NORFOLK SOCIETY. 337 



both of (hem estimate their land at the same value, viz., $Q0 

 per aero. Your committee recommend, that the premium of 

 ten dollars be awarded to Mr. Pierce, and the premium of six 

 dollars, to Mr. Jones. The last named gentleman raised 105 

 bushels of oats on 3^ acres. We recommend that the premium 

 of six dollars be given him for his crop of oats. 



Your committee are unwilling to close their report, without 

 expressing the satisfaction they feel, on account of the in- 

 creased interest manifested in the "grain crops" in our county. 

 The opinion has been more or less extensively entertained, that 

 the cultivation of these crops in this country is unprofitable. 

 There may be parts of the county in which, on account of the 

 high pi'ice of the land, this may be correct. But where the 

 price of the land, suitable for these crops, ranges from 50 to 75 

 dollars per acre, it is believed that these grains, cultivated with 

 skill and care, may afford a handsome remunerating profit. 

 This opinion appears to your committee to be well sustained 

 by facts familiar to the intelligent farmers in the southern and 

 western parts of this county. It is confirmed by the state- 

 ments appended to this report. The statements of Mr. Jones 

 are satisfactory on this point. They appear to be made with 

 fairness and accuracy. From these statements, it appears that 

 the profit on the corn crop was 75 per cent. ; that is, the value 

 of the corn raised, was 75 per cent, over and above the cost of 

 production. This appears a handsome profit ; a profit which 

 mechanics, manufacturers and merchants, would be glad to 

 realize. But large as this profit appears, the profit on Mr. 

 Jones's crop of rye and oats was still larger, being at least 100 

 per cent. It will be remembered, too, that the past season has 

 not, in this vicinity, been favorable to the grain crops. A part 

 of the season was very wet, a part very dry, and most of it 

 colder than usual. The crops of grain were generally lighter 

 than in common years ; and still, notwithstanding these un- 

 favorable circumstances, the grain crops in our county, that 

 have been cultivated with skill and care, have yielded a hand- 

 some remunerating profit. Your committee regret very much, 

 that there has been so great delay on the part of the claimants 

 in sending written statements to them. They have suffered 

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