The times., 1901-05-06
SCOTTISH SOIL BY THE TON.
steamships Bring 1t TO New York
ReGuInrIY nS nnIIaSf.

NEW YORK May 5.-One thousand
tons of Scotch soil were imported into
New York on the Allan State Line steam
er Laurentian last week. Almost every
week the ships of this company bring
5oVer a portion Of the Land of Cakes. 1t
comes as ballast, there being no freight
The company does not bring it because
it wants TO. but because it's ships would
turn turtle if they were not SO weighted
down
The cost Of this importation to the
company is at least 81 a ton. The soil
has to be bought at Glasgow 1t is taken
many miles down to the docks in carts
and then loaded, all of which uses up
money and effort. When it reaches New
York It must be taken out of the hold by
'longshoremen. a whole shoal of them,
who get 50 a day apiece for their trouble
1t is taken away from the ships side in
lighters by contractors. What they do
with it no one seems to know. but that
they don't lose much money in the deal
is shown by the big diamonds that they
wear and by their plump appearance
The soil that Scotland sends is the
black-looking stuff. 1t is doubtful If it
would grow even thistles without the
most persistent and conscientious fertil-
izng. The steamship companies don't
care for this. All they want is weight,
and the soil is bought by the ton.
Every time the agents of the steamship
companies look at the cargoes of mud
and rubbish they are forced to import
they make emphatic remarks. They talk
of the old days when the balance of trade
was the other way, when Glasgow sent
machinery to us and we frequently
shipped rock and earth to the Scotch
commercial capital It is a long time.
however. since Europe received cargo
of American soil.
1t is not only the Scotch ships that
bring portions of the earth as ballast.
AS this country is made up of the peo-
pies of different countries, so do the coun-
tries themselves contribute to its soil.
patriot Italian or Frenchman who wants
to see the soil of his native land again
can do so without crossing the Atlantic.
All he need do is to make friends with
some nghterman who takes ballast from
incoming ships and the Hghterman will
take him to the place where he dumps it.
Some of the made land in New York
harbor has been specially imported in this
way in steel steamships and at a great
expense. 1t has not been remarked that
Europe is noticeably getting smaller, but
it must be
In the imported earth there are often
seeds of plants that do not grow here
and that no one has ever bothered to
bring over. Thus the fora of America is
increased. Botanists know of this fact.
The imported seeds, however, are general
ly the seeds of weeds
After a steamship has unloaded her
cargo of feudal soil it is necessary to thor
oughly cleanse her before freight can be
put aboard.
Altogether these importations are most
costly but the expense is not betrayed
the Steamship cOnlDaniGS. 1t Is added
of course TO the freight charges on ship
ments 10 the East These are large and
rich, and there is enough profit on them
10 wipe out the loss on the mud traffic.
Most OF the steamships have water bal |
last tanks 1t is less costly to pump the |
sea into the hold than to load up with |
earth but the tanks reduce the freight |
space on the eastern trip, ana II |
IS often cheaper TO bring the earth--that |
is when there is plenty of well paying |
freight 10 be had from here to Europe.