that over the river in Cheshire-the great cheese county-Short Horns are not thought well of for milkers; Liverpool, Eng, 4th Jan 1845. LUTHER TUCKER, ESQ.-I send you with this, as prowhere they have Ayrshires, Devons, Welsh and Irish. mised, a little sketch which will give you a general idea Scotch, Welsh, Irish, and some Yorkshire and Holderof an English farm house and out buildings. The air of choice stock is South Down and Leicester. Swine are ness are fed for fattening. For sheep, the prevailing neatness which prevails about every country house I have seen, and which travelers universally remark upon, can- many of them Irish; on the Cheshire side are a cross of not be represented in such a sketch, much less by so poor China and Neapolitan. The latter are considered too the old long bodied with Berkshire and Leicester, or a sketcher. Yet I am assured that the farm houses of light and delicate for general favor. To fatten, they are Lancashire compare unfavorably with those of almost any county in England. Still there is a soberness, a qui- put up early in the spring; 12 months pigs, to feed on etness, a tastefulness, a rurality, and a home-look about for three months; after this, potatoes and some barley offal of dairy, (one to five cows.) Nothing more given nearly all I have seen, which once grafted upon the meal. Weight, 10 to 14 score. Sows farrow twice a country houses in America, will go far toward making our landscapes equal to English in beauty. The roofs year, in February and August. Young stock is raised are in most instances in this country, slated; some are co-ped in March. The food is a half pound of meal in a (on dairy farms in Cheshire,) 5 to 20 cows-those dropvered with tiles baked in the same manner with brick,

In some

the market houses of Liverpool, that farmers at home
may compare notes with the British farmer.
subsequent letter I will give you a list of all the taxes to
which the English farmer is subject, that so the compa-
rison of situations may be more complete, and a still high-
er satisfaction, as I do not doubt it must rest with our
countrymen. The duties on coffee and tea are enormous;
on the first, 15 cents a pound! on tea, 45 cents! The
price of

The mere reading of this list shows that from the very large amount of work performed, much information and many useful results must have been obtained. With most of the analyses, letters of advice have been sent, and with some of them, elaborate reports. Among some of A goose in market, 88 to $1 00 Cabbage, per head, - 02 to 04 the more strictly practical points upon which light has Fowls per pair, [light,] 60 to 80 Celery, per root, - - - 04 to 08 been thrown, it may be mentioned that analysis has Turkey, $1 to $1.75 American wild ducks, $1 to $1,25 shown striking differences in the chemical constitution Hare, (w't of 2 rabbits) 50 to $1.00 Apples, (Eng.) 30 for 22 Beef, per pound,

14 to 20 12 to 14 12 to 14 12 to 14

Potatoes, per bushel, - 40 to 50

(Am.) 14 for 22 Cheese, (Sulton,) lb. 25 to 30 " (Cheshire,)". 20 to 28 (American,) Ib. 14 to 16

of turneps raised by dung and by guano. In consequence of this, experiments upon their feeding properties have been made, and the result so far, seems to indicate the superiority of those raised by dung. Oats have been found to yield in larger quantity than any grain used for muscle to animals.

In my next, I will give you an epitome of such agri-food in this country, those ingredients which furnish cultural glimpses as can be taken in a day's run through England from Liverpool to Gravesend. After which, and until spring opens (with me,) look for a chapter or two about the pruning hooks and vineyards of

France. Yours, &c.

D. G. MITCHELL.

MR. NORTON'S LETTERS-No. IX.

Lab. of Ag. Chemistry Association,
Edinburgh, Jan. 21, 1845.

L. TUCKER, Esq.-As I have now been long enough| here to form an opinion as to the usefulness, and to become acquainted with the operations of the Agricultural Chemistry Association of Scotland, it has occurred to me that a sketch of its history, constitution and present prospects, may inter est your readers, the more so as I perceive that the American papers teem with plans for the promotion of the great object of connecting science with agriculture.

The quantity of these ingredients in turneps, is under investigation, and it has been already ascertained, that they equal in this respect, 1-30th or 1-4th of their weight of wheat or barley. A variety of rocks have been analysed, with a view to the determination of the quantity of lime contained. The Trap rocks have been found uniformly to contain a very considerable proportion, while the clay slates scarcely contain any. These facts show that we may expect a decided difference in the quality of soil resulting from the decomposition of the two rocks.

These instances show the nature and utility of such researches, and they will I think, give your readers an idea of the sphere embraced by the labors of the Association. But analysis is not all; a very onerous portion of Prof. Johnston's duties has been the answering of questions upon practical and scientific points, for many of the farmers have commenced thinking, and propound queries which often touch upon the very verge of our present knowledge, and sometimes go beyond it, opening new fields of most difficult investigation.

I think that this institution may safely be said to have

Desirous, as an American, to share the benefits of this Association, even more fully than I am able to do in its Laboratory, by attendance upon the meetings of the sub-realised the expectations of its projectors. They were scribers, I have enrolled my name among its list of members, and a few days since had the pleasure of attending the second semi-annual meeting, being at the close of the first year of its existence.

The Association took its rise, and this cannot be too strongly urged in its favor, from tenant farmers chiefly; shrewd, practical men, who conceived this plan as most likely to promote, in its direct application to their inte rests, that science which they felt had become necessary to them.

most fortunate in the selection of Prof. Johnston for the office which he has filled so well, and to which his energies have been so zealously devoted. By the co-operation of his scientific researches with the practical experience of the farmer, great advances have been made already, and a spirit awakened which will bring forth in all probability, still more remarkable results.

The Scottish farmers, thus have the credit of being the first to establish an institution purely for the purpose of applying chemistry to their profession; so far it has been successful, but remarkable as that success has been, it only opens the way to vast fields for research, yet untrodted effort, by skill and perseverance, and I would in that light, recommend it to the notice of my countrymen, not that I would consider it absolutely necessary for us to found institutions constituted in exactly such a manner; the form is comparatively unimportant, it is the conviction and the spirit, that are indispensable.

The two leading objects proposed, were the diffusion of existing information, theoretical and practical; and the enlargement of our present knowledge. For the carry-den. It has shown however, what may be done by uniing out of these designs, Prof. Johnston was selected, and having received the appointment of Chemist to the Association, has been for eight months of the past year actively engaged in the prosecution of the arduous duties which devolved upon him.

In the prosecution of the first object, he has delivered no less than fifty-three lectures in nearly every part of I may suggest, however, that in the formation of agriScotland, some of which I have sketched in previous let-cultural colleges on an extended scale, such as now seem ters. They have been eminently successful, and have to be projected in our country, with each should be conawakened much interest in every instance; no less than nected a branch for the pursuit of chemistry as connected eight or nine agricultural periodicals have sprung up at various points, as the visible first fruits of success. Private lecturers are also busy in many places following up his teaching, or supplying his place in localities which he has not yet visited. The school-masters too, are aroused, and are many of them actively engaged in the same work, so that the effects of his visits are likely to be

with agriculture, and for the dissemination of knowledge on that subject. Only by means of such institutions can rapid progress be made, and until they are established the great mass of farmers will be unable fully to profit by the knowledge we already possess.

Our country opens a noble field for improvement, and I hope that we begin to perceive it. Other nations have commenced the work before us, but when our farmers arouse, and apply that American enterprise and perseverance which has outstripped the old world in the paths of commerce, we shall have no cause to blush at our deficiency, nor at the share that we shall take in completing one of the leading desiderata of our time, a system of scientific agriculture. Very truly yours,

Look to your bees and poultry.

JOHN P. NORTON.

EXPERIMENTS.

or sow spring crops, the better, provided they are not in danger of being frosted; and the earlier we sow wheat SOWING INDIAN PEAS BROADCAST.-Several times in and rye, the better, provided they are not in danger of my life, I have plowed in seed peas, broad cast, to be premature heading. The objects and advantages of early used either for crop, manuring or sheep pasture. The seeding in both cases are the same, viz: 1st, less labor quantity to the acre, according to the quality of the land, and risk-2d, earlier maturity-3d, fewer weeds and from one to two bushels. One who has surplus peas, grass to contend with-4th, less exhaustion of the soil by and ground too poor to grow clover, may do well to sow evaporation, because of the timely shelter afforded the them for improvement; but as they make superior pas-earth-5th, a lower and stouter vegetable. turage for sheep, perhaps one may afford to buy seed for MANURING IN ADVANCE.-The greater portion of my such purpose, even on poor land. The Indian pea manures are spread broad cast on the surface one or two yields well on poor land, (cold clays excepted,) and years in advance of a crop; and the ground generally not abundantly on ordinary; but on rich ground, a heavy grazed. If any person can do better, let him go about it. crop of vines, but no peas. When sowed sufficiently DITCH MOULD.-I am now engaged carting on my thick, broad cast, the raising kind of this pea stands well meadow about 200 loads of mould, taken from a reserfor mowing. voir about 15 months past. It is black, rich and friable, and perhaps worth as much as so many loads of dung; particularly on that portion of my meadow on which it is spread, it being a red stiff clay. The ditch or reservoir is now filling again by means of a small stream, which is made to run out at either end at will. Amherst, Va., Feb. 1845. ZA. DRUMMOND.

PUMPKINS AND CIMLINS IN CORN FIELD.-It is folly to plant either pumpkins or cimlins in any other than rich land, and such, if properly seeded with corn, will produce with us, by the middle of July, a corn crop sufficiently luxuriant to smother every vine, pea, turnep, weed and grass. Whatever a corn field, properly planted, may yield in addition to corn, is just so much substracted from the corn.

OAT AND ORCHARD GRASS PASTURE.-Three years past, I sowed 8 or nine acres in oats and orchard grass. These acres lay in detached spots, and all within a pasture inclosure of about 200 acres; and which, not being fenced separately, was grazed closely from the beginning to this present time. The oats made an excellent pasture a good portion of the first year; and the orchard grass, where the land is rich, has made a good pasture ever since. New land of medium quality, will produce orchard grass very well, provided the soil is retained on the surface, to do which the coulter should be used to put in the seed.

THE VALUE OF THE SCOTCH LARCH IN ARTI
FICIAL PLANTATIONS.

MR. EDITOR-One of your correspondents in the October number of your interesting journal, seems desirous of some information as to the adaptation of this valuable tree to our country, and also as to the distinguishing dif ference in the natural habit of growth, quality of wood, &c. between the foreign and the native species, more commonly known as the "Hackmatack."

Having paid considerable attention to the Scotch Larch, and imported some thousands for the purpose of ornamental plantations, I am happy that it is in my power to IRRIGATION. Seeing the many and great advantages communicate some observations respecting this comparaarising from casting water on lands or crops, I am sur-tively rare tree, that may not prove uninteresting. prised and mortified to see so little of it done in my neighborhood, yea, and my country.

Since the decline of the oak in England, from the vast inroads made in these once noble forests for the purpose Arthur Young, in his Travels in Spain, says that "in of ship-building, the Larch may now be considered as the midst of an arid, wretched desert, he came to a the great timber tree not only of that country, but of Euspring which was immediately conducted into a reser-rope; and if it does not entirely and eventually supervoir, and thence used to irrigate maize, hemp, cabbages, and beans, which were all fine. As soon as the land is sown, it is watered, and periodically till the plants are up; moderately, while they are young, but every day The European Larch, claims its birth among the Alps and sometimes twice a day, when full grown. The ef- and Appenines; there its great hardihood causes it to fect is surprising, and infinitely exceeds that of the rich-flourish, where no other tree can survive; hanging over est manure that can be spread on any land."

sede the oak, it will at best give it that breathing space that it so much requires to again equal those specimens of which so few, alas, now remain.

rocks and precipices, which have never been visited by I can turn a creek on a portion of my bottom lands at mortal foot, it assumes that wildness that renders it inva pleasure, and have ascertained its effects on the following luable as a picturesque tree. Strabo speaks of Larches of vegetables. Moderate irrigation improves rye at any a very great size; many of them he says would measure stage of its growth, but there is danger of its rusting. eight feet in diameter, and at this day even, masts of When corn is in silk and tassel, it will grow and thrive larch from 100 to 110 and 120 feet in length, have been wonderfully in mud the balance of its days. Irish pota- floated down the Valois through the lake of Geneva and toes and cabbages like frequent flashings, but as the cab-down the Rhone to Toulon for the French dock yards. bage should be worked often and during the whole sum- In the Memoirs of the Royal Society of Paris for the year mer, the farmer should calculate accordingly. Red clo- 1787, there is an Essay by the President, M. De La ver likes a wetting, and white clover likes many. Pro-Tom D'Aigue, on the culture of the Larch, in which it fuse irrigation does not suit oats, peas, artichokes, pump. is celebrated as one of the most useful of timber trees; he kins and cimlins; and will rot all the lower end of car-tells us that he has in his own garden, rails that were put rots, parsneps, beets, radishes, turneps, &c. Irrigation in up partly of oak and partly of larch, in 1743. The forthe slightest degree does not suit tobacco or wheat, and to excess, is destructive.

mer he says have yielded to time, while the latter are uninjured. Experiments to test the durability of this wood, have also been made within a more recent date in the river Thames; posts of equal thickness and strength, some of oak and some of larch, were driven down in the river, where they were alternately covered by the tide, and there left to dry by its fall; this species of alternation being of course the most trying to timber, and accordingly the oak posts decayed, and were twice renew

Every person will of course know that casting water on a crop is useless labor when there is abundance of rain and consequently, the hotter and dryer the climate, the more necessity for irrigation. I wish some one, own ing a few hundred acres of poor sandy land, which could command water sufficient for its irrigation, would exchange with me for as many acres of the richest kind of mountain land. Or if he will not do this, I wish heed during a few years, while those of larch remained alwould go about its improvement, and let me know the result.

together unchanged; a particular advantage this tree possesses for naval architecture, is that the wood is almost TO KILL WIRE WORMS AND CUT WORMS.-I have never indestructible by fire, and not liable to splinter in engage. been pestered with worms of any kind in my corn when ments. It is also valuable to the cabinet maker, as bethe land has been thoroughly plowed in winter; but have sides its great clearness and hardness, it is susceptible of always suffered on rich ground, when this has been neg-so fine a polish as to be almost transparent, and may in

lected.

EARLY PLANTING AND SOWING.-The earlier we plant

this state be wrought into the most beautiful wainsco. Before the use of canvass became general by the old mas

ters, it was much used to paint on; and many of Ra-ever, be delayed much longer. The interest of the pubphael's piciures are painted on pannels of larch. lishers will lead them to furnish such intelligence as the public require.

I was much pleased in reading the discussion at the sixth meeting, on the subject of manures. Having had some experience in top dressing grass lands with animal manure, and as the results were different from the views of my esteemed friend Bement, I will give you a brief statement. A few years since, having a piece of meadow land which produced very light grass, and being so situated that I could not plow it up, I determined to give it a good top dressing of stable manure. I drew on and

The superiority of the foreign over our native varieties, consists principally in the great rapidity of its growth, and its power of adaptation to the poorest soil; while the American larch is properly a swamp tree, and grows but indifferently in any soil not naturally moist and humid; the foreign, on the contrary, will grow in any soil or situation, no matter how meagre or bleak, and is therefore admirably adapted to plant upon our mountains and barren lands that are valueless for other purposes, since, in addition to its rapid growth, it possesses the peculiar property like the locust of manufac-spread early in the spring, about twenty loads to the acre. turing a soil as it increases, from the annual decomposition of its leaflets; thus we find in the extensive larch plantations of the Duke of Athol, that land not worth one shilling sterling per acre, before the larch was planted, became worth eight to ten shillings sterling per acre after the first thirty years, when all the thinnings were completed, and the trees left for naval purposes, at the rate of 6s., four hundred to the acre, and twelve feet apart.

My workman was very sceptical as to the experiment, and said that there would be no grass. The same man, when the piece was mowed, became a convert to this method of improving the meadow. The crop was more than doubled, and the effects for three successive years, were most manifest.

We want many carefully made experiments on the subject of the proper application of manures, especially those from the yard of the farmer. Upon these, we are mainly in this country to rely, and the investigations which are making, will, I trust, lead to the establishment of some general principles, that will materially aid in the application of manures.

The larch, as I before remarked, is a very quick grower, comparing, and in fact exceeding the poplar, and our most rapid growing trees. The anecdote is, I believe well known, of the Duke of Athol seeing a British frigate built in 1819, at Woolwich, of timber planted at I am preparing another piece of land the present seaBlair and Dunkeld by himself and the Duke, his prede-son, in the same manner as the one alluded to, and should cessor. I have myself, trees that eighteen months ago my life be spared, I shall give the result to the readers were growing in England, that have made shoots of over of the Cultivator. five feet this season. Rome, March, 1845.

As regards the difference of appearance between the two species, as to foliage, habits, &c., I confess that to my taste, there is hardly a comparison; the foliage of the native sort is a bluish green, and though perhaps more delicate than the foreign, yet this is more than compensated by the picturesque and infinitely beautiful manner in which full grown trees feather to the ground-the American larch being more rigid and stiff, and possessing little of that graceful and pendulous manner which so distinguishes the foreign tree.

After these remarks, I cannot too warmly recommend the extensive introduction of the Scotch larch among us both for ornament and profit; when judiciously treated, nothing adds so much to the spirit or charm of artificial plantations, as this striking and picturesque tree, and for purposes of profit, it possesses all the valuable properties of the locust, while it exceeds it in durability and rapidity of growth, besides being less fastidious in the soil it requires, and I cannot therefore suggest a better appropriation of the many acres of the rocky, mountainous and barren land which exists among us, than plantations of larch. They can be imported into this country at a cost of less than two cents per tree of three feet high; and for extensive plantations, trees of one-third the cost and size would do better; and when we consider the lightning rapidity with which our primeval forests are disap-| pearing under the axe of the improver, does it not become the duty of every prudent farmer and land-holder to ask himself, how are we to meet hereafter the defieiency in timber? I would answer, plant larch. You can at least emulate the Long Island farmer, who portioned off his children from his locust grove, planted on his marriage.

You may even do more with the larch, than he did with the locust; for your descendants may, in course of time, verify the saying of the Romans, "That a post of lareh will outlive a pillar of iron."

By a careful comparison of the value for ship building, of the oak and larch, made in the government plantations in England it would appear that a larch of 50 years, prodaced as much available timber, as an oak of 100. Fishkill Landing, Feb. 11, 1845.

AGRICULTURAL MEETINGS.

B. P. JOHNSON.

BARN-DOOR FASTENINGS.

MR. EDITOR-I have some barn-door fastenings of my own invention, which I find the most convenient of any I have seen, a description of which I forward you.

A. (fig. 40,) handle, eighteen inches long, made of

one-horse waggon tire, tapered to onethird its width, with three holes punched through the wide end, two inches apart.

B. B. two bolts, of three-quarter inch round iron, attached to the handle, either by splitting the end, or by a rivet.

C. C. two eyes, with screws or siaples driven thro' the door at the top and bottom, thro' which the bolts pass to guide them

D. screw-bolt, which fastens the whole to the middle rail of the door frame, and passing through the middle hole of the handle; which I find is all that is necessary in the middle, without any guides but the ones at the bot

tom and top of the door.

The opposite door I fasten by a boit on a different drawing, (fig. 41,) but you will perceive that some othAnnexed you have a principle from any I have seen. er fastening will be required if you wish to open the door from the outside; but with me it is necessary to keep my barn locked; but with those who use a latch, I think if they will try my double bolt fastenings, they would not willingly be deprived of them.

A. (fig. 41,) handle fastened to the middle rail of the door, by a screw-bolt at D.

B. Bolt, one foot long, of half inch iron.

MR. EDITOR-The weekly agricultural meetings at the Capital, are attracting much attention among farmers. The proceedings are read with great interest, and the inquiry is often made why the editors of country papers o not more frequently publish them. It will not how-the bolt is drawn.

C. eye or staple, through which the bolt passes.
The dotted lines show the position of the handle when
FRANKLIN COUNTY.

NOTES OF TRAVEL IN THE WEST-No. II.

BY SOLON ROBINSON.

is upon a wide plain of soft loamy soil, with no outlet for accumula ting water, unless sent off "by the rail-road," which is so thoroughly out of repair at this time, that that would prove a poor sewer, ex cept of the people's pockets.

This rail-road, from hence to Meradosia (65 miles) on the Illinois river, is another of the links of that endless chain that was to bind the State in love together, but has bound them in debt forever. It is already so dilapidated that mules have been substituted for locomo tives, and as it fails to pay expenses, it must shortly go out of use for want of repair.

MY DEAR READERS-The violent snow storm that drove us into quarters last night, like violence of all kinds, soon spent itself, and having given place to a clear cold day, seat yourselves by my side, and we will roll away to the south, and notwithstanding that the wind is "dead ahead," and blowing a fine fresh breeze, we shall beat up against it with ease, though not with so much comfort as Another monument of by-gone Illinois riches, is the unfinished ill you might desire. The first dozen miles, you may observe, after constructed State-house, built of cut stone, of a hard sandy limestone leaving the grove of fine timber on our right, is too level and wet-quality, at an expense of a quarter of a million of dollars. It is 60 by tish" to be desirable. But here we come to the beautiful village of 120 feet, of two extremely high stories above the basement, (which Tremont, (the county seat of Tazewell,) with its handsome court-is useless on account of dampness ;) and contains a hall for the 120 house and church; but what interests us more, is to see that the members that represent the 99 counties of the State, a Senate Bons of New-England, who settled and still flourish here, so far de-of 41 members, and a Supreme Court of 9 judges, which by some parted from the fashion of this country, that they have given wide is thought to be supremely ridiculous; a very large library room streets and large building lots, many of the occupants of which have with very few books, except Illinois lows, and office rooms for Secstill farther departed from fashion, as we can plainly see by the mul- retary and Treasurer of an empty treasury, but is almost totally titude of shade and fruit trees that surround and beautify their dwell-lacking in what is most wanted, rooms for committees. The mass ings. We will not call, though tempting signs hang out, for we arees of stone and half finished columns that lie around, the unhung told that notwithstanding the beauty of the place, old King Alcohol, doors and unplastered rooms, show that the work was suddenly here holds undisputed sway. If this, "an o'er true tale" should be, checked at a point that shows the whole work was done upon “borI hope the Tremontonians will rouse themselves to break the ty- rowed capital."

rant's rule.

In the valley of a stream called Mackinaw, that winds through broken sandy hills of stunted timber growth, we witness the first marks of that great flood that desolated thousands of western acres. The little cabin is alone standing; all else is swept away. As we rise again upon the 25 mile wide prairie, which our road lies across, we see five miles ahead, a most enormous frame house, which was built, (all but putting together,) in Rhode Island, and now stands a monument of a bad speculation, towering its three or four stories far above the half dozen little tenements below, that rise from the town of Delavan, a name that sounds familiar in the ears of all tectotalers.

Of the members of the house I shall say nothing, except to beg you as you look upon and listen to them, not to consider them as a body, although large, a fair sample of the moral worth and intelligence of the inhabitants of the State. The appearance of the Sens torial body is highly respectable, and is presided over by one of the best presiding officers I ever saw; Col. Mattison, a Senator from Juliet, whose woolen factory I mentioned, I met with here, and owe to him my warmest thanks for every effort in his power extended cordially to me to further the object of my mission. I also was treated with great respect by many other Senators and representatives, who seemed fully to appreciate the benefits that would accrue to the agricultural community, if they could be induced to read good agricultural papers, and to talk, think and act upon the business of their every day life. I spent three days amid this congregated wisdom of Illinois, from which I hope some good may arise; and should have held a public meeting to talk to the few farmers in the Legislature, but I found that self-interest, party tactics, and Mormonism, so commatter as improvement in agricultural pursuits, had no possible chance in such an excited community. Our friend Wright of the Prairie Farmer, was also at Springfield, engaged in a noble effort to get an improvement in the present very defective common school law of Illinois. An uphill business-reminds me something abou casting pearls before a certain kind of animals.

This town was projected for a "colony;" whether it was a part of the project that the colonists should live without wood, I am not informed, but certes there is but little in sight, and that little far away to the west, while eastward lies untold miles of prairie, and southward along our road a long 12 miles will bring us to an only house, with just about timber enough to fill an old fashion New-Eng-pletely absorbed every other interest, that such plain common sense land fire-place, but for eight miles more, there is no one to claim a share of this poor pittance of fuel or interfere with this ocean of prairie. To day we cross several creeks that would be good millstreams, but unfortunately there is neither fall or good banks. The bridges are dilapidated by the high water and natural quick decay of timber in a damp climate, and the roads such as nature made them, with but little labor from this non-road-working community. The night we'll spend at what is somewhat rare, a comfortable country inn, at a small specimen of a village called Middletown, so called perhaps because like many others, it is in the middle of a middling sized prairie, 20 miles north of Springfield, the capitol of the Sucker State. From whatever cause this name for the State originated, I doubt not that many who have been "suck'd in" by the private speculations of individuals, as well as by the wild projects of internal improvement that have suck'd in so many millions of dollars, will think the name an appropriate one.

Indications of a change of soil are visible to day. The timber is such as is commonly found on the alluvial bottom lands of the west. Maple, elm, black-walnut, ash and buckeye, interspersed with oak, the prevailing timber further north. And a still greater indication shows by the absence of barns and other "yankee fixings," that show the yankee thrift of character, that a population of corn-growing, hog-feeding, corn-bread and bacon-eating southerners are in the majority in this latitude. Our eastern built carriage, with two wheels in the rut upon one side, while the other two are jolting up on a rough ridge, tells us that we are in a country of "wide track wagons," driven with the "single line" as we see, by a teamster seated upon one of the horses. And why should it be different? Did not their father's so drive before them!!

In the bluff of the Sangamon river, (5 miles from Springfield,) which is here a good mill stream, and so used, where it has been dug out to form a road to a fine new bridge, we see the rock in every state of formation, between soft clay and hard limestone. From the river to near the town, the road lies over a tract of very poor sandy hills, full of gulleys and covered with brush, that probably never will again be worth as much money as it was valued at a few years ago, when Springfield was going to be" a London or Pekin, in of men, that in counting dollars, discarded all figures be

the eyes
low millions.

There are a few good buildings in the "city," one of which is the defunct State bank, built of the same material as the State house, from a quarry about 8 miles distant-also a stone church. There is a large plow manufactory here, which makes about 2,000 a year, with wrought iron mould-boards, which are not equal however to those made wholly of steel at Chicago. There are two furnaces for small castings, that use iron from Tennessee, and coal to melt it with from Philadelphia; the coal of Illinois, which is abundant within a few miles, not being fit for that purpose.

This is an old and rich country, with good soil and timber, yet there is a great deal of uncultivated land. There are some orchards, but as the country has not been settled more than 20 or 25 years, people must be excused for not having fruit, as it takes a great many years to get that, when there are no trees set out.

As an evidence of the rapid growth of timber, I was told of one 80 acre lot that was cut off nine years ago, and will now afford fif teen cords to the acre, mostly oak. This kind of wood is worth about $1,25 a cord in Springfield. Wheat here, as well as all along the road from Ottawa, is worth about 50 cts., corn 20 cts., oats 15 cts. And every where through this part of the State, there is one universal cry of no money, and very poor crops for two years past, which I can readily believe, and will also add that they will be so for two years to come; for no system of farming like that almost universally followed here, will ever afford the farmer good crops. Although he may raise a great many bushels of corn, and keep a great many poor hogs, horses and cattle to eat it all up in the winter, which they must do for lack of any other kind of feed, he will still cry "no money" and still go on in the same way, for he will not inform himself of a better system. His rotation of crops is corn, weeds, hogs, mud and corn. His reading, if indeed he happen to be one who rends at all, consists of a very brief insight of one book, and one well con'd paper of the one party in whom he places all faith. In such a community, better informed men are out of place, and all their innovations looked upon with jealousy, and their better success from better management, with envy.

On the morning of Jan. 16th, I intended to leave Springfield, but was detained by a thunder shower till evening, when I drove out on the St. Louis road over wet, uncultivated prairie, 5 miles to "Lick creek timber," an excellent body of good land, good farms and fine timber.

Notwithstanding this is an old county, that is old for this young country, there is an abundance of uncultivated land, and that too within gun shot of the capital. On most of the creeks and ravines, coal is found in abundance. The streams through this part of the State are sunk in deep hollows, and run between high, steep, mud

Now, on this 12th day of January, 1845, at Springfield, the capital of the State of Illinois, it is a mild sunny day, more like May than midwinter, and a drouth prevailing like midsummer. In fact, it was so dry last fall, that not half the seed sown grew, and many of the wheat fields look as bare as naked fallow. Whether it will grow in spring, is yet to be proven. My opinion is, that it would be good policy to sow it now with a seeding of spring wheat. Many of the corn-fields that I have passed, bear ready evidence of the prevailing rains of the spring and early part of summer. In some of the fields, on flat prairie, the crop was not worth gathering, while in others of drier soil or more rolling land, the crop was a good one for this country of untold richness of soil, say 30 bushels to the acre; and even that in many instances we see still in the field, for such is west-dy banks. ern farming. At a poor deserted looking village called Auburn, I met with a Now curiosity may perhaps inquire for a description of this capi- rare sight-an actual live nursery of well assorted fruit trees, culti tol. If I give one, it must be of briefer space than the scattering vated by the Rev. Wm C. Greenleaf, a very worthy Presbyterian town of 3 or 4.000 inhabitants, who mostly occupy poor buildings, minister, whose talents not being appreciated sufficiently to support upon small, dirty, treeless, grassless, gardenless lots, upon long unpa-his declining years, has turned his well cultivated mind to the culti ved level streets, which are never very muddy, unless more than vation of trees, and for which he finds more persons willing to pay. knee deep; which it is not improbable they should be, as the town than he does for preaching, which they prefer to have of a cheaper