Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1862-12-30
Creps fo- Next Year.

Our best, most practical and successful |
farmers say that wheat isa too expensive
crop. considering average cost Of harvesting
and threshing, and the average price sold
for, to wawant any man in raisIag it. The
value of labor, taxes on land and interest
upon capital invested IN land. must also be
pai in a measure 10 the wheat crop ac-
count in order to strike balance. All
th so considered, wo doubt very much
whether any farmer can afford to raise
wheat below one dollar Il bushe!, If SO low.
Then comes also this further consideration,
that now and then there happens a total
failure in wheat; even this year, some
farmers raised but scarcely their bread and
seed off of a breadth of land upon which
an average crop would have made them
quite Independent. Mum oers Of Grant
County farmers so report. Such accidents
ola single year haVet brown men behind for
two years or more; many times man is
broken up by single fiIule IN his crops
There are, So far as our observation and
Information extend in Grant County, TOO
many liabilities Tor wheat failure; bad
spring seasons, Of which this unnatural
winter promises another, have caused total
failures Of wheat; frequent rims followed
by broiling sun heat for some days before
harvest are sure causes Of failure; storms
and drought are causes Of failure, chlnch
Tugs cause failures in Whale sections, and
their ravages Increase each year il the gen
era!. All considered, the average failures
from all causes are equal 70 half the sue
eesses-so leaving ua but five years in zen
Of successful labor with wheat. Then
again, wheat in its crude form or ia It's
rarer as in flour, is bulky and heavy, and
costs too much for transportation to mar
ket. The average cost Of transporting
" ..eat and -four to New York is near half
the worth al that port, or 100 per cent,
While on wool the transportation is scarce
~ two per cent, on pork about 40 per
6 t., DC.
But are there other crops which, all con-
sidered, are more 9uccessfuI, less liable to
fail. vet bearing transportation and ofeven-
err market than wheat Let the inquiry
be now made while it is winter, and an
swered before spring. Corn and oats are
lever falling crops, and ay be turned in
10 PORK without machine gathering and
threshing. Pork will bear transportation
four wears in fve-therefore better article
than wheat.
The solgLum crp is before the country,
at every fireside talked upon. 1t has been
unusually successful this year because the
season was extremely favorable We fear
this article will receive above its share of
attention next year.
A coarse article of tobacco may be prof
itably raised SO long as the price is so dear
or during the war. The home demand
may be party supplied.
Flax will be the most profitable crop
next year. The seed is now worth $3.50
TO 5l.70 per bushel, and there is no pros
pect of its being any cheaper The
Southern cotton seed oil, usually passed
north for linseed OIL is cut off as it will be
for years. At the same time, flax lint is
coming into heavy demand to supply sew
4ral places Of cotton. For The manufac-
tire Of paper it will he largely used in
place OF linen rags. We learn from Mr..
Moore of the Plattevle oil mills, that their
mills, are constantly running, and that
the home supply Of seed is but trlIe Of
what they consume. Also, that compa-
ny from Chicago are soon expected to CON-
Tnence running the flax cotton, lint and
rope mac inery Of the Platteyille flax
works; their only fears are that The sup
ply Of fax will be insufficient in this county
for constant run. The only objection
we hare to this crop is its exhausting Of
fects upon the land; but then these clayed
lands may be revived with manures. Flax
is but !ittle harder on land than corn and
oats, and always leaves land in fine order
for next year crops Of wheat, corn, clover
or timothy.
Farmers have had an experience with
cattle and horses. These must be raised
upon every farm to some extent. Sheep
are doubtless the most profitable CT any
stock, but then stock sheep are now SO
dear that few are able to buy. People
neglected sheep while they could be had
cheap. Now they must wait till the de-
mand is over supplied by natural inereage,
Grant will soon be great county for
sheep; the dog question will soon be set
tied one way OF the other, and with it
rests the question whether The county shall
support 100000 or q million sheep.
~--~--~-s~l 100 -
CO through the imperfect returns q
Cent Nasl's co,ppapv vote Il Is understood