DETERIORATION OF THE SOIL— GEOLOGY. 



121 



ALAKMING DETERIOKATION OF THE SOIL. 



The constant deterioration of the soils in New 

 ^, and, and throughout most of the agricultural 

 st'ricts of the United States, is a fact of portentious 

 id alarming significance, though it has not yet 

 rested very extensively the notice of the public, 

 robably there is no one fact in our agricultural 

 onomy of more pregnant interest than this, in its 

 arings upon our future prosperity. Some statistics, 

 ustratiug this downward tendency in our ability to 

 oduce the fruits of the earth will now be given, and 

 ey will, I think, conclusively prove that a more 

 u'dent, skillful, and scientifiic mode of cultivating 



soil is absolutely indispensable. 



Between 18-tO and 1850 three hundred thousand 



res of land were added to those previously under 



provement in Massachusetts. Ninety thousand 



•ea were added to our mowing lands, and yet 



re was a relative depreciation of the hay crop 



ring that decade of years of twelve per cent. Our 



age lands, during the same term were increased 



ty thousand acres, and yet there was an absolute 



ireciation in our grain crop of six thousand bushels. 



e pasturage lands were increased more than one 



idred thousand acres, with scarcely any increase 



neat cattle, and a reduction of one hundred and 



ty thousand sheep, and seventeen thousand swine. 



I'he same law of deterioration is also observable 



he richer regions of the South and West — show- 



, that, with our present unskillful modes of farming, 



are taking much more from the productive ability 



our soils than we are returning to them, and that 



agricultural prosperity is really and constantly on 



wane. This downward tendency is partially hid- 



from public observation by the vast products 



ch are raised upon the new and almost limitless 



ions which are every year put under cultivation at 



West ; but the fact itself is still indubitable. 



n the State of New York, between the years 1845 



1850, 671,G92 acres were added to those previ- 



ly under improvement, and of course there ought 



lave been at least a corresponding increase in the 



(cultural products of the State. But what was 



fact? 



"he number of horses decreased is 58,141. 

 lilch cows decreased, 63,066. 

 )ther cattle the decrease was 127,525. 

 'heep, the decrease was 2,'J90,622. 

 Iwiue, the decrease was 556,002. 

 )f potatoes, the decrease was 7,255,066 bushels. 

 )f peas and beans, therewas a decrease of 1,132,- 



bushels. 

 ■lax, the decrease was 1,956,485 pounds. 

 Vool, the decrease was 3,793,527 pounds. 

 Vheat, the decrease was 270,724 bushels. 

 Juckwheat, the decrease was 450,724 bushels, 

 here was an increase in the amount of corn, rye, 

 i, barley, hay, butter and cheese raised in that 

 te, but no gi-eater than would have lieen expected 

 a the increase of the population, which was 494,- 

 during those five years. 

 n Tennessee, the number of cattle raised was: 



In Kentucky, more than nino-ueuths of the entire 

 area of the State are covered with farms. The num- 

 ber of neat cattle raised was: 



In 1S40 789,093 head. 



In 1850 763,312 " 



Showing a decrease of. 15,781 



Horses and mules raised in Kentucky: 



In 1840 395,953 head. 



In 1850 381,291 " 



Decrease, 14,562 



It is estimated by intelligent farmers in Indiana 

 that their river bottoms, which used to produce an 

 average crop of sixty bushels of corn to the acre now 

 produce only forty. In Wisconsin, which is younger 

 still, it is estimated that only one-half the number of 

 bushels of wheat are now raised on the acre which 

 were raised twelve years ago. 



These estimates are based on the returns made to 

 the Patent Office, and are as reliable as any now 

 before tho public. AVhat, then, is the conclusion of 

 the whole matter? It is this, that the soils of New 

 England, after all the admonitions we have received 

 upon the subject, are annually growing poorer, and 

 that even the virgin lands of the Great West are 

 rapidly becoming exhausted of their fertility. Other 

 and better modes of cultivation must therefore be 

 introduced and practiced, or our country — ^now the 

 granary of the world — may at no very distant day 

 become dependent on other lands for its daily bread. 

 Within fifty years our population will undoubtedly 

 reach the enormous number of one hundred millions; 

 but the grave question is how are these myriads to 

 be fed and clothed and educated, if our present 

 impoverishing agricultural processes are to be con- 

 tinued? We have territory enough, and it is natu- 

 rally rich enough to support a population of one 

 thousand millions — a number to which we may yet 

 attain — but how can they be sustained, unless some 

 method is devised to keep up the productive capa- 

 bilities of our country, and to return to our liberally 

 discounting soils as much at least as we abstract from 

 them? This is a problem, which many thoughtful 

 and far-seeing men are beginning to ponder, and 

 which requires but little wisdom to solve. — JV. E. 

 Fanner. 



Showing a decrease of.. 



GEOLOGY AS CONNECTED WITH AGEICTIITUaE 



Tub State of New York furnishes examples of all 

 kinds of soUs ; those produced from every variety of 

 formation, and of almost every shade of intermixture. 

 The lower counties on the Hudson River, and the 

 territory between Lake Champlain and the Black 

 River, now mostly a wilderness, are examples of 

 primitive formations to a great extent. The soil of 

 the river counties, although formed in a great meas- 

 ure of granite, gravel, and sand, has been so incorpo- 

 rated with the drift from the transition series, that 

 the mixture makes one of the most fertile soils, when 

 properly manured and cultivated. 



The condition of our primitive dietricts proves in 

 a great degree the correctness of these opinions. 

 The agricultural settlements bordering on the great 

 granitic formation north of Montgomery and Sara- 



