202 
OFiE’S fSUBAL WEW-YORKER. 
MARCH 28 
cJJiehl <%ap. 
HOW SHALL WE INCREASE THE YIELD 
OF OUR STAPLE CROPS] 
The average product of wheat in the 
United States is variously estimated at from 
10 to U> bushels per acre, and of corn, from 
30 to 40 bushels. If, to be more exact, we 
assume 13 bushels per acre for wheat, and 35 
bushels for COH), as the. average yield for the 
whole country, we shall not be far from the 
truth. If we then compare these figures 
with the well-known possibilities of prodne- 
tion for the above crops, we discover a dif¬ 
ference that is very suggestive and well 
worth examining. Between the extreme 
limits on either side of the general average 
the contrast is, in fact, not merely curious, 
but startling. And yet there is, in truth, no 
sufficient reason for a disparity so great ; 
for it would not be difficult to show that the 
present average yield for the whole country 
might be very materially improved without 
any appreciable increase of invested capital. 
What is really needed is not so touch capital 
as knowledge, and especially a wider dif¬ 
fusion of the knowledge that already exist; 
a larger circulation of agricultural books and 
journals amoog-farmers. 
If the amount we have assumed per acre 
for wheat bo the correct mean, or nearly so, 
between the. largest and smallest products 
that actually occur, while wo know that 
many farmers get occasionally, and some 
habitually, from 25 to 30 bushels pjr acre, 
and that not a few succeed in reaching 35 or 
40 bushels (not to mention exceptional yields 
of 70 bushels or over), then what must be 
the opposite limit or lowest yield per acre 
that brings down the general average to 13 
bushels ? Clearly there are, and must be to 
account, for this result, very many acres 
throughout the country that fall below 5 
bushels, and probably some that scarcely re¬ 
turn more than the seed planted. Of course 
tlic men who get these meager products have 
always at hand plausible explanations. But 
after allowing for all exceptional cases, and 
for all the failures resulting from providen¬ 
tial or other unavoidable causes, there still 
remain an immense number of small yields 
not satisfactorily accounted lor. Why do 
some men get but. 5 to 10 bushels of wheat 
per acre, or less, while others get from 25 to 
40 bushels, or more t and why, also, is it 
found that a similar difference prevails in 
regard to corn and most-other crops ? There 
is, of course, a difference of soils, and a 
variety of other causes which help to ex¬ 
plain, but do not fully account for, this re¬ 
markable contrast. 
The suggestion made above is undoubtedly 
one explanation of this problem. The lack 
of diffused intelligence is the difficulty to be 
overcome. It is not enough that knowledge 
exists in limited circles. It must be univer¬ 
sally disseminated. 
It will be found on examination that most 
of the large products raised by our farmei-s 
have been obtained by reading men—by men 
who believe in books and in the truths of 
science, and who not- only take but carefully 
read agricultural journals. On the other 
hand, the very small products per acre, 
which mainly account for the low average, 
come, as a rule, from regions not yet per¬ 
vaded by scientific truth, and from a class of 
men whose prejudices keep them behind their 
age, and render them blind to the value of 
recorded facts and principles. To my own 
mind it is clear that the facts here stated 
are not only true but immensely important. 
They serve as a base line for future action, 
and show in what direction we must, work 
in order t.o raise the average yield of our 
staple, crops. There are millions of farmers 
in the United States who are able to read, 
and who yet do net take any of the journals 
devoted to the business in which they are 
engaged! 
Now, this state of things does not exist by 
necessity, and there is no impossibility in 
reforming it. Publications devoted to hus¬ 
bandry are every where accessible. They are 
neither scarce nor costly, but abound in suf¬ 
ficient variety to meet the varying require¬ 
ments of the farmer. Among them are 
some of long st anding and large experience 
that are filled with practical wisdom, which 
gives them a value to each subscriber that 
can only bo measured by the increased value 
they give to his acres. Now, let us suppose, 
for example, that- a live journal, like the 
Rural. New-Yorker, could by any possi 
bility have its circulation increased from 
80,000 or 100,000 (as the case may be) up to 
250,000 or more. It would be easy to under¬ 
stand the marvelous development of crops 
that would everywhere follow in the wake 
of this newly-acquired circulation. But if, 
iustead of a single journal, it were possible 
for all the journals of this class to double, tlieir 
circulation in like manner, the result would 
be startling and incredible. The agriculture 
of the country would advance through ten 
years in the space of one. and t he figures in¬ 
dicating the average yield of farm product* 
would rise under the radiant beams of in¬ 
creasing light as the mercury of the ther¬ 
mometer ascends under the glowing rays of 
the morning sun. 
"Zi w [~ 
exclude the air and sun to such a degree that 
the fodder is white and sickly-looking under¬ 
neath, and according to a chemical analysis 
published in the Rural New-Yorker, does 
not contain near the nourishment of that 
more exposed to the light and air. 
i have omitted instructions for sowing the 
corn, ns no better can be given than the 
article of the Editor (In the Rural New- 
Yorker, Jan. 24, 1874), illustrated by Mr. 
La Mont's experience. That and the article 
by Mr. GikeoRij are worth many times the 
year's subscript ion to any one keeping cattle. 
W I I W CU w 
*fl T 
o | o I © O I < 
'O o ©1 oi o ]|oio|g?iolo,l 
PLAN OF AN IMPROVED DAIRY HOUSE-(See Page 101.) 
Of course I do not here assume that it is an 
easy matter for journals to double their cir¬ 
culation at will. But extreme cases illustrate 
the force of an argument. The point T wish 
to make clear is that, just in proportion as 
we increase the sale and diffusion of good 
books and sound journals among the farmers, 
in the same degree we increase the effective 
far mi ng capital of the country, and add 
something, if not to the money-power, at 
least to the brain-power of American hus¬ 
bandly. Conrad Wilson. 
Morrisania, N. Y., March 2, 1874. 
--4 ♦♦- 
SOWED CORN FOR FODDER! 
Keep it before the farmers ? What ? The 
fact that corn fodder, either sowed or drilled, 
is the best winter feed for catile. How do I 
know ? I will tell you : Fo-nr years ago I 
read the fact in my paper, and for three years 
it lias been the largest part ol' my winter 
feed. Now, T know that my eattle will give, 
more ml 11c and will gain faster ill flesh on 
this than on any other feed, grain excepted. 
1 pride myself on having as good hay as any 
one. As I have but little to cut, I put it into 
the barn as nice as possible ; yet T never had 
hay nice enough to tempt the cattle from the 
corn fodder. My method of raising is very 
much the same ns others. Make the ground 
rich with manure il' you can, and be sure it 
it? mellow ; sow the seed us early as possible 
after danger of frost Is past, and be sure and 
cut it before it is injured by the frost hi the 
fall In brief, whatever you do, do it in 
season and in the best manner possible. This 
rule will apply to almost any crop. The Ed¬ 
itor wishes the cost of crops raised. Hero 
are my figures on sowed corn. I will give the 
cost and product of one acre which was ma¬ 
nured : 
Dr. 
Interest on 1 acre land .$3 00 
Hauling 30 loads manure. 8 00 
Plowing 1 day... 3 00 
Harrowing and rolling twice. 3 00 
Seed (1(4 bush.) and sowing. 1 00 
Cutting up corn (4 days). 5 00 
Total cost. $23 00 
Or. 
Five tons corn fodder ($18 per ton)—$90 00 
Cost. 22 00 
Profit. $08 00 
Two acres which were not manured raised; 
Three tons fodder. . .$54 00 
Cost of raising and cutting. 24 00 
Profit.$30 00 
We have here a good example of the rela¬ 
tive profit of a good and poor crop. Al¬ 
though the cost of the acre which was 
manured was nearly double that whic h was 
not, yet the profit was more than 4' .. times 
greater. 
It was my intention to have weighed the 
fodder from the were which was manured, 
hut. owing t o the very heavy snow of Oct ober 
and November, I could not get the true 
weight, so 1 omitted it, but have endeavored 
to keep my statements true to the facts. 
Corn fodder, properly raised and cured, I 
consider worth as much, if not more, than 
hay ; but T have figured it $2 less per ton, 
liay being hard to find at $20 per ton. 
I object to Rutting on as much seed per 
acre as some recommend. Where 3 to 4 
bushels are used the corn is so thick as to 
In cutting up the fodder, as I can get no 
reaper, 1 am obliged to use a corn knife or, 
if not. very heavy, a cradle. Shock it up hi 
very large shocks, and bind up after it lias 
stood a few weeks, or when ready to haul 
into the barn. Buckeye Boy. 
Stringsville, Ohio. 
-♦♦♦- 
CORN FODDER FOR STOCK. 
William Martin writes us criticising 
“Corn Fodder’s’’ statement (Rural New- 
Yorker, Feb. 14), in which he is made to 
say “ T had not over ten acres last season 
and had 15 loads of nice cured fodder, worth 
to me ten tons of the best hay.” Mr. Mar¬ 
tin’s criticism would be valid if it were not 
a fai t that “Corn Fodder” really sold two 
acres instead of ten; hence it has no force, 
and we omit it. But Mr. Martin adds : 
“ My experience iu the matter is that it 
does not pay to raise corn fodder unless you 
can get a great deal bigger yield per acre 
than you possibly can of hay or any other 
crop. My plan of putting in the seed differs 
somewhat from his wasteful way of sowing 
broadcast. I sow but three bushels of seed 
per acre in this way : Plow the land as early 
in the spring us the ground is dry to the 
depth of 10 or 12 niches ; then about, the first 
of June spread on a good coat of compost 
manure ; cultivate this inwfth a loaded two- 
horse cultivator ; afterward harrow smooth 
with brush or harrow ; then I take a light 
plow with awheel fixed so that the plow 
will not run more than 3 inches deep ; strike 
the piece out in lands so that about as many 
straight furrows make a land : have a hoy 
follow the plow with a basket of corn and 
sow it along every third furrow. You see in 
this way the plow covers every kernel, and 
we. find it coining up in straight rows about 
3 feet apart, so that a cultivator can be run 
between them at different times all summer. 
In this way I have raised as many as ten 
two-horse loads of fodder on an acre." 
-»♦» — - 
POTATO SETS AND PLANTING. 
I have raised potatoes for seven years 
past, from sets cut closer each year. Was 
educated to plant three or four good-sized 
potatoes in a hill; and ol’ course my preju¬ 
dices ran in that way. IVas persuaded to 
try the cutting plan and liave followed it 
ever since. My practice now is to cut as near 
as possible to single eyes, and plant them in 
rows three feet apart and 10 or 12 inches in 
the rows. My success has been greater since 
adopting this plan than before. What is es¬ 
sential in growing potatoes as well as every¬ 
thing else, is to have the ground iu good con¬ 
dition, plant at the right time, and give the 
necessary attention afterwurd. For seven 
years past, ffom less than half an acre, I 
have sold each spring about 100 bushels sur¬ 
plus, after using liberally in my family and 
reserving enough for seed. Three years ago 
1 planted one bushel each of Early Rose and 
Brigham Seedlings, and dug of each kind 32 
bushel* of marketable potatoes. Have been 
in the habit of cutting my seed, as 1 wanted 
to plant and have no trouble about its ger¬ 
minating; think, however, it wculd be Bet¬ 
ter to cut a few days before using, so that 
they may become glazed. Of all the varie¬ 
ties I liave t ried I prefer the Early Rose, and 
1 this spring will plant none else. * S. 
FURTHER FROM EAST TENNESSEE. 
Editor Rural New-Yorker A recent 
article in your paper lias brought me so 
many inquiries that, to prevent further cor¬ 
respondence, I have concluded to answer 
your readers through the same medium I 
first addressed them. 
As to the claims of East Tennessee—“the 
Switzerland of the South "—1 will say that 
the cheapest lands arc not always the most 
to be sought by the Immigrant; and while 
“ Switzerland*” may be very nice resorts for 
artists and tourists, their land is generally 
“stubborn” in proportion as it is pictur¬ 
esque. There, are very good lands iu this 
county, valued at 50 cents per acre, covered 
with splendid timber ; and yet, I would, as 
an immigrant, rather choose those worth $50 
—on account of society, fertility, improve¬ 
ments, and especially markets. 
White men in the South can't compete 
with the darkies at hard work. The latter, 
at least, when their larder is empty, which is 
nine-ti-ntbs of the time, will toil bare headed 
aud bare-footed under a broiling sun and 
over broiling sands for $10 a month, and be 
“as happy as a big sun flower” in anticipa¬ 
tion of a frolic at night, or, perhaps of “go¬ 
ing for” a hen roost, or pig-pen. 
“ Is it. healthy for a Northern man in your 
section ?” is a frequent question, and which 
might have two meanings. The climate has 
always been all that could be desired, 
though “once upon a time ”—as Col. Moore 
can no doubt testify— there was something 
•• in a,i ” which made it very unhealthy 
for the Northern constitutions. But, as Gen. 
Jackson said, at the late Agricultural Con¬ 
gress, “we’re over that now" at least, we 
“ make believe ” we are. 
Nearly all the “ crops ” are profitable here. 
Labor, though not reliable, is abundant and 
cheap. Plenty of land to rent, or sell, on 
easy terms, i know' of no stronger recom¬ 
mendation for this section, than the fact- that 
of tlic scores of Northern families who have 
settled here since our little “ family squab¬ 
ble,” not one but wlnit still prefers it, to the 
North os a home. But, enough ; any one 
reading the letters in your “Land Depart¬ 
ment” wall realize the truth of Montgom¬ 
ery’s declaration that every man 
'* Thinks his own land of every land the pride, 
Beloved by Ileaven over nil the world beside.” 
Geo. H. Williamson. 
Sumner Co., Tenn. 
-- 
FROM SPARTANBURG, S. C, 
I Ail satisfied that there is no countiy on 
the face of the globe that can offer the in¬ 
ducements of the Piedmont country of South 
Carolina to settler?. A high, rolling table¬ 
land, it is perfectly healthy; no malarial 
diseases having ever been known here. The 
winters are delightfully mild, we seldom 
house our cat tle ; indeed some farmers never 
feed their dry cat tle summer or winter. The 
summers are pleasant, the thermomet er rare¬ 
ly going above 90’, and this is tempered by 
the cool, mountain breezes. 
Although clover and the grasses seen to 
succeed admirably, our farmers never give 
them any attention, and but few cattle are 
raised. I think there is not a single cheese 
manufactured in the State. Apples, pears, 
peaches, plums and cherries grow- with 
scarcely any trouble. Land can be had from 
$1 to $5 per acre, according to character and 
locality. I know of one tract of 2,000 acres 
of heavy-timbered land which can be had 
at $1.25 per acre. 
This is an admirable country for manufac¬ 
turers ; we depend entirely on the North for 
all of our wearing apparel, furniture, stoves, 
household goods of every description ; in fact 
for nearly everything that we use in the 
commonest avocations of life ; and yet every 
stream is a series of cataracts and cascades. 
Enough water power to turn the manufac¬ 
tories of the United States is allowed to lie 
idle. The last Legislature passed an act ex¬ 
empting manufacturers from all tax for ten 
years from time of building. 
Heretofore we have been isolated from the 
world ; but since the completion of the At¬ 
lanta and Richmond Air Line R. R. we are 
within 80 hours' travel of Washington City. 
I have given you this short synopsis of our 
country' to show that there is something 
good down South. I will take great pleasure 
in answering, free if eh nr ye, all letters iu 
reference to our countiy, climate, soil, water 
powers, minerals, products, &e. 
Thus. H. Bornak. 
v-~ 
