1864. 



THE ILLmOIS FAKMER. 



149 



^ce, and some of ihem are models of umbrageous 

 elegHni'e. They have also a large number of Nor- 

 way sp U'se in fim' c >nditioti and suitabl'^ size for 

 transpliinfing. They have vineyards coiitaining 

 about. 1300 vinps, mostly C tawbi, Concord Hnd 

 IsnbeUa. Thev have also 1000 chirry trees, 1500 

 pear tree?, 2700 apple trees, and 1000 currant 

 bushes. A large p rt of the trees lajst enumerated 

 were p'anted by Messrs Starr, who hiive Isitelligent- 

 ly perfoimed a va^t Hraount of labor, for which 

 they will doubtless find a rich reward ere many 

 yeard elapse. 



-••► 



[From the Country Gentleman and Cultivator.] 

 A Cure for Hoven or Wind Colic. 



Last fill when making Sorghum Syrup, I threw 

 the skimmings from the evaporator to my hogs. 

 My milch cows being in the yard, they ate freely 

 of it; ill less than half an hour I noticed one of 

 my cows swollen to such an extent thnt death must 

 have ensued had she not got immediate relief. I 

 knew not what to do for her, but necessity, as the 

 old adage goes, is the mother of invention. I re- 

 flected tor a few moments what was the cause of 

 her complaint. I knew in a minute that it must 

 be fermentation of the skimm-ngs in the stomach. 



I was uMng at the time bi-sulphate of lime to ar- 

 rest ferm'ntation in the juice of the cane previous 

 to boiling. I thougiit I would try it for the same 

 purpose in the cow. At a venture 1 drenched her 

 with about a gill of the lime; the result w«b that 

 in ten miimtes she was better, and in half an hour 

 she was perfectly well. I have no doubt but that 

 it would be equ tlly good in case of wi d coiiu in 

 horses, or hoven in cattle, from eating green clover. 



Columbus, Ohio. Geo. E. Gill. 



—9»- 



Walter Brown's Monthly Wool Cir- 

 cular. 



Niw Yore, April Ist, 1864. 



The domestic wool trade coniinued to be very 

 inactive during the early part of the month just 

 closed, with a downward tendency in prices. Since 

 the middle of the month, however, there has been 

 more d mand from manuf ctures, and wools, to a 

 fair amount, have been taken for consumption at 

 p -ices ranging from 7 to 10 cents per pound below 

 the highest quotation of the season. The month 

 closed with a firmer feel ng, and with a pospect 

 that m nufacturers, who, in many ca» s, are in 

 light «tock, mav be induced by the pressent com- 

 pari'i/ely mode ftte rates to come into mft'ket for 

 more lib -lal supplies. A further motive to this 

 coar-ifl with some buyers may be apprehension 

 that Congress will pass an act amendatory to the 

 present tariff Liw. imposing an increased duty on 

 foreign wool. Should this measun^ be adopted, no 

 doubt that purchases made on the basis of present 

 rates woiiM be advantag -ous to the buyer. 



The market is now well supplied with desirable 

 parcels from all the wool growing sections, and 

 holders are generally willing to meet the m&rket — 

 a condition of things which of late has existed to a 

 limited extent only. / As a consequence of this 

 condition, buyer and !«Iler being alike inclined to 

 operate more f^eq^uent and larg^er transactions are 

 occuring. 



The fluctuations in gold, while they have to 

 some extent affected the price of foreign wools, do 

 not appear to have influenced in any degree the 

 market in domestic fleeces. The most efficient 

 cause in checking the downward course of prices 

 would seem to have been the anticipated action of 

 Congiess toward an increase of impost duties. 



The demand for pulled wools has been moderate, 

 and they have changed but little in price. We 

 think present rates will be maintained, and should 

 our expectations of an increased activity be realized, 

 possibly an advance in these wools may occur. 



California wools have sold freely, and most of 

 the desirable lots have been taken up by the kersey 

 and blanket manufacturers. Some other choice 

 parcels were taken for the fine cassimeres and sim- 

 ilar trade fabrics. The stock is light, and must 

 continue so for some weeks to come. Early par- 

 cels of the spring clipping will probably arrive by 

 steamer of May next, and if in good condition and 

 free from burs, they will be favorably received. 



There has been a good trade in foreign wools of 

 all grades, and prices have not varied much from 

 last quotations. Our late advices from Europe 

 speak of an active trade, and of improvement in 

 prices of the most saleable descriptions.; ;-:: 



[Prom the Philadelphia Commercial List] 



Maple Sugar Crop. 



From present indications there is little douM 

 that the maple sugar crop of 1864 will vastly exceed 

 that made in any previous year. The season has 

 been a good one, and favorable for the early com- 

 mencement of operations. In all probability the 

 crop of maple sugar at the North for the present 

 year will reach 25,000,000 pounds, worth at the 

 low estimate of 15 cents per pound, 3,760,000 an 

 important item in the sugar product of the country. 

 Thi« will be but a small amount of the sugar coB- 

 sumed in the whole country, yet it will go far to- 

 ward supplying the deficiency caused by non-pro- 

 duction at the South. Few people comprehend 

 the great amount of su^^ar annually used in the 

 United States. In 1862 it is estimated that the 

 total consumption of sugar, both in the North and 

 South, was 482,411 tons, or nearly 29 pounds to 

 every man, woman and child. This consump- 

 tion was largely decreased in 1863, and will be still 

 more so during the present year. By the manufite- 

 ture of sugar from the maple and sorghum, the 

 North may in a few years be independent of all 

 foreign sugar producing countries. ; 



Bek Culttt.e. — Among rural pursuits, there ii 

 probably no branch of business that pays better 

 than the keeping of bees. The introduction of 

 moveable frame hives has produced a new era in 

 bee culture. The internal economy of the hive is 

 now open to inspection and the nature of the insect 

 can be thoroughly studied and understood. Bee- 

 keeping used to be a matter of luck, or at least of 

 great uncertainty, but the bee-keeper can now, witk 

 the facilities furnished him, make it a matter of as 

 anxeh certainty as other branches of productive In- 

 dustry. The past season has been one of compar- 

 ative dearth in the honey harvest of many localities, 

 and many rtocks have starved or frozen to death 

 the past winter. Bat this should not be a matter 



