THE PHOSPHATES OF AMERICA. 



THE J ^ 



DIVERSITY] 



lt^ 



CHAPTER I. 



INTRODUCTORY GENERALITIES. 



THE theory of scientific agriculture is based upon a complete 

 knowledge of the nature of soils, plants, animals and manures, and 

 it is evident that until these elements are thoroughly understood 

 no attempts at improvement or plans for increased production can 

 possibly be successful. Is it not curiously illustrative of the gen- 

 eral ignorance that very few people know anything of the earth 

 they tread or the soil they cultivate, in what way it was formed, or 

 of what it is composed ? How, then, can they imagine the mighty 

 inundations and the terrible upheavals? How conceive anything 

 of that gigantic disemboweling of the earth-monster, and of the 

 awful torrents of burning lavas which it has vomited forth ? Can 

 they realize that our tallest mountains, even those which from their 

 height are covered with perpetual snow, were once submerged in 

 rolling seas? or that the rocks and cliffs we meet with in our plains 

 are nothing more than agglomerated masses of organisms that 

 swarmed the waters ? This is a seductive topic ; one that might 

 readily carry us far beyond the scope-of this small work ; and one 

 that, feeling as we do how utterly impotent we should prove in any 

 attempt to do it justice, we would rather not touch upon at all. 



Remembering, however, that we are not writing solely for the 

 scientific or technical, and that we design to interest the general 

 reader, we are bold enough to attempt a brief summary of acquired 

 facts in order to make subsequent arguments more forcible and 

 clear. 



We believe it to be generally admitted by our geological teachers 



