CALCAREOUS MANURES-APPENDIX 257 



indeed have scarcely attracted any attention. Yet, even if considered as 

 a mere matter of curiosity, not likely to bring to light any thing of practi- 

 cal use, there is scarcely one of Nature's riddles which would seem better 

 calculated to interest philosophical, and especially agricultural investigators. 

 These very different kinds of garb which are worn by different regions of 

 the earth, extend over vast spaces, and of course are accompanied with 

 many remarkable changes both of climate and soil. It follows that there 

 are not many persons who have been accustomed to more than one of 

 these conditions of the face of the earth ; and those who have been, were 

 not of the class the best qualified for investigating the subject. The first 

 European settlers of North America were, by the contrast to their native 

 lands, the more forcibly impressed by the magnificent forests of which there 

 seemed to be no end, and no change, except from the greater abundance 

 of one luxuriant and gigantic growth to that of others. But this universal 

 cover of the land, so different from any thing before known, was merely 

 described with admiration by Europeans. No cause was sought for, or 

 thought wanting ; and they remained con.tent with most erroneously attri- 

 buting the luxuriant growth of trees to the fertility of the soil, and the 

 want of the labors of tillage.* 



The children of the early settlers grew up among forests, and they and 

 their children, judging from all they saw, learned to consider that almost 

 all soils, rich or poor, naturally would be covered by trees; and while 

 falhng into this error, they at least got rid of that of their forefathers, in con- 

 necting the idea of a luxuriant forest growth with great fertility. When 

 the spread of population finally brought the latter descendants to the borders 

 of the Mississippi, and the great prairies of the west first opened to their 

 astonished view, this change was as great as unaccountable, and yet the 

 cause as little sought, as that of the universal forest state had been by the 

 first emigrants from Europe. But ignorant wonder soon ceases, and leads 



* The words of the founder of Virginia, Capt. John Smith, show that the noble growth 

 of trees which he and the other first European visiters found, gave them a very high and 

 certainly mistaken opinion of the general fertility of Lower Virginia. " Witliin [the 

 capes of Virginia,] is a countrey that may have the prerogative over the most pleasant 

 places knowne, foi large and pleasant navigable rivers : heaven and earth never agreed 

 better to frame a place for man's habitation, were it fully manured and inhabited by 

 industrious people. Here are mountains, hils, plaines, valleyes, rivers, and brookes, all 

 running most pleasantly into a faire bay, compassed, but tor the mouth, with fruitful and 



delightsome land." " The vesture of the earth in most places doth manifestly proue 



the nature of the soyl to be lusty and very rich. The colour of the earth we found in 

 diverse places resembleth bole Aniumiac, terra a sigillata, and Lemnia, fuller's earth, 

 marie, and divers other such appearances. But generally for the most j)art it is a 

 blacke sandy mould, and in some places a fat slimy clay, and in other places a very 

 barren gravell. But the best ground is knowne by the vesture it bearetli, as by the 

 greatnesse of trees, or abundance of weeds, &c." " Virginia doth afford many ex- 

 cellent vegetables, and living creatures, yet grasse there is little or none, but what grow- 

 eth in low marishes : for all the countrey is overgrowne with trees, whose droppings 

 continually turneth their grasse to weeds, by reason of the ranckness of the ground, 

 which would soone be amended by good husbandry. The wood that is most common 

 is oke and walnut, many of their okes are so tall and straight that they will beare two 



foote and a halfe square of good timber for 20 yards long," (Second Booke of the Trve 



Travels, Adventvres, and Observations of Captaine lohn Smith, ^c. London, 1629.) Cap- 

 tain Smith was altogether unskilled in agriculture, and it may be presumed that when 

 he spoke of the need of such rich land being " fully manured," as well as inhabited, he 

 meant nothing more than that it should be properly cultivated — of which, manuring was 

 deemed a general and necessary part. But this accidental (and according to his views, 

 erroneous) expression, was much nearer the truth than the opinion of fertility being 



[)roved by the " greatnesse of trees ;" for much tne greater part of the land bearing the 

 argest and most magnificent growth of oaks, pines, and other common trees, was in 

 truth poor then, and will ever remain so, without the application of calcareous matter. 



