152 



MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



cultivated in com, then wheal, and two years in clover, and the same rotation pursued for 

 twelve years, and having also all the oflal of the crops restored to it, will continue to yield 

 the increased crops, and will moreover improve in value fifty per cent, supposing the first 

 cost to be ten dollars per acre. 



" 4. That it costs six dollars and fifty cents to cultivate an acre of land in corn and save 

 and house the crop after the mode usual in this country : three dollars and fifty cents to 

 seed after com, harvest, secure and thresh the produce of an acre of land in wheat if it yield 

 eight bushels, and fifty cents more if it yield fifteen bushels ; and two dollars to mow, cure 

 and stack an acre of hay yielding one and a half tons. 



" 5. That clover-seed can be bought or raised for sLx dollars a bushel ; and ground plaster 

 bought for eight dollars per ton. 



" 6. That the avei-age price of com may be taken to be two doUai's and a half a baiTel, or 

 fifty cents per bushel ; of wheat ninety cents per bushel, and of clover-hay fifty cents per 

 hundred weight. 



" From these data I have prepared the two following Tables — the first of which exliibits 

 the annual gross product of an acre of land cultivated alternately in corn and wheat for 

 twelve years, the expense of making and saving the crops, and the clear profits per annum; 

 the second showing the gross annual product of the same acre manured the first year with 

 twenty wagon-loads of manure, and cultivated in com, then wheat, and two years in clover, 

 and the same rotation earned out for twelve yeai's ; also the exjjenses of manure, plaster and 

 clover-seed, the cost of tillage, harvestuig, &c., and the clear profit or loss per annum. All 

 the offal of the crops supposed to be returned to the land in each case : 



" The first Table shows the total profits of an acre of laud cultivated without manure and 

 grass, to be $58 20 for twelve years, or an average annual profit of $4 85. 



" The profits of the same acre, cultivated under a diflerent system with manure, clover 

 and plaster, are, according to the second Table, $136 50, from wliich we must deduct $6 50, 

 the loss sustained the first year, leaving the net profits $130, clear of all expenses ; to which 

 add the increased value of the land at the rate of fifty per cent, for the twelve years, and 

 we have $135 for the total net profits for twelve years, or $11 25 per annum — showing an 

 annual difference of $6 40 an acre, equal in this case to about tv\'o hundred and tliirty per 

 cent, per annum in favor of improvement by manure, clover and pasture. This would seem 

 to settle the question of profit. 



" The calculation is made most favorably to the unmanured land in eveiy respect. In 

 the first place it is supposed that it would not deteiiorate under- the alternate cultivation ui 

 com and wheat, when it is more than probable that it would be exhausted, yield diminished 

 crops, and decline in value. To prevent tliis, it might be necess;uy to rest it every third 

 year. This would diminish the number of corn and wheat crops to four each, instead of 

 six as in the Table, and make a difference in the total net profits for the twelve years, of 

 $19 40. On the other hand, no allowance i^ made in the second Table for the clover-seed 

 which might be saved each year after cutting the hay ; this might be safely put down at 

 half a bushel per acre, or three bushels in the twelve years, which, at six dollars a bushel, 

 would give $18 to be added to the total profits of the manured land. If we m;ike these al- 

 lowances, the total profits of the two acres for twelve years will stand thus : 



(344) 



