5**^^C; ■-■•■" i- 



1864:. 



THE ILLINOIS FARMEE. 



291 



ingly. The officers begin to cut a dash, 

 speculate in town lots, keep fine turn- 

 outs. C, D., E,, F. and G., have re- 

 tired from the canvass and traveling 

 agents substituted. The risks are ex- 

 tended first to isolated village houses, 

 next to blocks of tumbled down wood 

 buildings, mills — any and everything. 



* * * A windy night the fire 

 got too much headway, and — the whole 

 institution collapsed. 



"We once held a policy of $1400 in 

 that same institution or one of its class. 

 It taught us a lesson, and since then 

 we have nothing to do with peddling 

 insurance agents. We now insure in 

 both stock and mutual companies ; but 

 we must know not only the standing 

 of the office, but the mode of doing bus- 

 iness. Responsible men do not take 

 risks below what is considered safe, 

 and which will allow of the employ- 

 ment of responsible business men for 

 local agents. In our State there is now 

 several insurance cor^panies well wor- 

 thy the patronage of our people, and to 

 them the preference should be given. ; 

 "We are pleased to see that a large num- 1 

 ber of our solid men are investing their ! 

 spare funds in this direction, and it 

 will not be long before our own capital- 

 ists will take all risks required, and 

 thus save our monev at home. It is 

 now time that the "West stood upon 

 their own resources in this respect. 



Chicago, Peoria, Alton and Freeport 

 have each their well established insu- 

 rance companies ; but Springfield has 

 heretofore done little in that direction, 

 and the farmers of Central Illinos have 

 taken their chance among the good, the 

 bad and the sham, about two to one 

 against them, but now we can congrat- 

 nlate our farmers on a change fo^ the 

 better. The Sangamon Insurance Co. 



has swung into line and will fill up the 

 gap so long open to adventurers. Un- 

 cle Jesse, (Hon. J. K. Dubois), the 

 President, O. M. Hatch, Secretary of 

 State, Yice President, and Geo. Boyn- 

 ton. Secretary. Here is a happy com- 

 bination of solid capital, sterling busi- 

 ness tact and persevering industry. — 

 That the new institution will win its 

 way to the confidence of the communi- 

 ty, no one knowing the men having its 

 control, will for a moment doubt. Suc- 

 cess to this and all similar home enter- 

 prises. ■ ^■■■■^ 



From the Chicago Tribune. 



A Chapter on the Raspberry, 



Champaign, 111., July 20, 1864. 



Among the small fruits, the raspberry is becom- 

 ing very popular, and by many persons is consid- 

 ered in all respects equal in value to the strawberry. 



This fruit has a po^^itive and fixed position in 

 the succession of the summer fruits, with a grow- 

 ing popularity second to no other. It is not a ri- 

 val to the strawberry, as it follows it in the pro- 

 gress of the season, and thus has an independent 

 standing of its own beyond the reach of any rival, 

 and flanked by the goo^jberry and currant- The 

 blackberry comes next in order, and this in turn 

 is followed by the grape. 



Sailors reckon the day of the week not as we do, 

 but by the material for dinner which is varied 

 throughout the week but occur the same on each 

 succeeding week day. We might reckon the dif- 

 ferent weeks of spring and summer in the same 

 way. First, we have the cowslip from the wood- 

 land slough, drenched in vinegar, a dainty that 

 pleases the appetite that now craves a mixture of 

 the bitter with the acid. "Greens of all kinds are 

 sought for until we become almost herbiverous. 



First of the summer fruits comes the strawberry, 

 whose sharp acid mingled with sugar pleases the 

 taste of all, and appears to divest us of the malaria 

 that Inzy winter had gathered in the system. Next 

 comes the era of the raspberry, the blackberry 

 and the season is closed with the grape. Each of 

 these in turn becomf s the center around which the 

 lesser fruits revolve, and though numerous, hold 

 but the position of aid-de-camps to the command- 

 ing generals of the season. 



At this time of political strife we should hold this 

 raspberry in high esteem, inasmuch that it is an 

 American, or at least the only variety that is of 

 any value. The European varieties will not stand 

 our winter, and though highly aristocratic, and 

 prized in refined society, is of no value to the re- 

 publican masses of the country, who prefer an 



