1863. 



THE ILLmOIS FARMEK. 



m 



NATITE GRAPES. 



Catawba 



Clinton 



Concord 



Isabella 



E. 



Tree Planting. 



As the season for planting trees is here, we 

 would advise our readers to be making prepara- 

 tions for the same. No outlay of money pays a 

 surer, and at the same time, more pleasant and 

 profitable return than the judicious expenditure of 

 a few dollars for fruit and ornamental trees. Be- 

 sides the pleasure and profit to be derived from it, 



the enhanced value it gives to property alone, 

 would much more than pay all the expenses, both 

 of time and money. If you have a farm, plant an 

 orchard ; and, although perchance you may not 

 reap the immediate benefit, be assured some one 

 will. If you do not own a farm, plant trees in 

 your garden, and although you can plant but few, 

 do not neglect it on that account. But plant trees 

 — Fruit, Ornamental and Shade. Beautify and or- 

 nament your homes in this manner, and make them 

 worthy the name of Home. 



■•o*- 



The Petroleum Trade. 



The rapid and extended use of petroleum has no 

 parallel in the history of manufactures or com- 

 merce. It is but three years (Aug. 1859,) since 

 petroleum was first obtained in any notable quan- 

 tities in the valley of Oil Creek, Pa.; and yet in 

 that short period its employment for artificial il- 

 lumination has spread over all parts of the civil- 

 ized world and the distant islands of the sea. The 

 obtaining of it from the oil wells, the refining of it, 

 the carrying of it to market and export of it 

 abroad, combine to form a new manufacturing and 

 commercial business for America, of great extent, 

 which is the source of no small amount of wealth. 

 Its rapid growth is proven by the fact that in the 

 first nine months of 1861 the exports of it amount- 

 ed to only 368,940 gallons, while in the same time 

 in the current year they amounted to 6,204,819 

 gallons, — an increase of no less than 5, 925879 gal- 

 lons. From the first of January last up to the 

 •Zth of this month, there was exported from the 

 three ports of Boston, New York and Philadel- 

 phia, T,88'7,T68 gallons, valued at $2,040,750, 

 Australia, China, New Zealand, and the West In- 

 dies, have received cargoes, but the greatest quan- 

 ity went to Europe, and no less than 4,101,437 

 gallons to Great Britain. 



In a circular recently issued by A. Macras, the 

 great oil broker in Liverpool, it is stated that 

 from the first of January up to tho 18th of Octo- 

 ber last therie were received at Livirrpool, of crude 

 and refined petroleum, 200,000 casks, valued at 

 $3,000,000 ; this includes Pennsylvania and Cana- 

 da petroleum. Crude American is now selling at 

 Liverpool for $100 per ton; it was selling in May 

 last for only $40 per ton. Benzine (the lightest 

 refined oil) is m large demand. There is also a 

 great demand for the heavy lubricating American 

 petroleum. This circular says : "The oil exported 

 jrom America and Canada in 1862 (the first of its 

 European introduction) exceeded in value £1,000,- 



000. Yet, one tithe of its dissemination is not ef- 

 fected ; Britain has manipulated pretty freely, so 

 have France and the German States, but so clam- 

 orous are they for more that the export extension 

 cannot be made sufficiently general. Spain, Por- 

 tugar, Italy and Russia have yet to receive it in the 

 crude form." — Scientifa American. 

 mt 



Fences and the Cattle Law of New 

 York. 



We copy the following report of a discussion up- 

 on the above subject which took place on the 

 third evening of the New York State Fair, at 

 Rochester, from the Country Gentleman. 



T. C. Peters opened the discussion. He had ob- 

 tained the statistics he was about to present, dur- 

 ing four years extensive travel throughout the 

 State. He alluded to the great importance of pro- 

 viding fencing for the future — old fences were de- 

 caying, and new ones would be needed, and we 

 should have to adopt more nearly the practice of 

 European countries. He assumed a mile of high- 

 way to each square mile of land — which is proba- 

 bly far within bounds. There are 28 millions acres 

 of land — of this about 16 millions are improved 

 and 10 millions unimproved — the remaining two 

 millions probably are villages, &c., according to 

 several authorities cited. According to his esti- 

 mate there were about 28,000 miles of highway in 

 the State, or 56,000 miles of road fence. The cost 

 of road fence he placed at a dollar a rod — the cap- 

 ital required to keep up the fence, another dollar 

 at interest. The total annual cost of keeping up 

 road fences, is over two million of dollars, or near- 

 ly one-half the entire State tax. 



The average size of farms over the whole State 

 is estimated carefully at 100 acres each — these 

 fenced in 10 acre lots, require 800 rods of fance on 

 each farm — besides the cost of the waste land. 

 The whole cost of all fences in the State, he fig- 

 ured at $144,000,000. The annual interest on the 

 fences on each farm is $56 — or $28,000,000 are to 

 be charged to the farmers of this state to keep up 

 the fences annually. Yet all the taxes paid by 

 farmers is only 33 cents per acre — the cities paying 

 a large portion— yet the annual tax that fences oc- 

 casion is one dollar and twelve and a half cents 

 per acre ! 



A member present stated that he had made & 

 careful estimate of the roads of the State from 

 Smith's large new map, which gives every public 

 highway, accurately laid down, and he made the 

 amount about twice as great, or 60,000 miles, re- 

 quiring 120,000 miles of highway fence. 



The chairman, A. B. Conger, in reply to an in- 

 quiry, said that the public had only the right of 

 way on the land owned by private individuals — 

 who really owned the land thus occupied. He 

 then explained the present road law for the excla- 

 sion of cattle from the highway. 



f » — 



Flower Leaves in France. 



In the South of France a harvest of two and ft 

 half millions of pounds weight of flower leaves is 

 gathered eyery year, and sold for £250,000 ster- 

 ling. It consists of 100,000 pounds of leaves, of 

 the orange blossom, 500,000 pounds of rose leaves, 

 100,000 pounds of jessamine blooms, 70,000 pounds 

 of violets, 65,000 of acacia buds, 30,000 pounds 

 of tuberoses, and 5,000 pounds of joquil flowers. 



" I' i'tiiiBHl'"^ifflM 



