Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1859-04-27
A6agGugGaGAs.
American Agriculture.

1t is gmelauchoy truth and one that re-
fleets much on the skill and foresight OF
American farmers, that while the wheat crop
of England has increased at least fifty Per
cent, in the last century that OF the United
States has fallen off in nearly the same pro-
portion. A century ago, New England
Delaware and Virginia raised wheat as an
ordinary crop; now a wheat neid is rarity
in these states, and they may be considered
no longer wheat producing regions. Portlons
of New York that formerly produced thirty
bushels to the acre, now seldom average over
eight bushels, and Ohio, new as she is, with
her virgin soil, does not average over thir-
en- bushels t. the acre.
IF we go on as we have for the past cen
tury, from bad to worse in cur tillage, the
lands in Ohio, in half century from this
time, we will not produce wheat enough to
supply our wants. 1t is less than that..hm
since Vermont was large wheat exporting
state; now she does not export bushel. but
;mnorts at least two-thirds of all the -four
consumed in that state Instead of increasing
the productiveness of our who al land, as IN
ENGLAND, our wheat region is diminished
more than one-half and the productive quail
ity of wha. is still used has diminished In
equal proportion.
This is practical, nlatter-of- fact view of
the case, and cne that addresses itself seri-
ously to the common sense Of the farmer and
national economist. Instead of all vain boast
that we can feed all Europe from our sur
plus wheat, we have got to improve our
farming, or swallow the unpalata5le truth
that we imrort our bread-stufs from Eng
land
We talk much of the -out-lands OF
MARYLAND; Virginia, and California; but New
York, that has destroyed the productive quail
ity of her soil so that she can get but eight
bushels where she formerly got thirty, and
Ohio; so she gets but thirteen bushels where
she formerly got thirty five, lave the same
prospects before them. The great question
regards the future; the past cannot be re-
called, nor remedied-
One great source of deterioration in ex
hausting our soils, has been 10 the manufac
ture of potash, and the export of 1t to foreign
countries, or to our manufactures. In thi.
way our soil has been robbed of an ingredien
without which no plants can mature, and n
cereal grain form, As cur forests have dis
appeared. this source of deterioration must b
cut off, but serious idjury has been inficte
which nothing can cure but the re-furnishln
of the potash to the soil: How it can be done
is the great inquiry for our farmers
The export of our -four has been an othe
source of exhaustion to the soil, in takn
away from it the phosphate of lime that
necessary to give plunpness to the kernel.
The exhaustion can be more easily RENE
died by the application of bone dust Fc
many years the English farmers have carrie
on large traffic in old bones, paying fv
dollars ton for them. This has stimulate
many to gather them up, and even to rob th
battle-felds of Europe of the bones of thei
brave defenders to enrich the wheat fields
England BY this course, the fields of En-
land have been made more productive, viii
the countries from which the bones are take
have been permanently injured By the
loss.
The English, too, have sent to every islar
of South America, to procure neitre in Il
form of guauo, to fertalize their fields. VIII
the Americans not only import little or non
but negligently wastes that which natu
forces on thcm.-Ohio Farmer.