THEORIES CONCERNING SOIL FERTILITY 329 



"SOME OBSERVATIONS OF FARMING IN SOUTHERN EUROPE 



"Italy has been practicing the art of agriculture since the early, early days 

 of the old, old civilization, hundreds of years before the Christian era began, 

 and agriculture is still the most important industry in Italy, as 85 per cent of all 

 the Italian soil is productive land. Dairying is not one of the leading lines, 

 however, nor is any other kind of stock raising. Oxen and asses are still the 

 principal beasts of burden, and wine the largest crop. 



"And yet, the agricultural products of Italy are varied, and in the aggregate 

 amount to a very large total. Remember that Italy is only twice the size of the 

 State of New York, and you will realize that not much land is wasted when the 

 following crops are produced annually: 



Wheat 143,400,000 bushels 



Corn 85,600,000 bushels 



Oats 19,360,000 bushels 



Rye and barley 18,400,000 bushels 



Rice 26,000,000 bushels 



Other cereals 18,000,000 bushels 



Total cereals . 310,760,000 bushels 



Potatoes 19,360,000 bushels 



Hemp 111,000,000 pounds 



Flax 30,000,000 pounds 



Cotton 22,000,000 pounds 



Tobacco 7,250,000 pounds 



Olive oil 74,500,000 gallons 



Wine 666,000,000 gallons 



"But, like the Swiss and the French, the peasant people are a frugal, thrifty 

 race ; and while the rich eat wheat bread, the work-people are content with 

 bread made from corn or rye. 



"Legumes everywhere. In looking about to find how the fertility of the 

 soil was maintained, in districts where live stock was not common, and hence 

 farm manure was far from plentiful, I noticed that everywhere leguminous crops 

 (or pulse) were the rule. I also discovered that in some form it was eaten every 

 day by rich and poor alike. All the time I was in Italy I never once sat down 

 to a dinner without being served with peas or beans or lentils, or some other 

 variety of leguminous annual. I found also that the poorer classes consume 

 large quantities of pulse, it being used to a large extent as a substitute for meat." 



The increases in these European crop yields since about 1825 to 

 1840 should be a most effective object-lesson to the American farmer 

 to " go and do likewise "; and if he will talk with any man who 

 has had experience in western European agriculture during the 

 last quarter century, he will promptly receive the positive assur- 



