IN DAKOTA, 19 
GETTING TO WORK. 
Having secured my claims, I at once set to work 
breaking the sod. 
Half a mile away was my nearest neighbor, with 
whom I boarded—that is, I took my meals there and 
slept ina tent on my claim. I pushed my breaking 
vigorously, and by hiring some help got ninety acres 
broken during the season. 
I had not, at that time, much confidence in sod 
crops, but at the persuasion of my neighbor tried the 
experiment, and it was successful beyond my highest 
expectations. 
SOD CROPS. 
I put 20 acres in corn, 19 in oats, 10 in flax, and 3 
in potatoes. My corn averaged 21 bushels to the 
acre, oats 28, flax 9, and potatoes 86. My corn, at 
the then prevailing price, was worth $147, oats $210; 
flax $90, and potatoes $109; total, $556. I paid out 
for seed and for hired help and board, in planting, 
gathering and marketing these crops. and for assist- 
ance in breaking, $263, leaving me a margin of $293 
profit, an average of $6 per acre. Of course, I did. 
not realize all this in cash, for a part of the corn ar 
oats I fed to my horses, but I could have had the 
cash for it, and so it is correct to credit the land 
with it. | 
| was more than satisfied with this result, and do 
not hesitate to recommend to other new settlers to 
eultivate as much of their sod in crops as possible. 
