University of Illinois Farm Paper Archive

[J. Donaldson]

I've cross-posted this from the Heritage Farmers group, as there are people who might not be a member of that group who might be interested in the following announcement.

I just received an email detailing a new service from the University of Illinois that might be useful to members of the forum. The University of Illinois/Urbana-Champaign's Library has created a digital access site for some of it's agricultural newspaper holdings. Of particular interest are the run of the Prairie Farmer beginning in 1841, as well as the Illinois Farmer from 1856-1864. While not every issue of every paper is online, there are enough that you can find plenty of information about the upper Midwest during our era of interest. There are several search options, but one I enjoyed was browsing editions of the titles of your choice in their entirety. Advertisements, stories, market reports, and the full range of farm information is available through the interface. The link is here.

[Becky Morgan]

Re: University of Illinois Farm Paper Archive

Thank you. There is a wealth of detail here!

[cstaples]

Re: University of Illinois Farm Paper Archive

Thank you.. This is very interesting stuff. I love old newspapers.

[georgerutherford1861]

Re: University of Illinois Farm Paper Archive

Items like this are great. I am thinking of printing a few out to have on hand at future events for reading from/discussion. The wide range of dates available is great as well, as it will allow for having a "current issue" with the latest and greatest topics. In looking at other similar farm periodicals, I found that an old piece of equipment at my parents' house that my dad had thought was for crushing sorghum was actually intended for cutting hay into smaller bits, and that the design dated to the pre-war era. The "scientific" idea being that there would be less waste and that the animals would be able to digest it better (I think). One never knows what you'll find.

Doug Frank

[The Egyptian Homeguard]

Re: University of Illinois Farm Paper Archive

Bob, Thanks much! I grew up on a farm and still live on one down in the Egypt end of Illinois. It's always interesting to see articles from the past about farming... TEH