AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 237 



Mr. Lawton — Potatoes are now so dear as to be almost beyond 

 the reach of our poorest people. I call np the regular subject of 

 the day, viz : " The most profitable crop for the farmer, locality 

 considered;" and " The best succession of crops." 



Solon Robinson — For the purpose of opening a discussion upon 

 this question, I lay down this proposition. No farmer in the 

 vicinity of this city can afford to use his land for anything ex- 

 cepting one of these purposes : For raising market garden crops 

 for daily sale, including, of course, potatoes and other root crops 

 and fruit; or for the purposes of a milk dairy, or for grazing. 



No man can afford to cut grass and haul hay to the city, at 

 double the price it ever sold for. Much less can he afford to 

 raise rye, as some do within two hours of here, at three bushels an 

 acre, trusting to his profit in selling straw. 



I challenge any one to disprove these, to me, self-evident facts. 



The Chairman — I shall not undertake the task, because I fully 

 agree with Mr. Robinson's statement. Look at the land that 

 might be producing fruit, instead of lying idle or worse than idle; 

 yet we see every day that all sorts of fruits sell at enormous rates ; 

 pears at 31 to 50 cents apiece. Bananas sell at 8 to 18 cents 

 each. An acre of ground near the city, cultivated to almost any 

 kind of fruit, will produce a great return. Still, potatoes, at 

 present prices, are the best paying crop that we can grow. A 

 friend of mine assures me that for 1 1,000 expenses he receives 

 regularly |4,000 in cultivating market produce. Look at the 

 price of rhubarb, 4 cents a leaf, and other things at the same rate. 

 The net profit of rhubarb is $200 an acre. The price of labor is 

 not too high to pay, at the present rate of |1 a day. A farmer 

 must not keep idle men or idle teams. A horse will cost |200 or 

 $250 a year for care and keeping. 



Dr. Smith — In England, near Manchester, there are many gar- 

 den and milk farms upon land rented at an average of |40 an acre 

 per annum, and the general value of the rent of land through all 

 the country is |5 per acre per annum; and yet farmers make 

 money at these rates. 



Prof. Nash — With regard to the expense of farming, the first 

 thing is interest on the value of land; next, all other expense; 



