“We have been speaking of the development of agriculture on the small tracts of cultivable land in the great manufacturing States of New England.  But, if we would make a fair comparison with a State like Illinois, we should consider some great agricultural State, as Georgia, for example, which is also one of the original thirteen.  Georgia is a larger State than Illinois, and Georgia cultivates as many acres of corn and cotton as we cultivate in corn.  But Georgia land cannot be covered with fertilizer made from Illinois corn, nor even with seaweed and fish-scrap from the ocean.  Her agriculture must be an independent agriculture, just as the agriculture of Russia, India, and China must be, just as the agriculture of Illinois must be, and as the agriculture of all the great agricultural States must be.  What is the result to date?  The average yield of corn in Georgia is down to 11 bushels per acre.  This is not for half of one township, but the average of four million acres for the last ten years; and this in spite of the fact that Georgia out more for the common acidulated manufactured so-called complete commercial fertilizer than any other State.”

“That is appalling,” said Adelaide, “but still some larger countries are building up their lands, such as those of Europe.”

“In large part by the same methods as the New England truckers and dairymen are following,” he replied, “and in comparison with the area and resources of their colonies and of the other great new countries upon which they draw for food and fertilizer, they are fairly comparable with the New England States in this country.  Even the Empire of Germany is only four-fifths as large as Texas.  The only country of Europe at all comparable with the United States is Russia, and in that great country the average yield of wheat for the last twenty years is eight and one-fourth bushels per acre, even though, as a general practice, the land is allowed to lie fallow every third year.  The average yield for the five famine years that have occurred during the twenty-year period was six and one-quarter bushels of wheat per acre.”

“That is wretched,” said Adelaide, “I know about the Russian famines for we have made contributions through our church for their relief, but that condition can surely never come to this great rich new country, can it?”

“It will come just as certainly as we allow our soil fertility to decrease and our population to increase.  As a nation we have scarcely lifted a hand yet to stop the waste of fertility or to restore exhausted lands; practically every effort put forth by the Federal government along agricultural lines having been directed toward better seeds, control of injurious insects and fungous diseases, exploitation of new lands by drainage and irrigation, popularly called ‘reclamation,’ although applied only to rich virgin soils which can certainly be brought under cultivation at any future time either by the Government or by private enterprise.  But why should not the Federal government make all necessary provisions to furnish ground limestone and phosphate rock at the actual cost of quarrying, grinding, and transporting, in order that farmers on these old depleted soils may be encouraged to adopt systems of soil improvement; or even compelled to adopt such systems, just as they are compelled to build school houses, bridges, and battleships?”