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soil, and put nothing back; three millions in the hands of farmers who manage them so as to make the lands barely hold their own, while only one million of acres are well farmed, so as to maintain a high and productive state of fertility. And as New York is confessedly one of the most substantial of the older states, in point of agriculture, this estimate is too flattering to be applied to the older states. Even Ohio-newly settled as she is, begins to fall off per acre, in her annual wheat crop, and before fifty years will, if the present system continues, be considered a worn-out soil.

The evil at the bottom of this false system of husbandry, is no mystery. A rich soil contains only a given quantity of vegetable and mineral food for plants. Every crop grown upon a fertile soil, takes from it a certain amount of these substances, so essential to the growth of another crop. If these crops, like most of our grain crops, are sent away and consumed in other countries, or in other parts of countries-as in the great cities, and none of their essential elements in the way of vegetable matter, lime, potash, &c., restored to the soil, it follows as a matter of course, that eventually the soil must become barren, or miserably unprofitable. And such is, unfortunately, the fact. Instead of maintaining as many animals as possible upon the farm, and carefully restoring to the soil in the shape of animal and mineral manure, all those elements needful to the growth of future vegetables, our farmers send nearly all their crops for sale in cities-and allow all the valuable animal and mineral products of these to go to waste in those cities.

"Oh! but," the farmer upon worn out land will say, "we can't afford to pay for all the labor necessary for the high farming you advocate."-Are you quite sure of that assertion? We suspect if you were to enter carefully into the calculation, as your neighbor, the merchant, enters into the calculation of his profit and loss in his system of trade, you will find that the difference in value between one crop of twelve bushels and another of thirty bushels of wheat to the acre, would leave a handsome profit to that farmer who would pursue with method and energy, the practice of never taking an atom of food for plants from the soil in the shape of a crop, without, in some natural way, replacing it again. For, it must be remembered, that needful as the soil is, every plant gathers a large part of its food from the air, and the excrement of animals fed upon crops, will restore to the soil all the needful elements taken from it by those crops.

The principle has been demonstrated over and over again, but the difficulty is to get farmers to believe it. Because they can get crops, such as they are, from a given soil, year after year, without manure, they think it is only necessary for them to plant - Providence will take care of the harvest. But it is in the pursuit of this very system, that vast plains of the old world, once as fertile as Michigan or Ohio, have become desert wastes, and it is perfect

ly certain, that when we reach the goal of an hundred millions of people, we shall reach a famine soon afterward, if some new and more enlightened system of agriculture than our national "skinning" system, does not beforehand spring up and extend itself over the country.

And such a system can only be extensively disseminated and put into practice by raising the intelligence of farmers generally. We have, in common with the Agricultural Journal, again and again pointed out that this is mainly to be hoped for through a practical agricultural education. And yet the legislatures of our great agricultural states voted down, year after year, every bill reported by the friends of agriculture to establish such schools. Not one such school, efficient and useful as it might be, if started with sufficient aid from the state, exists in a nation of more than twenty millions of farmers. "What matters it," say the wise men of our state legislatures, "if the lands of the Atlantic states are worn out by bad farming? Is not the Great West the granary of the world?" And so they build canals and railroads, and bring from the west millions of bushels of grain, and send not one fertilizing atom back to restore the lands. And in this way we shall bye-and-bye make the fertile prairies as barren as some of the worn out farms of Virginia. And thus "the sins of the fathers are visited upon the children, even to the fourth generation."

DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT.

Pacific Railroad.

We are gratified to learn that this work is now placed upon a footing which will enable the company to progress towards its accomplishment with all the dispatch consistent with the principle of an enlightened economy. We extract from the "St. Louis Intelligencer" the following notice of the stockholders' meeting, held in this city on the 2d inst.

PACIFIC RAILROAD.

Yesterday there was a numerous meeting of the stockholders of this company at the Merchants' Exchange. A majority in interest and in number, having ratified the amendments to the charter, a formal resolution to that effect was adopted by the meeting. So that the amendments are now in force. It was ascertained also,

that the total amount of the private subscriptions to the stock, is the very handsome sum of one million five hundred and fifty-two thousand dollars. This includes, of course, the subscription of the city of St. Louis and of the several counties. The late act of the Legislature required that the sum of one and a half million of dollars should be subscribed by individuals and corporations, before the company could avail itself to any extent of the credit of the State. This condition having now been complied with, the Company is entitled to fifty thousand dollars of State bonds for every fifty thousand dollars, actually paid in by the private stockholders, provided that the whole amount of bonds to be issued by the State shall not exceed two millions of dollars. We learn that over $100,000 have already been paid in by the private stockholders, so that the Company is now entitled to an equal amount of State bonds. The president of the Company has corresponded with the Governor on the subject, and the arrangements are all completed for the issue of the bonds, as the Company may from time to time be entitled to them.

We congratulate the public upon the very auspicious condition. of this enterprise. It now has an actual available capital of three millions one hundred thousand dollars, which will ensure its completion beyond the possibility of a doubt, provided the counties along the line do but one half their duty. There is nothing needed but a vigorous, concerted effort along the line, to place the speedy completion of the entire road beyond all contingencies.

NEW ALBANY RAILROAD.

No public work, we believe, in the United States, of equal importance, has attracted so little attention, out of the immediate neighborhood of its location, as the line from New Albany on the Ohio to Lake Michigan.

If a reasonable degree of enterprise should be exerted by the cities at the falls of the Ohio, this line will be the means of securing to that point the trade of Lake Michigan; and would seem to constitute a barrier to the commerce of Cincinnati in its further progress towards the West and North. This, with other improvements contemplated by the citizens of Louisville will, when carried out, place that city on grounds that will enable it to contend successfully with Cincinnati for the cognomen in which her citizens so much rejoice, "the Queen city of the West."

We copy the following article respecting the progress of this work from the "Indiana State Journal."

NEW ALBANY RAILROAD.

This important road, designed to connect the Ohio River with Lake Michigan, is steadily progressing.

At our request, Mr. BROOKS, the President of the Road, furnished us with the following facts:

The cars are regularly running to Orleans, fifty-seven miles, and doing a good business-- About eight miles more of the road will be finished as soon as the river rises to let the iron up. The road from New Albany to Michigan City will be 285 miles long, and with the branch from Gosport to Indianapolis, 45 miles, will make in all 330 miles. Of the main stem of the road from New Albany to Michigan City, means are now provided to finish and equip that part of the road between New Albany and Gosport 113 miles, and between Crawfordsville and Lafayette 26 miles, making in all 139 miles, or nearly one-half of this whole distance, and enough to grade and prepare for the iron the balance of the road with one hundred thousand dollars over towards its equipments.

That part of the road between Lafayette and Michigan City will be graded ready for the iron next year, thirty-one miles, from Michigan City to the Kankakee river having been let last month. The balance of that part of the line will be let as soon as the Engineers complete the location-say next month.

That part of the line between Gosport and Crawfordsville, fiftyfive miles, will be located this winter, ready for letting in the spring; so that by next April the entire line between the Ohio river and the Lakes will be under contract, and we only wait for the balance of the stock on the line between Gosport and Indianapolis to be taken, to justify us in putting that part under contract in the spring.

With the stock already subscribed along the line we can get that done, if we can get $50,000, taken at Indianapolis. Of the importance of this work, or probable value of the stock, it is unnecessary for me to tell you.

Mr. Nathan Edwards, of your city, will have the stock subscription.

Public Improvement and the Press in Arkansas.

We have observed, for some months past, with much pleasure, the spirited movements which have taken place towards the adoption and prosecution of a system of public improvement in Arkansas. The names which we see connected with these movements warrant the conclusion, that our neighbors in that direction are about to enter with earnestness and vigor upon a career, which, if succesfully carried out, will place Arkansas in the front rank of Southern States.

Although the settlement and development of the resources of Arkansas have been greatly retarded for the want of commercial facilities, yet it may be regarded as fortunate, that she has not wasted her means in the prosecution of works of doubtful utility. Having waited until her neighbors have planned their respective systems of improvement, she will be the better able to plan her own with judgment. This is the most important point connected with the public works of a State; and we trust, that it will be wisely considered by our neighbors. Our own system must touch on the nothern boundary of Arkansas, at more than one point, and it is much to be desired, that her system should be planned with reference to a connection with ours. Already some of our far-seeing citizens are looking to a connection with the Lower Mississippi at Helena, and others to a connection with Arkansas river in the direction of Fort Smith, while it is apparent, that sooner or later a railroad connection will be established between St. Louis and Little Rock. We mention these facts for the purpose of suggesting to our southern friends the views entertained in Missouri in regard to the extension of our own system.

At a meeting of citizens, held at the capitol in the city of Little Rock, on the 5th ultimo, the following resolutions were adopted: 1. Resolved by this Convention, That it is of vital importance to the prosperity of the whole people of Arkansas, that a rail road be established from the seat of government to some eligible point on the Mississippi river, as soon as practicable, connecting us with our sister States, and with the great southern emporium, to be extended thereafter from the heart to different extremes of the State, and by lateral roads as the interests of the community may require. 2. That a permanent central committee be raised by this Convention, to consist of- members, whose duty it shall be to take the preparatory steps for the location and construction of such road from Little Rock to White river, and, if deemed expedient hereafter, to

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