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1863. 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMEE. 



145 



may appear in us to do so, we hereby declare our 

 purpose, now and henceforth, to champion his 

 «ause. 



We shall begin by setting up for him, or more 

 properly for his hybrid projeny, the mule, the fol- 

 lowing claims: 



1. He is much more easily and cheaply reared 

 than his cousin, the horse. 



2. He eats but little more than half as much 

 when matured. 



3. He is satisfied with and thrives upon a coars- 

 er and less expensive class of provender. 



4. It costs less to keep him in harness and in 

 shoes. 



5. He is proportionally stronger. 



6. He is very much tougher. 



I. He is less liable to disease. 



8. He has more sense and docility. 



9. He is better adapted to some important kinds 

 of work. 



10. He is a truer puller and, when loaded, a 

 quicker traveler. 



II. He sells for a better price. 



12. He lives more than twice as long. 



13. He is better lookinjr ! 



In nothing but fleetness is he excelled by the 

 horse. 



Farmers, if the above propositions be true, why 

 not go into the business of mule raising ? If not 

 true, you are at liberty to take up the glove we 

 have thrown down, and show wherein we are at 

 fault Friends of the horse, to the rescue ! 



Fruit Grower's Society of Eastern 

 Pennsylvania. 



At the annual meeting of this societv, held at 

 Harrisburg, on the 4th, 5th and 6th of February, 

 the grape question came up, and was, as usual, a 

 very animated one. There was not much diflfer. 

 ence in the experience of members over last year, 

 except that there was a very prevailing impression 

 that the old Elsinburg was one of the very best 



late keeping, an d superior, in many respects to 

 hosts of the news ones. Rogers' No. 1, No. 15, 

 Creveling, To-Kalon, Clinton, Maxatawney, Cuya- 

 hoga, Graham, Alvey, all had numerous advocates; 

 and one gentleman expressed great partiality for 

 the Nor them Muscadine, and Mr. Knox said Tay- 

 lor's Bullitt was growing in favor in Missouri. 



Several gentlemen were satisfied with Isabella, 

 and others wished nothing better than Catawba, 

 when it came good, which it " generally would do 

 when not too severely pruned." 



Mr. Knox thought the Delaware too sweet for a 

 regular table grape, but one of the best for wine. 



The Hartford Prolific most members thought in- 

 dispensable for l»eing a few days earlier than the 

 Concord, but worthless after that good sort came . 

 in. The Concord, in fact, was the great grape of 

 the Convention. It is, indeed, surprising that a 

 great grape that has been so vilified and many ways 

 abused, should have fought its way so successfully 

 to popular eminence so soon. Flora was consid- 

 ered identical with Bland. Mr. Hoopes said they 

 had bee» so mixed together on the same plate and 

 set before good judges, who failed to separate 

 them. 



The President remarked that fruit was often dif- 

 ficult to identify. He had seen Maxatawney from 

 three localities last year, and all three were of dif- 

 ferent shades of color — white, green, and amber 

 color. . ..; 



The vote on grapes was heavy, and was as fol- 

 lows: 



Concord 25 



Delaware 23 ' ■ : 



Elsinburg 12 ^^' ^ ' 



Rebecca 9 



Isabella 8 



Catawba 8 



Hartford Prolific ^ 5 'i.-'^-- 



Creveling 3 i v' 



Diana 3 ' 



Cassiday 3 . 



Alvey 2 



Clinton 2 . . 



The grape question, in Connection with wine, 

 came next, opening by a report from the Wine 

 Committee of last year, which stated that they had 

 been converted by an article in the " Gardener's ; 

 Monthly," by Mr. Husmann, of Hermann, Mo., and V 

 by some wine of Norton's Virginia from the same, 

 which the Committee thought approaching closely 

 some of the Burgundies of Europe. 



Mr. Knox thought good eating grapes of more 

 importance than wine grapes. 



Most of the members seem to have experience ; ' 

 only with Clinton, Isabella, and Catawba. The last ;. .' 

 was considered best in quality, though its unrelia-. 

 bility in ripening, and small quantity of juice per . 

 pound of grapes was against it. In certainty of 

 crop and weight of juice, Clinton was the favorite ■ 

 and received double the vote of the Catawba. 

 Delaware, Diana, Alvey, and Isabella, received' 

 scattering votes, showing that wine had been made.-v: 

 succegsfully by some members from them. 



<•» ■ ■ - ■-...•: 



— A poor author, who excites the hostility of ' 

 the critics, is covered all over with quills like a ' 

 hedge-hog. But h, differs from the porcupine 

 in the fact that the quills are shot into him : 

 nstead of being weapons for him to shoot into 

 others, - . / • ;** 



