No 105.] 69 



testimony, would convince us that this State policy of a semi-civilized 

 nation is worthy the imitation of the enlightened government of this 

 State. 



Owing to the abundance of land in this country, and the sparseness 

 of our population, it will not for a long period of years become neces- 

 sary for the State to pass laws regulating the practice of husbandry, 

 and a wise foresight may render it always unnecessary. Yet the 

 Chinese have found such laws necessary, and all the visiters to that 

 peculiar people concur in expressing their astonishment at the amazing 

 productiveness of the "central flowery land, " and the consummate skill 

 of their agricultural population. 



An abundance of statistical facts might be adduced, showing con- 

 clusively that while the farmer of New-York has been growing rich, 

 the fertility of her soil has been gradually but certainly diminishing. 

 The fertility of a soil is usually measured by its capacity for growing 

 wheat. Taking this as a test, it is but too evident that we have not 

 overrated the fact that the fertility of New-York is diminishing. 

 Wheat is rarely raised in the older counties of State, and in the 

 fertile west, the annual average per acre is diminishing. Many of the 

 counties of the State, formerly wheat-growing counties, have of late 

 years found that barley was a more certain and profitable crop, and 

 they are consequently gradually abandoning the culture of wheat. 



It is becoming known to the more enlightened agriculturists that 

 the former ruinous practices of husbandry have contributed to the 

 constant and annual removal from the soil of those peculiar elements 

 which are necessary to secure the growth of wheat. To the great 

 mass of our farmers, the doctrines of a well founded agricultural che- 

 mistry are neither known nor appreciated. The enlightened states- 

 man, therefore, who is anxiously looking after those causes which 

 affect the prosperity of the commonwealth, must see in this view of 

 the subject the absolute necessity of adopting a policy which is pre- 

 judicial to no one, and which may be beneficial to all. 



There are many practices in use by our farmers that should be 

 improved if the case is within the reach of possibility. To select one 

 out of many, we will mention that of " summer fallowing" for wheat. 

 Can this practice be abandoned 1 If it can, the importance of cor- 

 recting this habit will be evident to every one, for by abandoning this 

 questionable practice, one entire crop of grain will be saved to the 

 farmer and the community, and while the farmer's profits are thus 

 increased, the price of bread will be cheapened to the poor laborer. 



