DRYING AND HANDLING THE CROP. 39 



special crop, is their fickleness. Easily elated by the ac- 

 counts of success, or the profits that have been realized 

 by a neighbor, they undertake a new culture without 

 properly learning its requirements ; they abandon their 

 regular crops, which they know all about, and put all 

 their land into one about which they know nothing, and 

 often invest all their capital in starting the new crop, stak- 

 ing all upon its success. Their first crop, upon which 

 they have depended, may fail on account of unfavorable 

 weather, or for want of proper management, or hundreds 

 of others may have also gone into the same specialty, and 

 the supply is increased so far beyond the demand that 

 prices fall far below the cost of production, and the crop 

 brings the grower in debt. The next year 19 in every 20 

 who have started in this new enterprise, will abandon it, 

 but the 20th will try again, and ultimately succeed. The 

 history of every special culture illustrates the above, and 

 none more strikingly than that of hop culture several 

 years ago in Wisconsin, where such a breadth of land was 

 set in hops that it was impossible to procure a sufficient 

 force to harvest the crop, and many prosperous farmers 

 were ruined. As one who had never grown any other 

 crop than wheat would make a sorry failure should he 

 change to Indian corn without any experience or instruc- 

 tion, so it is with Broom-corn and other crops requiring 

 special treatment in growing, and particularly in harvest- 

 ing. The one who starts with a few acres, and when 

 from these he has learned how his land is suited to the 

 crop, and as he gains experience, gradually extends the 

 area, taking it up as a part of his regular business, and 

 making every investment in buildings and implements 

 with a view to the future, will be likely to make Broom- 

 corn pay. Those who without knowledge or experience 

 abandon tried crops for this untried one, and invest in 

 hundreds of acres instead of tens, will be very apt to find 

 that there is " no money in it." 



