“That all sounds good for history,” said the Congressman, “but the historian probably got his information from some of these old Virginians whose only religion is ancestral worship.  If the lands were ever any good they’d be good now.  Good lands stay good.  As an Illinois man, you ought to know that.  My father settled in Illinois and I tell you his land is better to-day than it was the day he took it from the Government.”

“My grandfather also took land from the Government,” said Percy, “but the land that he first put under cultivation is not producing as good crops now as it used to, even though—­”

“Then it must be you don’t farm it right.  Of course you don’t want to corn your land to death.  I lived on the farm long enough to learn that; but if you’ll only grow two or three crops of corn and then change to a crop of oats, you’ll find your land ready for corn again; and, if you’ll sow clover with the oats and plow the clover under the next spring, you’ll find the land will grow more corn than ever your grandfather grew on it.”

“But how can we maintain the supply of plant food in the soil by merely substituting oats for corn once in three or four years and turning under perhaps a ton of clover as green manure.  That amount of clover would contain no more nitrogen than 40 bushels of corn would remove from the soil, and of course the clover has no power to add any phosphorus or other mineral elements.”

“Oh, yes.  I’ve heard all about that sort of talk.  You know I’m a U. of I. man myself.  I studied chemistry in the University under a man who knew more in a minute than all the ‘tommy rot’ you’ve been filled up with.  I also lived on an Illinois farm, and I speak from practical experience.  I know what I am talking about, and I don’t care a rap for all the theories that can be stacked up by your modern college professor, who wouldn’t know a pumpkin if he met one rolling down hill.  I tell you God Almighty never made the black corn belt land to be worn out, and he doesn’t create people on this earth to let ’em starve to death.  Don’t you understand that?”

“I am afraid that I do not,” replied Percy.  “I have received no such direct communication; but I saw a letter written from China by a missionary describing the famine-stricken districts in which he was located.  He wrote the letter in February and said that at that time the only practical thing to do in that district was to let four hundred thousand people starve and try to get seed grain for the remainder to plant the spring crops.  I have a “Handbook of Indian Agriculture” written by a professor of agriculture and agricultural chemistry at one of the colleges in India.  I got it from one of the Hindu students who attended the University when I was there.  This book states that famine, local or general, has been the order of the day in India, and particularly within recent years.  It also states that in one of the worst famines in India ten million