SOLON ROBINSON, 1846 47 



You say, "that all men will acknowledge it to be a very- 

 profitable crop to the Western farmer." I am as well sat- 

 isfied as you are, that it is more profitable to the Eastern 

 one. I have conversed with a great number of corn grow- 

 ers of the West, who agree that the crop does not there 

 average over forty bushels to the acre. And the price 

 will not average over a shilling a bushel (12 1/2 cents) 

 upon the farm, and in many places so remote from mar- 

 ket that the corn must first be converted into pork, which 

 is driven alive to market. And the stalks are absolutely 

 worse than worthless, for it costs considerable labor to 

 remove, or, as is most usual, cut and burn them out of the 

 way for the next crop. But the Western land is less valu- 

 able, and the cultivation is far less than it is in this State 

 and New England. But then the Eastern crop will aver- 

 age at least four times more in value than a Western one, 

 so that if the number of bushels can be made to average 

 the same, notwithstanding the manuring, rent, and ex- 

 pensive cultivation, the Eastern corn-crop is a more prof- 

 itable one than the Western. You estimate the value of 

 the crop of stalks, if cut green and well-cured, entirely 

 too low. 



Take the United States through, and I fully believe 

 that the corn-crop for any ten years of the past century, 

 will average the most profitable of any cultivated and 

 that the same will be the case for the next century, 'The 

 fact is, it is a mighty fine crop, stranger, any how you can 

 fix it." 



"Ladies' Department." — My most respectful compli- 

 ments to my dear friend "E.M.C.," of Lynn. How I wish 

 I knew whether she was disposable or not, that I might 

 tell her whether I was ditto, and seek her aid to help me 

 out of my "unfortunate situation." As for "the class of 

 ladies forming my acquaintance," they extend from New 

 Orleans to Macinaw, and from Maine to Missouri, among 

 which are many of the prettiest and best on earth ; and I 

 love the whole of them most truly, "E.M.C." included. 

 And in all the cutting remarks I ever made in ridiculing 



