140 



THE ILLINOIS FAKMEE. 



Mat 



The Lake Tunnel 



Last Thursday the formalities of breaking ground 

 for the great lake tunnel took place, under the 

 auspices of Mayor Sherman, the Board of Public 

 Works, several members of the Common Council, 

 and other city ofBcers. A large number of specta- 

 tors were present to witness the ceremonies. The 

 first shovel-full of earth was dug up by Mayor Sher- 

 man and " hove-in " to a wheel-barrow — the per- 

 formance being signalized by the discharge of can- 

 non. Contractors Gowan & Dull are prepared to 

 commence operations with an immense force, and 

 the work will continue night and day, without in- 

 terruption, till finished. The tunnel will be two 

 miles in length, extending out into the lake — from 

 the persent water-works — to a point where the wa- 

 ter is clear as crystal. 



The work is to be finished by November 1865. 

 Thus in a little more than a year and a half — if this 

 scheme proves successful Chicago will be supplied 

 with an abundance of pure water. Prospectively 

 thid seems like a long time for us to " worry down" 

 the filthy compound now furnished by the city wa- 

 ter-works. But "there's a good time coming," if 

 it is a long way off.— C^i. R. E. Gazett. 



A grand scheme and all very nice on paper ; 

 if it but proves successful, thats the rub. Two miles 

 nnder the bottom of the Lake depending on the 

 integrity of the clay. — well we will see what we see 

 — a grand fizzle in the way of pure water by this 

 scheme, that has been hove-in^ to deplete the pock- 

 ets of the people. 



Should the fool killer visit Chicago pine coffins 

 would be in demond by the City Fathers. — ed. 



Hints to Farmers. — A good farmer will never 

 keep more than ten dogs to five sheep. 



He will clean out his stables at least once a 

 month. 



He will keep five or six sticks of wood cut up 

 ahead, more than what is necessary for immediate 

 use. 



He will not go to town and get on a spree of ten- 

 er than three times a week, at least in harvest 

 time. 



He will be very careful not to put up a rail on a 

 line fence unless his neighbor is there to help him. 



He will not injure his health by lying in bed af- 

 ter eight o'clock A. M., but will have his cows 

 milked and breakfast over and his men at work as 

 early as ten o'clock. — Selected 



There are two kinds of girls. One is the 

 kind that appears best abroad — the girls that are 

 good for parties, rides, visits, balls, etc., and whose 

 chief delight is in such things. Tiie other is that 

 kind that appears best at home — the girls that are 

 useful and cheerful in the dining room and all the 

 precincts of home. 



» ♦ 



.^ ' More than 70,000 trees, shrubs and herb- 

 aceous plants were planted in the New York Cen 

 tral Park last year. The Carriage drive now com- 

 pleted is about eight miles in length ; bridle road 

 five miles ; and walks 20 miles. Over 4,000,000 

 persons visited the Park in 1863, and in one day 

 over 9,000 carriages entered the drives. 



BAKEE & PHILLIFS 



PXTBLISHEES. 



M. L. DUNLAP, Editor. 

 SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, MAY, 1864. 



We could write a volume on May, but it is use- 

 less now, — to read of May when May is in her glo- 

 ry, would be like kissing the picture of a loved one 

 when that one was present. Rather revel in the 

 sunshine of May and see how she is robing forest, 

 field and garden in beauty, wherewith to greet the 

 coming summer. No month was ever gemmed 

 with such gorgeous splendor, such wreaths of flow- 

 ers, such festoons of vines and such rich carpets as 

 May presents to the eye of the farmer. The or- 

 chards are sheeted with beauty, under which lurks 

 the promise of luscious fruit, to tesselate the sun- 

 browned way of summer, and to give gladness 

 when autnmn dissolves the fields for winter. 



How we sympathize with our cotemporaries, 



who, cooped up in city sanctums, are compelled to 



listen to the rattling of carts and wagons, as they 



hurry to and fro through the busy streets, while 



we of the country have the music of the birds that 



have just returned with new songs, learned amid 



the orange groves of the south. 



"They have no sorrow in their song 

 No winter in their year." 



It is well that they are used to it, poor fellows ! 



Let them write of May, and solace themselves with 



its beauties — at a distance. 



——- 



Winter Wheat. — From all that we can learn the 

 winter wheat is somewhat injured by frosts, or 

 what is called winter killing. We sowed a sample, 

 sent us by Com. Newton December 8th, and a half 

 bushel of rye at the same time. Both look promis- 

 ing, although they did not germinate until early 

 this spring. 



SnoAB FBoif Beets. — It appears that the Messrs. 

 Gennert Bro., at Chatsworth, have been disap- 

 pointed in getting their machinery in working or- 

 der for the last year's crop of beets, but we learn 

 through the Prairie Farmer that their faith in the 

 ultimate success of the enterprise is in no way 

 abated, but rather confirmed, and that the plant- 

 ing will be more extended this year. We had in- 

 tended to visit them before this, but have been 

 waiting for them to get in working order. We 

 must be patient, enterprises of this kind are not 

 mastered in a day ; and though it should prove as 

 successfol as its most sanguine friends predict, it 



..U;m>ljUCU^ 



