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230 



THE ILLINOIS FAJRMER. 



AtTGUST 



brings us ripe currants and the begin- 

 ning of the raspberry season. These 

 fruits overlap each other, and till the 

 season from May 25th to August 1st, a 

 period of over two months. At that 

 time we begin to have apples in abun- 

 dance, with the early pears and plums ; 

 and towards the close of the month 

 peaches, in ordinary seasons. We have 

 purposely left out the blackberry, a 

 fruit so abundant in our timber lands, 

 and so little understood in the fruit gar- 

 den that we have not given it the place 

 that it so richly deserves. We are mak- 

 ing some experiments with this fruit 

 that we hope will succeed in placing it 

 in a higher position. 



In the culture of small fruits we all 

 err as to the distance at which the 

 plants should be set. We now set cur- 

 rants, gooseberries, raspberries, black- 

 berries and grapes, in rows eight feet 

 wide ; the grape eight feet in the row 

 and the others four. All of these fruits 

 need heavy mulching of coarse manure,^ 

 such as sorgo begsse, straw, half rot- 

 ted manure, corn stalks or leaves. We 

 have had a good opinion of shade, but 

 now hold it in less repute than thor- 

 ough mulching. After the mulch be- 

 comes somewhat decayed, it is to be 

 worked in with the double shovel plow. 

 A good application once in two or three 

 years will be sufficient. 



The strawberry, if grown in beds, 

 should be spaded up in alternate strips 

 soon after the picking season ; or if 

 in hills, be carefully hoed. 



The farmer who continues to neo-lect 



the planting of the small fruits, will 



soon be called a niggard, and unwor- 

 thy the respect of all those who regard 

 the health and comfort of their families. 



From the N. Y. Tribune. 



The Fiairies in Summer- 



DoNGOLA, Union Co., 111., June 25, 1864. 



STRAWBEERIES IN EGYPT. 



Our strawberry season commenced May 20, and 

 ended June 15. It was favorable. We got two 

 dollars a quart for the first shipment, and a dollar 

 a quart, on an average, for the first week After 

 that it was $6 a bushel, so far as I could learn. 

 The first were sent to Chicago. I was told that these 

 went to Montreal. The yield per acre did not ex- 

 ceed 30 bushels. The expenses of freight and com- 

 mission were over f 1 a bushel. Besides, it costs 

 us $2 a bushel to put them in the wagon at home. 

 On the whole, the profit is not large. One who 

 can succeed in raising strawberries can succeed in 

 almost am thing else. It is thought to be a very 

 nice business. It is delij;htful business. It is de- 

 lightful to pick what one's family requires, but 

 when one makes it a regular bu.-iness, and has 

 large lots, it seems to me like running a threshing 

 machine. Still one may save some money, and 

 it comes handy at this time of the year. There is 

 danger, however, of one having his mind so color- 

 ed up before the crop comes off as to agree to pay 

 away for divers things all he will get. 



A NEW FRUIT THIEF. 



The pilfering of fruit by expre.-s agents and oth- 

 ers is discouraging the busiiieas. The more rare 

 Mud costly the fruit, the more certainty of robbrry. 

 I have seen them get more than they could eat. I 

 could enjoy someihing from seeing mv hoirs eat 

 strawbe ries and fine pears ; there would be a pro. 

 fit in it. One would do well to invent and patent 

 a method which would prevent this robbery. It 

 h:is become customary to put newspapers around 

 boxes of raisins, but these pirates can get paste. 

 Express companies should look to this. Does any 

 body know where United St ♦■• s mail robbers get 

 the rudiments of their education? 



COTTON AND OTHER CROPS. V 



In Southern lilinois the whole season for a J kinds 

 of crops has been favorable. Wheat, corn, oata 

 and potatoes look well. Cotton grows rapidly, 

 and it is two weeks more forward than it was last 

 year this 'iaie, and in addition, it is clean. We 

 are d gging new potatoes and have had our first 

 cucumbers. The first st tting of peas are ripe, on- 

 ions are ripe, early cabbage is heading out, we 

 have young beets, and there are ripe blackberries. 

 The Carolina June is getting quite red. For eight 

 years we have not had a seasim so favorable. I 

 report of the rest of the State, for I have jusi re- 

 turned from a tour through its whole extent. 



A LOOK THROUGH THE STATE. 



I went up to Chicago on the branch of the Illi- 

 nois Central, and came back by the St. Louis aad 

 Chicago and the Main Trunk, stopping over at 

 Champaign and Bloomington. 



Corn was planted earlier than last year and to a 

 greater extent. Ii came up well ; but north of the 

 Ohio and Mississippi railroad there was no rain, 

 and it seemed as if there would be no corn. I went 

 up on the 18th. I never saw a people so discour- 

 aged and gloomy in my life. Many had lost a part 

 of their st'ick ; thi y had no corn to feed their 

 working teams ; hogs had to shift for thems Ives ; 

 even young chickens must live on bugs ; they 



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