ART. IV.-SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL EXHAUSTION
AND ITS REMEDY.*

ent business is with errors and defects of southern agriculture, and with its points of admitted excellence-as, for example, the elaborate system of rice culture, and, for other tillage, the very general and commendable attention paid to the collection of materials for putrescent manures. Nothing has appeared to me more remarkable in the agriculture of this region than the close neighborhood, (often, indeed, seen on the same property,) of the best husbandry in some respects, and almost the worst in most others.

THE great error of southern agriculture it is not my purpose to treat. My pres is the general practice of exhausting culture the almost universal deterioration of the productive power of the soil which power is the main and essential foundation of all agricultural wealth. The merchant or manufacturer, who was using (without replacing) any part of his capital to swell his early income- -or the ship-owner, who used as profit all his receipts from freights, allowing nothing for repairs or deterioration of capital-would be accounted by all as in the sure road to bankruptcy. The joint-stock company that should (in good faith, as many have done by designed fraud) annually pay out something of what ought to be its reserved fund, or of its actual capital, to add so much to the dividends, would soon reach the point of being obliged to reduce the dividends below the original fair rate, and, in enough time, all the capital would be so absorbed. Yet this unprofitable procedure, which would be deemed the most marvelous folly in regard to any other kind of capital invested, is precisely that which is still generally pursued by the cultivators of the soil in all the cotton-producing states, and which prevailed as generally, and much longer in my own country, and which, even now, is more usual there than the opposite course of fertilizing culture. The recuperative powers of nature are indeed continually operating, and to great effect, to repair the waste of fertility caused by the destructive industry of man, and but for this natural and imperfect remedy, all these southern states (and most of the northern likewise) would be already barren deserts, in which agricultural labors would be hopeless of reward, and civilized men could not exist.

Let me not be understood as extending censure to all southern agriculture, and charging this great defect as being universal. It is truly very general-but there are numerous exceptions, of which *This interesting paper was read by Edwin Ruffin, Esq., of Virginia, the justly celebrated American agriculturist, at the late Fair of the South Carolina Institute, in Charleston, S. C., which we had the pleasure of attending. The author has kindly fur

nished us a corrected copy, which we hasten to lay before our readers, omitting only the introductory portions, which are of local or personal character.

The great error of exhausting the fertility of the soil is not peculiar to cotton culture, or to the southern states. It belongs, from necessity, to the agriculture of every newly-settled country, and especially where the land, before being brought under tillage, was in the forest state. When first settled upon, forest land costs almost nothing, and labor is scarce and dear. Even if labor is more abundant, it still will be long before enough land can be cleared to allow changes of culture and rest to the fields; and for some years after each new clearing, it would be even beneficial to continue the tillage of corn, tobacco, or cotton, so as effectually to kill all remains of the forest growth. But as soon as enough land can be brought under culture, and has been put in clean condition, so as to allow space for change of crops and due respite from continual tillage, the previous exhausting course will no longer be best even for early profit. Even in a new country, while land is yet fertile, it is cheaper to preserve that fertility from any exhaustion, than it is to reduce it considerably. And in an older agricultural country, like South Carolina, having abundant resources in marl and lime for improving fertility, it would be much cheaper, and more profitable, to improve an acre of before exhausted land, than it is to clear and bring under culture an acre of ordinary land from the forest state, allowing that both pieces are to be brought to the same power and rate of production.

New settlers are not censurable for beginning this exhausting culture. But they and their successors are not the less

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condemnable for continuing it after the compared to their former low conditioncircumstances which justified it have but cases showing the bearing of the ceased. The system was first begun in comparatively few marled and limed Eastern Virginia, because it was the first farms on the aggregate assessed value of settled part of the present United States, all the lands in Lower Virginia, and upon and it continued to prevail almost univer- the receipts of land-tax from the same, sally until since the course of my adult although not one twentieth part of the life began; and only has partially ceased whole tide-water district has yet been since, because the country was nearly re- improved in fertility, or is the least better duced to barrenness, and the proprietors (and, probably, the great remainder is to ruin. From this erroneous policy so much poorer) than when the marling of long pursued in Virginia, and the mani- other lands first began to raise the genefest and well-known disastrous results in ral average of assessed values throughout the general and seemingly desperate this whole district. sterility of the older-settled portion of the state, the younger southern states might have taken warning, and have learned to profit by the woful and costly experience of others. But it seems that every agricultural community must and will run the same race of exhausting culture, and impoverishment of land and its cultivators, before being convinced of the propriety of commencing an opposite course after the best means and facilities for making that beneficial change have been greatly impaired by the lapse of time, and progress of waste of fertilityif indeed these means are not then irretrievably forfeited.

If, at this time, the work of improvement, with the aid of marl and lime, were properly begun and prosecuted, there would be found here incalculable advantages over those of the pioneers in the like work in Virginia. These advantages would be, first: A tenfold better supply of far richer and cheaper marl than is found in Virginia. Second: Much more remaining organic matter, or original fertility of the soil, as yet unexhausted. Third: Full information to be obtained of the operations and opinions of thousands of experienced and successful marlers to refer to, of which advantage there was almost nothing existing thirty years ago. In South Carolina, more marling could now be done in a year, and in a proper manner, than was done in Virginia for the first twenty years; and, though judging merely by analogy, I infer that the benefit would not be less great in this region than in my own.

And now I will state, from unquestionable official documents, something of what has been effected in Virginia-not merely in cases of particular farms, and those entirely marled, which might show tripled or quadrupled products and market returns, and tenfold intrinsic value,

It appears, from the latest state assessment of lands in Virginia for 1850, that the actual increase of value in the tidewater district only, since 1838, the previous assessment, was more than seventeen millions of dollars. On this increase of valuation, and at the same rate of taxation, there is more than $17,000 increase of land-tax alone accruing annually to the state treasury. It is obvious that any increased value of lands, caused by their increased production, would necessarily require an increase of labor, and of farming stock, and would produce proportional increase of general wealth of the improvers, and would add other receipts from taxes in proportion-all serving still more to augment the public revenue.

The recent addition to the aggregate value of lands in Eastern Virginia, is admitted to be the effect of agricultural improvements; and that more than all the net increase is due to marling and liming only, would be equally evident, if I could here adduce the proofs, as I have done elsewhere. Further-though 1838 was the date of the earliest assessment made after marling and liming had begun to increase aggregate production and value of lands, it is an unquestionable fact, that the general impoverishment had been greater, and values much lower, about 1828. And if this earlier time and greatest depression had been marked by an assessment then made, the full increased value of lands, from that time, would have appeared at least $30,000,000 in 1850, instead of seventeen and a quarter millions, counting from the already partially advanced improvement, and enhanced values of 1838. However, even if these, my deductions and estimates, go

* In a communication recently made to the State Agricultural Society of Virginia, on "Some of the Results of the Improvement of Lands, by Calcareous Manures, on Public Interests in Virginia, in the increase of Production, Population, General Wealth, and Revenue to the Treasury."

be in articulo mortis-at the last gaspbefore the work of resuscitation was begun.

his original capital, and also his twenty per cent. income, and the other will have exhausted his entire fund.

for nothing, there will still remain the proof, by official documents, of the actual increase of value of lands in twelve years, of seventeen and a quarter millions, or The comparative results of the opposite nearly one and a half millions yearly. systems of improving and exhausting culNow bear in mind that these are not tivation may be thus illustrated: Suppose the results of the improving of all the tide- a certain investment of capital will yield water region, nor all of its much smaller twenty per cent. of present annual inarable portion; but, probably, of not more terest, or net products, and two persons than one-twentieth of the cultivated land. invest equal amounts in the business. All the remainder, if uncultivated, is sta- The more provident one draws or spends tionary; and, if cultivated, is generally but fifteen per cent. annually of his inin a continued course of exhaustion; and come, and leaves the remaining five per the small quantity of enriched land had cent. to accumulate, and to be added to first to make up for all deficiencies of the his interest-bearing capital. The other impoverished, and lessening of produc- proprietor draws each year, and spends tion throughout the whole tide-water dis- all of the certain and annual average retrict, and after all such deductions, still turns of his capital, and five per cent. exhibited a clear surplus of seventeen more of the capital stock itself. He reaand a quarter millions of increased ag- sons (may I say it?) like many cotton gregate value. This is the result of but planters, and infers that so small a dethe beginning, and a very recent begin- traction from his capital will do no harm, ning of measures for improvement, exe- as he will have so much the more of cuted in every case imperfectly, often in- quick returns for immediate use or re-injudiciously, and sometimes injuriously, vestment. In less than twenty years, one and altogether on less than one-twentieth of these individuals will have doubled of the space on which calcareous manures are available. The great omitted space will hereafter be fertilized in the same manner. Then the actual increase of value of lands, founded on increased production, will be counted by hundreds of millions of dollars. And this anticipated enormous amount of fertility and capital to be created, might have been now in possession, if our improvements by calcareous manures had been begun thirty years earlier, instead of there having been continued, through all that time, the progress of wasting and destroying the remaining powers of the soil. South Carolina began exhausting culture much later, and is now full fifty years less advanced towards the lowest depth of that full descent which we had nearly completed. If that future of fifty years of continued exhaustion could be now cut off, and the improvement of Lower South Carolina by calcareous manures could be at once begun and continued, the loss of at least one hundred millions of dollars of now remaining value would be saved, and a gain of three hundred millions from improvement would be reached sooner by the same fifty years. This would be better, by all this great value, than even the following out precisely the first sinking and now rising course of Lower Virginia. In that region, the cultivators waited until the fertility of the land had so nearly expired, that it was supposed to

But it may be said, (as alleged in regard to the squanderers of fertility,) that as the latter person had received so much more of annual returns, at first, he might have re-invested, and thus have retained his over-draughts of annual products. If a planter and, of course, his overdraughts had been from the fertility of his land-he might have bought another plantation, to work and to wear out in like manner. But even if so, wherein would be the gain? He would have had the disadvantages of a change of investment, of removal, and making a new settlement. But where one man would so save and re-invest his over-draughts from his capital, two others would use, or perhaps spend theirs, as if so much actual clear profit, or permanent income. When the land is utterly worn out, and the total capital of fertility wasted, (or the small remnant is incapable of paying the expense of further cultivation,) it will most generally be found that the channels into which the early full streams of income flowed, are then as dry as the sources.

I do not mean that it necessarily follows that the planter who exhausts his land, also lessens his general wealth. Would that it were so! For, then, such certain and immediate retribution would

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speedily stop the whole course of wrong- social virtues, and even moral and relidoing, and prevent all the consequent gious culture. For, upon the productions evils. It may be rarely, and it might be of the earth depend, more or less, the never the case, that the exhauster of land measure to be obtained, by the people of becomes absolutely poorer during the any country, of these and all other blessoperation. He will have helped to im- ings which a community can enjoy. poverish his country, and to ruin it finally, There is, however, one very numerous by the same general policy being con- class of exceptions to this general ruletinued,)—he will have destroyed as much which is, when an agricultural people, or of God's bounties as the wasted fertility, interest, is tributary to some other people if remaining, would have supplied for or interest, whether foreign or at home. ever, and as many human beings as those Such exceptions are presented in differsupplies would have supported, will be ent modes: by the agriculture of Cuba prevented from existing. And yet the being tributary to Spain-of many other mighty destroyer may have increased countries to their own despotic and his own wealth. Nevertheless, he does oppressive home governments—and of not escape his own, and even the largest the Southern States of this confederacy, share of the general loss he has caused. to greater or less extent, to different pauWhile thus destroying, say $20,000 worth per and plundering interests of the norof fertility, the planter, by the exercise of thern states, which, through legislative industry, economy and talent in other de-- enactments, have been mainly fostered partments of his business, or from other and supported by levying tribute upon resources, may have grown richer, by southern agriculture and industry. $10,000. But if, as I believe is always true, it is as cheap and profitable to save as to waste fertility in the whole term of culture, then the planter in this case might have gained in all $30,000 of capital, if he had saved, instead of wasting, the original productive power of his land. Even if admitting the common fallacy which prevails in every newly-settled country, that it is profitable to each individual cultivator to wear out his land, still, by his doing so, and all his fellow proprietors doing the like, while each one might be adding to his individual wealth, the joint labors of all would be exhausting the common stock of wealth, and greatly impairing the common welfare and interest of all. The average life of a man is long enough to reduce the fertility of his cultivated land to onehalf, or less. Thus, one generation of exhausting cultivators, if working together, would reduce their country to one-half of its former production, and, in proportion, would be reduced the general income, wealth, and means of livingpopulation and the products of taxation and, in time, would as much decline the measure of moral, intellectual, and social advantages, the political power and military strength of the commonwealth. The destructive operations of the exhausting cultivator have a most important influence far beyond his own lands and his own personal interests. He reduces the wealth and population of his country and the world, and obstructs the progress and benefits of education, the

But

The reason why such woful results of impoverishment of lands, as have been stated, are not seen to follow the causes, and speedily, is, that the causes are not all in action at once, and in equal progress. The labors of exhausting culture, also, are necessarily suspended as each of the cultivator's fields is successively worn out. And when tillage so ceases, and any space is thus left at rest, Nature immediately goes to work to recruit and replace as much as possible of the wasted fertility-until another destroyer, after many years, shall return, again to waste, and in much shorter time than before, the smaller stock of fertility so renewed. Thus, the whole territory, so scourged, is not destroyed at one operation. though these changes and partial recoveries are continually, to some extent, counteracting the labors for destruction, still the latter work is in general progress. It may require, (as it did in my native region,) more than two hundred years, from the first settlement, to reach the lowest degradation. But that final result is not the less certainly to be produced by the continued action of the causes. I have witnessed, at home, nearly the last stage of decline. But I have also witnessed, subsequently, and over large spaces, more than the complete resuscitation of the land, and great improvement in almost every respect, not only to individual but to public interests; not only in regard to fertility and wealth, but also in mental, moral and social improvement.

At the risk of uttering what may be deemed trite or superfluous to many of those who now honor me by their attention, I beg leave to state concisely the fundamental laws, as I conceive them to be, of supply and exhaustion of fertilizing matters to soils, and aliment to plants.

Inasmuch as my remarks would seem northern farmer is guarded from the to ascribe the most exhausting system of worst of these results, not because he cultivation especially to the slave-hold- uses free-labor, but because his labor is ing states, the enemies of the institution so scarce and dear that he uses as little of slavery might cite my opinions, if as possible for his purposes. Besides this without the explanation which will now consideration, his climate is more suitbe offered, as indicating that slave-labor able to grass than to grain, and his other and exhausting tillage were necessarily large crops are much more generally connected as cause and effect. I readily broad-cast than tilled. These are suffiadmit that our slave-labor has served cient causes why, in general, the culture greatly to facilitate our exhausting culti- of land in the northern states should be vation; but only because it is a great less exhausting than in the southern, facility-far superior to any found in without detracting anything from the su the non-slave-holding states-for all ag- perior advantages which we of the South ricultural operations. Of course, if our enjoy in the use of African slave-labor. operations are exhausting of fertility, then certainly our command of cheaper and more abundant labor enables us to do the work of exhaustion, as well as all other work, more rapidly and effectually. But if directed to improving, instead of destroying fertility, then this great and valuable aid of slave-labor will as much more advance improvement, as it has generally heretofore advanced exhaustion. The enunciation of this proposition is perhaps enough. But if any, from prejudice, should deny or doubt its truth, they may see the practical proofs on all the most improved and profitable farms of Lower and Middle Virginia. On the lands of our best improvers and farmers, such as Richard Sampson, Hill Carter, John A. Selden, William B. Harrison, Willoughby Newton, and many others, slave-labor is used not only exclusively, and in larger than usual proportion, (because more required on very productive land.) but is deemed indispensable to the greatest profits, and operating to produce more increase of fertility, and more agricultural profit than can be exhibited from any purely agricultural labors and capital north of Mason and Dixon's line. There is another and stronger reason for the greater exhausting effects of southern agriculture, and therefore of tillage by slave-labor. The great crops of all the slave-holding states, and especially of the more southern-corn, tobacco and cotton-are all tilled crops. The frequent turning and loosening of the earth by the plow and hoe-and far more when continued without intermission, year after year-advance the decomposition and waste all organic matter, and expose the soil of all but the most level surfaces, to destructive washing by rains-and rains the more heavy and destructive in power, in pro

tion as approaching the south. The

All vegetable growth is supported, for a small part, by the alimentary principles in the soil, (or by what we understand as its fertility,)—and partly, and for much the larger portion, by matters supplied, either directly or indirectly, from the atmosphere. More than nine-tenths usually of the substance of every plant is composed of the same four elements, three of which, oxygen, nitrogen and carbon, compose the whole atmosphere. The fourth, hydrogen, is one of the constituent parts of water; and also, as a part of the dissolved water, hydrogen is always present in the atmosphere, and in great quantity. Thus all these principal elements of plants are superabundant, and always surrounding every growing plant; and from the atmosphere, (or through the water in the soil,) very much the larger portion of these joint supplies is turnished to plants; and so it is of each particular element, except nitrogen, much the smallest ingredient, and yet the richest and most important of all organic manuring substances, and of all plants. This, for the greater part, if not for all of its small share in plants, it seems, is not generally derived, even partially, from the air, though so abundant therein, but from the soil or from organic manures given to the soil.

But, though bountiful nature has offered these chief alimentary principles and ingredients of vegetable growth in as inexhaustible profusion as the atmosphere itself which they compose, still their availability and beneficial use for plants are limited in some measure to man's