Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-04-01

AMERICAN AGRrcuLTuRE.-Itisa is q mclanchol,
truth and one that ref ,cts much ON the xii
and foresight of American farmers that whll,
the wheat crop of England has increased al
least fifty per cent. in the last century, that
oi the United States has fallen off in nearly
the same proportion. A century ago, New
England Delaware and Virginia raised wheat
rs an ordinary crop; now wheat field is Il
rarity IN these states, and they may be consi-
dercd no longer wheat producing regions.
| Portions OF New York, that formerly produ-
| ced thirty bushels to the acre, now seldom
average over eight bushels; and Ohio, new
us She Is, with her virgin soil, does not aver
age over thirteen bushels to the acre.
II we go on as we have for the past century,
rom bad to worse in our tillagc, the lands in
Ohio, in half a century from this time, will
not produce wheat enough to supply our own
wants. 1t Is less than that time since Vermont
was large wheat-exporting state; now she
does not export a bushel, but imports at least
two-thirds of all the flour consumed in that
state. Instead of increasing the productive
ness OF our wheat land, as is done IN England
our wheat region is diminished more than
one halt, and the productive quality Of what
is still used has diminished in equal proper
ton. This is practical, mattcr-of fact view
OF the case, and one that addresses itselfseri-
ously to the common sense of the farmer and
national economist. Instead of the vain boast
that we can feed all Europe from our surplus
wheat We have got to improve our farming.
or swallow the unpalatable truth that we i'm
port our brcad-stuils from England.
We talk much OF the worn-out lands 0.
Maryland, Virginia and Carolina; but New
York, that has destroyed the productive qua
lIty at bNr gDIl spt that ba H..
bushels W ere she formerly got thirty. and
Ohio, so she gets but thirteen bushels where
she formerly got thirty-fve, have the same
prospect before them. The great question re-
CARDS the future; the past cannot be recalled,
nor rcmedicd.
One great source of deterioration in cxhaus-
ting our soils, has been in the manufacture of
potash, and the export of it to foreign coun-
tries, OF to our manufactures. In this way
our soil has been robbed of an ingredient,
without which no plant can mature, and no
cereal grain form. AS our forests have dis
appeared, this source OF deterioration must
DC cut oil, but q serious injury has been in
hlcted, which nothing can cure hut the re-
furnishing Of the potash to the soil How it
can be done, is the great inquiry for our far
mers.
Tho export Of our flour has been another
source of exhaustion to the soil, in taking a.
way from it the phosphate OF lime that is ne
ccssary to give plumpncss to the kernel
This exhaustion can be more easily rene
died by the application of bone dust. For
many years the English Farmers have carried
on large traffic in old bones, paying five dol
lars ton for them. This has stimulated
many to gather them up, and even to rob the
battle-iields of Europe of the bones of their
brave defenders, to enrich the wheat fields of
England. BY this conrse the fields of Eng
have been made more productive, while
the countries from which the bones are
taken have been permanently injured by their
loss.
The English, too, have sent to every island
OF South America to procure nitre, in the form
OF guano, to fertilize their fields, while the
Americans not only import little or none, but
negligently waste that which nature forces
on them - Ohio Farmer.