GRAIN CROPS. 57 



and planting an acre of corn. Mr. Smith's estimate makes it 

 cost him 63 cents per bushel to raise corn ; and it will be seen 

 by his statement that his estimate of the fodder is much less 

 than is commonly found by those who enter their corn for pre- 

 mium. He does most of the cultivation with the hoe, and it will 

 be seen by the statement that it costs $9 to cultivate an acre. 



The next field which the committee visited was that of M. F. 

 Hill, of Byficld. It contained between three and four acres, 

 the soil being a dark loam, free from stones, with a clay subsoil. 

 It will be seen by Mr. H.'s statement that he used the hoe but 

 little in cultivating, and put the cost at $4 per acre. 



When we visited the fields, we were undecided which would 

 yield the most, this or Mr. Smith's, and by the statements, there 

 was not one pound's difference between Mr. Smith's and Mr. 

 Hill's. The former was weighed two weeks before the latter, 

 but it was a smaller kind of corn ; and we think it was in 

 about the same state, when weighed, as the other. Mr. Hill's 

 corn cost him 73 cents per bushel ; his manure costing more, 

 and his labor less, than Mr. Smith's. He husked his corn as 

 they do at the West, and left the butts standing. 



We next viewed the field of Oliver P. Killam, of Boxford, 

 which contained about six acres, and we were pleased with the 

 neat appearance of this field. The surface is somewhat uneven, 

 yet the rows were all as straight as the squares upon a chess 

 board. 



If we call the potatoes at one-half the value of the corn per 

 bushel, his corn cost him $1.32 per bushel. We think that this 

 crop was injured by the dry weather much more than the other 

 fields. It will be seen by the statements that all the crops had 

 the manure spread, and none put in the hill ; — how far it is best 

 to practise this may be questioned by many. It will be seen by 

 the statements, all the fields were planted late. Mr. Smith's 

 was all harvested in four months from the time it was planted. 

 We do not often have a season when so large a crop will mature 

 in that time, when all the manure is spread. The month of 

 June was peculiarly favorable this year for those fields where 

 the manure was spread ; and the frost did not injure vegetation 

 so early as usual. 



We often hear it said that the farmer should know what it 

 costs him to raise a bushel of corn, as well as the manufacturer 



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