Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 59, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 March 1899 — The Cost of Raising Corn. [ARTICLE]

The Cost of Raising Corn.

Editor Republican; / In thd matter of corn raising, let us again speak our piece. It was not our intentions to make of this an endless controvesy. We thought to get from Bro. Halstead and others as well what we asked for that is a statement of the cost of raising a crop of corn. He does not tell us what it costs him or that he even knows so we infer that he does not keep an account with his fields and therefore does not know what a bushel of corn actually costs him. We should be glad to hear from any one who has calculated the exact cost, we don’t want any approximating. Suppose you go intp a store and call for your account, the merchant says you owe me about fifty dollars he guesses at it. Just like some corn raisers. Again Bro. H. don’t stick to the text. He wants me to deliver the corn in market. I said nothing about'deliverjng. No uniforth rule will apply to delivering corn, the farmer who lives ten miles from market on a mud road cannot deliver grain as cheaply as the one who lives but two milefe away with gravel road to haul over. The question is raising corn. Then the hired man , problem. It does iseem that by paying 65 or 70 cents per day and charging up $1.25 to the crop that there is room for a profit there, besides the man helps with the care of stock, on the farm, every day. But enough o£ this, we want to learn more. I certainly had reason to think that as Bro. H. had spent seme time at our Agr’l College he could give us some valuable pointers. Every wide-awake farmer ought to get the bulletins from his State Agr’l Experiment Station. They are free, simply write them and ask that they be sent to you as fast as issued, and you will get them. There was one issued some time ago on unproductive lands, that ought to be in the hands of every farmer who has an alkali spot on his farm. It is my opinion that the farmer who allows his corn to cost twenty cents is the fellow who starts a set of hijpd men to work then puts on a’-White shirt and starts for town where he stays all day. Any business we hope to make a success requires our personal supervision. There is a great deal said about -the poor renter. I believe it can be shown that the renter can make as much clear money as the landlord Yours truly,

W. C. SMALLEY.