168 WHAT I KNOW OF FARMING. 



ment in Iowa or Kansas. The soil is warm, readily 

 frees itself, or is freed, from surplus water ; is not 

 addicted to weeds ; may be plowed at least 200 days 

 in a year; may be sowed or planted in the Spring, 

 when Minnesota is yet solidly frozen ; while the crop, 

 early matured, is on hand to take advantage of any 

 sudden advance in the European or our own seaboard 

 markets. Labor, also, is cheaper and more rapidly 

 procured in the neighborhood of this great focus of 

 immigration than it is or can be in the West ; and 

 our capable farmers may take their pick of the work- 

 ers thronging hither from Europe, at the moment of 

 their landing on our shore. Of course, the owner of 

 such an estate as I have roughly outlined, would be 

 likely to keep a part of his purchase in timber, im- 

 proving the quality thereof by cutting out the less 

 desirable, trees, trimming up the rest, and planting 

 new ones among them ; and he would be almost cer- 

 tain to devote some part of his farm annually to the 

 growth of Hoots, Yegetables, and Fruits. But I have 

 aimed to show only that he would grow grain here 

 at a profit, and I think I have succeeded. His 60 

 bushels of corn (shelled) per acre could be sold at his 

 crib, one year with another, for 60 silver dollars ; and 

 he need seldom wait a month after husking it for 

 customers who would gladly take his grain and pay 

 the money for it. This would be just about double 

 what the Iowa or Missouri farmer can expect to 

 average for his Corn. The abundant fodder would 

 also be worth in New- Jersey at least double its value 



