No. 129.] 359 



will not benefit the soil or plants an atom after going beyond a 

 fair proportion, but, on the contrary, might be a positive injury, 

 if done to the exclusion of other essential ingredients. Some or- 

 ganic or vegetable and animal manures to mix with the iuorganift 

 or mineral, especially if the soil is a lean one, are highly impor- 

 tant for an abundant produce. It is pleasing to have the infor- 

 mation confirmed to-day, which this club received some timeaga^, 

 phosphate of lime, in any quantity and rich in quality, was to be- 

 obtained in two localities — one in the north part of this State, and? 

 the other in New-Jersey, and both convenient to water commu- 

 nication. It is of a mineral origin, and the mines, it has beerif^ 

 stated, can be easily worked and the article got to market so as 

 to be offered at a fair price — this last is undoubtedly essential to 

 a liberal use of it. I do not believe there is such an impoverish- 

 ment in soils in our country and such a falling off in their pro- 

 ducts, as many people suppose. In certain States or sections of 

 these, it is much more considerable than in others. Take th© 

 whole nation, or two or three individual States, and examine th© 

 reports of the patent office at Wasliington — the most reliable 

 source of information on the subject — and it will be found that 

 the nation at large has gone on increasing rapidly in its products* 

 from year to year, or for terms of years, for perhaps fifty yearSj. 

 up to the present. Take 1839, about the first period when regu- 

 lar statistics were kept at this office of the regular agricultural': 

 products of the nation, one or two items will here be given as-ai 

 sample of the whole: Wheat, in 1839— 8458-33,272 bushels; Iil- 

 dian Corn— 377,531,875. In 1848, Wheat— 126,364,600 ; Indiaru 

 Corn— 588,150,000. Take two or three individual States, ancH 

 those about which most has been said as regards this impoverish* 

 ment of soil and decline of its produce. New- York, in 1847, 14|, 

 million of bushels of wheat ; in 184S, 15^ million. Indian corn 

 in 1847, 16 million bushels; in 1848, llh million. Massachu- 

 setts, in 1847, wheat, 256,000; 1848, 260,000; Indian corn, ic 

 1847, 3,410,000; in 1848, 3,860,000. Ohio, 1847, wheat, 16,- 

 800,000 ; 1848, 20,000,000; Indian corn, 1847, 66,000,000 ; 1848, 

 70,000,000, Here is an increase up to the latest time we have 

 returns, (for I have seen none later,) from the patent office, 

 greater, considerably, in the new state of Ohio, than in the old 

 states of New-York and Massachusetts ; this was to have been ex= 



