, 1870-01-03
THE FARM AND GARDEN.

THE FARM AND GARDEN.
A Trip Through Northwestern Hi
nols-Earmtng ~ OrchRrde-finbef
PInntlnG-Tho DniIy-A New AP-
pAFatu2 for tho Florist and gar.
denex-Thc Lead Mmes-Ztnc Orcss
lFRoK QUE AGRICULTURAL CORRESPONDENCE
CHA1PAIaN. Ill, Dec. 30.
In my last letter the reader Ea3 left a. Mend0ta-
Tnting the train north over the ulinots Central
the country was white With Light fall OF SNOW:
not enough ,lor sleiehing, nor IN the way OF
wheels. One Advantage that the farmers have
here over those further eouth Is the good winter
roads, over which they can do their hauling and
winter Ia with them an active tlme Crops are
marketed, fencing, fire rood, and building mate.
raj nauled home. Then there Ia an amount Of
soc.abllity among the people unknown further
south.
had net teen orer thls ronte for some yeass,
and wss therefore Interested In the progress made.
TIE .toEns have grown rapidly, and many dne
farm houses have been built; but what ls Of more
interest ls the great number OF farm barns, corr
houses, aAd better fences. Hedging during the
last two years has also marked E nav era, We
also aee more trtea about the buildings, and
many shelter bells, but the orchards EL7e lot had
that care that u essential to succeaA Converting
with farmers On thIB subject Who CAME on the
train at ali ID Z stations, found general iupres.
sion among them that apples, pears, and cherries,
SO a general thing, were not reliable, but, on
close irquirl, all admitted that, when the treea
had good shelter lEo1a the Winda, the crops
were quite certain. have no doubt that all ihete
rIurs will yet be lafgely grown through this Sec
ton, when they are properly cared for. The sub
so,1 ftx ef rlar on h1
with the plo1 or by use OF tile The bark louise Is
gradually disappearing, and Wilt cease 10 BE- for.
ntdable II the orchards
Interested parties arc preaching up crabspplea
for orchard culture, such IS TTaufcehdant CIao,
Montreal Beauty, and others equally valuable fo1
Jeties and preserves but Of little OF no value for
the table, T.eu,y years atoce this Whole region
was laid under contribution to dwarf apples
which proved az valuable a. will these crab apples
for the orchard. Iukhes' Virgins and Virgins
Crab, TWO valuable cider appies but which art not
crsb-2ppie at all, not belonging 10 the Siberian
family Of applee, have been excluded from this
list for the North.
Trees planted along the highways ten years ago
row make nee appearance, aut rls 8 nsster OF
surprise that every farmer has not glsen this suo-
ject attention, and by the judic.ous use OF q few
dollars AID few days wofs, added TO the beauty
AID inttintic value OF the homestead. The black
sugar maple, silver leaf mape, ash leaf maple,
white Aid blue ash, elm, black and white wslauts
are all hardy and good g1owess. Cottonwood,
white and golden willow, and Cambridge poplar
nie nose generally ptazted than any others, Oh
OF propagation, I'll helpg grown from
c1itu IS Good feLces a1e made Of
the two willowa named, but orly when cuttings
Jour to nye feet long arc uat0. nave been unable
TO hear Of q good fence mado OF such cuttings as
The tree peddler koid. Several farmers SAID that
stakes five feet long driTen in the ground, one
foot deep and foat apart, would make q good
fence In Two yeals.
As we approach Gslena the corn crop Is much
better. The soil is heavy Clay, bus Will hold no
ksagrant water, as the Trenton and Galena llme-
stolea are porous. Water Is abundant IN the yb..
le5p, but at the taIm houses resort mus: be had 70
Ctsterne.
From FIeeport 10 Apple Rtrer We pass over the
highest land tn the State; FATHER broken coun.
tro, yet destined 10 be one Of the sfcheat agrtcu.
tural dtstrtcis Of the State.
The spt.rg and hutum1s are eh0rt, but the SUN.
merls ule II remarkable y!go1, aud, being A:ong
tie watershed, Is vel! supplied With summer
showers for the STEADY growth OF grasa At ali the
Stations there we're loads Of dressed hoga being
shlpped TO Chicago. Cheese making Ii becoming
AL important Industry and there Is NO zesson why
!! 10 Daylees, Carroll, and Stevenson Couutes
Should not make Is good cheese and butter as the
Western Reserve, An abundant supply Of 1tch
grass and spring wafer are the TWO elements e.
sen1.al 10 success, both Of which are here.
At GALKNA
The streets Of GAlena are about on the same
leGel with thoss Of chicago-snat IL, the business
portion Of the towli. TAXING Cairo a. the initial
point, Chicago and GaltIa are sG0 {CAicag,, 3o5,
Gale1A, 3A1} feet higher; JGnehborough, 35a;
bloomington. aas: Champaign, sa3; karks-
kee, sl7; Monee, AIS; bed Of IllILois River
at LaSalle, ISL, or Isl feet below Lake
Michigan; near Scales Mound, SOS; Gse.buss,
olo; Quincy a3l. or S. below Galena. The. average
desceht OF The Mississippi to Cairo is SIX inches
per mEe. The hills Of Galeua are neatiy two hun
drtu feet above the railroad, ard are capped with
Cincinnati sha1e and NlsRa1a Limestone. This
limestone appeara at the stoEe quarry IN West CHI
cagO, at Joliet. kaukakee, and at Grafton, near
the mouth OF the ILLINOIS River.
That The rock strata hare been greatly disturbed
In this State we hare but 10 gance al the OUT
cropping Eocks. The Niagara and Joliet limestone,
the great building stone OF the State ts found at
diversity OF levels. Al Ottawa more than Two
thousand feet Of rock strata below the coul meas
ure4 are wanting. These disturbances have had
no email influence IN the makeup Of our solla.
EroI. Waiting h2s deacribed the country a7o7s
Gacna IS d dI1ttlesl region but this IL doubtless
incorrect The high watershed to the north
probably acted as dam to force the large tce-
bergs 10 the west when they dropped their nonldets
over Iowa, and This might be called the hoa1derless
district, instead Of the d1iftless. As / before
Observed, the corn crop Ia better Ia the Galeba
and Trenton limestone formations for the simple
reason that 1he aol Is Iatura!ly drained; On the
bills over the Nisgala umesIoQes, where the sub
soa Ia species OF tina clay, tho crop s this
failure. Wnen The Natural forces cut and carved
those hills and denuded tue valley Of the 1inols
1t Ottawa, Of more than three thousand feet Of
the coal formations and other rock etrata, the ue
clsys must have been mixed with the drift as fat
south as Paxton and F1t1k's G1ore, which give 70
the subsoll, down 10 those points, its peculiar
character Of clays. faud, and coualomeraie.
well 1ecohecs that thirty years ago II WAS
generally conceded that the country about Ga!eua
was Of no Ta.ue for agriculture. 'hat the land
Eas poor, and the climate 100 cold
Tor tFuiI Since then farming hA8
assumed large proportions, and some Of the
ceat fatms IN the State arc loca&ed near here.
Within the past thirty days hare been in large
number OF Western tcVus, aud In nenc Is busi-
nesx go brisk as here: busy In the sale OF farm
ctopst pork, wheat. oats butter, etc. A large
number Of cheese tactorrs snip their products to
Chicago to have them branded Hamburger or
Wts,esn Reserve TneEe IL little or no sale for
Illinois cheese. 1t Is said that spirits OF all kinds
arc ,mrrtvcd By crossing the ocean, which must
lie true; at least cat load OF cheese sent from
GaleIa to- Chicago "a returned over the sane
route to points beg ond, and 1ud. Its way 10 The
best tabeA At an Increased va!ne Of three or four
cents pou.d q. Whether 1t Is the railroad friction
or nng1c Words On the boz that gives It the in-
creased yaine an not II present adT1sel, ouly
state tic facts as slated TO re.
Mr.. Soulard. who has been resident OF Gaeua
for forty.tw Jea1s, stated that grapes d.l better
here than at St LOUIS, and that the crops had not
OILY been better but with less poor scasons- Tue
GEspe-rot was alHDst unkuo.u4 The grapeyines
ave given slight protection. This, WITH the shell
te1 OF the hills, and snow-coFertcG, insutei them
from harm. Tie apple has generally done very
we'll IN spite Of the ctoake1s, vito hnye prevented
the platting Of oschatda
TIE loss OF the river trade was shoct to the
city that II Will feel for long time: but the lead
iuterest AID dairy products are alone sufficient
10 insure great tutu1e to this point, which had
name and commerce years before Chicago vas
named or known outside Of the War Department
TO THR LADIES'
AMopg these northern hits made discovery
that viii please any lover Of towers, for 1t viii
enable those pets OF the household to be grown ID
spite OF gas or coal smoke. It is a p7upaaatlng
tank, Wardian case, 3 1oral pot or con1e1va-
tory I'd yo1 choose. aod Jet ts cost Ia but trtde
compared TO the usual structures for this purpose.
Will describe 1t as I saw 1t In use leaving the
reader tree 10 pnt 1t into any form he peases
TO tie use Of q ccnEen ho:-bed, for the starting
OF early vegetables, or to the small cursetynau tor
the propagation Of new plaut., grape cuttings or
beudiI s-ort pla1ta for, bis customers-tn short q
u,El11ure greeu-house Oh the hot water plan re-
duced TO practical u.e tor the benedt OF Lhe ANA
ieDf.