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THE ILLINOIS FAEMER 



Sept. 



A Needed Keform. 



J. "W. Brown, the eloquent lecturer on temper- 

 ance and sin, editor of the Wisconsin CAie/" plant- 

 ed him an acre of strawberries, but his first crop 

 came to grief, as will be seen below. It is time 

 that such practices had an end ; but as we have 

 the same class of persons in this latitude, we have 

 concluded to allow Bro. Brown's lecture to go on 

 the record. "We have no complaints to make of 

 this class ourself, for we have been on his platform 

 some years, and allow of no running over our beds, 

 or through any part of our grounds, as though 

 they were gotten up to be ruined in that way. 

 We have no less, but rather more friend? since we 

 adopted the rule, and certainly better crops of ber- 

 ries. 



There is a very good ride though an old one, that 

 what is worth having is worth asking for. To this 

 asking class we have an open hand, but to the 

 class so graphically described by Bro. Brown, we 

 have it closely closed, and only open at so much 

 per quart or bushel outside of the garden. Ed. 



It was Gen. Scott, I believe, who once discharg- 

 ed a "hasty plate of soup." A higher liver than 

 the General, we have just discharged three pieces 

 of strawberry shortcake. For several weeks this 

 has been our "base of operations." From this 

 point we propose to make a flank movement upon 

 the inkstand, and let drive a fifteen-inch shell at — 

 random. 



Four years ago — "if memory serves us" — we 

 turned under two acres of stubble, and dropped 

 the first rootlet into the soil. We had no means 

 and little health ; but faith and an iron will. 

 Friends pitied us, and enemies laughed at and re- 

 viled us. A friend in town, largely investing in 

 cat-tail flag, water-snakes and muskrat holes, made 

 merry about "Brown's ornamental farming." The 

 indifferent called us a "fool" for meddling with 

 what we knew nothing about. Among other va- 

 rieties of small fruits, we ventured upon a "straw- 

 berry patch," dreaming only of growing sufficient 

 for our own family use. 



Well, four years have returned, and with them, 

 a greater reward than we dared hope for. Two 

 years ago, our acre of Wilson's presented the larg- 

 est and finest fruit ever raised in Wisconsin, chal- 

 lenging belief. The "strawberry eicitement," was 

 intense. It pervaded all classes. Our grounds 

 became the great center of attraction, and crowds 

 of self-sacrificing pilgrims journeyed to behold and 

 wonder. The highway in front of our humble 

 dwelling was thronged with teams. 



Ah, the transforming power of a strawberry 

 patch ! The most indifferent became enthusiastic 

 in their regard. Old enemies, with some vile cal- 

 umny freshly reeking on their lips, came through 

 our gate as smiling friends. Ladies and gents who 

 never were under our roof, were on terms of the 

 closest intimacy. What was a little singular, 

 however, the "patch," had no effect on real friends. 

 They came as usual, as they ever come, visiting us 

 in our sadness and our joy ; rejoicing with us in 

 the light, and mourning with us in the shadows. 



Alas ! that a triumph so marked and a popular- 

 ity so wide-spread should have a per contra. Some 

 of our new friends came again and again to "see 

 Brown's strawberry patch." The army of visiters 

 were not content to sit and eat where the ground 

 was crimsom with ripened fruit of fabulous dimen- 

 sions. They must examine the matter thoroughly, 

 and so, back and forth, across and return; at right- 

 angles ; oblique, zigzag, katering and spulgways, 

 they marched singly and by scores, tramping vines 

 and fruit remorsely into the ground, and the ground 

 itself into a brick-like hardness. We have seen 

 men afflicted hopelessly with that old and terrible 

 disease called laziness, suddenly galvanized into 

 new life, at sight of a very large berry, and leap 

 upon it like famished wolves. We have seen mod- 

 est, slender-builf , delicate females usually walking 

 as if on eggs, suddenly become possessed of legs — 

 as wo verily believe and affiirm — and at one bold 



step, stretch over . Let us be dumb, for 



the rows were three feet apart, and our veracity 

 shall not be ruined by giving the number stepped 

 over. We have seen those who would not spare 

 a dime to save us from starvation, eat until they 

 were in pain, look wishfully over the patch, tear 

 up both hands full of fruit stools, and go sadly 

 away. We have seen — but further of suchnoatters, 

 this deponent saith not. But when people now 

 charge Brown with being a "hog," let the memo- 

 ries of that strawberry season ; the heavy amounts 

 of berries assessed, and the silent, meek endurance 

 under a thousand trials, be our only vindication. 

 If we have not suffered a full penalty for our suc- 

 cess in raising small fruits, God help us ; for our 

 punishment will be greater than we can bear. 



For the honor of man and womanhood, let us 

 keep silence of the many revelations of poor hu- 

 man nature. Enough to say that, both as a mat- 

 ter of "military necessity," as well as of deliver- 

 ance from the most annoying vexations, we have 

 been compelled to change our "base" and offend 

 many people. 



Now let us inquire : Why are fruits outlawed 

 from the common rule which applies to other 

 property ? Why should we be assessed so severely 

 by from one to five hundred people, when the farm- 

 er, the merchant, or the mechanic is not ? Why 

 teach children that taking one kind of property, is 

 theft, and to take fruit all right and proper ? Why 

 not a hundred people levy on a neighbor's wheat 

 or garden sauce, or the groceries of a merchant, 

 as well as upon the fruit ? Is there a farmer, mer- 

 chant or mechanic, who will do business ibr the 

 sake of giving his profits to those who are not in 

 the same business ? If the farmer should not raise 

 grain, or the merchant bring in sugars and tea, 

 for gratuitous distribution, why should the pomol- 

 ogist raise fruit ? Why should labor and means, 

 and the investment of capital in other avocations 

 be sacredly respected as private property, and not 

 in the raising of fruit ? And should fifty or a hun- 

 dred children whose parents do not raise wheat, 

 visit a farmer and ask for wheat, and tread over his 

 grounds, and be refused after one year's trial, 

 would such parents denounce such a farmer a hog? 

 Would such parents send their children to our 

 stores to importune for one or two shilling's worth 

 of sugar each, or denounce the merchant if he re- 

 fused them ? Is there reason, justice, or decency, 

 in asking one man to give away the proceeds of a 

 season's toils, because it is in fruit ? Can any one 



