The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1862-01-04
Agricultural News.
From lie rEiasis Farmer for December.

From, lie 1liasis Farmer for December.
We have beautiful samples of cotton
grown il Champaign and Christian coun-
ties this season, where preparations are
making to plant severa. thousand acres
next season. So far as we can Learn, cot
ton has not failed 70 fully mature in the
central and south part of the State at any
time since the settlement Of the country
Corn has Yielded to the laws OF trade, and
IT'S place must be filed by o!he: products
and among these we may count Oh sor-
ghuin, cotton, FAX, aud possibly hemp,
tobacco and castor beans. T,uit culture
still! needs our most attentive care.
James Sloan, of Wiunebaeo, raised a
fraction under two acres of fax the pres
ent year, with encouraging results 1t
was sown on old land about the middle OF
May, and started nicely, but the dry sum
mer made il rather n short crop, yet the
yield of seed was twelve bushels to the
acre, and about ton of straw lie has
sold for 81 cents per bushel which gives
:lU24 ber acre. The cultivation and cut
ting with q reaper and threshiug by ms.
chine is about the same as wheat
Compare this statement Of flax with
wheat this year, and the preference is
fifteen bushels, which is too high. and
wheat at 10 !cents per bushel is 5000
against S>4 81 for flax.
The indications arc that it IS safe for
farmers to experiment, at least more
largely with fax
From the davenport (lows) Democrat.
Corn IS drug in the markct-pork IS
no better, and it costs as much TO raise
H.. Z
former We advise Cur farmer friends to
plant more sparingiy OF corn, and turn
their attention more extensively TO the
culture Of suguar cane. and the raaI.uiac.
turc Of inoiaSSes aud syrup tlerefrCm II
the present war lasts much longer and
there is 10 prospect Of ;t< being closed
within that time sugar Will te an article
Of value. As it is now. q pound Of tie
poorest sugar Is worth as much more than
q bushel Of corn, and it costs more to
raise that bushel Of Germ in actual money
than II is worth in market. If q farmer 3
family consumes four hundred pounds CT
sugar in q year, il takes about six hundred
bushels OF corn 81 the present rates TO pay
for ii. But with one-tenth part CT the
land and oEc-tenth part Of the labor and
expense, lac can produce all the sweeten-
ing he can Use in his family Tor the year,
and by cu!tiy2tinE the same extent OF
ground in sugar cane, be can raise rot
os..y enough FOR hIs oun family. but
enough more to buy the Ea.aace OF his
family groceries, for sorghum syrup or
sugar wNscik and The DAY j. coming right
along when it will be JUS. rs much 2 staple
article at our groceries as New Orleans
sugar or Java coffee. We can but reiter-
ate the ADVICE TO plant more sugar Gang
AID Joss corn. Indeed il must be done
FToH. tie illinois Fsrraer.
4 few days since. we were on several
spring wheat farms, and fouad the yield
from ten 10 fourteen bushels to the acre.
aud in one case twenty bushels. Upon
asking the reaso for this extra yield over
his neighbors, his answer was. This is
MrD WHEAT. lie had sown !, in the mud.
as the fros: WAS coming ont, while his
neighborf were three weeks later. waiting
fol- the land TO get dry. The result is Sc,
TX 10 e:gh. acres agaius: them SOcl
after the frost gets cut OF TIE ground. the
heavy spring rains sc; in, which DELAYS
planting and sowing. In the spring OF
/ lsLe these did no. occur uatl most O.
+ the sowing Vas done, hence the crop was
rot IN uHustl&ily carly, a.!d large our
take the trouble TO investigate the Yield
. Of wheat an,ocg their ne;4hto-s the; xii
/ find early fall blowing and early sow!uc
connected with the best crops.
From the Davenport, l'o~a D:a:,-r4'.
/ The day seems 10 nave been pass Cd.
likewise When pork raising Is 2 spsc,.-
ton. We found orr best mariie, N IL,
South that man -et is dead-!or the pros
1 4 - L. 4
future VI e have been exchanging p1Il
for cotton. That exchange being cut on
We must eadeav0r. IL 4 measure, 70 over
come the bad effects and we see no better
Way than TO commence paving less stten
| ton 10 r0rk and more 10 wool and fla,
! cotton True, the change cannot be bro
about so suddenly as in the sorghum cul
tuIe but ii can be done in "A few wears
Farmers mus. turn their attention to rails
ing sheep There Is q stern necessity TO
it. Wool mus. be produced; in farm
houses the spinning wheel, which las 0
Iate been crowded aside 20 made room fol
less worthy instruments, must he a-ail
brought forward. and the rising genera
iioas must learn 10 cultivate an ear for il!
music. IL time we shall have our manu-
factories tor woollen goods distributed
through tie Western States. hut they
must, in a measure, be preceded by iht
spinning wheel and the hand loom This
cannot well be neglected. She lives Ct
: Our mothers or ggaudmo;hers were not
shortened or rendered less useful or plea
/ SAINT 0y the use Of these artiules NheY
one branch Of farming fails another mus
be tried That article which drugs Tho
market must be curtailcd and Others mus
/ be encouraged We may Is well begin a
once.
/ From the McGreeor, CIoEa) Tines.
IL looking for products which shall ado
! to the farmers variety, and render his oc
/ cupation more certain Of profit, sorghum
] or Chinese sugar cane IS claiming gcoo
share Of attention. The experiments al
! ready made with it III this State have
! proved conclusiyely that, giving the ground
+ such preparation as won!d yield a crop oil
/ fifty or sixty bushels TO the acre, enough
cane would be raised 10 make from one
+ hundred 10 two hundred gallons OF syrup
/ which, at fifty cents per gailon--a iow
/ estima:e--would give q product of fifty
/ To one hundred dollars. The same acre
/ PLANTED in corn, would be worth about
/ twelve dollars; or, sown TO wheat, about
! ton dollars and the labor Of gathering
! either of those crops would about equal
/ that of manufacturing the syrup.
! These facts, if cOrrect-aEd they are
! substantiated By the written statenlents o'
/ many, farmers in this State--d!spose fully
! of the case, aid leave no room for doubt
! that sorghum is the most profitable ciUl
which our farmers can put into the ground
/ Considered in the gene al light OF political
! economy, also, il will save millions oil dol
{ lars IN this State. annually, which now &c
/ to the Atlantic cities for syrups and sugars.
/ The retention Of this great sum alone, IN
! our circulation. would make an abundant