GRAYLING INSTITUTE. 337 



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The competition for the ownership of land is intense and peasant proprie- 

 tors have invested their surplus earnings in land at the rate of $1,000 per 

 acre. 



Rents vary from $5 to $12 and in some localities as high as $15 per acre is 

 paid, 



A widow and her three grown sons occupy a farm of ten acres, the live stock 

 consisting of three cows and two pigs, and their net income is over $300 per 

 year. Recently new farm buildings have been erected at a cost of $1,000. 



From my personal observations in 1874 and 1880 the most striking features 

 of the general system of farm practice, which must be of interest to all light 

 land farmers, are the prominent attention given to barnyard manures, the 

 thorough system of rotations planned to keep the soil constantly occupied by 

 paying crops, the growing of tvxo crops at the same time, on the same land, 

 which provides for the utilizing of all elements of fertility as soon as they 

 are made available, and the thorough and clean cultivation that is gen- 

 erally practiced. 



When one crop was harvested another was put in without any delay. I 

 have seen a man reaping wheat with a sickle, the small bundles were tied up 

 by the children and carried to a hand cart, propelled by a dog and a woman, 

 and hauled to a space near the farm buildings where they were set out to cure; 

 a plow drawn by a pair of cows, followed close to the reaper, and the land was 

 immediately fitted for the following crop. 



The greatest care is taken to preserve the barnyard manure without any 

 waste, and with few exceptions it is' the only fertilizer used. 



Colza or rape is a favorite crop and rape cake is frequently applied directly 

 to the soil as manure instead of using it as cattle food. Middens or manure 

 pits are male of masonry with water tight bottoms and sides, and the barn- 

 yards are paved on a slight slope with a gutter and tank to collect the liquids 

 without any waste. Liquid manure is highly prized, and sometimes a spout 

 from the eaves is turned into the midden to increase the supply of manure in 

 the liquid form. 



Children may be seen on the highways with a pail and small scoop to 

 gather up the droppings. 



When the supply of manure is short the lower stratum of soil is brought 

 to the surface with the spade, used in the bottom of the furrow, but, from the 

 labor involved, this is only practiced at intervals of several years. This 

 secures an improvement of the soil to the depth of 18 or 20 inches and the 

 organic matter of the soil is increased by the accumulated root residue of the 

 crops grown. 



There is no fixed system as to kind of crops grown or the order in which 

 they are arranged in rotation. The courses are usually of seven to nine- 

 years, and the details are frequently varied. 



The leading principles seem to be to grow a variety of crops in such order 

 as will keep the land constantly occupied, and to grow two crops together as 

 often as possible. A few examples will sufficiently illustrate the prevailing 

 practice. 



1, potatoes; 2, oats; 3, flax and carrots; 4, rye followed by turnips; 5, 

 potatoes, peas and carrots; 6, oats and spurry; 7, flax and clover; 8, 

 cliver; 9, barley followed by turnips. 



1, potatoes; 2, wheat and carrots; 3, rye followed by turnips; 4, oats 

 and clover; 5, clover; 6, flax and carrots; 7, rye; 8, buckwheat. 



