■u "^■^T^TT^p^f^Vi? 



314 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMER. 



Oct. 



The other plow not having a rolling cutter, gave 

 up the contest. There is yet another plow to arrive, 

 and the further trial of plows will be resumed 

 to-morrow. The contest is close, and the specta- 

 tors are taking sides. The Dixon plow has the 

 advantage in draft, but the Moline does the best 

 work, though the difference is not great. They 

 are the two best plows that we have seen, when 

 we take into consideration workmanship and ma- 

 terial. We would not be surprised at a lock in 

 the committee, as to-morrow one of the members 

 leaves. There will be only four to decide the 

 matter, the new one to arrive may change the 

 aspect of things. 



BEOODEN SOWER AND CULTIVATOR. 



Cost seventy-five dollars. Sows six feet, twelve 

 cultivators adjusted to any amount of seed. Sows 

 corn and covers as well or better than a harrow. 

 We do not think it can be used in rough land as 

 the large number of cultivators on the same line 

 of shaft will render it liable to clog. The machine 

 is made in Chicago and very creditable to the 

 manufacturers. 



With a good hand sower one man can sow thirty 

 acres in a day, and with a soil shovel two horse 

 cultivator, and iron roller, the work can be done 

 better and almost as rapid. For small farms it 

 will not pay, when we take intcrconsideration its 

 clogging in rough land. The same objection has 

 rendered the old drill of so little value. 



CORN CULTIVATOR. 



The two horse cultivators were the main features 

 in the afternoon, and as all of them are well made, 

 of good material, and did first rate work, it was 

 no easy matter to figure up which was the very 

 best, all things considered. 



The several machines are sold as follows : 



Stafford's Patent $42 00 



Faust & Bradley's 25 00 



Brown's St 00 



The Morton 35 00 



Dorsev's 35 00 



Sparks' 40 00 



Deere's 35 00 



The price, it will be seen, is very uniform. All 

 have shields or plant protectors, to prevent the 

 clods from being thrown on the young corn, and 

 Bome have extra shovels. It was also demonstra- 

 ted that nearly or quite all of them can be used to 

 mark out the ground, and to cover the potatoes in 

 planting: and one, at least (Stafford's), can be 

 made to ridge up the land for sweet potatoes, y 

 vast improvement has been made in all of these 

 implements within the past year — in fact, nearly 

 or quite all of these are new machines, the patterns 

 for those intended for the year 1864. Towards 

 the close of the trial, attention appeared to centre 

 most on the Stafford, made at Decatur. 



The day was closed with a trial of Dements' 

 Double Shovel Plow, to which is attached a shield, 

 after the plan of the two horse cultivator. It 

 attracted no small attention, and pleased both 

 committee and visitors. The cost of adding the 



shield is about a dollar and its use enables the 

 operator to work close to the row of corn or other 

 small plants. 



THE FAIR GROUND. 



A half hour in the grounds with John Taylor, 

 one of the Directors of the grounds, was a pleas- 

 ant surprise. The grounds are naturally the best 

 in the State, and have been made very complete 

 by art. 



One thing that has always been wanting in 

 abundance, at all our State Fairs is here in the 

 most lavish supply, and that is pure spring water, 

 running out from three large springs, all of which 

 have been curbed and spouted in the best manner. 

 But little remains to have all things in readiness 

 for the Fair. 



CONTENTS 



Editorial : page . 



October • 287 



The White Willow 288 



Poetry : 



Lines accompanying a Bouquet of Seed stems 291 

 Agriculture : 



Machinery in Agriculture 292 



Sugar and Molasses in the West 293 



Horticulture : 



A Productive Kitchen Garden 294 



Market Gardening 295 



Low Branching Fruit Trees 296 



The Great orchards of California 297 



Gardens of Mechanics 298 



Hale's Early Peach 298 



Tree Management 298 



Troubles of Fruit Growers 298 



Isabella Grapes 298 



Fruit in Utah 29a 



The Fluke Potato 299 



Nails and Peach Borers 299 



What to do with Summer Fruit 299 



Packing Grapes 299 



The Munier Grape 300 



Grape Growing in Iowa 300 



Stock : 



Cashmere Goats 300 



The Hog and its Feed 302 



Foot Rot in Cattle 203 



Cure for Worm in the Head 303 



The Horse -303 



American Pork 303 



Correspondence : 



What is Hog Cholera? 303 



Weed's Tree Protector 304 



Miscellaneous : 



Our Howadji in Egypt 305 



Insect Pests upon Animals 307 



A Visit to the Oil Wells 307 



The Siberian Crab and How to Use it 308 



The Flax Crop 308 



Hall's Journal of Health 308 



Stable Dung— its Use 309 



Time to cut Timber • 309 



Economy in a Family 309 



Fruitfulness of New Jersey 309 



Sliding Doors for Barns 310 



How to Turn Large Cheese 310 



Be your Own Right Hand Man 310 



Extensive Sugar Cane Works 310 



Sustaining Animal Life 311 



Tree Plan ting 311 



Editor's Table : 



Implement Trial at Decatur 311 



