7 
per bushel, of growing oats and corn on his farm, as ascertained by 
keeping a careful account of each item of expense. Interest on the 
value of the land, estimated at $40 per acre, is charged, as is each day’s 
work by man, boy, or beast, but there is no charge for seed and no credit 
given for straw or corn fodder. In seeding, cultivating, and harvesting, 
improved farming tools and machinery were used. A field of oats, con- 
taining 15 acres, yielded 800 bushels, or 53 bushels per acre; the cost 
of raising was $9.45 per acre, or 17,7, cents per bushel. The cats when 
thrashed were worth in market 16 cents per bushel. One field of corn, 
containing 33 acres, yielded 45,°, bushels per acre; the cost of raising 
was $10.16 per acre, or 224 cents per bushel. Another field of 13 acres 
yielded 50 bushels per acre, and the cost of raising was $12.27 per acre, 
or 244 cents per bushel. Because it costs Mr. Gurler more to raise oats 
than they will bring in market, he does not consider that he is thereby 
doing either an unprofitable or an unwise business. His farm is stocked 
with cows, hogs, and long-wool sheep, and his rule is to feed out to them 
all the corn, oats, and hay it produces; on which account he reports 
that it is constantly improving in productiveness. 
The fifteen acres of oats were sown on corn-stalk ground without 
plowing, and cultivated with sulky corn-plow, and well harrowed. Cost, 
1 day’s work in sowing oats, $1.50; 35 in cultivating with man and team, 
$9; 24 in harrowing, $7.50; 3 men two days in harvesting, at $2.50 per 
day, $15; 1 boy two days, at $1 per day, $2; 1 team 2 days, at $1.50 
per day, $3; 4 men 1 day in stacking, $8 ; 2 boys 1 day, $2; 3 teams 1 
day, $4.50; 6 men part of a day in thrashing, at $1.50, $7.30; 4 teams 
2 of a day, at $1.50, $4.50; 1 boy 2 of a day, at 75 cents, 55 cents; 
board of thrashers, $4; of teams, $1; paid thrashers $11.84; interest 
on fifteen acres at $40 per acre, at 10 per cent., $60; total amount, 
$141.69, or $9.45 per acre. 
The cost of raising 33 acres of corn was, for plowing, at $1.50 per 
acre, $49.50; 3 days’ harrowing before planting, $9 ; marking with four- 
row marker, $3; planting : 2 men 2 days, at $1.50,$6; 1 team 2 days, 
at $1.50, $3; 1 planter 2 days, at $2, $4; cultivating: 6 days’ harrow- 
ing before the corn came up, at $3, $18; 22 days’ cultivating, man, team, 
and sulky-plow, at $3, $66; harvesting: 30 days’ work, at $1.50, $45; 
interest on 33 acres, at 840 per acre, $132; total amount, $335.50, or 
$10.16 per acre. The product was 1,500 bushels of corn. 
FYOREST-TREE PLANTING IN KANSAS.—A correspondent of the De- 
partment, in Republic County, Kansas, in urging public attention to 
the subject of forest-tree planting in that State, remarks: 
Many thousand trees planted last spring grew well, both native and foreign. A 
great many are putting ont fine groves and orchards; but homestead settlere are gen- 
erally too poor to plaut as large groves as this bleak, windy country needs. 
We are all much in hopes that Congress may do something to help us. Hf they would 
give any one all the land he would plant in trees, perhaps some would be planted. 
But if they would give four or ten times as much as was well planted and taken care 
of, it would be some inducement for eastern capitalists to have trees planted here ; and 
would benefit the nation and the State more than many settlers could do withont 
capital. Where there is a soil so fertile, something should be done to make it fit for 
comfortable homes and a virtuous people. 
A bill is before Congress for the encouragement of tree-planting and 
other agricultural development on the western plains. The Western 
Forest-tree and Hedge-growing Association, of Kansas, bas been incor- 
porated in that State with the design of encouraging systematic forest- 
culture on a portion of the great treeless plains. Its board of directors is 
mainly made up of men who have gained a wide reputation as tree-growers 
and agriculturists. Among them are Dr, John A. Warder, of Ohio; Robert 
