82 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



straw, which is a Western phase of economy, and a novelty 

 to New England eyes. The rush of steam, the roar of the 

 thresher, the flying dust and smoke obscure everything ; 

 and for a short time you are confused, but soon discover 

 that there is order and a controlling head behind the dusty 

 screen. And you run up against a live Yankee from Con- 

 necticut, the boss of four sections (about twenty-six hun- 

 dred acres) of this land, its teams, implements and crops. 

 He is glad to greet anything in the way of a fresh Yankee 

 or tender-foot, ready to talk, and knows his business. With 

 some banter and giving news from the East, questions for 

 information are put, but for brevity's sake only the answers 

 are given: "Have been out here four years, summer and 

 winter, but came as an emigrant, not after this job." "In 

 some respects I like it better than old Connecticut ; get fifty 

 dollars a month the year round, but all don't get that." 

 "Don't have an3"thing to do in the winter but take care of 

 the stock (the teams) ; there is no field work that men or 

 teams can do." "Well, now, the crops do fall off some; 

 don't average more than fifteen bushels to the acre ; but we 

 shall take up some new land next year, and fallow some of 

 the stubble, taking a crop once in two or three 3'ears." 

 " There is not so much capital in this establishment as you 

 might think ; preferred stock of the railroad was bought at 

 seven dollars a share, and swapped to the company, at a 

 hundred dollars a share, for this land at a twisted two dollars 

 an acre." " Don't know how much money they make or 

 lose." "Know that bankruptcy is common around here, 

 but they are all right ; these great Western arable farms 

 will be cut up and sold out when the times are right, and 

 prices high enough." " You expect to get a slice then, do 

 you not?" " I shouldn't wonder." " Those fellows up on 

 Goose Creek brag well ; they may get twenty-two bushels 

 an acre this year, but last year they didn't get ten ; I guess 

 it will average about like ours." " That ditch is for a pipe 

 to bring water from the wind mill at the creek to the eleva- 

 tor; it is two miles long." "Ten feet seems deep to you 

 for a water pipe, but in August we dug out junks of frost 

 down nine feet." " Summers are short, but we can begin 

 early ; are sowing when two or three inches are thawed out 



