CULTIVATION OF CORN. 333 



early as the 1st of April. I prefer to have them sown broad- 

 cast, and well cultivated in the ground. 



CORN, 



in the near future, will be our standard crop, and now stands 

 second only to wheat. In the culture of corn we begin early 

 in the Spring to prepare the ground. First, by cutting the 

 stalks off tlie old stalk ground, then by plowing tliem under very 

 deep, to enable the ground to withstand the drouths of Sum- 

 mer, by which we are sometimes affected. Before planting we 

 thoroughly harrow the surface and mark off into rows of three 

 feet eight inches in width, then plant with horse planter about 

 the 5th to the 10th of May, dropping from two to four kernels 

 in a hill. Before corn comes up harrow again, care being taken 

 to keep the harrow clear of trash and clods. I find this last 

 harrowing equal to once cultivating, besides making it so much 

 easier to cultivate the first time. I go through the corn two 

 or three times with cultivator, leaving the ground as nearly 

 level as possible the last time. That is, not ridging up the 

 rows. If this does not clean the corn, I have a boy go through 

 .it and pull up the remaining weeds. Our most troublesome 

 weeds are the wild sunflower, cockle burr, and ragweed. The 

 latter looks a little like wild sage. Corn yields from forty to 

 seventy-five bushels to the acre. Some runs even as high as 

 100 bushels, but fifty bushels is a good average. Corn can be 

 produced for about eleven cents per bushel, according to the 

 following estimate : 



Int. on land, per acre, - - - . $1.50 



Cost of Plowing, per acre, - - - 1.80 



" HarroAving, " _ - _ .45 



" Cultivating, " ... 1.00 



" Gathering, at 2 cts. per bushel, - 1.00 



Total, $5.75 



Divided by average crop, 50 bushels=lli cents. 



FRUIT. 



As this country is new I am not able to give as full an ac- 

 count of results as I should like to. On our windy, bleak prairies 



