CONSIDER THE MARKET VALUE. 15T 



We cannot afford to raise corn as well as we can afford to raise 

 grass. We can give our attention in that direction with greater 

 profit than we can give our attention to the raising of corn for 

 our stock. And it seems to me, also, that it conflicts with the 

 remarks of Dr. Loring, yesterday, that we needed something 

 different from corn for feeding our dairy stock. It is a fact well 

 attested by those who keep dairy stock for the purpose of pro- 

 ducing milk, that we do not want so heavy feed as oil-cake or 

 corn-meal ; and it seems to me that the great thing we must 

 look out for in our farming operations in dairy sections is to 

 make our farms as productive of grass as possible. As was 

 said yesterday, grass, or something analogous to it, is the most 

 natural food we can have for cattle. 



But I hope we shall hear, on this subject, from a great many 

 present, and therefore I will not occupy any more time. 



Mr. Gold. Prof. Stockbridge has spoken very happily upon 

 this subject of the rotation of crops, but there are other points 

 necessary to be taken into account in this matter, which should 

 control us, which he has omitted to notice. One is, the market 

 value of the different crops which he proposes to introduce in 

 this connection. He has brought out, prominently, wheat. It 

 is a very serious question with us here in New England, whether 

 it is a profitable crop for us to raise ; whether, in fact, it is not 

 one of the most unprofitable crops ; because the West will raise 

 it and will send it here below the cost of production even. 

 They are determined to do that, as they are doing it now ; and 

 when they are determined to do it, is it worth while for us to 

 attempt to compete with them in that line ? It is not always 

 so with wheat, but it is more so with wheat than with any other 

 prominent crop. Therefore, in selecting our crops for rotation, 

 we ought to take into account the general market value and the 

 demand for these crops, as well as their effect upon the land 

 and the power of our land to produce them. That is one point 

 I would make, and it might be very extensively illustrated by 

 a comparison of wheat with other crops. 



The professor also referred to the exhaustion of the soil of 

 its mineral elements by the growth of different crops. This 

 exhaustion of the soil is not shown by an analysis of the crops 

 after they are removed. The chemist shows that so many tons 

 of wheat straw take so many pounds of mineral matter from 



