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so indefinite as to furnish no satisfactory opinion of its profitable- 

 ness. By this we mean that they keep no exact account of their 

 expenditures. The corn in the bin speaks for itself; but how 

 much the land is worth, how much is spent for labor, how much 

 for manure, what is the value of the stover ; these have scarcely 

 ever been accurately ascertained. And without this knowledge it 

 is impossible to determine what the corn costs. One farmer says 

 that corn may be raised in Norfolk for fifty cents a bushel ; another 

 that a dollar will hardly cover the expense. But neither know 

 what it does cost for want of a system of farm accounts. The dif- 

 ference in their opinions looks very much as if they contented 

 themselves with guessing. Some of our most judicious farmers, 

 however, assure us in general terms, that nothing pays better than 

 corn, both in the crop itself and in the preparation of the land for 

 grass. We have found the most favorable opinion on this subject 

 in men who have taken the most pains, who have expended the 

 most labor and money, who have ploughed deep and manured well, 

 who have kept their land in the best condition. They certainly 

 are the most competent judges. They observe that method of 

 cultivation, which in other thmgs pays a good interest. No satis- 

 factory inference against the profitableness of this crop can be 

 drawn from the results of careless or superficial culture. 



We are happy to observe that the spirit of improvement notice- 

 able in other departments of agriculture, has reached the cultiva- 

 tion of corn ; that more inquiries are made as to the best methods 

 of proceeding ; that greater attention is paid to the selection of 

 seed ; a very important point, and one that hitherto has been much 

 neglected ; that the relative values of difierent varieties are care- 

 fully considered ; that manure is more generally spread and 

 ploughed in, while the quantity is increased and the quality im- 

 proved ; that high hilling is more discountenanced ; that frequent 

 stirring of the land by the cultivator and hoe is behoved to be the 

 surest preventive against the effects of long-continued drought ; 

 and that the old prejudice in favor of the widest distance between 

 the rows is abating. The consequence is, that greater crops are 

 raised from the same extent of land, and the question of profitable- 

 ness is brought nearer to a definite solution. Some of the most 

 rigidly conservative farmers admit that probably the highest results 

 are not yet attained, and that the time may comQ, when with bet- 



