138 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



development. Hence the universal complaint that exhausted soils 

 puddle in a wet time and bake in a dry time, and that the coutry 

 puddle in a wet time and bake in a try time, and that the country 

 suffers more under both drouths and floods than it did when in 

 a state of virgin fertility. With exhaustion of the humus therein 

 a corresponding exhaustion of the nitrogen of the soil. Fur- 

 thermore, these lands wash more readily, and exhausted 

 fields turn their tear-furrowed faces heavenward, as if 

 weeping over the lack of wisdom on the part of those who till 



It cannot have escaped the notice of close observers, that 

 the greater the exhaustion of the soil the greater the number of 

 weeds both noxious and comparatively innoxious, the reason being 

 that the weed is an unregenerate plant, and can live and thrive 

 under conditions where the improved grasses and bread grains 

 cannot flourish. Hence with the exhaustion of fertility comes 

 the opportunity for thorns and thistles — by which we mean 

 weeds of all kinds — to take possession of the exhausted land, and 

 in their way add to the fertility of the soil by slowly restoring the 

 humus which the farmer has done his best to exhaust. It is a 

 rough way of binding up the brokenhearted land, and the thrift 

 of these polluterse of the soil is the punishment inflicted by high 

 heaven on farmers who have failed to understand the language 

 of the weed. 



There has doubtless been in some of these lands, the fur- 

 rows of which complain to their owners and to all passersby, 

 more or less exhaustion of potash and phosphorus as well as 

 nitrogen, particularly in the non-glaciated areas; but I believe 

 this is far less than is generally supposed. Where this lack 

 exists, it must be remedied by supplying these missing elements 

 of fertility wisely and intelligently, and in connection with good 

 farming and a supply of vegetable matter. 



If the above outline of nineteenth century conditions be 

 correct, it should not be difficult to outline the methods which 

 must be adopted by twentieth century farmers, if they are to 

 maintain their own prosperity and the prosperity of the nation, 

 of which they are to so large an extent the keepers. 



