The Story of the Soil | Page 7

that there is not cause of suspicion against you in selecting me, in
some sort a politician and in no sort a farmer, to address you.
"'But farmers being the most numerous class, it follows that their
interest is the largest interest. It also follows that that interest is most
worthy of all to be cherished and cultivated--that if there be inevitable
conflict between that interest and any other, that other should yield.
"'Again, I suppose that it is not expected of me to impart to you much
specific information on agriculture. You have no reason to believe, and
do not believe, that I possess it; if that were what you seek in this
address, any one of your own number or class would be more able to
furnish it. You, perhaps, do expect me to give some general interest to
the occasion, and to make some general suggestions on practical
matters. I shall attempt nothing more. And in such suggestions by me,
quite likely very little will be new to you, and a large part of the rest
will be possibly already known to be erroneous.
"'My first suggestion is an inquiry as to the effect of greater
thoroughness in all the departments of agriculture than now prevails in
the Northwest--perhaps I might say in America. To speak entirely
within bounds, it is known that fifty bushels of wheat, or one hundred
bushels of Indian corn, can be produced from an acre.'"
Percy paused: "You know, Mother, that our corn has averaged some
less than fifty bushels per acre for the last five years, and, as you say,
the lower field has been much better than the old land, and I think you
are quite right in your belief that as an average the land is growing
poorer, although we cultivate better than we used to do, and our seed
corn is of the best variety and saved with much care. But let me read
further:
"'Less than a year ago I saw it stated that a man, by extraordinary care
and labor, had produced of wheat what was equal to two hundred

bushels from an acre. But take fifty of wheat, and one hundred of corn,
to be the possibility, and compare it with the actual crops of the country.
Many years ago I saw it stated, in a patent office report, that eighteen
bushels was the average crop throughout the United States; and this
year an intelligent farmer of Illinois assured me that he did not believe
the land harvested in that State this season had yielded more than an
average of eight bushels to the acre; much was cut, and then abandoned
as not worth threshing, and much was abandoned as not worth cutting."'
"I know it is true," said the mother, "that wheat was once very much
grown in Central and Northern Illinois, but 1859 must have been an
unusually poor year, for it was grown for twenty years after that,
although it finally failed so completely that its cultivation has been
practically abandoned in those sections for nearly twenty years.
However, the chinch bugs were a very important factor in discouraging
wheat growing and the land has been very good for corn, especially
since the tile-drainage was put in; but on the whole is it not as I told
you?"
"But note these statements," said Percy, turning again to the book:
"'It is true that heretofore we have had better crops with no better
cultivation, but I believe that it is also true that the soil has never been
pushed up to one-half of its capacity.
"'What would be the effect upon the farming interest to push the soil up
to something near its full capacity?'"
"But what can he mean," said the mother. "How can anyone do better
than we have done? We change our crops, and sow clover with the oats,
and return as much as we can to the land. But let me hear further what
Lincoln said:"
"Yes, Mother, this is what he said:
"'Unquestionably it will take more labor to produce fifty bushels of
wheat from an acre than it will to produce ten bushels from the same
acre; but will it take more labor to produce fifty bushels from one acre
than from five? Unquestionably thorough cultivation will require more
labor to the acre; but will it require more to the bushel? If it should
require just as much to the bushel, there are some probable, and several
certain, advantages in favor of the thorough practice. It is probable it
would develop those unknown causes which of late years have cut
down our crops below their former average. It is almost certain, I think,

that by deeper plowing, analysis of the soils, experiments with manures
and varieties of seeds, observance