100 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMER. 



Apeil 



This is tlie old German mode of cut- 

 ting the small grain and is well adapted 

 to this crop, as it accomplishes the de- 

 sired object in saving the whole of the" 

 stalk that is of value for lint. 



As but few of our farmers have ex- 

 perience in this mode of cutting thej 

 will prefer the cradle. With this the 

 crop can be cut quite close if it has been 

 put in as directed. 



The crop should be bound in all cases, 

 as it will be not only economy in the 

 subsequent handling, but the crop will 

 be much more valuable to the manu- 

 facturer. 



THRESHIIiG. 



When the crop is grown for seed, it 

 is often left in the field to dew rot ; in 

 this condition it can be run through 

 most of the threshing machine, but 

 when not thus partially rotted, thresh- 

 ing with a machine will be out of the 

 question. This practice is a bad one to 

 say the least of it. When the farmer 

 has a good tight barn floor, the flail is 

 the best, or the seed can be taken oil' 

 with a ffood broom-corn machine. The 

 object is to keep the straw in a good 

 straight condition and not snarled up 

 in the handling. In threshing, many 

 of the bolls will break oif instead of 

 bursting open to allow the seed to fall 

 out ; these will need crushing, either 

 with a flail or by treading out. 



Fannino; mills are now constructed 

 so as to admit screens to clean the seed 

 and there is no use of sending to market 

 foul seed. It should never be threshed 

 on the ground as the dirt will seriously 

 damage it, not only in the additional 

 weight, but in pressing it absorbs the 

 oil and gives it a dark color, therefore 

 keep it off the ground in threshing. 



" YELLOW SEED," 



which like chess in wheat is often found 



in the crop, makes a good oil for burn- 

 ing, but being an essential oil will not 

 dry or combine with the paint no better 

 than so much lard, and should not be 

 sown with flax on any account. 



There is not the least excuse for sow- 

 ing foul seed, as it is so easily cleaned. 

 We would say to farmers buy the best 

 seed you can flnd, and then clean it your- 

 selves, and not pay double price, or 

 contract your crop to get what is called 

 pure seed — make it pure yourself. 



DEW KOTTINQ. 



After threshing, the straw is spread 

 out on clean grass land, usually mead- 

 ows. This is done by unrolling the 

 bundles of straw in a swath, leaving it 

 about an inch deep, when half rotted it 

 is turned over by using the handle of a 

 rake, and when fully rotted is raked 

 into bundles and bound up. These 

 bundles are then set in shocks to dry 

 when they are ready to ship or store 

 away. 



Flax straw thus treated vnll command 

 ready sale at a good price, while that 

 cut with a reaper, threshed without 

 binding is only valuable as tow and 

 must be sold at a low figure. 



Fruit at Cobden. 



Last year the Bro. Evans sent to 

 market eight thousand baskets of peach- 

 es (8,000.) The first shipment was of 

 Serrated Early York, July 13th, Geo. 

 the Fourth, 21st. The highest price 

 sold in Chicago was $3,50 per basket 

 of half a bushel, and lowest $1,25, 

 making the less amount to a respecta- 

 ble sum. 



August 10th, shipped 100 pounds of 

 grapes at 25 cents. 



June 17th, shipped Keswick's CodKn 

 apple, and sold at $2,25 per basket. 



August 3d, shipped sweet potatoes, 



iLiTMl^-^^r^^i*"! ■ L'Ajt'.-j'^ J 



