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THE ILLINOIS FAEMEE. 



August 



We have now entered on the last half of sum- 

 mer and to-day, July 21st, can write with some 

 degree of exactitude. The harvest commenced 

 late as the season is, at least a week behind th^ 

 usual time. Winter wheat, though not largely 

 sown and thin on the ground, had long heads with 

 the plumpest possible berry ; bringing the crop up 

 to a good average. Spring wheat comes out very 

 fine, the chinch bug not injuring it in this pirt of 

 the State : in fact, this crop is never injured by 

 them when sown early, and on good, well cultiva- 

 ted lands. This crop is becoming more and more 

 popular in Central Illinois. It is but a few years 

 since it was supposed to be unsuited to this cli- 

 mate, but fall plowing and early sowing have 

 worked a change in the opinion of farmers. 



Oats are very fine and a large breadth sown — 

 Ten years ago oats were but little sown, and then 

 they most generally lodged, growing too rank ; 

 but the change in the climate made by cultivation 

 and pasturage, giving a dryer air, has made this a 

 popular crop, and hereafter more oats and less 

 corn will be fed to farm teams. This mixed hus- 

 bandry will lead to the building of farm barns, and 

 we shall soon see a change in this respect. For 

 the corn crop, a crib of poles will answer, but the 

 oat crop is better secured in a barn or the hay 

 mow. 



Barley is good though little sown. ' Barley will 

 never become popular among barnless farmers. 



Flax. — A large breadth of this crop has been 

 sown. The staple is short but the yield of seed 

 is good. This is becoming a popular crop, and so 

 long as the straw will bring six to eight dollars a 

 ton, and the seed two to three dollars a bushel, 

 cannot fail of being profitable. The stubble is first 

 rate for winter or spring wheat and should be 

 plowed at once after the crop is taken off. 



Potatoes. — The crop of early potatoes is light 

 and it is yet too early to determine the late plant- 

 ing. 



Corn — Spring wheat, oats and flax have largely 

 trenched on the space ©f this crop, and less than 

 usual has been planted. Some fields are rather 

 late, but on the whole the crop looks very fine. 



Our planting on fall plowed land is very fine in- 

 deed, showing a marked difference between that 

 plowed in the spring and autumn, planted the 

 same day and cultivated alike. We cannot too 

 strongly commend the practice of turning under 

 • the stubble immediately after harvest, where corn 

 is to be the next crop ; in fact, for any crop, as it 

 has the effect of a summer fallow. 

 ^ We have seldom seen a better show of corn at 



I this season. The stand is rather thin from the de- 

 [ vastationa of vermin, but the growth ia rank and 



we shall look for large ears. Tho chinch bug is 

 abundant, but with such a vigorous growth, can 

 do little damage 



Sorgo. — A large breadth was planted and we 

 have yet to hear of a poor field. Should the sea- 

 son continue as favorable, the yield must be very 

 large. This is particularly gratifying at this time 

 of dear sugar and molasses. 



The Sorgo Journal, which took some exceptions 

 to our remarks on one-horse pans and horse-pow- 

 er rollers, is now out in favor of steam. It siys 

 that the difference is that between the value of a 

 bushel of coal and a bushel of oats. Water power 

 it says, is the cheapest, and coal next. As coal 

 will cost about 29 cents a busbel at most of our 

 stations, the advantage is a large one. We shall 

 yet live to see our theory of large sorgo mills the 

 rule, and the farm mills the exception We shall 

 not be surprised to see Clark's sorgo works engag- 

 ed on large mills next season, to the exclusion of 

 the small mills. The article on "Steam vs. Horse 

 Power" is a move in the right direction. 



Rtb. — ^We omitted mention of this crop in its 

 proper place. The crop is good and more than 

 usual was sown. No spring rye is sown. Those 

 short of autumn pasture should sow a few acres of 

 this grain. For sheep it is invaluable, both for 

 fall and winter pasturage. 



Buckwheat. — For the first time this is assuming 

 the position of a crop, and should it prove a good 

 one, this part of the State will'have its own sup- 

 ply of slap-jacks. 



Apples will be an average crop, and as the trees 

 are not overloaded we may look for those of good 

 size. 



Pears are doing well and present a fair crop. 



Pluus appear an almost entire failure. 



Peaches, of course, are out of the question, but 

 the trees are doing better than was anticipated ; we 

 shall look for a fair crop next season on all young 

 trees. Those who would grow the peach must 

 make annual planting of trees the rule ; in that 

 way they will have peaches in this part of the 

 State five out of six years. 



Currants, Gooseberries, Stbawbebriss and 

 Basfberbies have produced abundantly ; the first 

 two have been unusually productive. 



The Coming State Fair — Sept. 12th to 17th. — 

 The Premium List of out State Society, large, lib- 

 eral and well arranged, has been before the people 

 since early in the spring, and we hope our readers 

 have consulted it with the determination to become 

 competitors for some of the premiums offered ; not 

 for sake of merely the money value to be obtained 

 if successful, but that they may be benefitted by 



