1864. 



THE ILLINOIS FARMER. 



^!tS 



from others wbo have aided in the good cause. — 

 While others have been content with partial im- 

 provement, Mr. S. has swept the field and taken a 

 stand that places him in the van of corn growing. 



We will simply detail what we saw. In one field 

 was two of Comstock's rotary spaders, run by eight 

 horses and two men, spading twelve acres a day ; a 

 planter followed, depositing the seed in the freshly 

 stirred land ; and this followed by a roller, pulver- 

 izing and packing the soil on the seed, which will 

 insure a speedy germination, oven under this try- 

 ing drouth. Here we have six teams and four 

 men putting in the crop at the average rate of two 

 acres a day to the team, or three acres to tha 

 hand. With a Craig planter attached to the roller 

 one man and team would be further saved. This 

 corn will need three workings, which at eight acres 

 a day, will be four and a half days to the twelve 

 acres ; or ten and a half d;iys to the twelve acres, 

 being less than a day to the acre. Taking twenty 

 working days to the month for the corn crop, and 

 counting April, May and June, we have seventy 

 acres to tlie team, with one hand to spare to other 

 work for twelve days. Two hands on the farm 

 with two teams, one spader, a Craig planter and 

 roller and two two-horse cultivators, and the two 

 would put in and tend one hundred and forty acres 

 and have twenty-four days' work of one hand to 

 devote to gardening and other work. If this is 

 not progress within the past twenty years in prai- 

 rie culture, we are at a loss to know what would 

 be progress. 



By this mode the cost of corn is reduced to a 

 low figure, aud one that must to some extent as- 

 tonish our down east cousins. Will they heed it, 

 and leav the earn field to the f armeis of th ' westPrn 

 prairies, or will they dig out the stumps and stones 

 and follow us in the field of genius — the use of 

 brains in farming ? 



Alton Hortieultural Society. 



FaiDAY, June 3, 1864. 

 Seven o'clock being the appointed hour, the Al- 

 ton members left the lime kilns on board tho eight 

 horse power steamer, Slowboy, at 8:45, and moved 

 in a mysterious way up and along the Illinois sliore 

 of the Mississippi. The sky was blue, the river 

 bright, and the bold shore wore the softer green 

 of early summer. The speed of the boat was not 

 too great to prevent a thorough, scientific, asithet- 

 ic or horticultural observation of the bluffs, as 

 well as of sun-loving turtles, brooding ducks and 

 crows, stalking solitary on the sandbars, after the 

 Virginian type. Touching at Dr. Hull's and Mr. 

 Siehl's, where new accessions to the party were 



made ; the Slowboy arrived at Eminence before 

 (the passengers') dinner ; and after partaking of an 

 excellent cold collation accompanied by superior 

 samples of strawberries and cream, the p.^ssengers 

 were ready to join the overland members and or- 

 ganize for business, at 3 o'clock p. m., President 

 Hull in the chair. 



The minutes of the last meeting were read an4 

 approved. . '-;; V^ : 



The Secretary reported that he had purchased, 

 according to instructions, for the use of the Socie- 

 ty, a microscope of Paris manufacture, magnifying 

 about one hundred diameters, at a cost of six dol- 

 lars. Also a letter from Dr. Benj. D. Walsh, of 

 Rock Island, stating that he could furnish a col- 

 lection embracing aftout 100 families of insects, 

 arranged in a case, 'or $15. Mr. Huggins stated 

 that he had found such a collection veiy useful 

 and instructive, and offered to furnish his own, al- 

 so made by Mr. W;dsh, for the use of the Society ; 

 the offer was accepted with thanks. 



Also a circular of the American Pomological 

 Society, inviting all kindred associations to send 

 delegates to the biennial meeting to be held at 

 Rochester N. Y., on the 12th of Sept. The Secre- 

 tary recommended that t'ne Alton Horticultural 

 Society arrange to send delegates in order by send- 

 ing a strong delegatioM and from all parts of the 

 west to secure the next meeting at St. Louis or 

 some other western city and also to gain infonna- 

 tion concerning new and untried fruits. The sub- 

 ject was passed over for the present. - -•.• ;, . 



Isaac Snedocker, J. A. Barr, and Dr. Buffington 

 of Jersoyville, and J. M. Fay, Dr. Roberts and 

 Geo. H. Colby, uf Alton, were elected members. 

 Col. N. Niles and G. C. Elsenmayer, of St. CImt 

 county, were elected lionorary members. 



An essay on ''Parlor and window gardening,** 

 read by Mr. J. W. Schweppe was highly commen- 

 ded by members .md requested for publication, 



REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEKS. 



The Coiiimittee on Ei.tomology reported "the 

 receipt of a variety of insects from various mem- 

 bers, among which are a very fine speciman of the 

 Cecropia, from Master Frank Starr, injurious to 

 vegttaliou but not found here in sufficient quanti- 

 ty to be very dangerous ; the Lady-bug, which as 

 a destroyer of hurtful insects, should be preserved; 

 and the Carolina, May-bug, and army worm moth, 

 which are all destructive to vegetation." 



FRANK STARR, 



F. CURTIS, 



W. 0. FLAGG, ^ 



Dr. Hull exhibited a specimen of CurcuKa, 

 caught in the act of depositing her eggs in the fruit 

 of the Strawberry, for want of a more congenial 



