113 



Cost of production, $42.75 



Profits, 37.65 



$80.40 



RETURNS. 



104 bushels at 75 cents, $78.00 



12 " " 20 " 2.40 



$80.40 



This crop could have been sold for 80 cents per bushel 

 at the time they were dug, but as I prefer to hold them 

 for seed, I make the returns at 75 cents per bushel ; they 

 may or may not be worth it in the spring. The barley 

 sown on this part of the field being later than the other, 

 was about half a crop, and just about paid expenses. 



Some of the conclusions to which my experiments in po- 

 tato growing have led are, that it is not well to plant pota- 

 toes on dry land, until after the sod is well decomposed 

 by the cultivation of some other crop. After the sod is 

 well rotted, the labor of growing and harvesting is reduced 

 about one half, and the chances for success about doubled. 

 Trying to subdue a witch grass or June grass sod with a 

 potato crop, has with me often proved to be hard and un- 

 profitable work. I think it best to plough in all the ma- 

 nure on dry land ; this gives an opportunity to get the 

 manure out and spread before the land is in condition to 

 plough and plant, and consequently we have no manure to 

 handle in planting time. 



I make and use on 20 acres of land, about 50 cords of 

 manure annually; this at $8.00 a cord, makes $20.00 for 

 each acre. The crops on each acre are charged as part of 

 their cost with $20.00 for plant food each year. I 

 applied to this land $40.00 worth of manure each year for 

 three years, charging the crops with only $20.00 ; I do 



