The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-11-22
FERTILITY or THE soil.
impoverished Lands Of the United States.
Causes and Results.

Causes un0 Results.
venture the statement that neither
the agricultural class nor the werld at
large estimates at its value the discovery
Of the preparation and use of artificial
manures. What We arc acc astoined to
cxil the natural fertility Of the soil is soon
exhausted For long period after the
settlement Of the American colonies the
inhabitants relied chiefly upon the ma
eural fertility Of the soil The Begin
nings Of 6ocks and herds were by import
alton, and the means Of the settlers were
limited. and the opportunities for obtain
ing supply Of animals from England
were infrequent. AS each new state
to the west was open for settle
ment the pioneers relied upon the
natural fertility Of the roil. and
very generally they were deluded with
she notion Al2t its fertility was mex
haustibie. Except in few favored spots,
as in the valleys Of the Scioto and Miami
rivers, the delusion has been expelled by
experience. These valleys are kept fer
tile by an annual deposit of finely COM
minuted vegetable and mineral matter
brought down by the river freshets Of
the spring. Thus one section is robbed
OF its fertility for the benefit Of another.
The autumn crops that are gathered in
the river valleys have exhausted the
| natural resources OF the earth as much
as they would have been exhausted IL the
same crops had been gathered ON tho
hillsides OF the country above.
Although the forces of nature ars Of
work constantly in refertilizing the earth,
the process is SO slow that its present pop
ulation would diminish rather than In
crease. Beginning with New York and
going west there has been common ex-
perience. The lands that have been
chopped for successive years without the
| the application of manures have yielded
annually less and less returns per acre.
The experience of the south previous to
the war was the same. With the excep-
ton of the river bottoms the cotton lands
were soon exhausted. 1t was the GUS
tom of the planters to secure quantity
| of land SO large that not more than one
third or one-quarter would be under cul-
tivation ut the same time. The larger
| part was given over to a process of
natural renovation.
Yet even under this process the PLAN
| tCic Va tiiC OAoGl SOttOi ellltS WGKe I'LL
poverished, and there was consequently,
an annual movement westward to the
valley of the Mississippi and the plains Of
| Texas. 1t is manifest that under this
system Of cultivation there must have
been serious diminution Of the cotton
product in less than half century from
the opening Of the war. In the north and
west, as the fact Of diminishing product
of wheat and corn was realized, the far
mers began to apply animal manures.
But the ability to command even q
moderate supply Of animal manures inn
plies conditions which do not everywhere
exist. First, the country must produce
grass-it must yield pasturage ON which
cattle can live during part of the year.
In the most practical sense ''all ilesh is
grass" Next, tho seasons must be such
that the cattle will require shelter for a
period of time, as otherwise there can be
no accumulations of manure for the use
of special fields and special crops. In the
south neither Of these conditions existed.
Consequently, under the old system, the
people Of that section could have adopted
no other plan of culture than that under
which they were acting. d.
In the north and west the country is q
grazing country generally, the winters
are harsh and long, and consequently the
accumulations of animal inanures1are
considerable, but manifestly the supply
would be inadequate for the support of a
great population, Beyond this the dis
tribution Of animal manure over large
zelda and its transportation from the
towns and cities to distant country dis
tricts, is heavy addition to the cost of q
crop.-George s. Boutwell, in Boston
Glohe