OF AGRICULTURE 161 



thusian pseudo-philosophy. The recent achieve- 

 ments of agriculture and horticulture are not 

 sufficiently well known ; and while our gar- 

 deners defy climate and latitude, acclimatise 

 sub-tropical plants, raise several crops a year 

 instead of one, and themselves make the soil 

 they want for each special culture, the econo- 

 mists nevertheless continue saying that the 

 surface of the soil is limited, and still more its 

 productive powers ; they still maintain that 

 a population which should double each thirty 

 years would soon be confronted by a lack 

 of the necessaries of life ! 



A few data to illustrate what can be obtained 

 from the soil were given in the preceding 

 chapter. But the deeper one goes into the 

 subject, the more new and striking data does he 

 discover, and the more Malthus's fears appear 

 groundless. 



To begin with an instance taken from culture 

 in the open field namely, that of wheat we 

 come upon the following interesting fact. While 

 we are so often told that wheat-growing does not 

 pay, and England consequently reduces from 

 year to year the area of its wheat fields, the 

 French peasants steadily increase the area 

 under wheat, and the greatest increase is due to 

 those peasant families which themselves cultivate 



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