22 WHAT I KNOW OF FARMING. 



crops can be made, constitute the heaviest item on 

 the wrong side of our farmers' balance-sheets ; taxing 

 them more than their National, State, and local gov- 

 ernments together do. 



II. Good crops rarely fail to yield a profit to the 

 grower. I know there are exceptions, but they are 

 very few. Keep your eye on the farmer who almost 

 uniformly has great Grass, good Wheat, heavy 

 Corn, &c., and, unless he drinks, or has some other 

 bad habit, you will find him growing rich. I am 

 confident that white blackbirds are nearly as abund- 

 ant as farmers who have become poor while usually 

 growing good crops. 



III. The fairest single test of good farming is the 

 increasing productiveness of the soil. That farm 

 which averaged twenty bushels of grain to the acre 

 twenty years ago, twenty-five bushels ten years ago, 

 and will measure up thirty bushels to the acre from 

 this year's crop, has been and is in good hands. I 

 know no other touchstone of Farming so unerring as 

 that of the increase or decrease from year to year 

 of its aggregate product. If you would convince me 

 that X. is a good farmer, do not tell me of some great 

 crop he has just grown, but show me that his crop 

 has regularly increased from year to year, and I am 

 satisfied. 



I shall have more to say on these points as I pro- 

 ceed. It suffices for the present if I have clearly in- 

 dicated what I mean by Good and what by Bud 

 Farming. 



