THE POSSIBILITIES OF AGRICULTURE. 85 



philosophy always does) upon the theoretical philosophy 

 of our century. 



True, the formidable growth of the productive powers 

 of man in the industrial field, since he tamed steam 

 and electricity, has somewhat shaken Malthus's doctrine. 

 Industrial wealth has grown at a rate which no possible 

 increase of population could attain, and it can grow with 

 still greater speed. But agriculture is still considered a 

 stronghold of the Malthusian pseudo-philosophy. The 

 recent achievements of agriculture and horticulture are 

 not sufficiently well known ; and while our gardeners 

 defy climate and latitude, acclimatise sub-tropical plants, 

 raise several crops a year instead of one, and themselves 

 make the soil they want for each special culture, the 

 economists nevertheless continue saying that the surface 

 of the soil is limited, and still more its productive 

 powers ; they still maintain that a population which 

 should double each thirty years would soon be con- 

 fronted by a lack of the necessaries of life! 



A few data to illustrate what can be obtained from 

 the soil were given in the preceding chapter. But the 

 deeper one goes into the subject the more new and strik- 

 ing data does he discover, and the more Malthus's fears 

 appear groundless. 



To begin with an instance taken from culture in the 

 open field namely, that of wheat we come upon the 

 following interesting fact While we are so often told 

 that wheat-growing does not pay, and England conse- 

 quently reduces from year to year the area of its wheat 

 fields, the French peasants steadily increase the area 

 under wheat, and the greatest increase is due to those 

 peasant families which themselves cultivate the land 

 they own. Since the end of the last century they have 

 nearly doubled both the area under wheat, as well as the 

 returns from each acre, so as to increase almost fourfold 



