, 1864-04-02
Land Wearing Out.

From seeing crops diminish year after
year, men begin to say their lands are
wearing out, and when they reach Ger.
tain point Of dimiuution, they are according
to the same mode Of reasoning, sworn
out" Under the impression mide by the
common u Q of tile words, who can tell
what thousands and millions have been
sacrificed by landowners in the old Atlantic
States? Who can count the fortunes made
by those who came into possession of lands
thus sacrificed, whether by acc dent, or by
shrewd discovery of their intrinsic value,
or by reasoning, perhaps, that as men are
to live on this earth for all tine, it is but
little more probable that the land should
wear out than that the everlasting hills
should give way2
A contemporary quotes from a late mum.
Der Of Chambers Journal in which this
fear Of wearing out seems just now to dis
turb the quiet Of some who live in older
countries than ours. In the article oil.
luded to, it is maintained that the vege.
table noald of the earth, upon which the
permanent fertility Of the land depends, is
being annually destroyed. To make mat.
ters worse, it says, this deterioration Of
the soil has produced an evil effect on the
atmosphere, from which there is no longer
vegetation to draw down moisture; thus
the mists vanish, the dew ceases, the rain
fails, and the rivers are dried up. The
writer accounts for these results in the too
liberal dosing Of the earth with phosphates
when it wanted natural manures, and sug-
gests as remedy little less physic and a
little more food. Another writer, how.
ever, doubts whether any eilectual remedy
can be found short Of the repairing agency
OF nature, by which regions are to be- con.
signed back to the birch aud the pine, con-
tinents submerged for fresh deposits Of
oceanic sediment, &c.
Victor Hugo, in Les MiseraJies, utters o
lament over the waste Of the sewerage Of
Paris, and the consequent wealth. that Is
being swallowed up forever by the ocean,
TO the starvation, il not eventual ruin, Of
the soil and Its cultivators. -..
1t is, indeed, vely much to be wished
that the sewerage Of Paris and oil other
cities were preserved from waste, aud that
every ferliiizing matter were carefully
economized. 1t Is hard to estimate the
wealth which it wasted in these materials.
But wasted as they are and will be, we
need not make ourselves unhappy in the
fear that thr earth will fail US, until it is
finally burned up. There Is, 1t is true, a
falling off Of produce under imprudent and
improyident culture. But this fact Is our
assurance and our comfort. The earth Is q
wise economist and deals not out her treas
ures with too free hand, not to seek them
either greedily or unskillfilly. Tho very
small proportion of earthly or mineral mat.
ter which each plant contains Is given up
to diligent culture, and to the action Of at.
mosphere and rain, and snow, water and
frosts, and strong manures. Moreover,
il is only furnished where prudent manage.
mcnt supplies the large proportion Of un.
earthly or atmospheric, ororganic matter,
necessary to combine with Il. When we
speak Of the earth being worn out, We
mean In fact that portion Of the food Of
plants IS exhausted, whi,h is not earthly,
but atmospheric. This happily is mex.
haustlble IN fact, though 1t may be deficient
in this or that field. When good culture
brings these superabounding elements ,nio
position, the earth, We may promise, will
furnish her shore. g