The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-06-13

deterioration is not unavoidable; for thousands of
skilful farmers have taken helds poor IN point OF
natural productiveness, and instead of diminishing
their fertility they have added ten cents 10
their annual income over and above all expenses.
Ii this wise and improving system of rotation til
lage and husbandry were universally adopted, or
applied to the hundred million acres now being
exhausted, il would be equivalent TO creating each
year additional capital Of s loo, TOO 900, and
placing il in permanent real estate where IL would
nav six per cent. annual interest. For all practi-
cal purposes, the difference between the two sys-
TENS is 1888, 333, 900 year, 10 the country.
There is another view of this important subject,
which is worthy Of profound consideration. OF the
l2 900 900 Of improved land in the State of
New York, 200, 900 are so cultivated to become
richer from year To year. These improving soils
in the hands Of 900 cultiyators who take and
read agricultural journals, and nobly sustain the
State and county societies OF that Commonwealth.
5000, 900 acres of the 1900 900 so managed
barely to hold their own in point Of fertility.
These lands belong to class of farmers who do as
well as they know from personal observation, and
seeing how reading men improve their estates and
domestic animals. 10000 are in the hands of
1900 persons, who still adhere to the colonial
practice of extracting from the virgin soil all il will
then leave it a thin poor pasture for term of
years Some of these impoverished farms, which
seventy five years ago produced from twenty TO
thirty bushels OF wheat on an average, now yield
only from five eight bushels. In exceeding
ly Interesting work entitled american Husband
ry," published in London in ITS, and written by
'An American" the following remarks may be
found on page 50, vol. H.
"Whcat in many parts Of the province New
York; yields larger produce than is common in
England Upon good lands about Albany, where
the climate is the coolest in the country, they SOW
two bushels and better upon one acre, and reap
from tioenty to forty; the latter quantity, however,
is not often had, but from twenty TO Untyare COM
mon and with such bad husbandry would not
yield the like in England, and much less in Scot
land. This is owing TO the richness and freshness of
the land"
According to the State census Of 1916, Albany
county now produces only u bushels of wheat per
acre, although its farmers on Underwater and
near the capital of the State, with a good home
market and possess every facility for procuring
the most valuable fertilizers. Dutchess county,
also on the Hudson river, produces an average OF
only bushels per acre, Rensselaer, s. Westminster
(which Is higher than the average OF soils mat
once gave a return larger than the wheat lands OF
England, even with ''bad husbandry."
Fully To renovate the S,0Q0,0O0 acres Of partially
exhausted lands i'll the State Of New York, will
cost at least an average OF $l2 50 per acre, or
aggregate of 100 900 900 II is not easy task
to replace all the bone earth potash sulphur, mag
nesia, and organized nitrogen III mold, consumed
in IA field which has been unwisely cultivated fifty
or seventy five years. Phosphorus is not abund
ant mineral any where; and his s,lbsoH is about
the only resource OF the husbandman after his sur
face soil has lost most of it's phosphates
The 900 persons that cultivate these S,OO0,O00
acres of impoverished soils annually produce less
by $25 each, than they would il the land had not
been injured. The aggregate of this loss 10 the
State and the world Is $1,000 900 per annum, or
more than per cent interest on what 1T Will cost
to renovate the deteriorated soils There Is no pos
sible escape from this oppressive tax on labor OF
ST 800 0U0 but To improve the land or run OH and
leave it, That the latter has been done to a large
extent is shown by comparing the population IN
rural districts, at the of 1880, with that OF
1910. In nearly half the towns the State, popu-
lation had decreased, notwithstanding the rapid
growth of cities and villages, demanding in
n rm
markets The canals of New York have operated
TO hasten the exhaustion of its soils just railroad
to California would aid in extracting gold dust
from its now unwashed sands. While the canals
and railroads of New York convey thousand tons
of the few precious atoms in the surface OF the
earth, which alone form bread and meat, 10
tide water they do not carry back from tide water
one ton Of the raw material for making crops OF
any kind. million tons of human food pass down
the Mississippi where ton of the elements Of
such food ascends "the father of waters.''
II will be seem referring to the census Of lS4O,
that the five States of Maryland, Virginia, North
and South Carolina, and Georgia, employed at that
time ,0l3,463 persons in agriculture. OF this
number Maryland had 69,S5l; Virginia 3lS,77l;
North Carolina PIT 095; South Carolina 1875 1868, and
Georgia 209, 1888
Ii is statistical question of considerable import
ance, TO determine how much less these laborers,
| and the mules, horses, and oxen which they work,
| annually produce, than they would had no acre OF
the arabic lands in these States, SO highly favored
by climate and fertility, been damaged in the least
by improper tillage. The difference in the cost Of
making crops on poor land and on good land il
| really much greater than is generally supposed.
The shrewd farmers of Massachusetts, prefer giving
sixty cents per bushel for western corn to growing
this grain on their iniertile soil; while the corn
growers Of Indiana and Illinois glad to sell their
crops made on rich land at twenty cents bushel.
From these facts, Is not the inference plain and
satisfactory, that 1t costs three times more TO pro
ducc bushel of corn on poor than on rich land!
TO do full Justice to this interesting problem,
| iv yiatu lea 20 w II
| the five States above named have been injured!
| would fill a volume. residence OF more than two
| years in the most southern OF these States, con-
nected with its agricultural press, and devoung
much time to the study Of coils and their products
will warrant the writer in expressing an opinion on
the weight of evidence collected from all sources
within his reach. The annual loss on the labor o
each hand and mule is believed to be $50. This
estimate is too high on some plantations, and toC
| low ON others. The only reason why many
slaves have been sent South during the last % year.
(and thousands sent out of Georgia,) is, that th'
| labor of person is worth twice much to cult
vate rich, fresh land, as poor, old land.
! II the estimate of yearly loss Of $50 cacl
hand and the domestic animals which he works, b
not too high, then the aggregate exceeds h,rt!
| millions of dollars This Is equivalent To having
sunk productiv capital invested in farming lands
at cheap rate, OF fiue hundred millions Of dollars
yielding per cent. annual interest. While Eng
land and France have derived hundreds OF million
Of profit and revenue from the tobacco and cotton
exported from Georgia, the Carolnas, Virginia an'
Maryland large share of all the proceeds re
ceived for these staples, which have dcsolated tn
earth over immense districts, has left these old i'm
poverished States, with their emigrahng citizens
neu0 10 return.
This unwise system of tillage is extending rap
idly in the United States.
Manufacturers, merchants and mechanics Otter
shift their settled policy, when they sec profit II
making a change. But whoever expects million
OF isolated farmers TO change suddenly their prac
tees, ideas and systems Of culture and husbandry
shows that he has not labored twenty years TO sub
stitute improving for exhaustng system Q
field culture. AT fair estimate, there arc at thi
time 2,74l 500 persons employed in agriculture II
the fifteen slavehoding States. Before the stud
| of rural economy, as a science, will become a
popular the study of politics, law and medicine
The South will have at work, in the field, force
five millions OF operatives. Who does not tina
the wise and skiful employment of this vast powe
of production is matter Of incstimabe conso
quence TO all the planting States, and to unbor
millions who must dig their daily bread from i'm
povcrshed soils, if the mighty work of land exhau;
zion il increase and extend, population spread
49,