■"W7 



''S'WpS^^jSKSfgKW'S-'.' 



1864. 



THE ILLINOIS FARMER. 



Ill 



smacked their lips over this sample, and said, 'this 

 is excellent, it is pure wine.' 



They were slightlj' taken aback when informed 

 by Mr.' Williams that it was nothing but currant 

 juice and sugar. Thereupon a discussion arose as 

 to the propriety of calling any compound of fruit 

 juice and sugar by the name of wine, except the 

 juice of the grape. Webster defines wine, 'first the 

 fermented juice of grapes, as the wine of the Ma- 

 deria grape, etc.; second, the juice of certain fruits, 

 prepared with sugar, sonittimes with spirits, as 

 currant wine, gooseberry wine, etc' Finally, the 

 subject was referred to Pnjf. Thurber, requesting 

 him to find some original word, or compound of 

 words, to stand as a name for all other wine than 

 the grape." 



Another chip : 



" Gultivatimi of Strawberries. — In answer to the 

 inquiries of a correspondent who lives five miles 

 from railroad and fifty miles from market, whether 

 he could cultivate strawberries profitably, a con- 

 versation ensued from which we condense a few 

 of the leading facts. Dr. Ward said that in order 

 to make the cultivation profitable he would pursue 

 almost the same course as with corn ; plowing, ma- 

 nuring and preparing the ground thoroughly, set- 

 ting the plants in Spring in rows in one drection, 

 and working thoroughly between them up to July, 

 then letting them grow as they would the remain- 

 der of the season, and the next year, after bearing 

 their crop, turning the vines over as he would a 

 clover sod. Mr. Williams said that in that case 

 the best crop to precede the strawberries would be 

 corn or potatoes, and if the ground was then well 

 manured, it would not then be necessary to add 

 more when the plants were set." 



This is doubtless good doctrine for the outside 

 cultivators about the villages of New York, but our 

 people would hardly see it in this light. 



•«»- 



Hints to Thriftless Farmers 



III almost every agricultural community are to 

 be found men calling themselves farmers, who, to 

 say the least of them, are not as thriving and pros- 

 perous as others would like to see them. For no 

 well-wisher of his race desire to see his neigebors 

 unthrifty. No one who cares for the reputation of 

 his neighborhood, or the reputed value of his own 

 property, wishes to see the property or the condi- 

 tion of those around him deteriorating. No lover 

 of his country and of a sound political economy, 

 likes to see the resources of his town or of the 

 country unproductive from mismanagement. We 

 are aware that many in all classes of buisness, 

 meet with ill success and discouragements from ill 

 health, from sickness or death in families, or from 

 other unavoidable misfortunes. But we have no 

 reference to these. We allude only to those whose 

 ill success arises from causes within their own con- 

 trol. 



Permit us just to allude to some of these causes 

 in the form of a few practical hints. Perhaps it 

 may help us. 



" To see ourgels as ither see us, 

 And tkus frae mony a blunder f rae us. " 



1. Live largely by borrowing, sagely concluding 

 that you cannot afford to buy or make your own 

 tools, till you get a little more "forehanded. " 



2. After years of experence in borrowing of ac- 

 commodating neighbors, convince yourself that it 

 is cheaper to borrow th;m buy, and keep on bor- 

 rowing. Never keep a supply of such common 

 tools as harrows, plows, manure forks, and hoes, as 

 long as you can get them by going after them; 

 and if you chance to break one, return it in that 

 condition, and say you think it must have been 

 crocked when you borrowed it. 



3. Attend all the farm auctiorm you can haar of, 

 and "bid off" all the old wagons and worn-out im- 

 plements that you think are "going" cheap, in- 

 cluding "any quantity" of old "trumpery" that 

 the owners have long thrown by as useless. Should 

 your new purchases need repairs, or break dowQ 

 soon, leave them in the roadside for future repairs ; 

 but do not disturb them again till they are rotten, 

 scattered, and gone. 



4. When any vehicle or tool partially fails, or 

 shows signs of weakness, keep on using it thus, 

 (thinking it will hold this time,) till it comes to a 

 general "smash up ;" then throw it by till you can 

 get it repaired, (which you should mind never to 

 do,) and borrow your neiglibor's till the next auc- 

 tion. 



5. Never think of roeni.ing a tool till you want to 

 use it. As you cannot stop to mend it then, leave 

 it unmended till ycm are otherwise provided, and 

 c vsnclude not to inend it at all. 



6. Keep the waysides along your premises filled 

 up with pieces of wagons, carts, sleds, coal boxes, 

 hay riggings, superannuated harrows, old boards, 

 rotten logs, rails, and lumber. 



7. Never do your haying till your grass gets 

 "dead ripe," your neighbors through, the days 

 shorter, and labor cheaper. Never dig your pota- 

 toes till after one hard freeze up, thus losing part 

 of your crop by the feezing of those near the sur- 

 face. In short, never do any sort of work till you 

 see you cannot put it oflF and longer. 



8. Never have more than one load of wood up 

 to your door at a time ; nor any more of that cut, 

 ready to use, than is necessary to last over night 

 or "over Sunday." 



9. Spend your stormy days in the bar-room or 

 store, instead of putting things to rights at homo. 



10. Go to law whenever any one injuries or dis- 

 turbs you, and you think there is any chance to 

 "get a hook" on them. Justice and right are too 

 sacred to be left unrevenged. 



11. Sell out and try another place as often as 

 you find anything about your farm that does not 

 suit you, instead of setting hands and wits to work 

 to remedy its defects. 



12. Persuade your self that farming "am a hard 

 road to travel ; " sell your farm or leave it to ten- 

 ants, and gow into peddling merchandize, or gen- 

 eral speculation, until you nm aground ; then 



Get back to farming as best yon can, 

 A wiser and a better man. 



Southfield, Mass. 



— In Country Gentlema.v. 



KURDS. 



The Camphor Storm Glass. 



We have used one of the storm glasses describ- 

 ed in the annexed article from the Scientific Amer- 

 - ican, for several months, and it has proved one of 

 the best indicators of approaching storms of any we 

 have ever used : 



"Dealers in philosophical and optical instru- 



