GRAIN CROPS. 117 



manure to the acre, ploughing it in six inches deep. In the spring 

 following it is cross-ploughed eight inches deep, well harrowed, and 

 planted with corn, potatoes, heans, &c., using about a teaspoonful 

 of plaster in the hill ; good crops are almost always obtained. The 

 next spring the same land is manured with three cords of manure 

 to the acre, ploucjked in deep, and planted with vegetables, using 

 plaster in the hill as before. The manure used is such as is made 

 on the farm bj swine and cattle, and worth six dollars per cord. 



•In October, 1854, after the crops had been taken off the ground, 

 seven and three-fourths acres of land thus treated were sown to 

 rye, eight bushels of seed being used. The grain came up well, 

 and stood the winter tolerably well, though it was killed in 

 many places to a small extent ; the spring was favorable, and it 

 grew finely ; and by the fifteenth of July it was headed and well 

 filled with grain. 



It was cut with cradles the last of July, before the grain was 

 fully ripe, (or in what the Western farmers call the doufjli) by 

 doing this the straw will be of a bright, beautiful color, — the grain 

 will be more full and plump, and w^ill make better meal than when 

 left to become dry and hard before cutting. The grain was bound 

 in small bundles, carefully shocked in the field, where, on account 

 of the wet weather, it remained for more than twenty days before 

 it was sufficiently dry to put in the barn ; but care being taken to 

 keep the shocks upright, it sustained but little injury. It was 

 gathered into the barn in good condition, and immediately threshed 

 out. The yield was two hundred and twenty-nine and one half 

 bushels, weighing 56 pounds to the bushel ; one hundred and sixty 

 bushels of which were sold for $1,50 per bushel ; eleven tons of 

 straw, eight tons of which were sold at an average price of sixteen 

 dollars per ton. 



The crop is charged with one third part of the manure used on 



the land in the cultivation of the two preceding crops, valued at 



$112,03 



Ploughing, at three dollars per acre, 23,00 



Eight bushels of seed at cost, 10,00 



Sowing and harrowing, 7,50 



Harvesting, 25,00 



Four men threshing twelve days, 48,00 



Expenses, $225,50 



