GRAIN CROPS. 



151 



Statement of Charles A. Latham. 



The acre of land on which I raised my rye was in grass, 

 unraannred, during the previous eight or ten years. August 

 1, 1874, I ploughed half an acre seven inches deep; August 

 29, harrowed it once, spread on three cords of good compost 

 and three barrels of unleached ashes, and sowed 19 quarts of 

 rye, harrowing it in and bushing it. September 4 ploughed 

 90 rods adjoining, making in all 170 rods ; harrowed it once, 

 and put on three cords of weak compost and 200 pounds of 

 sea-fowl guano ; September 7, sowed 21 quarts of rye, and 

 harrowed and bushed it in. The soil is a dark loam, some- 

 what rocky, but pretty free from small stones. The rye came 

 up well and grew well during the fall, but the long and cold 

 winter killed it in spots, especially on one side of the lot 

 where there is a depression in which the water collected and 

 froze solid to the ground, remaining so, I should think, about 

 two months. When the spring, which was quite late, finally 

 opened, I found the rye so badly killed on about ten rods in 

 the lowest part, that I ploughed it up and planted potatoes 

 upon it, leaving barely one acre of the rye, and that some- 

 what winter-killed in spots. The uninjured part grew rapidly 

 and ripened well. July 20 it was harvested by cradling and 

 mowing, and was threshed by hand August 19-24. I 

 think the crop Avas better upon that part of the lot where the 

 ashes were put, than upon the part where the guano was 

 applied, but as there was a difference in the compost, and 

 also in the land, I am unable to say which I derived the 

 greatest benefit from. The product was 1,250 pounds, or 

 22lf bushels of rye, at $1.10 per bushel, $24.50, and 2,923 

 pounds of straw, for which I received $35.40 ; total, $59.90. 



Expense of Crop 



Ploughing and harrowing, 

 Manure, ..... 

 Seed and sowing, 

 Harvesting, .... 



Total, 



$55 00 



I think the land is now in much better condition than before 

 it was ploughed. 



