430 
WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
withstanding the great falling off in yield, our people insist that they are 
in the favoring wheat belt of this continent, and continue to raise it. A 
comparison of views seems to settle in favor of early deep plowing in the 
fall for prairie soils, and shallow spring plowing for the barrens. Early 
broad-cast sowing on old ground, and drilling for new ground, with early 
cutting and sweating in stack instead of in barns; and that well rotted ma¬ 
nure brings even standing, medium sized stalk, with large heads, while 
long manure makes uneven grain, with short heads but plump berries. 
The oat crop has been very profitable, owing to the Southern market dur¬ 
ing the war. Experiments with oats have been confined to varieties instead 
of any new preparation of soils. They have generally been sow r n upon old 
ground, after wdieat and corn had first drawn from the vegetable mould. I 
have tried all the new kinds in the market, and this year had an astonish¬ 
ing yield from a German oat, but no not believe that, with like cultivation 
and care, any oat will excel the black oat that lias been raised in this part 
of the state for thirty years. 
Barley has been the most popular and unpopular of all the cereals raised 
by our farmers, owing to the great variations in the prices. It has in 'the 
last ten years varied from twenty cents to tw r o dollars per bushel. 
Rye has been generally regarded as the poor man’s crop, as well as the 
crop for the poor field, until within the last few years. The price has kept 
very uniform, and next to wheat, the yield being double that of wheat, and 
it is now considered one of the best crops. 
Flax is raised for the seed, no use being made of the straw, except that a 
few tons have been shipped for manufacturing purposes. 
Our farmers are fast going back to the old threshing floor. Experiments 
have fully demonstrated that grain can be threshed cheaper with a flail 
than with a machine, besides saving the straw in a better condition to be 
fed to stock. It also cheapens the labor on the farm the year through by 
giving twelve months’ employment instead of six. We would not waste a 
single muscle by putting it in competition with machinery, but circum¬ 
stances attending many farm communities creates a preference for hand 
threshing over the machine. 
Much attention has been paid to the root crops. The potato, owing to a 
good market south, has commanded a good price, and consequently has 
been largely cultivated. Many new varieties have been experimented with; 
the rage has quite equaled the hop fever. This county claims to under¬ 
stand potato culture, and regards it as having yielded the best results of 
anything put into the ground. The English farmers cling with tenacity to 
the turnip, which is by them regarded as essential to good husbandry; 
while the American farmer cultivates the carrot, as more nutritious and less 
bulky. 
Plowing matches among our English farmers are one of the best features 
of all improvements going on in the county. The match for 1870 was one 
