SOLON ROBINSON, 1850 393 



profitably employed upon soils naturally more dry and 

 rich. The fact is, there is entirely too much land in the 

 United States for the present population. 



Wheat Versus Cattle ; 



Which is the most profitable for the Western 



Farmer? 



[Chicago Prairie Farmer, 10:278-79; Sep., 1850] 



[July 17, 1850] 



Messrs. Editors : I have been so much absent for two 

 years that I may not be competent to answer this ques- 

 tion. A long time ago I had the pleasure of communicat- 

 ing with your readers. Of late my connections with the 

 American Agriculturist has demanded all my time. On 

 my return home finding another failure in the wheat in 

 this county, I am induced to call attention to this subject 

 once more. Is wheat-growing profitable? or rather, is it 

 as profitable as stock raising might be made in such a 

 grass country as ours ? Can you compete with Maryland 

 and Virginia in wheat, any better than they can compete 

 with you in cattle and good beef. I speak of the tide 

 water region where transportation is so easy. True the 

 crop sometimes fails there. It is badly injured by rust 

 this year. — But the cattle look rusty every year. Not so 

 here. The wheat crop will be short there. In Western 

 New York, about a Fair average. In Ohio, much injured 

 by drouth ; last year it was ruined by the rust. In Michi- 

 gan, this year it will turn out better than farmers ex- 

 pected during the Spring. Corn I noticed, as I passed 

 through, looks very rank and growing, though generally 

 small. 



In this great wheat growing region of Northern Indi- 

 ana the winter wheat is as handsome as could be desired ; 

 but unfortunately there is but little growing. It has here- 

 tofore been so much killed with flies, drouth. Winter 

 freezing, or Spring thawing, or want of snow, or too much 

 snow, or, if escaping all these, the rust ; that farmers have 



