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I shall attempt nothing more. And in such suggestions by me, quite 

 likely very little will be new to you, and a large part of the rest 

 possibly already knov/n to be erroneous. 



My first suggestion is an inquiry as to the effect of greater 

 t horoughneg s in all the departments of Agriculture than now prevails 

 in the North-West — perhaps I might say in America. To speak entirely 

 within bounds, it is known that fifty bushels of wheat, or one hundred 

 bushels of Indian corn can be produced from an acre. Less than a 

 year ago I saw it stated that a man, by extraordinary care and labor, 

 had produced of wheat what was equal to two hundred bushels from an 

 acre. But take fifty of wheat, and one hundred of corn, to be the 

 possibility, and compare it with the actual crops of the country. — 

 Many years ago I saw it stated in a Patent Office Report that eighteen 

 bushels was the average crop throughout the United States; and this 

 year an intelligent farmer of Illinois, assured me that he did not 

 believe the land harvested in that State this season, had yielded 

 more than an average of eight bushels to the acre; much was cut, and 

 then abandoned as not worth threshing; and much v.'as abandoned as not 

 worth cutting. As to Indian corn, and indeed, most other crops, the 

 case has not been much better. For the last four years I do not be- 

 lieve the ground planted with corn in Illinois, has produced an average 

 of twenty bushels to the acre. It is true, that heretofore we have 

 had better crops, with no better cultivation; but I believe it is also 

 true that the soil has never been pushed up to one-half of its capac- 

 ity. 



What would be the effect upon the farming interest, to push the 

 soil up to something near its full capacity? Unquestionably it will 

 take more labor to produce fifty bushels from an acre, than it will 

 to produce ten bushels, from the same acre. But it will take more 

 labor to produce fifty bushels from one acre, than from five ? Un- 

 questionably, thorough cultivation will require more labor to the 

 acre ; but will it require more to the b ushel ? If it should require 

 just as much to the bushel, there are some probabl e, and several 

 certain advantages in favor of the thorough practice. It is probable 

 it would develop those unknown causes, v/hich of late years have cut 

 down our crops below their former average. It is almost certain, I 

 think, that in the deeper plowing, analysis of the soils, experiment.? 

 with manures, and varieties of seeds, observance of seasons, and the 

 like, these cases would be found. It is certain that thorough cul- 

 tivation would spare half, or more than half the cost of land, simply 

 because the same product v;ould be got from half, or from less than 

 half the quantity of land. This proposition is self-evident, and can 

 be made no plainer by repetitions or illustrations. The cost of land 

 is a great item, even in new countries; and constantly grows greater 

 and greater, in comparison v/ith other items, as the country grows 

 older. 



