26 INTRODUCTION. 



small improvement have added to the nation's annual income 

 475,000 quarters of wheat, worth, at fifty shillings, about 

 1,200,000/. yearly, which would be equal to a capital of 24, 

 000,000/. sterling gained forever to the country by this trifling 

 increase in the growth of one article, and that in England and 

 Wales alone;" a quantity sufficient, we may add, to feed all 

 her starving millions in the manufacturing districts ; and if, 

 by any means, a similar increase could be effected in her other 

 productions, she would be able to banish forever all fear of 

 want, which now so frequently threatens to undermine the 

 pillars of the throne itsdf. 



But while the soil of England has reached nearly the maxi- 

 mum of fertility, ours in this country has not. Let us then cal- 

 culate the value of some slight improvanmts at home, which 

 with the aid of science and skill, may easily be made, in a few 

 years, with little or no expense to the country. 



1. Take our wheat crop for 1839. As the number of 

 acres is not given, we cannot decide with perfect accuracy 

 the average per acre ; but taking the estimate made for the 

 state of Massachusetts the same year, the quantity is about 

 15 bushels per acre. The Middle and Western States yield 

 a much larger quantity, I think therefore we may be safe in 

 estimating the average at 20 bushels per acre. Then 91, 

 642,957 bushels annually produced, would require the culti- 

 vation of 4,582,147 acres of land. Suppose now that by the 

 use of improved modes of culture, selection of seeds, etc. we 

 could make our wheat lands produce, on an average, as much 

 as those of England, 26 bushels instead of 20 to the acre, (and 

 this certainly might be done), this increase would amount 

 annually to 27,492,882 bushels. This would add as many 

 dollars to the national income, and would be equal to an in- 

 vestment of 458,214,700 dollars! 



2. Let us apply the same calculation to corn, rye, oats, etc. 

 and as 387 millions of bushels are corn, we may estimate 

 these products, upon an average, at 30 bushels to the acre* 



