EEPOETS OF DEPARTMENTS. 65 



Preparing for and sowing |59 36 



Seed 37 69 



Harvesting 144 07 



Cost of crop ^231 12 



Cr. 



By 20 tons straw ^80 00 



'*■ 1,250 bu?hels (estimated) . . 151 12 



Total ^231 12 



This makes the oats cost now about 12 cents per bushel, and when the 

 remainder of the crop is threshed, will only increase it to 13 cents. The field 

 being 23 acres, the cost of tillage, harvesting, and threshing will be only about 

 ?ilO 60 per acre when all are threshed. The oats threshed show its that they 

 were estimated fully too low. The west end of the field was sown with 590 lbs 

 Excelsior, and the east with 1,G25 lbs. of White Schoomen, and as far as 

 observed the latter were the best yielders this year, both to the straw and per 

 acre. Both varieties weigh 40 lbs per bushel of measure, of veiy fine quality. 

 The crop would have been much larger were it not for a severe shower that 

 lodged them badly in many portions of the field and necessitated their being- 

 mown by hand, thus costing much more for harvesting than if cut by reaper. 



The wheat crop was sown Sept. 14 to 18 inclusive. The ground was jilowed 

 immediately after taking off the oats, and was finished Aug. 18. The ground 

 Avas harrowed both ways and left till the oats should sprout. It was then culti- 

 vated with wheel cultivators each vfnj, and then planed with a land planer, when 

 it was in condition to sow, A severe shower at this juncture compelled me to 

 cultivate the field once more, and harrow once, which was done before sowing. 

 The field was sown to five kinds of wheat at the rate of 1^ bushels per acre, 

 except the Asiatic wheat, which, on account of largeness of berry, did not sow 

 over 1 bushel jior acre. The wheat was sown in this order, commencing with 

 the east end of the field, and drilled in north and south with a Beckwith roller 

 drill: Wick's wheat, Asiatic Avheat, Arnold's Gold Medal, Delhi, and Clawson, 

 of the following quantities : 1st, 220 lbs ; 2d, 45 lbs ; 3d, 90 lbs ; 4th, 1308 lbs ; 

 5th, 273 ibs. The east part of the field was rolled, the west left unrolled. The 

 east received 8 quarts timothy per acre, the west G quarts, which sj^routed and 

 grew- well. The following is the summai*}" : 



» 



Preparing ground and sowing 1118 06 



Seed wheat 41 58 



Cost of wheat $159 64 



Timothy seed- 19 77 



Sowing same 98 



Cost of wheat and seeding $180 39 



This gives nearly §7 85 per acre for cost of sowing wheat and seeding to 

 timothy. 



The following is a summary of labor performed on the field for the year : 

 9 



