546 AGRICULTURE. 



civilization which the close of the incoming century ought to 

 discover in this place, surpasses conception. Nothing but the 

 blindness and folly of man can disappoint the world of the fulfil- 

 ment of this vision of earthly power, splendor, and glory. 



In the great phosphate beds of the coast, notably already 

 developed in South Carolina and Florida, and certainly existing 

 elsewhere, nature has provided amply for the needs of the agri- 

 culture of thousands of generations ; whereas the seed of the 

 cotton crop is a vast supply of organic matter, containing more 

 available nitrogen than any other material received at nature's 

 hand. In the cotton seed and phosphates, the region under 

 consideration possesses a permanent basis for a scientific system 

 of fertilization. But this is not all. There are included in this 

 area prodigious deposits of lime, gypsum, and marl ; and, more- 

 over, the long season of growth of vegetation is very favorable 

 to the accumulation of organic matter and nitrates in the soil, 

 and the season of leaching during the winter suspension of 

 vegetation is very much shortened. 



From these great natural facts, it is very clear that the prob- 

 lem of the conservation of the fertility of these soils is a far less 

 serious and difficult one than that which confronts the agricul- 

 turists of the great middle and northwestern States. It seems 

 needless to remark, that this problem presents greatly intensified 

 difficulties in the New England States and Canada. And this 

 fact greatly favors the agriculture of the Southern and Border 

 States ; viz. : that the fallow crops reach there their highest 

 efficiency and value, both from their longer season of growth, 

 and their natural adaptation to the climates and soils of the 

 region. 



The agricultural colleges and stations of this section have 

 before them great -possibilities of usefulness. It is for them to 

 work out the details of the agricultural practice, at once answer- 

 able to the demands of science and practical economy. They 

 must show how, in every-day practice, all the vast natural sup- 

 plies of fertilizers may be fully utilized with the utmost attain- 

 able economy. 



In such an article as this it cannot even be stated in detail 

 what these problems are, according to the writer's views. It can 

 be stated that a complete system of scientific agriculture, even 



