166 



THE ILLIJSrOIS FAEMER. 



Jimi! 



Iowa ia generally of superior quality, and goes 

 largely towards supplying the wants of a large por- 

 tion of our farmers' families. The crop is as sure 

 as that of corn. The average cost of cultivation 

 and working into sirup does not exceed 20 cts. a 

 gallon, when properly prepared for making it. 



There has nothing been developed within the 

 past year which can be relied upon in regard to 

 any great improvement in the manufacture of sir- 

 up or sugar from sorgo or imphee, beyond what 

 was known when the season for working commenc- 

 ed. Extensive and well prepared arrangements 

 were made to test the several modes, but the early 

 and severe frosts blasted every effort. If we have 

 a favorable season this year we will, doubtless, 

 have some reliable developments, although it is to 

 be feared that general success will not be so cer- 

 t:iin owing to the great scarcity of pure and well- 

 ripened seed. 



A discovery of a process of making sugar from 

 any sorghum molasses of fair quality, has been 

 made by a gentleman in Nebraska Territory. His 

 process was recently exhibited before a company 

 of gentlemen in the Patent OflBco, Washington 

 City, where it is said he made sugar from sorghum 

 sirvip, on exhibition there, in a very few minutes. 

 The qnality in appearance and taste is equal to the 

 best Southern coffee sugar. The discoverer says 

 the cost is very trifling, for foreign material, being 

 only thirty cents for ten pounds of sugar. The 

 quantity made from a gallon is not less than five 

 pounds for table use. The process is so simple 

 that any farmer can make his own sugar. A patent 

 has been applied for, and will, doubtless, be gran- 

 ted. Another year will develop this wonderful 

 discovery, and if successful it will create an entire 

 revolution in sugar making of all kinds. 



GRAPES AND WINK. 



In 1849 Iowa is returned by U. S, census to 

 have produced 420 gallons of wine, and in 1859, 

 3,706 gallons. These embraced, it is very proba- 

 ble, everything made called wine, and much of it 

 from the wild grape. The State census of 1863 

 gives the number of gallons made from the culti- 

 vated grape only, in 1862, as 1^^,163 gallons, of 

 which there was made in Des Moines county, 4,457; 

 in Lee county, 2,882 ; and in Dubuque county, 1,- 

 '224 gallons ; being near two-thirds of the whole. 

 From the number and extent of vineyards which 

 ( nly came into bearing the last year, the yield of 

 1863 must have been considerably more than in 

 IS 62. 



Of grapes, the number of pounds reported as 

 grown in 1862, was 284,755, which was doubtless 

 doubled in 1863. 



Grape culture in Iowa is an experiment no lon- 

 ger, there being many of the best varieties which 

 withstand our low temperature in winter very well, 

 e?pecially the Concord, for which it is claimed no 

 winter protection is necessary. There is scarcely 

 a section of our State where the wild grape fails 

 to produce abundantly every year, and especially 

 is this the case on the sandy bottoms of the Mis- 

 souri and Des Moines rivers, from which some very 

 nice wines have been made for domestic use and of 

 suiScient purity to be a valuable auxiliary to the 

 wines used as medicine. 



The report abounds in valuable information per- 

 taining to the rural affairs of our sister State. It 



can be had by addressing Gov. W. D. Willsou, 

 Secretary, Des Moines, Iowa. • * 



Alton Horticultural Society. 



Friday, May 6th, 1864. 



The Society met pursuant to adjourument. at 

 the residence of D. E. Brown, on the Gratton road. 



Present Dr. E. S. Hull, C. W. Dimmock, F. Cur- 

 tis, J. Curtis, D. Williams, S. B. Johnson, H. C. 

 Swcetser, Jas. E. Starr, A. Starr, F. Starr, N. J. 

 Colman, E. A. Riehi, C. Merriman, W. Tucker, Mr. 

 Holmes, Jas. Newman, H. G. McPike, besides the 

 families of many of the members. 



The minutes having been read and approved, 

 Mr. Dimmock from the committee appointed to 

 collect the books belonging to the Society, reported 

 progress and was granted farther time. 



A committee was appointed, consisting of Messrs. 

 Dimmock, Starr and Riehl, to report nominations 

 of st:inding committees for the year and reported 

 as follows : 



On Fruits and Synonyms — Messrs. Flagg, T. 

 Starr, Huggins, F. Curtis and Riehl. 



On Culinary Vegetables — Messrs. D. E. Brown, 

 W. T. Miller and D.' WilliMms. 



On Trees, Flowers and Plants — J. E. Starr, S. B. 

 Johnson, Newman, Mrs. Curtis and Miss Robbins 



Messrs. Sweeter, Tucker and Holmes were 

 elected members. 



The Secretary presented copies of the circular 

 issued by the Horticultural committee of the Mis- 

 sissippi Valley Sanitary i air, asking contributions. 

 On motion of J. E. Starr it was resolved that the 

 individual members of this Society will do all that 

 lies within their power to contribute to the success 

 of the Fair. 



Mr. Riehl read an essay on "Home Adornment" 

 a copy of which was requested to be put on file. 



BIRDS. 



In their relation to Horticulture being the reg- 

 ular subject for disscussiou. Dr. Hull said his 

 evei'greens had been lately attacked by the Sap 

 Sucker {Picus various.) He had caused specimens 

 of this and the Hairy Woodpecker {Picas villosiu) 

 to be shot and ascertained that, as reported in the 

 Transactions of the 111. State Hort. Soc. for 1861, 

 the S:ip Sucker is a bird with his short gouge 

 shaped tongue fitted for feeding upon the inner 

 bark and cambium of trees, whiLst the Hairy Wood- 

 pecker has a Jong slender barbed tongue for the 

 extraction of insects. The latter bird should b« 

 preserved the Sap Sucker destroyed ; but as there 

 is a good deal of resemblance between the two 

 care should be taken to distinguish them. 



The Baltimore Oriole he found the greatest 

 rogue in the country for early grapes. He is a 

 sly fellow, slipping through the vines when he sees 

 you and eluding observation, Tlie Jay and Wood- 

 peckers are destructive to fruit especially cherries. 



Mr. Brown called the attention of members to a 

 report on Birds by a comniitte^' of the French Sen- 

 ate, a transaction of which appears ia the If. ¥. 

 Weekly Tribunt of April 2d, whereby it appears 



