Economy of Production. 137 



crops can be generally grown, and as I have proved 

 under my system, can be grown with certainty, then, 

 and not till then, will our agriculture be placed on 

 a sound footing, and it will be on a sound footing 

 because the greatest possible amount of manure will be 

 derived free of cost from the atmosphere. With the aid 

 of these agencies will be kept the greatest possible 

 amount of stock on the land. This, of course, will 

 enrich it with manure cheaply supplied, and evenly 

 distributed free of all cost for placing it in the soil. 

 With this agency, also, will be grown the greatest 

 amount of vegetable matter in the turf, which wiU be 

 ploughed down when the grass period of my eight 

 course rotation comes to a close— turf enriched with four 

 years' manure from the stock kept on the land. When 

 this ample plant food, and, what is of even more 

 importance, these ample physical conditions are supplied, 

 the four succeeding crops of the rotation may be ^rown 

 without any artificial manure excepting the small supply 

 necessary to stimulate the growth of the turnips, and so 

 to remedy the too often defective growing power of our 

 climate. By this system we have an extreme economy 

 of production, and it is only by this economy that our 

 agriculture can be profitably continued in the face of 

 the enormous competition coming on in ever-increasing 

 severity from almost all quarters of the globe. But turn 

 where one may, a universal agreement will be found 

 as regards the essential point of all others in any soundly 

 economical agriculture which will maintain and augment 

 the fertility of the soil, and, for one instance, I may 

 quote the very decided opinion expressed in America, 

 which tells us that : — " In general agriculture in Illinois, 

 whether it is grain farming or ordinary live stock farm- 

 ing, the growing of legumes is absolutely essential in 

 any economic system which shall maintain the fertility 

 of the soil." * When this principle is recognised and 



• TJniversitj of Illinois Agricilltiiral Experimental Station. Bulletin^ 

 No. 94, Novr., 1905. 



