1364. 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMEE. 



pounds per acre, the grade of tobacco from new 

 lands is of superior description to that from old 

 lands. The average pioduce per acre is consid- 

 erably larger here than in Virginia; and of the Illi- 

 nois Central lands now oifered for sale, there are 

 many thousands of acres equal, if not superior to 

 any tobacco lands in the world. Benring in mind 

 the fact that the industry hitherto directed to the 

 cultivation of the plant in Virginia ; and North 

 Carolina, and the tobacco States, has in a measure 

 'been diverted into other channels, it is almost cer- 

 tain that for years to come tobacco must bear a 

 greatly enh;inced price. 



Fruit. — Much attention is directed to Southern 

 Illinois, on account of its p'^culiar adaptation to 

 fruit raising. It ha' the advantage of early season, 

 as well as a soil especially suited to the giowing of 

 fruits and vegetables, together with unequalled rail- 

 road facilities, by means of which the product is 

 brought to the very door of all great markets of 

 the North-West. Fruit placed upon the cars in the 

 eve. will reach Chicago the next morning. St.Louis 

 is still nearer th in Chicago ; and strawberries, toma- 

 toes, etc., are supplit^d to Cincintiati nearly a fort- 

 night in alvanceofthe ripening of these luxuries 

 in the immediate neighbourhood of that city. It is 

 the early market that gives the greatest profit to 

 tlie fruit grower. This very year, strawberries, 

 from C'lbden and Makanda were placed in Chicago 

 as early as the 14th of May. The Railroad Compa- 

 ny supplies every eonvenien'-e for transporting fruit 

 to market. Cars are run with especial reference to 

 this branch »f trafic, and the time of running the 

 trains i- so adjusted as best to suit the requirements 

 of shippers. Southernllinois has become the best 

 f.uit growing region of America. While every part 

 of Illinois is to some extent adapted to fruit culture, 

 it is onlv in the southern part of the State tliat all 

 conditions are found in the highest perfection. 

 Pears, apples, peaches, grapes and st' awberries, are 

 produced in all abudance. During the last year up- 

 wards of 200,000 fru t trees were platited in or- 

 chards south of Centralia, within six miles of the 

 railroad track : but no matter to what extent they 

 may bemuliiplied, the demand for fruit will alway.-^ 

 be in advance of the capacity to furnish what is 

 wanted. 



Stock Raising. — Illinois is the great stock-raising 

 State of the countr — sending two thousand head 

 of beef cattle a week to the New York market. 



In the census return of 1859 the live stock 

 in Illinois had a valuatian of $24,209,258, and 

 in 1860 it had incre.ised to $73,434,621— only 

 two States (New York and Pennsylvania) 

 exceeding that amount of value. The raising 

 of stock for market has been the source 

 of many fortunes in Illinois. The Company has 

 large tracts of land well adapted by nature to the 

 raising of cattle, sheep, horses and mules — better 

 adapted, indeed, than are the lands of almost any 

 other State of the Union. During the year 1862, 

 the Illinois Central Railroad has brought to Chica- 

 go, from various stations along the line, upwards 

 of 80,000 head of beef cattle, and about 10,000 

 sheep. Wool growing is a branch of industry that 

 canivjt be overdone, and will inevitably be largely 

 increased. 



partment at Washington, by J. C. Thompson, of 

 Tompkinsville, Staten Island : — 



"For winter use, before the first frost select a dry, 

 clear day. Cut the vines with a scythe, leaving 

 the stem to which the* potatoes are attached, three 

 or four inches long, to lift them by. The Tines 

 arc readily eaten by cattle. Use a fork for raising 

 the potatoes ; lift them by the stem, and lay them 

 on the ridge to dry. In a few hours they will be 

 ready to pack. Prepare plenty of dry cut straw 

 (old is preferable), and take straw and barrels or 

 boxes to the field. Select the best potatoes, hand- 

 ling them carefully without bruising them. Put a 

 layer of straw at the bottom of the barrel and 

 then alternate layeis of potatoes and straw untilit 

 is filled. The barrels are then to be moved to a dry 

 room or cellar, where there will be no frost. If 

 they are placed in a cellar they must be raised from 

 the floor, and must n»t touch the wall. Keeping 

 warm and dry is the secret of their preservation. 

 They will keep six or eight months and improve in 

 quality. From one plot of ground 39 by 100 feet, 

 I gathered, in October last, 43J bushels." 



Preserving Sweet Potatoes. 



The following mode of preserving sweet potatoes 

 is given in the last report of the Agricultural De- 



Chieeory. 



Mr EniTOR — Having noticed in one of last spring 

 numbers of the RuraL American, an article on the 

 cultivation of ehiceory, and of its being an excel- 

 lent substitute for coffee, I was induced to send to 

 you to obtain some of the seed, and try my luck 

 with its cultivation. Well, you sent me an ounce 

 of seed, with instructions to cultivate, with a prom- 

 ise to instruct us how to prepare it tor the table. 

 Now, I sowed the seed, and cultivated the plants 

 according to instruction, except I sowed about as 

 thick again. I think, as I ought to, oonsequeutly, 

 the plants did not grow as large as they would if it 

 had been sown on perhaps twice the amount of 

 ground. But as it was, I got about eight bushels 

 of roots. 



We prepare it for use in this way : Wash the 

 roots clean, and then slice them up in slices about 

 a quarter to half an inch long, and then place it on 

 tins, and dry it in the stove oven till it is about 

 the consistency of roasted coffee, and then pound 

 it up. and it is fit for use, and is cooked the same as 

 any other coffee. It think that it is far prefera- 

 ble to any other substitute that I have ever used , 

 and, in fact, I think it is about as good as the real 

 coffee, an 1 I am well convinced that it is much 

 more healthy. 



If you have any better way for preparing it for 

 the t ible, will you please tell us in your next num- 

 ber as you promised last spring. 



Yours Truly, g. h. p. 



Cotton Raising in Iowa. — Hon. Isaac Newton, 

 the commissioner of the Agricultural Department, 

 has received a letter, dated Washington, Iowa, 

 November 26th, in which the writer says: "We 

 had a frost about the 20th of September, but not 

 sufficient to hinder an average crop (cotton.) I 

 made 1,200 pounds of cotton to the acre this sea- 

 son. The 'green seed' will turn out better than any 

 other cotton, while the 'North Carolina' does ex- 

 ceedingly well." The cotton seed from which this 

 cotton was raised was furnished by the Agricultu- 

 ral Department. 



