THE WHEAT CULTTJMST. 



197 



yield per acre for the same year was but twelve bushels. 

 Thus it is seen that although the farmers of Vermont 

 can grow fourteen bushels of wheat on the amount of 

 land from which Michigan farmers get twelve bushels, 

 yet the Vermont farmers prefer to give attention to 

 dairy products to the almost entire neglect of wheat. 

 Why is this ? Evidently because they find dairy farm- 

 ing the most profitable. 



Michigan farmers do not manufacture cheese enough 

 to supply the home market, but give their labor and 

 land to the production of but twelve bushels of wheat 

 per acre. In the early days of the State, when wheat 

 was almost the only article that brought the farmer 

 ready money, when it was a sure crop, when the soil 

 was a virgin one, and when most farmers possessed but 

 little capital, there were doubtless good reasons why 

 wheat should be grown almost exclusively ; but we are 

 convinced that those reasons are not now so strongly in 

 force, and that there are other and strong reasons why 

 our farmers should give greater attention to dairy prod- 

 ucts and stock. 



" We do not object to the growing of wheat per se. 

 It is one of our most valuable crops. When a proper 

 rotation is pursued it can scarcely be dispensed with. 

 What we do object to, is the great attention given to 

 wheat-growing to the exclusion of other branches of 

 farming which are as profitable as wheat-growing, or 

 more so. As we said above, our farmers have a mania 

 for growing wheat, a mania which they pursue to such 

 an extent that their lands grow less and less fertile from 

 year to year. Growing wheat as most Western farmers 

 grow it, is a continual draught on the resources of the 

 soil with no adequate return ; and however rich a soil 



