1864. 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMER. 



m 



. little gain. In this case, some of the fruit growers 

 are rejoicing that the curculio, the worst enemy 

 of the peach, must starve out for the want of his 

 favorite fruit to breed in. But we appiehend that 

 this will bQ about as futile as the idea of shutting 

 up the ports of the rebels, and thus starving them 

 out. Enough of the vipers will live for seed, — so 

 of the curculio, — they will breed in the apple, 

 when they can do no better, and though greatly 

 thinned in numbers they will increase as rapidly 

 as the peach trees recover. The only reliable mode 

 to get rid of either is to kill them off. 



SWEKT POTATOES. 



To supply the loss of the peach crop, to some ex- 

 tent, large quanties of sweet potatoes are to be 

 planted ; in fact, this crop has been steadily gain- 

 ing in popularity, and must become one of the 

 great staples of the garden at this point. The Nan- 

 semond is the principal variety grown. It is early 

 and very rich and a most excellent keeper. We 

 find them on the tables here instead of the Irish 

 poiatoes. The farmers keep them in their cellars 

 nearly in the same manner that we do Irish pota- 

 toes, but they do not keep as well as in a regular 

 sweet potato house. Mr. J. W. Tenbrook, the 

 sweet potato king of Indiana, and other gentlemen 



would be replaced by those enough more valuable 

 to cover their loss in a short time. If the orchards 

 of peach, pear and apple were to be replaced, three- 

 fourths of the present trees would be discarded. If 

 this is. true of this part of the State, it is no less 

 true in others. And is it not time that farmers 

 and others setting trees should investigate the 

 subject, and no longer depend on quack nursery- 

 men and interested tree dealers ? If they cannot 

 get the varieties best adapted for them, let them 

 set out seedlings vnd graft them with the varieties 

 wanted. 



Let us ask what commercial nurserymen know 

 in regard to varieties ? Just as much as the dry 

 goods dealer does in regard to the goods that will 

 sell, when his blandishments are added. The one 

 buys bright colors and the other cultivates strong 

 and showy growers. Let fruit growers order what 

 they w^ant and take nothing else ; failing to get it, 

 do their own grafting. 



THE KOT. - - 



This is a disease that attacks certain varieties of 

 the peach and the apple in this part of the St■^te. 

 Thus far a few varieties of each have been exempt 

 under all conditions, while the others are more or 



associated with him, are here making arrangements ' less healthy at times, but not being reliable should 



to put up a mammoth sweet potato house, 

 with a view to supply your city with this excellent 

 vegetable throughout the winter. The building is 

 to be twenty-four feet wide and a hundred feet long 1 

 and two stories above the basement, and is estima- 1 

 ted for ten thousand bushels. These are put in ! 

 bins of twenty bushels each, and filled in with dry j 

 sand. They are to be shipped in cars lined so as I 

 to exclude the frost, and with a stove to save them | 

 in any event ; for if the sweet potato becomes ! 

 once chilled, or the temperature falls below 40 deg., j 

 it soon spoils, or at least loses that sugary sweet- ■ 

 ness that makes it so palatable. By this plan the ' 

 people of your city can have this potato for six j 

 months loHger ihaja. usual, as this house would give 

 y»u a daily supply of seventy-five bushels, an 

 amount totally inadequate to the demand after 

 they had once become accustomed to their use. 



This is the fiist attempt of the kind iu the Uni- 

 ted States to supply the North, and if successful 

 will be followed by others. The sweet potato in 

 these houses will keep until the next crop comes \ 

 in, or to the last of June, leaving a narrow space \ 

 of two months. j 



The present stock of sweet potatoes for seed is 

 mostly in the hands of speculators, and will be 

 placed in the hands of parties to sprout on shares, 

 and the plants sold at high prices. Farmers should 

 keep over their seeds when possible to do so, ho as 

 not to be subject to large expense for seed. A few 

 bushels can be kept through in a warm room, by 

 mixing in dry sand, providing the potatoes have 

 been dug before frost, and not bruised before pack- 

 ing. 



As we have made some improvements in the pre- 

 paration of the ground and culture ef this potato, 

 we shall give a chapter on the subject in season 

 for use. 



Experience has demonstrated that certain kinds 

 of peaches, pears and apples do much better than 

 others. So highly is this valued that a fruit grower 

 remarked to os that the killing of the orchards at 

 this time would be no great loss, as it would sweep 

 the orchards of thousands of worthless trees, that 



be rejected. 



As many northern men continue to come here 

 for the purpose of orcharding, and supposing that 

 in such -a favored region all varieties will do equal- 

 ly well they have ordered their trees without re- 

 gard to the facts aa they have been proved to exist, 

 and the result is loss and consequent discourr.ge- 

 ment. 



We have not time now to write upon this subject 

 but will do so soon. 



The culture of cotton is engaging nosinaU atten- 

 tion, of which we shall speak in our next. 



The snow has settled and is now fifttin inches 

 deep on the level. The natives are out in all sorts 

 of improvised sleds and jumpers and enjoying 

 themselves hugely. — Chi. Trib. 



Tree Protectors. 



We continue our record of comparative tempera- 

 ture, commencing on the 18th of December, the 

 first zero weather of the season. Our expc. imcnts 

 this winter include the temperature of three struc- 

 tures. The one which afforded the data for our 

 table last year, eighteen feet long, twelve wide 

 and twelve high, constructed of a double covering 

 of boards, with an intervening space of six inches 

 filled with sawdust, has again answered our expec- 

 tations. 



Another the same width and heighth, eighty 

 feet long, made by nailing inch square strips, hor- 

 izontally, six inches apart on each side of rafter?, 

 eight inches wide, constituting movable frames, 

 the intervening space of eight inches being closely 

 packed with leaves, with the intention of thatch- 

 ing on both sides with straw. The season, however, 

 only allowed of placing the leaves, which unfortu- 

 nately contained numerous lumps of soow. These 

 having since melted away, on the occurrence of a 

 warm rain, have left many loosely packed spaces, 

 unfavorable to the degree of tightness desirable. 

 The low temperature indicated ia this enclosure, 

 on the 1st and 2d of January, was probably owing 



