426 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



or Ills bushel of wheat, he will then know how much to return to 

 induce the growth of the next year's crop. We must restore to 

 the land the substances taken from it by our crojDS or animals, as 

 the atmosphere cannot. 



There is nothing more portentous than the alarming deteriora- 

 tion of our soils in this Empire State; for example, in a little 

 less than five years seven hundred thousand acres of choice land 

 was brought under cultivation, in addition to that already 

 improved, consequently we should look for a corresponding 

 increase in agricultural productions, instead of which listen to 

 the facts, and make up your minds to become more prudent and 

 skilful cultivators ot the soil, or at some future, and no very dis- 

 tant day, find yourselves importers of the staff" of life. The 

 decrease, during that period, in 



Horses, was 59,000 



Cows, 64,000 



Oxen and other cattle, 128,000 



Sheep, 3,000,000 



Hogs, 600,000 



Potatoes, bushels, 7,300.000 



Be*ans, peas, etc., bushels, 1,200,000 



Buckwheat, do 500,000 



Wheat, do ' 300,000 



Flax, pounds, 2,000,000 



Wool, do 4,000,000 



We are not alone, the same fact may be observed in Massa- 

 chusetts, where 100,000 acres of mowing lands were added, and 

 the hay crop has depreciated thirteen per cent. The rich alluvial 

 lands of Illinois that formerly produced sixty-five bushels of 

 corn to the acre, now yield forty-two bushels. Wisconsin, thir- 

 teen years since, produced forty bushels of wheat to the acre, 

 now only twenty, plainly showing that agricultural prosperity 

 has a downward tendency, and can only be arrested by returning 

 to the soil those substances that we abstract from it. In sixty 

 years our population will number a 100,000,000, and how are 

 they to be fed it w^e pursue our present impoverishing sjstem. 



By plowing under a green crop, such as buckwheat, or rye, 

 vegetable matter may be diffused very equally through a field, 

 and by its decay afford a large portion of ammonia and nitric 

 acid for the succeeding crop. I have enriched my lands very 

 much by this process, particularly with clover when in full 

 bloom. 



