218 HAMPDEN SOCIETY. 



the ground previous to the corn crop had lain to grass some 

 years without manure ; before ploughing for corn, I spread on 

 twenty loads of manure to the acre, cut the corn last of Sep- 

 tember, ploughed the ground as soon as the corn was off, let it 

 lie two or three days, then sowed on two bushels of seed, ten 

 bushels of ashes, and harrowed them in. From this acre I 

 harvested twenty-nine shocks of wheat, making in all ninety- 

 one shocks, from which I threshed ninety-one and three -fourths 

 bushels of good wheat, averaging a little more than a bushel to 

 the shock, weighing sixty pounds to the bushel. My uniform 

 practice is to soak the seed twelve hours in brine, then roll it 

 in lime or ashes ; when I have done this, I have never had any 

 smut. 

 Value of crop, at one dollar twenty-five cents 



Net gain, _ - _ $94 58 



In presenting this statement of my wheat crop, I deem it 

 proper to make some remarks in relation to the raising of this 

 very important crop. Having been in the practice of raising 

 more or less for twenty years, not having failed, I believe, in 

 one instance during this time of sowing at least a small piece of 

 wheat, and having during that time made several experiments, 

 and iioted down tlie results with careful observation, and well- 

 ascertained facts, I find that there has not been an entire failure 

 more than twice during that time, and not more than five or 

 six times has the crop been less than a rye crop would have 

 been ; but in most instances, the crop has been much larger, 

 and sometimes nearly double. In making a careful estimate of 

 the value of the two crops for the last twenty years, I find the 

 value of the wheat crop to be at least one-third more than the 



