98 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



But I fear to weary you by longer dwelling upon these 

 points. They are, however, of the highest importance to the 

 interests of agriculture, and should be attentively considered. 



There has never been a time when soil cultivation, as a pur- 

 suit, was more hopeful or promising than the present. We 

 have just learned the important fact that an abundance of plant- 

 food has been stored up for our use in mines and rocks, and 

 that we have only to reach out our hands and take all that we 

 require. Ten years ago who could have dreamed even of such 

 vast deposits of potash as have been opened up to us at Stass- 

 furth salt mines, in Germany ? Some idea of the supply may 

 be formed from the fact, that at the present time more potash 

 is furnished from these mines, than from the wood- ash sources 

 of supply of the whole world. Only about thirteen thousand 

 tons of potash were sent to market from the United States and 

 British America in 1870, and yet from Stassfurth, where a dozen 

 years ago it was not supposed that a single ton could be pro- 

 cured, thirty thousand tons of the muriate of potash were 

 manufactured and supplied to consumers upon both continents, 

 during the past year. The surface salts at these mines, which 

 hold the potash, are practically inexhaustible, and millions of 

 tons will be supplied in succeeding years. No doubt our own 

 salt mines will be found, upon careful examination, to afford 

 potash, and hence we may look with confidence to the rapid 

 cheapening of this most useful product. 



Ten years ago, who could have supposed that, along the river 

 beds upon the coast of South Carolina, there were millions of 

 tons of rocks holding that important element of plant-food, 

 phosphoric acid ? These rocks were indeed known, but their 

 important character was not understood. The phosphatic rock 

 beds of that region extend over an area of several hundred 

 6quare miles, and in some places they are twelve feet thick. It 

 is estimated that from five hundred to a thousand tons underlie 

 each acre. How vast is this supply of an agent of the highest 

 importance to agriculture, and what a source of national wealth 

 it opens to us ! 



Two important considerations force themselves upon our 

 attention. One is, that nature has provided ample materials to 

 supply all our wants. In mountains, and caverns, and streams 

 she has deposited all elements and combinations which are 



