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208 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMEK. 



July 



Department of Agriculture Report— What 

 it is to Contain. 



The Washington Chronicle gives a list of the 

 names of articles, and their authors, that are to 

 constitute the next report of the Commissioner of 

 Agriculture. Ic says : 



''The Report will contain about forty essays on 

 a variety of subjects of present importance. The 

 initial article is a description of the American as- 

 pects of the International Exhibition at Hamburg, 

 by D. Needham, of Vermont. 



The natural capabilities and industrial develop- 

 ment of the Northwest are exhibited by J. W. 

 Hoyt, of Wisconsin ; of West Virginia by J. R. 

 Dodge, of the Department ; and of Minnesota, by 

 0. H. Kelley, of Minnesota. 



The animals of the farm very properly deserve 

 attention, in view of the excessive demand for 

 ■wool and meat, and dairy products, and the martial 

 consumption for horses and mules. Francis Mor- 

 ris, of New York, furnishes an excellent article on 

 breeding Cavalry Horses ; John Strohn, of Penn- 

 sylvania writes of the Conestoga horses. The 

 merits of Ayrshire cattle are judiciously canvassed 

 by Sanford Howard, of Massachusetts. Articles on 

 Sheep Husbandry, by H. S. Randall, of New York ; 

 'Sheep and Wool,' by J. R. Dodge, of the Depart- 

 ment, who has also a review of the dog law ques- 

 tion, with statistics of dog depradations ; 'Cash- 

 mere Goats,' by J. S. Diehl, District of Columbia : 

 'Hogs and Pork Packing,' by H. D. Emery, of Illi- 

 nois ; 'Distribution of Neat Cattle,' by L. C. Loom- 

 is, D. C. 



E. A. Samuels, of Massachusetts, furnishes an 

 article on the 'Animals and iiirdsof New Engla.nd;' 

 T. Michener, of Pennsylvania, on the 'Inseetiveri- 

 ous Birds of Chester County ;' and D. Colven, of 

 Maryland, on 'Bees and Bee Culture.' 



There is an interesting illustrated article on 

 'Fruit, by F. R. Elliott, of Ohio ; a sketch of 

 'Cranberry Culture,' by E. B. Phinney, of Mass- 

 chusetts ; 'Strawberry Culture,' by George H. Hite, 

 of New York ; 'Wine Making' and 'Silk Culture in 

 California, by Wilson Flint, of California. 



An exhaustive review of cheese dairying, of 

 great practical value, is from the pen of S. L, 

 Goodale, ot Maine. 



A concise and careful review of tobacco growing 

 is taken up, L. J. Bradford, of Kentucky ; also a 

 treatise on hemp ; of 'Flax,' by J. R. Dodge, of 

 the Department ; and of 'Teasles,' by R. Mosest, of 

 New York. 



Another of those sensible essays of Dr. Hall, of 

 New York, so admirably designed to embrace the 

 health, comfort and happines of the rural popula- 

 tion, is found in 'Farmer's House.' 



Mrs. Adams, of Michigan, offers suggestions 

 about 'Farmers' Boys ;' while Simon Brown, of 

 Massachusetts, gives country homes additional 

 cheer in improved 'Farmers' Gardens ; and Ruth 

 Hall, of Illinois, adds 'House Flowers' to their oth- 

 er attractions. 



William Saunders, the accomplished gardener, 

 makes his report which is replete with valuable 

 suggestions. T. Glover, the indefatigable entomol- 

 ogist, writes, in popular style, of insects, and the 

 means of their destruction ; and L. Bollman, sta- 

 tistical clerk, makes his report upon the statistics 

 of production. An interesting paper on farm ma- 



chinery is given by M. L. Dunlap, of Illinois ; a 

 sketch of the origin of the ice crop, by L. Wether- 

 el, of Massachusetts ; a comprehensive notice of 

 the sorghum manufacture, by William Clough, of 

 Ohio ; and a general outline of the geography of 

 plants, by J. S, Lippencott, of New Jersey. T. H. 

 Liverett, of New Hampshire, gives directions for 

 'root culture.' There are articles also on mete»r- 

 ology, coal oil in West Virginia, &c. 



A New Enterprise. — A factory for making cheesa 

 is being erected in Bloomingdale by H. B. Hills, 

 which we learn is nearly ready for operation. The 

 plan proposed we understand, is for the farmers to 

 associate dairies, and bring their milk to the facto- 

 ry twice a day, thus saving much of the labor usu- 

 ally performed when each dairy is supplied with 

 fixtures, besides making a much better quality of 

 cheese. He has facilities for making into cheese 

 the milk of three hundred cows. This plan of 

 cheese making has been adopted in some of the 

 Eastern States with success, and we see no reason 

 why it will not prove a profitable branch of busi- 

 ness here. — Northern Rlinoian. 



Coffee. — Let your coffee stand five minutes af- 

 ter the cream and sugar are mixed with it ; then 

 drink, as then the ingredients are all united, and 

 you have coffee, and not before — before, you have 

 a mixture of cream, sugar and coffee, tasting of 

 each — not so when united. Time improves coffee, 

 both in the raw bean and when browned, and 

 when poured out. Remember this, and improve 

 your coffee. 



Small Batter Pudding. — 1 Pint of milk or wa- 

 ter, 1 teaspoonful of soda, 3 of cream of tartar, 3 

 eggs. Dissolve the soda and cream of tartar in a 

 little of the milk or water. Butter size of an egg, 

 add a little salt, mix as thick as pancake. Steam 

 one hour, and do not lift the lid during the hour. 

 Fresh frust improves it. Serve with sauce. 



SuBSTiTDTK FOR CoTJEE. — To ouc quart of wheat 

 bran add one teacupful of molasses with one of 

 water, stir together, and dry in the shade, or jn a 

 stove; brown a dark color, and mix one-third coffee, 

 which, if prepared right makes excellent beverage. 



Diseases op Sheep. — For the foot rot the Irish 

 Farmer^s Gazette gives the following simple reme- 

 dy : Pare the foot, removing all the jagged and 

 loose bits of horn, and annoint with butter of an- 

 timony. Repeat every second or third day, ac- 

 cording as the feet are more or less bad. 



The Black Thorn fok Fences. — A correspond- 

 ent of the Valley Farmer has become thoroughly 

 convinced, from experiments made, that the com- 

 mon Black Thprn, which grows wild in our woods 

 and prairies, is peculiarly adapted for fencing. 



|2^"A good glue is prepared by dissolving com- 

 mon glue in vinegar to the consistency desirable 

 for use. It will keep for a long time. 



2^" Barley was found in the mountains of Him- 

 alaya. 



