392 STATE BOAKD OF AGKICULTURE. 



Congress by the Statistician of tlie Department of Agriculture we find the follovr- 

 ing estimate of wheat raised in proportion to the population : In 1849 there 

 "were 4.3 bushels per capita; in 1859, 5.5 bushels; and in 18G9, 7.4G bushels. 

 This shows an increase of more than 50 per cent in proportion to population in 

 20 years. This fact is reached by statistics, viz. : that we are in more danger 

 of over production than the other extreme as long as we have large areas brought 

 under the plow for the first time each year. Mr. Dodge adds further: ''We 

 learn from statistics that grain-growing exclusively, though remunerative as a 

 temporary expedient, is a speculation and not true farming." Farmers have 

 simply exchanged the fertility of their farms for the improvements put upon 

 them, and the money they have and suppose they have made. 



Let us glance for a moment at the statistics of wheat culture in some parts of 

 Europe, Taking tlie six countries that stand highest in the amounts raised per 

 acre, we have, first, Great Britain, 27^ bushels per acre ; Netherlands, 25^ ; 

 Belgium, 20f ; JSTorw^ay, 12f ; and Spain, 11^-. Don Perruelas, a member of 

 the Spanish Cortes, in writing of this deplores the exhaustive system of grain- 

 growing in Spain, and strongly urges the necessity of agricultural schools to 

 teach the people, and particularly the young, the necessity of economizing and 

 husbanding tlie fertility of the soil. If we place Michigan in this comparison 

 we find that Avith her average in 1874 of 14.2 busliels she would stand fifth in 

 rank. If Ave compare the United States as a whole, we find that Ave should 

 rank sixth, or next to poor down-trodden Spain. When Ave compare the amount 

 Avith that in England, Ave find that they nearly or quite exceed us by 100 per 

 cent as a State, and even more as United States. When avc compare the yield per 

 acre for seAcral years back in Great Britain Ave find that there has been a grad- 

 ual increase, — that a liigh system of farming, with particular care to haA'e a 

 fixed rotation in Avhich Avheat shall occur not more than once in four years, and 

 more often but once in seven or eight years, has had much to do Avith this. 

 Tlie system of crops between is such as to give back the greatest amount of fer- 

 tilizing material to the soil. In addition to all this Ave find them frequently 

 sowing largely of some fertilizer to help to groAV a large crop on a few acres. It 

 seems to me that A\-e as American farmers should not be slow to learn that in 

 cultivation of a fewer number of acres and cultivating them better Ave sliall be 

 largely the gainers. We should learn, I think, to keep as large a portion of 

 our farms in grass and forage crops as possible, for land in grass Avill recuperate 

 more or less according to tlie circumstances, the amount of stock kept on the 

 farm having something to do Avith it. The simple fact of having the soil cov- 

 ered by vegetation, — a thick coat of grass, if not fed off, — acts as a charm, on 

 light soils particularly. But, some one may ask, can Ave not raise several suc- 

 cessive crops of Avheat and still retain the fertility of our soils by just knowing 

 Avhat kind of dressing to apply and the amount? I can best answer this ques- 

 tion by giving the summary of a series of experiments carried on for a period of 

 six years at Rodmersham to confirm the results of another series at Eotham- 

 stead. The scA'cn plats received per acre : 



1. Xo manure, the land in h\gh condition. 



2. Mixed mineral manure, 300 lbs. sulph. potash, 200 ibs. sulph. soda, 100 sulph. mag;., 

 200 bone ash, 150 Ho. S O4. 



3. 200 sulph, am., 200 chl. am. 



4. Nos. 2 and 3 combined (best results). 

 i). 540 pounds Peruvian guano. 



G. 2,000 rape cake, 



7. 14 tons farmyard manure. 



