wouldn't produce any corn without fertilizing the land in one way or
another. If you will walk over here a little ways you can see for
yourself. I didn't have quite enough manure to finish this field and
I had no more time to haul seaweed so I planted without getting any
manure on a few rods in one corner, and the corn there wouldn't make
three bushels from an acre. I didn't bother to try to cut it, but
the cows will get what little fodder there is as soon as I can get
the shocks out of the field and turn 'em in for a few days to pick
up what they can."

Percy examined the corn plants still standing in the corner of the
field. They had grown to a height of about two feet. Most of them
had tassels and many of them appeared to have little ears, but
really had only husks containing no ear. In a few places where the
hill contained only one plant a little nubbin of corn could be
found.

"I don't mean to let any of my land get as poor as this field was,"
continued Mr. Robbins, "but I just couldn't get to it, and I left it
in hay about two years longer than I should have done. Last year was
first class for hay but this field had been down so long it was
hardly worth cutting."

"About what yield do you get from the manured land?" inquired Percy.

"In a fair year I get about forty bushels, and that's about what I
am getting this year from my best fields. You see there's lots of
corn in these shocks. There's about an average ear, and we get five
or six ears to the hill."