ADD&BSS 



VII 



equally favored by nature. Thus, iu the Austrian 

 Empire, there is more land under cultivation than in 

 the British Isles, and this land is not of inferior quality, 

 yet the production is one-third less ; and this difference 

 is mainly owing to the superior intelligence and more 

 skillful cultivation of the Britons. Great expectations 

 were entertained by theorists a few years ago, in regard 

 to the results of the application of chemistry to 

 agriculture ; but I believe the diversity of ingredients 

 in the soil, in different parts of the same field, presents 

 an insurmountable difficulty in the way of the suc- 

 cessful analysis of soils. But although science may not 

 have succeeded, in this particular instance, in effecting 

 any great addition to the productiveness of the ground, 

 yet there can be no doubt that it will be found true in 

 this matter, as in others, that " knowledge is power ;" 

 and it is therefore reasonable to look for a vast increase 

 in the productiveness of land in all countries where 

 civilization and intelligence prevail. It is only by 

 gradual steps as knowledge has increased, and prejudice 

 has been overcome, that the present amount of produc- 

 tiveness has been attained: yet the advancement, 

 though gradual, has been wonderfully great. In the 

 eleventh century, the average yield of wheat was not 

 more than six bushels to the acre. It has fully trebled 

 since that time, has it not ? And to go back only half 

 a century, the productive power of Great Britain, in the 

 article of wheat alone, increased from 1801 to 1851, to 

 an extent sufficient to support an additional population 

 of 7,000,000 ; and this increase was mainly owing to 

 improved cultivation. 



The productiveness of the soil may be considered? 



