58 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



ing with the rows the drill riding the row will put in the wheat too deep 

 while the drills next to it on either side are likely to put in it too shal- 

 low, and the other because drilling crosswise will knock out more corn 

 stubs, and leave the land more level, as well as covering the wheat more 

 uniformly. For the benefit of the young clover, the drills should run 

 north and south to give as free entrance as possible to the sunlight; and 

 therefore, if it is intended to sow wheat in the cornfield the corn should 

 be laid by east and west. In 1889 I raised one crop of winter wheat by 

 drilling in standing corn with a hoe drill, the hoes set on arms which 

 could be spread or contracted as necessary, in the same manner as the 

 one-horse garden cultivator of today. This drill was pulled by one horse 

 between the rows of standing corn. It is not a satisfactory way, although 

 I think an excellent crop could be raised if the corn stands up well. 

 If the corn is down much, more of it will be broken and wasted and 

 the wheat stand will not be even. With the hoe drill, it would be diffi- 

 cult to secure a very even stand if there is much foxtail in the field. 

 The stalks would have to be thoroughly harrowed the next spring. 



On the farm owned by Wallaces' Farmer, 7 miles south of De& 

 Moines, we raised this season over 1,100 bushels of winter wheat on 

 about 27.5 acres, one field of 7 acres averaging 43 bushels to the acre 

 and another of 20.05 acres averaging 40 bushels. As much of this sold 

 for seed at $1.00 and $1.50 per bushel, it would not be fair to take our 

 returns per acre as a basis for averaging figures; but taking the aver- 

 age market price of say 50 cents per bushel, which is full low enough, 

 these fields yielded us over $20.00 per acre. The financial statement 

 would be as follows: 



40 bushels of wheat, at 50 cents per bushel .... $20.00 



Seed, 1*4 bushels, at $1.00 per bushel $1.25 



Labor of man and team, drilling 40 



Harvesting 1.75 



Cost of threshing, about 3.60 7.00 



Net profit per acre $13.00 



This statement does not include the cost of harrowing the field in 

 the spring for the purpose of covering the clover seed, for that does not 

 properly belong to the cost of raising the wheat crop. The figures given 

 are not actual. The seed of the 7-acre field was imported from Russia 

 last season, and cost us say something over $2.50 per bushel. Our re- 

 turns per acre from this field were considerably over $20.00, but cue fig- 

 ures I give are representative and will apply in an average year and to 

 the average farm. The first part of this season was very favorable, but 

 from harvest time on it was most unfavorable. There were probably 

 one or two acres of the larger field that we were not able to cut at all 

 on account of the wet weather. And the yield on all of it was several 

 bushels less than it would have been under favorable conditions. 



In April we sowed the clover seed. It should have been sowed earlier 

 but we could not secure the seed we wanted in time. The ground was 

 very dry when the clover was sowed, and as there was no chance of its 



