':« 



!R!ft!'-^J.;'J»f«-H.4Li-".»f.iJippi.'',^ 



1863. 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMER. 



119 



that the yam and other large varieties of the sweet 

 potato can not be grown to advantage, but 'the 

 selecting of such early sorts as the Nansemond will 

 and do succeed, and now become one of the staple 

 products of the garden. 



The Louisiana sugar cane can not be grown here 

 but the dwarf varieties, such as the Imphee of Afri- 

 ca, and the sugar beet, will make the country teem 

 with its sugar mills, skill in culture and a wise dis- 

 crimination in the selection of varieties will do 

 much to place the labor of the Northwest on a par 

 with the more genial skies of the South. Again, 

 by a judicious selection of seed, planting the well 

 ripened tubers of the Nansemond year after year, 

 has been another step in the ladder of progress. 

 Mr. J. W. Tenbrook, of Rockville, Indiana, the ac- 

 knowledged King of sweet potato culture, has 

 built up his reputation on this great principle of 

 improving the plants of the North, especially those 

 of a more Southern origin. We attribute much 

 of our success in having the advantage of his im- 

 proved seed. Those who are in want of seed or 

 plants should apply at once, as we learn by a let- 

 ter from Mr. T. that he will not be able to supply 

 the demand. 



In the culture of the sweet potato, the ridge 

 system is the most common, but we begin to sus- 

 pect that large round hills are the best in this lat- 

 itude, and we especially call attention to the fact 

 that our cultivators may give this mode a thorough 

 trial the coming summer. The rows should be 

 four foot apart and the hills about three ; one plant 

 in a hill will be sufficient. In this way thirty- 

 five hundred plants will be sufficient for an acre. 

 The hills can be made the last of April, but the 

 plants • should not be set until after all danger 

 from hard frosts is over, say the 10th of May. At 

 the time of setting, the hills should he dressed ov- 

 er by hauling up a little fresh earth to enlarge the 

 hill and to kill the young weeds that will at that 

 time begin to show themselves. 



By making the hills in advance of the time of 

 planting, the soil will become more friable, com- 

 pact and warmed up by the sun, and in condition 

 to give the plants a more vigorous growth. This 

 we think will add at least one fourth to the crop 

 and make them a week earlier at least. 



The sweet potato is one of the most valuable 

 substances with which to adulterate coffee, giving 

 It a rich creamy taste, without any deleterious ef- 

 fects like many other drugs now used. The small 

 potatoes are used for this purpose, costing only 

 the labor of picking up and drying. 



Coal Mixing.— At a Convention of the coal op- 

 erators of Illinois, convened in Chicago on the 18th 



of February, 1863, Col. E. D. Taylor was appoint- 

 ed Chairman, and Major J. Kirkland, Secretary. 



Major Kirkland, Mr. Mason, and Mr. Galloway, 

 were appointed a committee on resolutions. The 



comittee reported the following preamble and reso- 

 lutions which were unanimously adopted. 



Whereas, The coal miners of Illinois, or a por- 

 tion of them, have, within the past year, conspired 

 to control each other and their employers as to 

 wages, as to the management of mines, as to the 

 individuals to be employed or discharged, and as 

 to the amount of coal to be produced daily ; and, - 



Whereas, The effect of the secret society form- 

 ed by the miners, has been to enhance exorbitant- 

 ly, the price of coal all over the State, while lessen- 

 ing the quantity produced in proportion to the de- 

 mand, and 



Whereas, The history of other mining commu- 

 nities, and the experience of our own, have proved 

 that such a course, if encouraged by submission on 

 the part of the operators of coal mines, leads to 

 the injury of the public, the ruin of the coal opera- 

 tors, and the impoverishment of the coal miners 

 themselves ; therefore. 



Resolved, That the coal operators of Illinois here 

 represented, will not, after the first day of April 

 next, acknowledge or deal with any association of 

 miners whatever but will hire and discharge persons 

 as the exegencies of the business and the conduct 

 of those individuals may compel them to do, pay- 

 ing their employees such wages as the market for 

 coal may authorize, making such arrangements of 

 their mines as they may consider best adapted to 

 the work, and leaving to each of those employees 

 the right to quit their service whenever it may be 

 his interest or his desire to do so. 

 (Signed.) 



Northern Illinois Goal and Iron Company, E. D. 

 Taylor, La Salle. 

 Chicago and Carbon Coal Company, J. Kirkland, 



Danville. 

 La Salle Coal Mining Company, J. J. Page, La 



Salle. 

 Kewaunee Coal Company, J. J. Galloway, E. Bea- 

 dle, Kewaunee. 

 Coal Valley Mining Company, S. S. Guyer, Rock 



Island. 

 Morris Coal Mining Company, A. Crumb, Morris. 

 Danville Coal Mine, Donlon and Daniel, Danville. 

 Kingston Coal Company, S. Gilfoy, Kingston Mine. 

 Du Quoin Coal Mining Company, C A. Keyes, Du 



Quoin. 

 Peru Coal Mining Company, J. J. Page, Peru. , 

 Morris Coal Company, Thomas Turner, Morris. 

 Washington Coal Mines, Goalby and Bros., Belle- 

 ville. 

 Telfer Mines, A. G. Warren, Morris. 

 Union Mines, A W. Telfer. Morris. 

 Peoria Coal Mines, N. Funk, Peoria. 

 Alma Mines, J. Gatside, Belleville. 

 Kickapoo Mines, Wm. Rutherford, Peoria. 

 Carbondale Mines, Kasson and Co., Belleville. ..:. 

 Wenona Mines, Thompson and White, Belleville. 

 Eureka Mines, Wm. Haight, Belleville. 

 Wilson Mines, James Wilson, Belleville. 

 Illinois Central Iron and Coal Mining Company, JL 



W. Nason, St. Johns. 

 DuQuoin Centre Mine, F. Priest, Du Quoin. 

 Neelysville Coal Mines, T. Hollowbush, Neeljs- 

 viile. 



