Chicago Trffntne, speaking of the 

 " business of the Illinois Central Land Depart- 

 ment," says that during the five days ending on the 

 ITth instant, the business of this department has 

 been unusually heavy. The sales have amounted 

 to $53,000, and have been made to sixty-two ac- 

 tual settlers in tracts as follows: 31 forties, 31 

 eighties, 5 one hundred and twenties, 4 one-hun- 

 dred and sixties, 1 two hundred and forty, 1 three 

 hundred and twenty, and 1 five hundred and sixty 

 acre lots ; making a sum total of 6,080 acres, at 

 an average of 88. "71 per acre. The majority of 

 these lands lie between Centralia and Mattoon, a 

 a tract of country not hitherto in much demand, 

 and has been taken up by Germans, who have set- 

 tled upon and will improve the property. The 

 exhibit is a very flattering one for these hard times 

 and auspicious for the agricultural interests of the 

 southern part of the State. There are no better 

 farmers in the West than the Germans. Their in- 

 dustry will transform these unimproved acres into 

 fertile farms and add materially to the present 

 wealth of the State. _, _^ _ ^ aii 



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