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118 



THE ILLINOIS FARMER. 



Apsil 



Louisiana cane — the expense of production would 

 be considerably less — the product equal in quality, 

 and in quantity nearly equal to that obtained from 

 the juice of the latter. 



The method by which the results above stated 

 were obtained is entirely different, however, from 

 that purjued by the sugar-growers of Louisiana or 

 elsewhere ; it is specially adapted to the nature 

 and peculiarities of the juice of the sorgo. 



— A detailed account of the process is soon to 

 be given, when we propose to know more in regard 

 to this disputed subject which has thus far shown 

 considerable thimble-rigging. We have had such 

 promises before. Mr. Wray gave us a bookful of 

 sugar making, but he did not succeed himself, even 

 iathe favorable climate of Georgia. Can sugar be 

 made on a large scale from the sorgo, and at rea- 

 sonable prices, so as to compete with Southern 

 cane sugar, is the question. In regard to sirup the 

 question is answered in the affirmative — now for 

 the sugar. 



Things in Egypt 



William Nicholson of Floria, Clay Co., writes 

 under date of March 6th : "This weather is hard 

 on the winter wheat, which looks quite dead, but 

 the roots appear in good order. I have been roll. 

 ing my crop and it is rapidly improving. 



I have never known such a yield of maple sugar 

 in this part of the State as has been made this 

 spring. The fruit buds of the peach and most of 

 the cherry are dead ; apples all right. Can you 

 tell me where I can get a small lot of Barberry, 

 Osage Orange and Chiccory seed ?" 



— We have been expecting to hear of Osage seed 

 from Arkansas before this time. Permits have 

 been given by the Government for this purpose, but 

 thus far we hear nothing of their progress. It is 

 too late to get Barberry seed, which is gathered in 

 autumn or early winter. For yard and roadside 

 fences this plant will prove of great value. Its 

 moderate, compact growth will make it popular. 



Chiccory seed can be had at the seed stores — 

 We allow the seeds to fall off and prick outjthe 

 plants which come up about the old plants. 



Hops on the Prairie. 



We have several letters of enquiry in regard to 

 hop culture in the west, or rather why hops are 

 not cultivated here. To these we might answer by 

 asking why many other crops of prime necessity 

 are not cultivated with us, but it will be more dig- 

 nified to discuss the whys and the wherefores of 

 the subject. 



We have never seen a hop yard in this State nor 

 do we know any person who has made the trial. 

 We have heard vague reports of trials near twenty 



years ago, that proved failures. The vines grew 

 rampant but failed in the crop of hops. A small 

 amount of hops are grown in the north part of 

 Wisconsin, but the main supply comes from a few 

 counties in the State of New York, of which Madi- 

 son, Otsego and Montgomery stand foremost. 



The want of poles and of shelter from high winds 

 appear the great drawbacks to investing in this 

 crop on the prairies. In New York the hemlock 

 ridges and the tamarac swamps supply the poles, as 

 hard wood is too heavy to handle to advantage and 

 is seldom used. These last from seven to ten years, 

 when the whole yard must be renewed at a heavy 

 outlay. Of course this kind of timber is out of 

 the question on prairie farms, and hop growing as 

 a business must be postponed until such times as 

 we can grow the poles. It is probable that the 

 white willow will make a good hon pole, at least it 

 looks to us to be the most available. To prow 

 them will require at least eight years. The Euro- 

 pean larch (tamarac) grows freely on the dry cul- 

 tivated prairie land, and though longer coming to 

 maturity, will be found to be more durable than 

 the willow. Our native larch (tamarac) delights in 

 a wet soil, and grows well in any of our low lands. 

 The question of hop poles is theiofore a question of 

 time, and we call the attention of farmers to the 

 difficulty to be met at the threshold of the busi- 

 ness. Aside from the poles we see no difficulty 

 in the way, and that is only a question of time 



Illinois Farmer. 



When we have a leisure hour to devote to mis- 

 cellaneous reading, there is no paper or periodical 

 more acceptable than the Illinois Farmer. We 

 always pick it up in full confidence that we shall 

 find some practical fact, hint or suggestion, on the 

 fruitful subjects of agriculture and horticiilture, 

 that, acted upon, would greatly benefit the produ- 

 cing classes, and are rarely disappointed. 



This favorite, however, is very irregular, of late, 

 ii its visits. We missed it entirely from our table 

 for some months. Last week the January number 

 came to hand. It was rather old, but still accept- 

 able, as the proceedings of the winter meeting of 

 the Illinois State Horticultural Society, which are 

 given in full, are worth a year's subscription. — 

 Aledo Record, 



— Some of our readers as well as the Aledo Re- 

 cord, may be gratified to have the tardy appear- 

 ance of the Farmer accounted for. It will be recol- 

 lected that in December immense lists of the en- 

 rollment had to be printed in all the counties. — 

 Springfield being the central point for this work* 

 of large populous counties, the office of the Statk 

 Journal in which the Farmer is printed, came in 

 for a large share of this printing. No sooner was 

 this off the hooks than a printers' "strike" made 

 another dalaj ; this was again followed by a large 



