The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1859-03-31
agricultural,
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Fran lie OHIO Farmer.
American Agriculture,

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l. IL q MELANCHOLY truth and one that
sriitcts lnEeh on the skill and foresight of
american farmers, that while the wheat
.~op Of England has increased at least
tiiy per cent in the last century, that of
re United States has fallen off in nearly
;hesame proportion A century ago, New
lnaland, DelaBare and Virginia raised
wheat as an ordinary crop; now wheat
Geld is rarity in these states, and they
uiay be considered 10 longer whoat-pro-
ducing regions, Portions Of New York,
hat formerly produced thirty bushels to
,he acre, now seldom averages over eight
iushels and Ohio, uew as she is, with
her virgin soil, does not average over thlr-
;cen bushels to the acre.
If we go on as we have for the past
century, from bad to worse in our tillage,
the lands in Ohio, in half century from
this time, viii not produce wheat enough
10 supply our own wants. 1t is less than
that time since Vermont was large wheat
exporting state; now she does not export
bushel, but imports at least two-tbirds
Of all the -four consumed in that state.
Instead of increasing the productiYeness
of our wheat land, as is doue IN England,
our wheat region is diminished more than
one half, and the productive quality of
what is still used has diminished in equal
proportion.
This is practical, matter-of-faCt view
of the case, aud one that addresses itself
seriously to the common sense of the farm
er and national economist. Instead Of
the vain boast that we can feed all E,u-
rope from our surplus wheat, We have got
to improve our farming, or swallow the
unpalatable truth that We IMPORT our
bread stufs-from England
We talk much of the worn-out lands Of
Maryland, Virginia and Carolina; but New
York, that has destroyed the productive
quality of her soil, so that she can get but
eight bushels where she formerly got thir-
~, and Ohio, so she gets but thirteen
bushels where she formerly got thirty five,
have the same prospects before them.
The great question regards the future the
past cannot be recalled, nor remedied.
One great SOURCE of deterioration in ex-
hausting our soils. has been in the man
utacture of potash, and the export Of it to
foreign countries, or to our manufactures.
In ,his way our soil has been robbed Of
sn Ingredient, without which no plant can
mature, and ne cereal grain form. A5
our forests have disappeared, this source
Of deterioration must be cut off, but ser
ious injury has been inflicted, which moth
lag can cure but the re-furnishing of the
potash to the soil. How it can be done,
is the great inquiry of our farmers.
The export OF our -four has been anoth
e. source of exhaustion to the soil, in TAX
Ing away from 1t the phosphate of lime
:hat is necessary to give p!umpness to the
kernel
This exhaustion can be more easily rem
edied by the application Of bore dust. For
many years the English farmers haze car
RED on large traffic in Old bones, paying
i've dollars a ton for them. This has
stimulated many to gather them up, and
even to rob the le-felds OF Europe Of
iae bones of their brave defenders. to en-
i.ch the wheat fields of England BY this
course, the fields of England 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 aitre,
in the form of guaho, to fertilize their
fields, while the Americans not ouly i'm
prrt little or none, but negligeptIy waste
that which nature forces OF them