1863. 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMEE. 



251 



Rain foe June. — ^To show the vast inequality of 

 the rain fall at different points in the State. We 

 copy from the report of the committee of agricul- 

 ture, as obtained from the Smithsonian Institute. 

 It will be seen that the report is for the north part 

 of the State: - . 



Illinois. County. Inches. 



Peoria Peoria 45^ 



Manchester- • • • .Scott ..- - . .80-. .. .- 



Augusta Hancock. 26. 



Reily McHenry 1.40. .>...... ... 



Dixon .......... ijee. •■..•...•*.. t • Vo* .*......•. 



Gralesburg Enox 



Waverly ....... .Morgan .26- 



Elmira .Stark 20 



Sandwich DeEalb 1.26.. ......... 



For that part of the State the rain for a series of 

 years for May, is as follows^ 



Year. Inches. Year. Inches. 



1855 5-1 1856.. ..4-4 



1857 2.9 1858 -..8.1 



1859 4.3 1863 3.4 



Average from 1859 to 1863, inclusive 3.50 



Thus it will be seen that we have had a dry June. 

 At this place we had a shbwer "the last week in 

 May and the last week in June. We may write 

 down May as a wet month for the year 1863. But 

 June is yet worse, and Dixen is the only place that 

 was blessed with an abundant supply of rain. 



The average for the above five years, for June, 

 is 3.6 inches, this year 1.45 inches. Kansas has 

 nearly six inches, Michigan and New Jersey ten 

 and a half. Nearly all of the States show very 

 dry weather, in which the potatoe crop will of 

 course be involved and the fruit crop seriously in 



jured. 



«•* .. 



Ohio Pomological SocfETY Report. — ^This is one 

 of th-e most practical and -valuable reports sent out 

 by the society. It embodies a complete revision 

 of the fruit report of Ohio, made by the American 

 Pomological Society. The discussions are not as 

 extended as usual, as most of the time ^f the last 

 meeting was occupied with the revision. The State 

 was divided into five geological districts and the 

 lists made for each. 



By the way, we learn that our State Geologist 

 has or contemplates the same numher of fruit dis- 

 tricts for our State, numbering them according to 

 their value. If we are rightly informed he will do 

 well to correct the list before publishing it. 



Ohio is comparatively an old Sttate, and orch- 

 arding has progressed beyond experiment in most 

 parts of it, hence the fruit growers are now ena- 

 bled to get at valuable facts. With us, the case is 

 somewhat different, and we must, of necessity, 

 grope our way as y£t to some extent. 



This year will bring in new facts and the renew- 

 ing of old ones. In this report will be £ound much 



of interest to our fruit cultivators. The report can 

 be had of M. B. Bateham, Columbus^ Ohio. 



We are pleased to see our old friend Dr. Warder 

 elected President of this iiftportant Society. 



Early Wheat. — The 77ie Genesee Farmer says 

 that since the advent of the midge the great aim 

 of the wheat grower has been t» get a variety that 

 will come into flower a few days before the midge 

 flies make their appearance. The reason why the 

 Mediterranean is so much less liable to injury by 

 the midge, (erroneously called the weevil,) is its 

 earliness. But it is a wheat of comparatively poor 

 quality. What is wanted, the Farmer says, is a 

 variety of white wheaf'as good as the Soules, and 

 as early as the Mediterranean." If such a variety 

 can be found, it is hoped that it will be exhibited 

 at the great International Wheat Show to be held 

 at Rochester, N. T., September 8, 9 and 10, 1863. 

 Such a wheat, the Farm£r asserts, "would be 

 worth millions of dollars to to Western New York 



alone." 



<•• 



A New Blackberry. — ^In the summer of 1859, 

 we visited South Pass in the season of blackber- 

 ries. We observed a great variety of forms, siae 

 and of flavor. Among them a large round fruit 

 similar to the Lawton, the fruit of which was very 

 rich and the plants productive ; these were duly 

 marked, and in the following spring sent to us. 

 These have now been growing in our grounds since 

 that time, and are now producing an immense crop 

 of delicious fruit far superior to the Lawton, and 

 we think equally productive. This is the third 

 season, and so well have they pleased us that we 

 intend to cultivate them instead of the Lawton. 

 They have not been protected in the least, and 

 thus far have proved hardy. 



We do not intend to make a blow over them to 

 sell the plants at a round figure, but shall send 

 them out at the usual rate for Lawtons, say $2 per 

 100, or f 15 per 1,000. 



We intend to try the same plan with the black- 

 berry, that is, cut it back within two feet of the 

 ground during March. In this way they will be 

 easily cultivated and the fruit can the more readi- 

 ly be got at. We cannot say how it will succeed, 

 but if it should it will make this fruit a great fa- 

 vorite. 



— «•• 



Tree Protectors. — James Weed, of Muscatine, 

 Iowa, has invented a shelter for peach and other 

 fruit trees. We have examined the plan carefully, 

 but fail to see any particular advantage in its use. 

 It is too expensive an invention in its results — 

 better use a fruit house at once, and grow the 

 trees in tubs. 





«£t^ A ^-f •^M^^V v' 



-!-ii.iBWta-:s^--: --> 



