the use of cultivators, which should be immediately followed by the drill, with corn from the 1st to the 10th of May. As soon as it is up sufficiently, the cultivator should pass through twice between each row every week until the ears begin to set. A man should go through once with a hoe, at an expense of about one dollar per acre, to take out the weaker of the surplus stalks and the weeds that are left by the cultivator. Interest on one acre Spring culture. Seed and drilling. Culture of crop. Husking and shelling.. Total expense...... $1 00 1 75 5 00 25 38 2.00 3 00 13 38 Average crop, 75 bushels; value, per bushel, 40 cents; value of fodder, 75 cents; total value, $30 75; net profit, $16 37. In August, wheat may be sown among the corn at an expense of $6. Average crop, with the above culture, 20 bushels; price, per bushel, 75 cents; value of straw, $1; value of crop, per acre, $16; profits, per acre, $10. In October or November, after the wheat comes off, the ground should be ploughed not less than six inches deep; and in the spring, so soon as the ground is sufficiently dry, drilled to barley and timothy seed. Cost of barley crop, per acre, $7 45; average crop, 40 bushels; price, 40 cents; value of straw, $1 25; value of crop, per acre, $17 25; profits, per acre, $9 80. The timothy may be cut for seed two years, with about the following Average crop, 5 bushels; price, $1 75; value of straw, $2; value of whole crop, $10 75; profits, per acre, $5 50. Respectfully, &c., The COMMISSIONER OF PATENTS. LORING HERRICK. ATHENS, MENARD COUNTY, ILLINOIS, December 29, 1851. SIR: The following observations on a few of the subjects embraced in your Agricultural Circular are respectfully submitted for your consider Wheat. Varieties chiefly used: red-chaff and Mediterranean. The former, a bearded variety, has been a universal favorite, but has become less productive, and of inferior quality. The Mediterranean has received the go-by. Millers regard it as little superior to rye. Its flouring qualities are inferior to any cultivated. It ripens six to ten days earlier than any other kind, and consequently affords facilities in a large harvest.. Several varieties have been recently introduced, which promise to exceed either of the above, in quality at least. Harvest, from June 28 to July 10; quantity per acre, from 10 to 40 bushels; average, 20 bushels. The fly has recently made its appearance, and seriously injured several crops.. Remedy, late sowing, from 1st to 15th of October. From rust the loss is light with winter varieties. The spring varieties are generally more or less affected-frequently to the loss of the crop; which, however, is not much relied on here. The greatest drawback on this interest of the agriculturist is the severity of our winters. The whole country is sometimes cleaned out by this cause, which may be effected either by a dry freeze, with bare ground, or with much wet and freezing. It is "spewed out," as it is called. For the latter, ridging up is advantageous; for the former, no effectual remedy. No preparation of seed except thorough cleaning, which is accomplished in no better manner than by winnowing through a heavy northwester. Average price per bushel, at nearest market, (1851,) 60 cents. Not profitable. Corn. This is emphatically our crop. We rely upon it for our profits, not to sell, but to feed to stock-cattle and hogs. Varieties in use, white gourd-seed and common yellow, both large. The averageyield, per acre, is 50 bushels, with ordinary tillage; though this amount can be doubled by manure and high culture. Cost of raising, per bushel, 6 to 15 cents. It is cut and shocked in the field, and hauled out when wanted for use, and fed to cattle whole and on the stalk. The waste: and droppings are used for hogs, saving all; fed whole and raw to every species of stock. This is the cheapest and most profitable plan, in consequence of the scarcity of mills. Clover and Grasses.-Red clover and timothy are the only species that are esteemed for meadow. White clover is regarded as a pest. The herdsgrass of Pennsylvania, or red-top, has been introduced, but is not valuable; yield, too light. A species of Poa, called blue-grass-not the Poa campressa of the East-is an invaluable pasture grass, furnishing food for stock, if the season be favorable, until January, and even later. It spreads rapidly from running root stocks, and is tenacious of life, as every prairie farnier has sad experience of in his fields. It grows early in spring, and furnishes the first as well as last pasture-grass. Quantity of hay per acre, from 1 to 3 tons; cost of growing, from $2 to $5. It is stacked in the meadow, in and on pens, in which the animals. are pastured; and, having free access to the stacks, they help themselves, or it is thrown to them when not so convenient. Timothy and clover are grown together. Sheep and Wool.-No interest of the farmer pays so well as that of wool. The few who have engaged in the business extensively, realize the largest profits. Every farmer, however, has a flock, principally to afford wool for home consumption; any surplus is sold in the nearest markets, but is thought not to pay well in this way. With the aid of blue-grass pasture, the cost of keeping is trifling; will not average an- nually more than 50 cents per head. The cost of raising the different qualities is not ascertained; probably from 8 to 25 cents per pound. Large sheep, if healthy, most profitable. Hogs. We have a variety of crosses of almost every kind. The cheapest method is to fat en at one year old; when, if well kept, they will weigh from 250 to 300 pounds. Winter them on the offal of the farm; pasture on old clover in summer; feed corn on the cob to fatten. Sixteen bushels, fed with this treatment, will make 300 pounds of pork. Irish Potatoes.-The most common kinds in cultivation are the Meshannocks, pink-eyes, and Irish grays. The yield has greatly diminished since the malady. Localities not affected with the rot, yet seem to be under the general disease; the vines grow small and die early. I have not seen a matured ball of seed for two years, though I have examined my whole crop for the purpose; the tubers are fewer and smaller than formerly, and probably unhealthy. The average yield per acre is now less than 100 bushels; the cost of raising and harvesting, 15 to 30 cents per bushel. I never lost any with the rot until the present year, and now only a few grown on the north side of a row of peach trees, and a small quantity in a highly manured spot. The shade of the trees on the former was dense, and kept the ground wet. It was thoroughly saturated and heavy (it being a clay) when I harvested them, though the adjoining ground was remarkably dry. They were then principally rotten, and were still rotting. The crop was affected in no other part but in the above-mentioned places; and in this case, at least, I believe the direct cause of the rot was the shade and manure. I also planted a few tubers in the garden which I raised from the seed the previous year, and highly manured them with thoroughly-rotted stable manure. The result was, that the yield was heavy, but badly rotted; nearly every tuber being affected, and satisfying me that no remedy is to be looked for in the seeds of the ball, if it could be obtained; which I believe to be doubtful at this stage of the disease. The best plan of cultivation is to plant early and cultivate thoroughly until the tops fall; never touch them afterwards; and, to avoid the worst effects of the rot, let the soil be dry and light. If autumnal rains be abundant, dig early, thoroughly dry in the sun, and secure from the atmosphere. Use no manure. Sweet Potatoes.-This invaluable and palatable esculent offers, in my opinion, no barrier to its introduction and succcessful culture throughout the greater portion of the Union. I doubt not but that it can be matured sufficiently to be a profitable crop anywhere that the common varieties of Indian corn will ripen. The yield here is from 200 to 400 bushels per acre. Cost of raising and harvesting, per bushel, 15 to 30 cents. It will furnish an excellent substitute for the Irish potato at least four months in the year; and doubtless methods will be discovered, when once their importance becomes appreciated, of preserving them much longer. It is a tender root, truly, and requires great care in preserving for seed. This is the great obstacle preventing it from becoming more generally cultivated in the northern States; and we confess this is our difficulty. It is a great deal easier to raise them than to keep them. They require to be kept warm and dry; that is the secret. A degree of cold considerably above freezing will soon destroy them; and I doubt if a degree of warmth, independent of artificial heat, can be provided for them that will preserve them through our long, cold winters, where the mercury frequently abates to 11° below zero. But every farmer who has a chimney that he uses through the whole winter, can, with from $3 to $5 additional cost in its construction, keep them safely in any latitude where they can be raised, by building a double wall around its basement, filling between them with dry stable-manure, saw-dust, or any good non-conductor, and placing his potatoes, with dry sand or dust, within, having the apartment not exceeding 15 inches wide, and covering with dry saw-dust or any other non-conducting substance, and securing from moisture above by covering the whole, and from beneath by raising up, if necessary. There will be warmth sufficient conveyed to them through jambs and back to preserve them, if they are sufficiently secured from the cold without. I have succeeded in keeping them here, latitude 40°, in this manner for many winters, with a small proportion of loss. As soon as the silver leaf, Hepatica triloba, is in bloom, take them up and sprout them in a hot bed; this must be done here and northward, and is advantageous further south. The best plan of cultivation: plough the land at least twice before planting; if thin, manure lightly; but this must be done with care, for there is danger of growing them all to strings and vines; a sandy loam lying southward is best without any manure; throw the land in ridges three and a half feet apart, with the plough; let them be east and west, if practicable; but, as of first importance, arrange them so that the furrows between them will immediately carry off the surplus water. Nothing can be more detrimental to this crop than continued Finish the ridges with the hoe, and plant the sprouts 18 inches apart. This is as near as they ought to be set to yield large tubers, though the quantity can be doubled by planting them one-third that distance. If the weather is dry, half a pint of water will be necessary to each plant; otherwise, nothing is required but careful setting. When weeds appear on the surface, trim the ridges down with a hoe, plough between, and again hill them up before the vines spread so much as to obstruct the work. This is all the cultivation necessary, provided the ground be not very foul, when more labor will be required to keep the weeds subdued. Yams have been recently introduced; they are prolific, but are thought to be inferior in quality to the common red. This requires, however, to be further tested. wet. Fruit. The cultivation of fruit is receiving increased attention; many get more profit from their orchards than from all their farm besides. Poorer varieties of seedlings are being replaced by superior seeded and grafted varieties. I know no remedy for the pear and apple tree blight, and fear I never shall; heavy losses this year. The yellows on peachtrees are rare; know no remedy. Manures. None are used for the field, except stable manure, which is hauled indiscriminately on the land most convenient, when it becomes necessary to remove it from the stable. Mother earth is left to her own resources, in which she is rich. Hon. THоs. EWBANK, Yours, truly, Commissioner of Patents. ELIHU HALL. Arenzville, CASS COUNTY, ILLINOIS, September 24, 1851. SIR: In reply to the Circular issued from the United States Patent Office, the following statements may be taken as generally correct for this and the adjoining counties, south of the Illinois river: Corn is first in order as a staple article; a good average yield is 50 bushels per acre. Cultivated land is worth from $10 to $20 per acre; and farm laborers receive from $12 to $15 per month. Seed, ploughing, planting, and harvesting corn, are worth $5 per acre. The average price for corn in ears, during this season, has been 20 cents per bushel at the farm; yielding a profit of $5 per acre. Three-fourths of the corn raised is consumed in feeding hogs and cattle. Hogs.-Beardstown, in this county, is the best market for pork on the Illinois river. The hogs killed last winter numbered 36,000, averaging two hundred weight, at a price of from $3 to $3 50 per hundred weight. A pig, having the advantage of timber and prairie for range, will require 10 bushels of corn till the age of 18 months, and 15 bushels to fatten, and then weigh two hundred weight. Feeding steers has been more profitable than hogs, but requires more capital. Wheat averaged about 20 bushels per acre; worth at the farm 50 cents per bushel. The season was unusually wet, and much grain damaged. The cost of seed, planting, harvesting, and threshing wheat, exceeds that of corn, and is less remunerating to the farmer. Oats and Grasses yield large crops; timothy and clover, mixed, readily produce 2 tons per acre; worth from $5 to $6 per ton. Irish Potatoes.-There will not be more than half a crop of Irish potatoes, owing to the rot, with the exception of a few small localities. Fruit.-There was an entire failure of fruit, caused by late frosts in the spring. The blight on apple and pear-trees, which made its appearance two years ago, has been on the increase this season. Grapes rotted mostly before maturing, except on young vines. The only mode to succeed in raising grapes here is to have young vines; the rot on the berry makes its appearance about the third year of bearing, and increases with age, as far as my observation enables me to judge. The cause of blight on fruit-trees, as well as the potato rot, is not known, and all the alleged causes are mere matter of speculation. With great respect, yours, respectfully, Hon. THOMAS EWBANK, Commissioner of Patents. FR. ARENZ. ADAMS COUNTY, ILLINOIS. SIR: Your Circular, calling for information on agricultural statistics, came to hand in due time, and for this act of courtesy you have my sincere and heartfelt thanks. Wheat. The farmers of Illinois must, sooner or later, abandon wheatgrowing as the principal crop; the outlays are so enormously expensive. Three hundred dollars for a threshing machine, $125 for a reaper, and $100 for a seed drill, are quite too much to be invested in a wheat crop to |