I was looking in the Harpers Weekly from April 22, 1865 and found in the back in the ads section was for land out in Illinois..

In Tracts to suit Purchasers, AT LOW PRICES. THE ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILROAD COMPANY HAVE FOR SALE,

900,000 ACRES of the best Farming Lands in the Country.

The road extends from Dunleith, in the north-western part of the State, to Cairo, in the extreme southern part, with a branch from Centralia, one hundred and thirteen miles north of Cairo, to Chicago, on the shore of Lake Michigan altogether a length of 704 miles and the land which is offered for sale is situated upon either side of the track, in no instance at a greater distance than fifteen miles.

State of Illinois.
The rapid development of Illinois, its steady increase in population and wealth, and its capacity to produce cheap food, are matters for wonder and admiration. The United States Commissioner of Agriculture estimates the amounts of the principal crops of 1864, for the whole country, as follows: Indian corn, 530,561,403 bushels; wheat, 160,695,823 bushels; oats, 176,690,064 bushels; of which the farms of Illinois yielded 138,356,135 bushels of Indian corn; 33,371,173 bushels of wheat; and 24,273,751 bushels of oats in reality more than one fourth of the corn, more than one-fifth of the wheat, and almost one-seventh of the oats produced in all the United States.

Grain Stock Raising.
Pre-eminently the first in the list of grain exporting States, Illinois is also the great cattle State of the Union. Its fertile prairies are well adapted by nature to the raising of cattle, sheep, horses and mules; and in the important interest of pork packing, it is far in advance of every other State. The seeding cif these prairie lands to tame grasses for pasturage or hay, offers to farmers with capital the most profitable results. The hay crop of Illinois in 1864 is estimated at 2,166,725 tons, which is more than half a million tons larger than the crop of any other State, excepting only New York.

Inducements to Settlers.
The attention of persons, whose limited means forbid the purchase of a homestead in the older States, is particularly invited to these lands. Within ten years the Illinois Central Railroad Company has sold 1,400,000 acres, to more than 20,000 actual settlers: and during the last year 264,422, acres a larger aggregate of sales than in any one year since the opening of the road. The farms are sold in tracts of forty or eighty acres, suited to the settler with limited capital, or in larger tracts, as may be required by the capitalist and stock raiser, The soil is of unsurpassed fertility ; the climate is healthy ; taxes are low ; churches and schools are becoming abundant throughout the length and breadth of the State ; and communication with all the great markets is made easy through railroads, canals and rivers.

PRICES AND TERMS OF PAYMENT.

The price of lands varies from $9 to $15 and upwards per acre, and they are sold on short credit, or for cash. A deduction of ten per cent. from the short credit price is made to those who buy for cash. EXAMPLE:

Forty acres at $10 per acre, on credit; the principal one-quarter cash down balance one, two and three years, at six per cent. interest, In advance, each year.

  INTEREST.   PRINCIPAL.   INTEREST.   PRINCIPAL.

Cash Payment,    $18 00   $100 00   Payment in two years,   $6 00   100 00

Payment in one year,   12 00   100 00 " three years    100 00

The Same Land may be Purchased for $360 Cash. Full information on all points, together with maps, showing the exact location of Lands, will be furnished on application, in person or by letter, to LAND COMMISSIONER, Illinois Central R. R. Co., Chicago, Illinois.

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