COEN CULTTJKE AT THE WEST. 295 



justify, upon any sound principle, the improvident 

 practice of allowing the cattle and other stock of the 

 farm to enter the cornfield, at the maturity of the 

 grain, to do their own harvesting. 



It is urged, in defence of this practice, that the 

 difficulty of procuring help sometimes renders it un- 

 avoidable ; but if the farmer, instead of planting a 

 half section or more of land, had planted one-half or 

 one-fourth of that extent, adopting at the same time 

 the best modes of culture, he would realize in the end 

 a larger crop, and the labor and expense of harvesting 

 would be greatly reduced. Instead of rambling over 

 miles of territory to gather up a scattered and lean 

 crop, he would have a compact, abundant, and profit- 

 able yield within a small compass a crop that would 

 be easily harvested, and that would pay well for 

 gathering, even at some extra expense for the 

 labor. 



The whole of the argument in support of the prev- 

 alent system of Western culture seems to be an inver- 

 sion of the usual mode of reasoning. The superior 

 quality of the soil, so far from being an excuse for 

 careless cultivation, is the best reason in the world 

 why it should be treated in the most thorough man- 

 ner. It is only the thorough treatment of the land 

 that reveals the fulness of its wealth. The high price 

 of labor, instead of being a reason for diffusing it over 

 a large surface, is an argument for concentration for 

 bringing it within the smallest compass, where every 

 blow tells, and every stroke is sure of its legitimate 

 effect. 



