308 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



tacky somewhere near one-fifth of the total area has been 

 seriously damaged Ijy the superficial and temporary streams 

 which have been formed during heavy rains, probably not one 

 one-hundredth part of the tilled land in New England has 

 suffered in a serious way from such accidents. Another 

 advantage possessed by the glacial soils consists in the fact 

 that, by proper tillage, the soil can be extended downward 

 to any desirable depth. This is rarely the case in regions 

 Avhere the soils are produced l)y the decomposition of the 

 rocks immediately beneath which they lie. The subsoil in 

 such countries is frequently so compact that it cannot readily 

 be incorporated with the true soil w^ithout great cost in the 

 process of manipuhition. Last of all, we may note the fact 

 that in glaciated districts the soil on a given area, such as is 

 occupied by an ordinary farm, commonly contains a far 

 greater variety in the character of the fields than occurs 

 where the soil originates by the decay of the subjacent rocks. 

 In most of New England farms of say one hundred acres in 

 area, there are usually fields of tough clay, those of a sandy 

 character, patches of bog land which yield peat for fertil- 

 izing purposes, and varied sites for the cultivation of those 

 crops which demand a large amount of moisture. Thus the 

 farm of the New England district is commonly more self- 

 supporting than that of a region characterized by normal 

 soils. This variety in the employment of the farmer who 

 tills glacially formed soils is not to be reckoned of small 

 account in estimating the advantages of his position. The 

 more varied the occupations of the agriculturist, the larger 

 the share of educational eifect which arises from his occupa- 

 tion, as compared with the life of the cotton planter or the 

 grain dealer of more fertile districts. In place of winning 

 subsistence from a single crop, the New England farmer 

 commonly markets at least half-a-dozen soil products. He 

 has the experience of the dairyman, of the cattle breeder, 

 fruit raiser, and perhaps of the market gardener ; and in this 

 varied employment he finds opportunities for intellectual 

 development which are denied to those who depend on a 

 narrower range of soil industries. 



