WS^^^'" 



1864. 



THE ILLINOIS FARMER. 



131 



Burson, and as you are in honor bound 

 to divide the new implements with the 

 household, order it without delay. 



The small grains, the trees and hardy 

 plants have been sown or planted in 

 April. You now finish up the corn, 

 the beans, the cotton, tobacco sorgo, the 

 late garden vegetables, potatoes, turn- 

 ips and beets, but you lack a few bed- 

 ding out plants for the front yard — just 

 a few verbenas, geraniums, — well you 

 may as well ask your wife or daughter 

 what they want and order them at 

 once. 



Illinois for Fmits. 



The State of Illinois forms the center 

 around which cluster the great group 

 of the ISTorthwestern States. In conse- 

 quence of her happy geographical posi- 

 tion, of the wide scope of latitude with- 

 in her grasp and the genial influence of 

 the great air currents that kiss her rich, 

 rolling surface, give her peculiar claims 

 in a pomological view to pre-eminence 

 over her sister States, that will enable 

 her to supply early vegetables and the 

 staple and choice fruits in advance of 

 all others. She may well be called the 

 garden of the ISTorthwest, not only from 

 her geographical position, but from the 

 nature of her soil and climate, which 

 embraces a wide range of temperature, 

 ripening the fig in latitude thirty-seven, 

 and yet perfecting the apple and the 

 pear in the northern limits at forty-two. 



The great current of heated air that 

 comes from the tropics in summer pass- 

 es to the west of her, scorching the 

 plains of Missouri, Kansas and Iowa, 

 while the center of the great waves of 

 cold that come down from the north in 

 winter returns over the same channel 

 and touches her but lightly. 



Although the climate is strictly con- 



tinental, yet from the influence of the 

 rivers within and on her borders and 

 being out of the central current of heat 

 and cold, is less subject to sudden chan- 

 ges than the States to the west. 



ORCHAKDiNa. 



For a long time it was supposed that 

 the prairies were not adapted to this 

 branch of horticulture, but the culture 

 and grazing of these vast meadows, by 

 exposing them to the sun and air soon 

 dispelled this fallacy, and now we find 

 some of the' largest and most profitable 

 orchards in the State located on the 

 rolling prairies, thus giving them a new 

 value. From being wet even on the 

 high land they have become dry and 

 friable and well adapted to the growth 

 of almost all plants of woody structure. 

 The prairie orchards are or will be shel- 

 tered by artificial belts of timber which 

 ward off the cold and high winds that 

 would destroy the fruit at the time of 

 inflorescence, as well as other stages of 

 its growth, and in addition to this make 

 a valuable and cheap fence. A respect- 

 able percentage of the whole State can 

 thus be made available for orcharding 

 or fruit growing of some kind, more es- 

 pecially the apple, the most valuable of 

 all fruits; though central Illinois and 

 the loess or bluff formations of the Mis- 

 sissippi are the most valuable for this 

 purpose. 



Geologically the State is divided into 

 four natural or grand divisions, each of 

 which require a different selection of 

 varieties to succeed the best. While 

 the Newtown Pippin is large, high-fla- 

 vored and productive on the river bluffs 

 and the mountain limestone formations, 

 it is worthless on the black loams and 

 granite drifts oi the center and north 

 part of the State. 



The facilities of transportation afford 



