“How much would you sell part of your land for?” inquired Percy.

“Well, I’d kind o’ hate to take less than ten dollars an acre for it; but I think we can make a deal all right if you like the location.”

CHAPTER XX

A LESSON IN OPTIMISM

About nine o’clock the day following Percy’s arrival in Washington he sent his card into the office of the Secretary of Agriculture.

“Just step this way,” said the boy on his return.  “The Secretary will see you at once.”

A gentleman who appeared to be sixty, but was really several years older, arose from his desk and greeted Percy very kindly.

“I see you are from Illinois, Mr. Johnston.  I am an Iowa man myself, and I am always glad to see any one from the corn belt.  Do you know we are going to beat the records this year?  It is wonderful what crops we grow in this country, and they are getting better every year.  We are growing more than two-thirds of the entire corn crop of the globe, right here in these United States.  Yes, Sir, and we are just beginning to grow corn; and corn is only one of our important agricultural products.  Do you know that eighty-six per cent. of all the raw materials used in all the manufactured products of this country come from the farms of the United States; yes, Sir, eighty-six per cent.

“Now, what can I do for you?  I am very glad you called, and I will be glad to serve you in any way you desire.  By the way, how is the corn turning out in your part of Illinois?  Bumper crop, I have no doubt.”

“I think so,” said Percy, “after seeing the crops here in the East.

“That’s what I thought,” continued the Secretary.”  A bumper crop, the biggest we ever raised.  Oh, they don’t know how to raise corn here in the East.  They just grow corn, corn, corn, year after year; and that will get any land out of fix.  I found that out years ago in Iowa.  I am a farmer myself, as I suppose you know.  I found you couldn’t grow corn on the same land all the time.  But just rotate the crops; put clover in the rotation; and then your ground will make corn again, as good as ever.”

“But I understand that clover refuses to grow on most of this eastern land,” said Percy.

“Oh, nonsense.  They don’t sow it.  I tell you they don’t sow it, and they don’t know how to raise it.  It takes a little manure sometimes to start it, but it will grow all right if they would only give it half a chance.  Why, for years the Iowa farmers said blue grass wouldn’t grow in Iowa.  Yes, Sir, they just knew it wouldn’t grow there; and then I showed them that blue grass was actually growing in Iowa,—­actually growing along the roadsides almost everywhere,—­blue grass that would pasture a steer to the acre—­just came in of itself without being seeded.  No, I tell you they don’t sow clover down here.  They just say it won’t grow and keep right on planting corn, corn, corn, until the corn crop amounts to nothing, and then they let the land grow up in brush.”