458 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



kind of harvesting was not only slow and expensive, but very unpleasant. 

 A change seemed absolutely necessary. To accomplish this a little more 

 horse power was attached, a little more buckskin applied — more motion pro- 

 duced and the unpleasant task of lifting and prying with rails and planks to 

 remove the machine from the mud was avoided. But the new plan was not 

 entirely successful ; the large drive wheel would occasionally encounter low 

 places so thoroughly saturated and filled with water that the earth would give 

 way and the wheel would slide instead of turn. Whenever this would occur, 

 and it was quite often, if a traveler unacquainted with machinery could have 

 passed along he would have been at a loss to tell whether the thing was 

 intended for rolling down and threshing out the wheat or for constructing 

 surface drains. Our last year's wheat crop was perhaps 30,000 acres and 

 300,000 bushels. Acres now on the ground will but little if any exceed that 

 of last year. The Olawsou wheat, after filling our granaries for several years 

 to our entire satisfaction seems to have become less productive. Other varie- 

 ties are being tried and in many cases with very satisfactory results. 



COEN. 



When we think of our corn crop it brings to mind the old and familiar 

 saying, a short horse is soon curried. So our corn story is soon told — we had 

 none except in a few favored localities where the water could not remain, and 

 early frost did not kill. At the sheep breeders' convention held at 

 Lansing a short time ago, we met an old friend, a farmer from the 

 southern part of the State. In conversation with him among other things 

 we asked, How was your corn crop last year? His reply was short and prompt. 

 Didn't have any. Well, he said in continuation, I planted 12 acres and had 

 enough soft corn to fill my wagon box twice. Something similar to the 

 above is quite a common expression with our farmers, and I merely repeat 

 what he said to show that other localities and much further south have suf- 

 fered equally with our county, You may consider it a little out of order- 

 here at this time and on this occasion, but we hope and trust you will pardon 

 us for saying a few words to our brother farmers in regard to our next corn 

 crop. It would be a hard blow to our county if the next crop should be even 

 a partial failure ; there would be no old corn, as there is now, to fall back on.. 

 In a little more than one hundred days from now you will be preparing your 

 fields for planting. But it is not your fields, your acres, your time for, or 

 mode of planting that I wish to call your attention to — it is your seed corn. 

 Have you got good sound corn of this year's growth? Is it thoroughly 

 dried? Are you keeping it where severe freezing will not injure it if the mer- 

 cury happens to drop an inch below zero? If you are depending on old corn 

 for seed do you know that it had germinating qualities last year? Are you 

 sure it will grow this year? If you are not supplied with either, procure 

 some at once. And if you have the least doubt about the germinating 

 qualities of your corn, test it by placing a handful between two rags keeping 

 them moist, in a dish by the side of a stove. 



OATS. 



The oat crop was more than an average, and of fine quality. 



FKUIT. 



Apples were not more than twenty per cent of an average crop. In a few 

 favored localities the peach crop was quite good ; in others almost or quite a 



