The Western advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1872-1874, 1874-04-25
FARMERS DEPARTMENT.
PROFITS OFEARAIN0

WIoCIoI FARMING pays Ut nOC, CllaC ID
the question. The shiftless farmer
thinks it does not, while the energetic
farmer knows that it does. The Gin
ciinati Times gives some examples of
successful farming in Iowa which are
rather on the side Of tlr Sc WHO believe
it pays. Thus Il lawyer bought 1900
acres of land near Webster City for
$24.OOO, and sowed l. 700 acres in wheat.
In tw" years his net profits from excep-
tionally goot crops of 81, 200 bushels the
first year and Sc, 00' the second. amount
ed to $4,000. A Swede, stricken in
health, went to the state with 81 so in
his pocket. and work ID for wages until
he was able to buy i few acres, which
he planted in wheat. His first crop
brought him in 5000, or four times
the value Of the land. leaving him with
clear balance, after Ill payments were
made, Of $4,000 Then lle sold his land
for 81 Ill acre, or $500, making him
richer by $6.24O than when he started.
one year previous. Another man, on Il
twenty-seven acre farm, found himself
with nearly $1,000 clear profit at the
end OF the first season. In another
case. a rented farm Of 100 acres brought
in, with only half crop, sufficient to
enable the tenant to purchase the land.
The Minnesota reports abound in SIM
liar instances. Poor men have pur-
chased farms and paid for them out of
the first crop frequently. Dalrymple,
the largest wheat grower in the State,
has cleared quarter million dollars
III crops and the advance in Ills land
during the past seven or eight years.
o. course, farming pays when it is we'll
done.
TESTING SEED CORN.
The Western Kur"l gives the follow
ing methods for testing seetl-corn:
Another plan for testing seed corn is
tn examine the general appearance of
the grain. 1t 1t break from the cob,
presenting a black appearance ut the
point Of attachment, and, if it leave the
cover and tilanirht with the cob, it il
probable, but not certain. that the seed
is not sre. 1t may terminate slowly,
or 1t may not germi,iate 1T all, accord
ing to the conditions under which it is
placed.
To test the seed, we advise that those
i'll do 1T shell from various ears more
or less Of the Kernels. Mix them to-
gttfter and. counting therefrom ten or
i d"Z"n of the grains. plant them III Il
favorable place for gernli'at ion. Note
how many OF t e seeds planted grow
readily. From the percentage which
grow, AL estimate may he made Of the
proper number to drop in each hill, in
planting the field. to ensure !, stand.
Another test is to take the ear and
break it through the middle. Ii it
break brittle. and the cob is bright and
firm. and the grains firm, the prol,bil-
ity is that it is good
SWEET POTATOES
A. 4. Soule, Of Mountain Lake, in the
neighb"ring county Of Cottonwood,
writes to the st. Paul Press as follows.
giving his experience in raising sweet
potatoes:
all Ill iecellt OF yours OF the HUtli
inst. My experience in the cultivation
Of sweet potatoes is So limited that it
would be of little value to yollr readers.
cam give o accurate figures as to the
area planted or the quantity raised.
with the pillow threw up ridge about
ten rods long, rs high us It could we'll
l~ done. with fotr furr"Ws, two being
turned against the other two, and il;,nt-
t'1 the sets three feet apart. The land
was not manfred or fertiliz Il. The
yield was about three barrels. One-half
were Of IL good marketable size, the. 9TH
trs small. The flavor WAS excellent. I
intend this season to pant 4 larger
patch. manure literally, and cultivate
at tn. proper time. think they can
be grown here without difficulty.