THE GREAT QUESTION. 17 



few pounds of " Baltimore flour " for the annual Thanks- 

 giving. Butter and cheese were made in every farmer's 

 household. Horses, cattle, and sheep were raised in abun- 

 dance for home use and for market ; and every thing which 

 appertained to farming was in a prosperous condition. 



To-day the soil, in many of our eastern towns especially, has 

 been robbed of its fertility. Farms have been sold in drib- 

 lets and by the wagon-load : yes, even by the shipload is this 

 now going on, the exports of farm products for the year end- 

 ing July 1, 1879, amounting to five hundred million dollars. 

 They have been carried off by rail and team, driven on foot 

 in the shape of horses, cattle, and sheep ; and soon we shall 

 have to vacate the premises ourselves, or adopt some system 

 whereby we can with economy restore our wasted resources. 

 The question arises, How ? What method shall we adopt to 

 restore our farms to fertility, and at the same time provide 

 for the wants of those depending upon us, and possibly " lay 

 up something for a rainy day " ? 



The fertility of these run-down farms may be economically 

 restored by systematic grain-growing, cattle raising and feed- 

 ing. The system of cattle-raising pursued in the vast graz- 

 ing-regions of the West and South- West may not be applica- 

 ble to New England. Although the Western graziers may 

 be able to make their sixty or a hundred per cent profit, yet 

 it is not true, as is too generally considered, that the stock- 

 growing in the older States must be abandoned for the reason 

 that the high-priced lands of the East cannot compete with 

 the cheaper lands of the Western States and Territories. 

 Whatever changes may be required in the practice of agri- 

 culture in the older sections, in view of the competition of 

 the rich corn and grass lands, which, by a mistaken policy, 

 are being forced into occupancy in advance of the necessi- 

 ties of the people, it is obvious, that, so long as the land is 

 used in the production of crops, the grazing and feeding of 

 live-stock cannot be dispensed with. 



This is demonstrated by the practice of the farmers of 

 Great Britain, who, notwithstanding the high price of land 

 and all tillage crops, pay more attention to stock-breeding 

 than any other people in the world. The course of agricul- 

 ture in our own country teaches the same lesson. It was not 

 long ago that the feeders of the Great West grazed their 



