The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-11-02
FERTILITY OF THE SOIL.
ImT ovcrishcd Lands If the United states
Causes ard Results.

Imr diversified Lands Of the United states,
Causes ard Results.
| venture the statement that neither
the agricultural class nor The world ar
large estimates az its value ne discovery
of the preparation and Use Of arifcia.
ma1ures. What we are accustomed IA
call the natural fertility Of thesoil Is soon
exhausted For a lorh period after the
settlement Of the American colonies the
inhabitants relied chiefly upon the na.
turai fertility Of the soil Tie begin.
nings Of fiochs and herds Nerc bv import.
alton, and the means Of the settlers were
limited, and the opportunities for obtain.
ing supply of animals from England
were inircquent. As each new state
10 the west was open for settle
ment the pioneers relied upon tine
natural fertility Of the soil. and
very generally they were deluded with
the notion that its fertility was mex.
haustibie Except in few favored snots.
as in the valleys Of the Sciot0 and Miami
rivers. the delusion has been expelled hv
experience Those valleys are kept fer.
tile by an annual deposit Of finely com.
minutei vegetable and mineral matter
brought down by the river freshots of
tie spring. Thus one section Is robbed
OF its fertility for the benefit Of anotAt-.
TIE autumn crop that are gathered in
tie river valleys have exhausted the
natural resources Of the earth as much
as they would have been exhausted if the
same crops had been gathered ON tine
hillsides of the country above.
Although the forces OF nature are at
work constantly in refertIlizing iheeuth
the process is so slow that is present pop
ulation would diminish rather than IN.
crease. Beginning with New York and
going west there has been common ex-
periencc The lands that have been
chopped for successive years without the
the application Of manurcs have Welded
annually less and less returns per acre.
Tile experience Of the south previous go
the war was the same. With the oSccp-
ton of the river bottoms the cotton lands
were soon exhausted. IL was tine cus
tom Of the planters 20 secure quantity
of land so large that not moro than ono.
third or one-quarter would be under cui-
tivation at the same time The larger
part was given over 10 process of
natural renovation.
Yet even under this process the plan
ters Of the older cotton states were inn
povcrished, and there was consequently
an annual movement westward 90 the
valley Of the Mississippi ami the plains of
Texas It is manifest that under thH
system Of cultivation there must have
been q serious diminuiion OF the cotton
product in less than half century from
the opening Of the war. I'm the north and
west, as the fac: Of dimiuishingproduct
OF wheat and corn wcs realized. the iaT.
mers began to apply animal n-lures.
But the ability TO command even %
supply Of animal manurcs inn
plies conditions which DO not everywhere
exist. First. the country must produce
must yield pastugage on which
cattle can live during a pant of the year
In the most practical sense 'aii flesh %
grass. Next, the seasons must be such
that the cattle will require shelter for &c
period of time, as otherwise there can be-
no occnmulations Of manure for the use
If special fields and special crops. IN the
south neither Of these conditions existed.
Consequently, under the old system, the
people If that section could haye adopted
no other plan Of culture than that under
which they were acting.
In the north and west the country Is a
grazing country generally, The winters
are harsh and long, and consequently cine
lccumulations Of animal maumesT aio
but manile,ily the nppIt
would be inadequate Cor else support # a.
great population Beyond this the ds
rbution of animal manure over large
fields, and It's transportation from thc
towns and cities 10 distant country dis
.r.cts. is heavy addition 90 thc cot of %
,rop.-George $. Boutwell, n Boston
Globe.