Produced by Susan Skinner, Juliet Sutherland and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net THE PRAIRIE FARMER A Weekly Journal for THE FARM, ORCHARD, AND FIRESIDE. ESTABLISHED IN 1841. ENTIRE SERIES: VOL. 56--NO. 4. CHICAGO, SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 1884. PRICE, $2.00 PER YEAR, IN ADVANCE. [Transcriber's Note: The Table of Contents was originally located on page 56 of the periodical. It has been moved here for ease of use.] THE CONTENTS OF THIS NUMBER. AGRICULTURE--Raising Onions, Page 49; Royalist 3d, 4500, 49; Illinois Tile-Makers' Convention, 50-51; Better Management Needed, 51; Seed Corn from South, 51; Field and Furrow Items, 51. LIVE STOCK--Items, Page 52; Herd Books and Records, 52; Competing for Sweepstake Prizes, 52; Raising Young Mules, 52. THE DAIRY--Wisconsin Dairymen, Page 53. VETERINARY--Impaction of the Paunch, Page 53; HORTICULTURE--Lessons of 1883, Page 54; Illinois Hort. Society, 54; Diogenes in His Tub, 54-55; Possibilities of Cherry Growing, 55; Prunings, 55. FLORICULTURE--Gleanings by an Old Florist, Page 55. EDITORIAL--Items, Page 56; The Cost of Cold Winds, 56; Good Work at Washington, 56-57; Wisconsin Meetings, 57; Answers to Correspondents, 57; Wayside Notes, 57; Letter from Champaign, 57. POULTRY NOTES--Chicken Chat, Page 58; Chicken Houses, 58; Items, 58. FORESTRY--Items, Page 59. SCIENTIFIC--Official Weather Wisdom, Page 59; A Remarkable Electrical Discovery, 59; Items, 59. HOUSEHOLD--Christian Charity (Poetry), Page 60; Items, 60; The Night Cap, 60; How to Treat a Boy, 60; Pamphlets, Etc., Received, 60; Compiled Correspondence, 60. YOUNG FOLKS--Jule Fisher's Rescue, Page 61. LITERATURE--Between the Two Lights, Poem, Page 62; The Two Overcoats, 62. HUMOROUS--Bait of the Average Fisherman, Page 63; Whose Cold Feet, 63; Changed Relations, 63; It Makes a Difference, 63; Items, 63. Question Answered, 53. NEWS OF THE WEEK--Page 64. MARKETS--Page 64. RAISING ONIONS. There are two causes of failure to make this crop uncertain. One is because the soil is not kept clear of weeds, and the other is that it is not properly enriched. To raise a good crop of onions requires a light, loamy soil, worked into as fine a condition as possible, to render cultivation easy.