Jfarm (fsrotiomjr. 
EXHAUSTION OF SOILS. 
J. B. LAWES, 
Rothamsted, England. 
There is no subject on which more difference 
of opinion exists than on that relating to the 
exhaustion of soils ; but this is not surprising 
when we consider how extremely complicated 
it is. 
The late Baron Liebio who employed abil¬ 
ities of the very highest order in the inquiry, 
gave it, as bis opinion that the exhaustion of 
the soils of England was due to a deficiency of 
phosphate of lime, and further, that if a 
cheap and abundant source of this substance 
oould be discovered, we might grow all the wheat 
required by our population. For the last quar¬ 
ter of a century our farmers have had at their 
disposal abundant supplies of phosphate of 
lime: for a few cents they can purchase all that 
is contained in a bushel of wheat. Each year, 
however, finds us importing more and more 
corn, and at the present time fully one-half 
the population of these Islands is supported 
entirely upon bread made from foreign wheat. 
It was also the opinion of Baron Liebio, aud 
this opinion is very prevalent at the present 
day, that tha constituents of the soil which are 
removed by crops should be returned to it in 
some farm of manure or chemical salt. Such 
a procedure would doubtless be an effectual 
remedy for the exhaustion of soils, but it ig¬ 
nores tho fact for which I am disposed to con¬ 
tend, that soils are meant to be exhausted. 
All soils which have never been cultivated by 
man possess a natural or standard fertility be¬ 
longing to their geological formation, and a 
more readily available fertility arising from 
tho accumulation of living and decayed vege¬ 
table matter on their surface. The Utter state 
of fertility has long ceased to exist in England, 
while the former is as distinct as ever after 
centuries of cultivation, aud is appropriately 
designated by farmers under such terms as 
“ very fertile,” “ rich” “ poor” “ hungry” etc. 
Now the most vehement advocate for tho 
non-exhaustion of the soil would hardly be 
disposed to contend that the surplus fertility of 
of a newly cleared settlement in tho States 
does not form part of tho natural wealth of 
the country; or, assuming that it takes the 
form of 100 bushels of maize on the acre and 
is followed by two or three more of large but 
probably diminishing crops, that such an ex¬ 
haustion of tho soil is not perfectly legitimate; 
also that in such operations, to attempt to re- 
storo to the soil the constituents removed by 
the crops would bo absurd. Now it appear 
to me that from the starting point where 1 
have assumed that the removal of plant-food 
from the soil without its restoration, or, as it is 
commouly called, tho exhaustion of the soil, iB 
perfectly legitimate, there is none in the suc¬ 
cessive stages of such exhaustion at which it is 
possible to say that it ought to be arrested. 
Judging from my own soil which has been sub¬ 
jected to the most rigid process of exhaustion 
that could ho brought to boar upou it, I should 
say that soils have a wonderful power of re¬ 
sisting exhaustion. A few years of corn-grow¬ 
ing without manure would, I used to thmk , 
m the early days of my experiments, he sufli- i 
ciont to bring its corn-producing powers to a 
stand-still, but at the end of nearly forty years i 
we are discussing whether the decline in pro¬ 
duce which the last of two equal periods of < 
years shows over the first period, is due to < 
^roa or exhaustion, or to a larger proportion i 
of unfavorable seasons in the latter half of the ( 
period than in the former. ] 
In the United States where the owner of the 
soil is also the cultivator, the question with re- ] 
gard t j the exhaustion, or the restoration of the ] 
fertility of a soil, is not complicated as it is in * 
England, where the interests of the owner and c 
of the cultivator of the laud are conflicting. , 
The United States’ farmer probably pays but x 
little regard to tho effect which his operations , 
m husbandry may have upon the soil at some , 
far chstant period. When ho applies manure to \ 
his land U is with the idea and hope that the £ 
released produce will repay the cost of the , 
operation. A visit to the United States aud an t 
cuts agriculture, although it would a 
add hm° n ‘ V ° my geueral kQn 'vledge. would a 
add little or nothing to what I already know c 
hau?^ ard f t0 the f °° d ° l phiuiH and the ex ’ fe 
tho SiT ° f MaiZQ in the gl ' eat Cr °P of i 
hut kit aU ? thS principal f00d the nation, c 
ut it w quite evident to me that the great 
kHi-u as a food ’ depends upou the r 
boutfrr^ aud that lfc ie oue of the same 
hotam Cttl order of plants as wheat and barley, t 
.. ‘ K . Up ; aud exhausting the soil of, the same a 
b etheuts as the other cereal grains. i 
knowing 6 ' vai ‘f in order to advance our r 
knowledge with regard to the exhaustion of c 
I soils are careful and accurate statistics of the 
amount of produce canied off from farms aud 
of the manures brought on to them for a con¬ 
siderable number of years. If such figures 
could be obtained over a sufficient area of land 
in the various geological formations, we might 
be able to calculate the rate of exhaustion 
which each soil is capable of bearing without 
apparent injury, but the general statistics of 
a country arc of no avail in such an investiga¬ 
tion as this. We might indeed arrive at some 
general idea of the collective amount of ingre¬ 
dients removed from the soil of a country or 
State, hut we should only obtain the sum of 
tho whole, Ouo farm or district might be in. 
creasing the fertility of the soil, while another 
might bo greatly reducing it, and the special 
points of interest in the two would thus he lost 
in the general average. Accurate statistics not 
being attainable, I have been endeavoring to 
make use of such materials as we do possess 
in order to compare the agriculture of the United 
States with that of England. Independent of 
several difficulties of a minor nature, which 
will he apparent as I proceed, there are two of 
a very serious character in the way of such au 
undertaking. In this country we have no sta¬ 
tistics of produce. The agricultural returns 
for the last ten years do indeed give us tho 
acreage of the various crops grown and also the 
number of the various kinds of stock kept, but 
uo attempt has been made to ascertain the yield 
of the various crops j we are therefore left to 
form the best conclusions we can on the sub¬ 
ject- The statistics of the agriculture of the 
United States are, on the other baud, most am¬ 
ple, and I take this opportunity of returning 
ny thanks to the Head of that Department for 
lis kindness in furnishing me with a set of this 
nost valuable publication. The difficulty of 
caking use of these statistics in tho manner 
[ tiisi intended, arises from tho vast changes in 
l.e agriculture of the United States which take 
dace in comparatively small periods of time. 
Those acquainted with agriculture are fully 
ware that, owing to the influence of seasons, 
my general conclusions derived from the pro- 
luce of one year only are of little value. An 
average of 10 years is by no means too loDg a 
icriod to adopt, and iu the field experiments 
1,1 my fsnn, we consider that 20 years is not too 
Dug a period in writing upon any experiments 
n field produce. 
Taking tho United States statistics for 10 years, 
rom 1866 to 1875, as the latest in my possession, 
find that during that period such vast tracts 
f new land have been brought into cultiva- 
lon that for my purpose these statistics are 
ot suitable. An iucreaso of 10 million acres 
f Indian corn brought into cultivation, of a 
till largeFquftntity of wheat, besides an increase 
fall the other crops grown, except buckwheat, 
ives us some notion as regards the wonderful 
nergies of the inhabitants of the United States, : 
ud at tho same time leaves little doubt as to 
ao cause of the depressed state of the agricul- 
iral interest iu the United States and in this 
juntry. The State of New York, however, 
lay bo brought into comparison with a conn- 1 
y like England, as the fluetuatious in its J 
Srioulture in a limited period are not of that j 
tartling nature which characterizes the agri- ■ 
Alturc of the United States in general, 
shall theveforo take the agriculture of 
ie State of New York iu the following 
miparisons with that of England. In our s 
atistics of agriculture a line is drawn through i 
ie centre of England, dividing it into two dia- t 
iriots ; one, contaiug 21 counties, is called tho I 
western aud grazing district; the other, the ' 
eastern or corn district, also containing 21 
counties. As the grazing district more nearly i 
resembles New York State in its agricultural ' 
character, 1 propose to adopt that district in * 
my remarks. ( 
According to the census of 1870 the improved 1 
land in the State of New York was a little over ' 
million acres. In the 10 years of 18GG-75 6 
the amouut of land under hay, potatoes and € 
ooru varied Trom six to a little over eight million 1 
acres. These fluctuations, although large, do c 
not appear to be due to any change in the area c 
of improved laud, but rather to the influence of c 
prices, reducing or increasing the area of culti- * 
vation. In 18G6 the area under these crops was ' J 
million acres: from this point it declined - 
gradually until the year 1871, when it reached 
the lowest point of G. 16 million acres ; advancing 
again steadily until it reached nearly 8 million 
acres in 1875. The number of acres of land * 
contained iu tho 21 grazing counties of En¬ 
gland is 12,908,000, or nearly 13 millions. This = 
includes all crops, fallows aud pasture, but ex¬ 
cludes mountain land and heaths. 
Daring 10 years but little change has taken u 
place iu the amount of the various crops grown, a 
Before, however, instituting any comparison a 
between tho farming of the State of New York * 
and that of the 21 grazing counties of England, i 
it will be as well to notice some of the most n 
marked points of difference between tho farmers - 
Of the two countries, and their methods of farm- r 
1 iug. The New York farmer is the owner of the 
[ land, he can do what he likes, cultivate what 
cr0 PS he pleases, adopt whatever system of culti¬ 
vation he thinks most condusive to his interests. 
He owus, on an average, 103 acres, of which 
about 73 are improved land. The greater part 
of the farm work is done by himself and his 
family ; the amount of wages paid not exceed- 
on ftii average, $ 2.20 per acre yearly. I 
have been informed on very good authority j and 
I can quite believe it, that he works much 
harder than his brother in England; still his 
life is one of complete independence and he calls 
no man his master. 
In common, however, with the English 
farmer, he has been recently suffering from low 
prices, and much as he may rejoice in the pro¬ 
gress of his country, he may possibly think that 
nearly 30 million acres of land brought into cul¬ 
tivation in ten years may have a somewhat de¬ 
pressing effect upon tho value of bis own crops. 
Three of the crops cultivated in New York Stato 
are not cultivated ia England ; viz Maize, the 
great crop of the Unibed States, which cannot 
be profitably grown in England for want of 
sufficient warmth in the autumn months; liye 
and Buckwheat. These used to be grown here 
but haves given place to more valuable products. 
All other crops are grown m both countries. 
Mangolds and Turnips, which constitute a 
distinct feature in English agriculture, are not , 
noticed in the general reports. The -‘New 
York Transactions ” which goes in to more minute j 
details and tells us that Sullivan Co. produced 6 i 
pounds of dried apples in one year, also informs i 
us that 4 or 5 thousand acres of Turnips are t 
grown in New York State. ] 
The English farmer does not own the soil; j 
for a fixed annual payment lie holds it by lease,' t 
agreement, or, in the absence of any agreement, | 
by custom, which settles what he may and may t 
not do; so that ho has but little liberly of action, j 
Generally he may not grow two wbite-straiv c 
crops in succession, and ho may not sell hay, 
straw, or roots. These restrictions which were 
established at a time when nothing was known 
respecting the food of plants, and when fertility , • 
could not be purchased, are much less necessary ! - 
now ; and I have recent ly made an attempt to ? 
get them altered and modified. With distinc- [ 
tious ho great between the owner of the land 
acting with perfect freedom on one side the * 
Atlantic, and the tenant bound by numerous 
r r, i- Uvction* on tho other side, I - was somewhat , 
surprised to find so general an agreement on 
many points as the following table exhibits • 
li 
Table 1. b 
Showing the number of acres of land under the k 
various crops in the Slate. of.Xew York, on an n 
average of 10 gears, 1366-73, compared with the tl 
crops in 21 comities oj' England called Grazing p 
Counties j also the number in each crop in ioo 
ao'es. 01 
o o n c 5 .aS 003 £ * j 
£*2 *£§ 5|=§ 
£2 = 2 =fc S “go* 
__ is®© j *££ 
Corn crops. 2,UK MOO 1 2.781.'440 ^ 9 ~ ~2l i 
Potatoes. 209,000 1.9, uuj 1.72 14 
Other (treen crops.' 97s.3l7 o. 7 0 
{’’allow. 136,000 251,430 1 
Hay........ 3,910.0 0 ?.84,,-4i 25 4 
Not for lin y. 8,306,C00 5.882.0:2 53.‘‘> 1 45 jg 
Total. 13,0 10.0 00 I 2,890.t:72 I 911,92 | > 1.9 
The Stato of New York contains million 
acres more than the 21 English grazing counties; 
in order therefore to bring them to an eqnal 
standard for comparison wo must look at that 
part of the table which shows the amount of the 
various crops in every 100 acres. It will be seen 
that the English farmer grows rather less than 
2 ' -j per cent, more corn * than the New 
York farmer and that they have almost the 
same amount of land in potatoes aud fallow. 
Of other green crops, such as mangolds, tur- 
uips aud vetches, he grows 7 } j acres iu the 100 , 
while the New York farmer grows au area too 
small to l«e appreciable. The latter has, how¬ 
ever, a larger acreage of laud not for hay, and 
if we add to the 45*-£ English acres not for hay, 
the7 U acres or green crops which are always 
consumod on the farm, we have a close agree¬ 
ment between the two countries with regard to 
the number of acres employed iu feeding stock. 
This will be seen in the following table : 
New York. 
England. 
Acres pr Ot.l Aerps nr pf 
Not for Hay.53 Not for Hay. 45 % 
.Ureen crops. 7 ;^ 
e 1865 it is stated that 6 million acres were in pas- 
t turei “ th f e P^vious year, and about the same 
- quantity in meadow; but this does not give the 
. information I require. The only reference to 
1 permanent pasture occurs in connection with 
t some trials of mowing machines. It is there 
s stated that the meadows had not been broken up 
- during Mr. Monson’s recollection, but how far 
back his recollection extended is not mentioned. 
1 The botanical analysis of the herbage of the 
1 meadow is given, and the number of species 
J growing is sta*ed to be uuusually large. I find 
i there are, in all, 52 species of plants, of which 10 
are grasses, 2 clovers, and 40 are weeds. On the 
1 tfoLhamsted pasture which has .been uumanured 
for 22 years, and from which a hay crop has been 
carried off every year, there were at tho com- 
; mencement 50 species of plants, of which 16 
were grasses, 4 were clovers, and 30 were weeds ; 
and there has been little variation iu the amount 
of species during the whole of the period. On 
an adjoining piece of land which started with 
the 50 species, but which has received a very 
large quantity of chemical salts every year, the 
change iu the herbage Lbs been very great; the 
weeds and clover have almost disappeared,'and 
of the original 50 species only 10 remained at 
the end of 16 years. Of these 16, nine were in quan¬ 
tities of only a few pounds per acre, while two 
grasses, the Dactylis, or Cock's-foot, and Alope- 
curns or Meadow Fox-tail, which in the original 
pasture occupied quite au insignificant position, 
now constituted the greater bulk of the crop. A 
professed botanist who makes a complete sepa¬ 
ration of all the plauts in each experiment every 
5 years, made the weight of these two grasses 
alone to be IJ.j' tons of hay per acre. The Cock’s- 
foot and Fox-tail are considered to bo amongst 
the most nutritious of our grasses, thus we 
have a striking illustration in this experiment of 
the power of the better sort of plants, under the 
influence of an abundant supply of food, to 
drive out those of an inferior nature. 
I am disposed to think that permanent pasture 
does not prevail extensively in the State of New 
York, but that after one or more years the land 
| is broken up. In the English grazing counties, 
56 acres out of the 100 beiug always grass, we 
have 44 under arable cultivation, of which one- 
half is in corn. The greater part of the grain is 
sold, and also the potatoes. The remainder of 
the produce is used directly or indirectly to pro¬ 
duce meat or other aDimal products. The New 
York statistics afford no information respecting 
the quantity of hay sold off or consumed on the 
land, nor indeed do those of my own couatrv • 
but while I can fill up the blank from personal 
knowledge in one case, I have nothing to guide 
me in the other. In tho following table is given 
the amount of live stock kept in tho two coun¬ 
tries over the adopted area, and also the cal¬ 
culated quantity kept per 100 acres in each 
country. 
Table 2. 
Showing the amount of stock kept in the State of 
We-w York, in 1875, on an area 0/15.61 million 
acres; and in the 21 Grazing Counties of En¬ 
gland, on an area of 12.S9 million acres .- also 
the number calculated in 100 acres. 
YS2 “>33 
«!§ |®|§ 
c 0 
Of* 
♦J 
•d tti® 
d e 0 
Dorses.. 
Cattle. 
SUeep. 
Pigs.. 
1197,100 
2.1 >9..j( 0 
1,935,500 
568.70(1 
636.739 I 
2,811,282 t 
9,(9(7,359 1 
1,028,734 i 
\\ ith regard to tho amount of land which is in 
permanent pasture, that is to say, land which is 
never plowed up, there is in the 12-9 million 
acres of tho English grazing counties 7 million 
acres, or 56 per cent of the whole : but I have 
searched iu vain through the Now York transac¬ 
tions for some information relating to perma¬ 
nent pasture in that district. In the returns for 
* The general reader may not bo aware that the word 
Uoru 111 ibUtflaud includes all kinds of cereals. 
With the exception of horses, of which the 
quantity kept for 100 acres is rather larger in 
New York State than in England, the amount of 
stock kept iu England is very mnch larger ; in 
sheep more especially the difference is very great 
and requires some correction. The statistics of 
Great Britain comprise all the cultivated and pas¬ 
ture land and exclude ^mountain, heath and 
other waste land, but they include the whole of 
the stock wherever kept. The returns of Btock 
in a country in which there is any large area of 
mountain or waste land show, therefore, more 
stock, principally sheep, than actually derive 
their support from the laud mcluded iu the cul¬ 
tivated acreage. The only means we have of 
correcting this error is to take as a basis tbe 
amount of Btock kept in counties where little or 
no waste land exists, and to deduct any' excess 
which we find iu counties where there is much 
waste land. In a majority of the 2 t counties 
wliieh are included in tho grazing ihsti iots there 
are practically no waste lands upon which stock 
are kept, aud several of these keep 20 oxen and 
100 sheep per 100 acres, which is more than the 
average ; but these constitute the finest laud iu 
the country, fciome of the northern counties 
which have much waste land, cany 133 to 138 
sheep ou the 100 acres; part of them are cer¬ 
tainly fed ou wasteland, aud possibly a reduction 
of irom 10 to 15 6 heep per 100 acres over the 
whole area would meet the case. I havo no data 
to guide me iu forming any opinion respecting 
the amount o* stock kepi upon the unimproved 
land in the btate of New York. In the follow- 
THE RUBAL NEW-YORKER. 
