408 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Germany. 



Ave. per 

 Acres. Bushels. acre. 



1899 7,737,845 1,411,160,740 182.37 



1900 7.953,597 1.488.128,290 187.11 



1901 8,200,833 1.785.199,570 217.68 



1902 8,907,465 1,593,621,076 199.01 



The enormous production of potatoes in Germany, as compared with 



the United States and the comparative prices are interesting. Prices in 

 the United States are nearly double those in Germany, and the value of 

 the product j?er acre is shown to be $44.78 in Germany, against $41.21 in 

 the United States, in spite of the fact that the production in Germany iti 

 twice as large. 



There is an overproduction of potatoes in Germany, while the 

 reverse is true of the United States, the supply being unequal to the 

 demand. Potatoes are used more for food in Germany, people subsisting 

 almost entirely upon potatoes and coffee. 



An enormous amount of potatoes is also consumed in various manu- 

 factures, seven eighths of all the alcohol of that country being distilled 

 from this vegetable. Many of the large farms maintain distilleries for 

 the utilization of the crop. The manufacture of starch and glucose is 

 also another important factor in the consumption. 



PLOWING BY RULE. 



Homestead. " 



A good deal of plowing that is done in the corn belt may well be 

 described as belonging to the corduroy order, and this we believe may be 

 given as one reason why the corn crop in this belt, where conditions are 

 almost ideal, only averages between thirty and forty bushels per acre, 

 taking it for a number of years in succession. Young men should be en- 

 couraged to take greater pains when working with the plow, not only 

 because skillful work of any kind is better for the worker than thai: 

 which is performed in a slipshod manner, but from the utility standpoint. 

 A crop on any land will be better after good plowing than on poor plow- 

 ing. A plowing match was recently held near Brandon in the Province 

 of Manitoba, under the auspices of a Farmers' Institute. In passing on 

 the work the judges adopted the following scale: ^ 



Crown 13 



Straightness 15 



In and out at ends 5 



Evenness of depth 7 



Width of furrows S 



Evenness of top land 10 



Covering of weeds 30 



Finish 12 



Total 100 



