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long since ceased to pay expenses. This, however, is the fault of the cultivation, and not 

 of the climate or soil. I have known two neighbors, with fields of like soil lying together, 

 with only a fence between — one would have thirty bushels to the acre while the other had 

 less than fiv^ bushels per acre ; one keeping his land up and making money, the other let- 

 ting his laud become thin, and he going in rags aud becoming poorer each year. 



Very few counties iu Michigan have any cause to lament the condi- 

 tion of winter-wheat. With the exception of returns from iSTewaygo 

 and Cass, and those of Branch, Berrian, and Lenawee, as to clay- 

 lands, all are promising, most of them to an unusual degree. The opin- 

 ion in Saint Joseph is, " The best in ten years;" "the best in twenty 

 years" in Calhoun; aud "never better" in Barry and Jackson. In 

 the latter " the foot-stalks are very large, the leaf broad ; the stools 

 stand square and firm." In Van Buren timber-lands make the best show. 

 Fully 70 per cent, of the Indiana counties make favorable returns. 

 Some of the exceptions are Decatur, Koble, Eandolph, Hamilton, Mar- 

 shall, Whitley, Steuben, Grant, Martin, Tipton, Wells, and Wayne. The 

 clay soils are affected by ireezing and thawing-, the sandy soils and 

 bottom-lands exempt. The prospect is claimed to be th« best in forty 

 years in Knox. The early sown is best in Brown. 



Very few returns from Illinois are unfavorable. The earl}- sown is al- 

 most uniforaily in superior condition ; in some cases late sown is a fail- 

 ure. The favorable influence of good tillage upon condition is repeat- 

 edly shown. The rough aud changeable weather of March has been in- 

 jurious in Grundy, De Kalb, Washington, Tazewell, Effingham, and 

 Mason. In Franklin its healthy color and thickly-matted growth is notice- 

 able. Six counties produce nearly a quarter of the winter-wheat of 

 the State, averaging in a good year three-fourths of a million bushels 

 each — Eandolpli, Macoupin, Washington, Monroe, Clinton, and Jersey — 

 and of those all except Washington report condition from average to 

 fine; Randolph (producing a million bushels usuallv.) marked " very 

 fine." 



Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa, though producing in 1873 about 

 ninety millions of bushels of wheat, do not together aggregate more 

 than twice the amount of fall-sown wheat grown in Randolph County, 

 Illinois, yet many people gravely speculate upon the prospects of the 

 crop of winter-wheat in those States. Still there are favorable reports 

 this year from Kewaunee, Washington, Sheboygan, Buffalo, Calumet, 

 and other counties iu Wisconsin; and Benton, Jefferson, Lee, Louisa, 

 Appanoose, Muscatiue, Decatur, and Clayton iu Iowa. 



iS'early all the wheat of Missouri is fall sown. For several years 

 past its wheat returns have been unpromising, but there is very little 

 cause for complaint the present spring. Some correspondents state 

 that the prospect has not been better for thirty years. It is generally 

 of good color, well rooted and vigorous. In Perry " croakers say it is 

 entirely too fine for the season." The Polk County correspondent says : 

 " Never looked better, but the chinch-bug is bound to take it. Mil- 

 lions of them have just put in an appearance. Every shelter for them 

 during the winter was literally filled." 



In Kansas almost equally flattering prospects are presented. But 

 three counties, Nemaha, Miami, and Shawnee, report low condition. 

 " Very good," " never better," aud " best for eight years," aud similar 

 expressions characterize the returns. The Labette correspondeut says, 

 " It is as thick on the ground as can be, from four to eight inches high, 

 affording excellent pasture for some of the half-starved cattle, without 

 ^loing any harm either." The early sown is the bes^;. Nebraska is not 

 a winter-wheat State. 

 The California returns are of various import, some very favorable, 



