142 



THE ILLINOIS FAliMEE 



Mat 



is told in a plain style and from the author's own 

 experience ; his system of pruning is very simple 

 and easily understood, and the reasons are given 

 for preferring it to others ; he however gives the 

 other modes in practice, and illustrates the whole 

 in the most liberal manner. The descriptions of 

 varieties are brief and pointed, and the list of val- 

 uable sorts is properly made very brief. The vol- 

 ume contains a list of all the works upon the grape 

 heretofore published in this country. This most 

 useful manuel will be equally valuable to the one 

 who cultivates a single vine, and to the vineyard- 

 ist. We can send it post paid by mail, on receipt 

 of price, $1 25. 



4«r 



A Broad Hixt. — "We are usually amused in read- 

 ing the discussions of our horticultural societies. 

 Most of the Soldns thece assembled, would befog 

 the most clear-sighted and reliant. Each has a 

 hobby ; or rather, has found the only variety, or 

 plan of treatment, which shall bring success. There 

 are generally as many opinions as persons, and he 

 who tries to walk in the different ways marked out 

 will find himself in the fix of the man and the ass 

 in the fable. 



Many of these amateurs are experienced in their 

 profession, but many more are no better posted 

 than thousands who make no pretensions. In our 

 Farmer we now and then read the dictum of a nur- 

 seryman for or against certain varieties of apple or 

 pear, uttered witli an air which forbids appeal, 

 when at the same time we know to the contrary. 

 He was probably right , we are right, soil or culti- 

 vation accounting lor the difference. But wlicn 

 men gravely tell us that clean, thorough cultiva- 

 tion, generous feeding, etc., are essentials, we feel 

 overwhelmed with gratitude. We should feel 

 equally asgratelul were they to elaborately declaim 

 upon the benefits of good cultivation for corn. — 

 This ever recurring "hash" of common-place truths 

 is tedious. Give us items of progress ; new devel- 

 opments in agricultural science. — Wis. Chief. 



Will not some of our fruit men take this hint 



and give us something new ? 



•«• 



Culture of Onions. — A Hint to Farmers. — The 

 extraordinary rise in the price of onions, caused 

 by the great demand in our camps and array hospit- 

 als for this most valuable of all common vegetable 

 anti-scorbutics, has doubtless sufficiently indicated 

 to inteligent fanners, that the onion crop will be 

 one of the most profitable which they can cultivate 

 this season. In order to assist them in this prom- 

 ising work, we copy the following hint from the 

 communication of a farmer to a western paper. 



The prevailing opinion is that to grow good on- 

 ions' the sets gjown the previous year should be 

 planted. This is an error. Better onions and 

 larger crops can be grown from seed than from 

 sets. The seed should be first sown in a hot bed 

 as thick as they can stand. As soon as the seed is 

 up, open the beds to the air and water freely. In 

 April prepare your ground and plant the sets from 

 the hot bed, singly, one by one, three inches asun- 

 der, in rows ten inches apart. If the ground is 

 very good and they are well cultivated, you may 

 have eight hundred bushels from an acre. — ed. 



The above came to us without credit, shall give 

 it a trial. It certainly looks plausible. — ed. 



Flour and Grain in Store in Chicago- 



The following is the amount of flour and grain in 

 store in this city on Saturday, March 19, 1864, and 



as compares with the corresponding period of last 

 year : 



March 19, March lY. 



1864. 1863. 



Flour, brls 93,019 148,000 



Wheat, bu 2,092,884 1,425,255 



Corn, bu 845,677 2,492,068 



Oats, bu 2,042,015 1,048,637 



Rye, bu 60,306 135,176 



Barley, bu 143,147 15,629 



Total 5.672,294 5,850,965 



It will be seen by the above that the amount in 

 store does not vary materially from last year. — 

 Corn shows a serious falling off, but wheat and 

 oats fully make up the deficiency. 



The total amount of grain and flour received in 

 Chicago from all sources, except that by teams, for 

 four years, is as follows : 



Total, 1860 35,040,776 



Total, 1861 53,942,426 



Total, 1&62 56,894,203 



Total, 1863 52,892,159 



The smallest amount received any one week 

 was 131,993 bushels for the 9th week of the year 

 186Q, and the largest amount was 2,577,262 bush- 

 els the 24th week of 1862. 



The Illinois Central railroad brought up to Cbi- 

 cpgo for the week ending March 12Lh : 



1863. 1864. 



Flour, bis 1,107 2,091 



Wheat, 9,050 7,000 



Corn, 43,050 11,450 



Oats 5,200 1,650 



Reduce flour to wheat,. 



57,300 

 . 5,535 



62,835 

 30,555 



20,100 

 10,455 



30,555 



Deficit 32,180. 



This shows an important falling ofi", and that, too, 

 without any hope of improvement. A part of 

 this falling off is more apparent than real, as a 

 large amount of the grain along the line of the 

 road finds a market south, probably much more 

 than last year. 



In live stock the difference is also large: 



1863. 1864. 



Cattle, 4,268 2,040 



Hogs, 81,924 25,677 



The emigration now coming in, absorbs no small 

 amount of our surplus. This is more particularly 

 the case along this line of road, which is selling a 

 large amount of new farming lands to be at once 

 put under the plow. 



