"Only since 1820? Why, we began to till the soil right here, Young
Man, in St. Mary County, in 1634 and don't you know, Sir, that we
had a rebellion here as early as 1645? Yes, Sir, that was one
hundred and seventy-five years before 1820. So you've raised only
eighty crops and the land is already getting poor, and we've raised
two hundred and fifty crops--well, maybe, not quite so many, for
we've been giving our land a good deal of rest for the last fifty or
sixty years; but my grandfather used to raise twenty-five bushels of
wheat to the acre with the help of a hundred pounds of land-plaster,
and I've no doubt I could do it again today if I cared to raise
wheat, but one acre of tobacco is worth ten of wheat, so why should
I bother with wheat?"

"Twenty-five bushels of wheat per acre," repeated Percy, half to
himself. "The total supply of phosphorus still remaining in the
plowed soil would be sufficient for only twenty more crops like
that. Two hundred years of such crops would require 1600 pounds of
phosphorus, making nearly 1800 pounds at the beginning, if it all
came from the plowed soil. That is one and a half times as much as
is now contained in our common corn belt prairie land."

"More stuff in our land than in yours, did you say?" questioned the
old man. "I told you we had pretty good soil here, but I've always
allowed your soil was better, but maybe not. I tell you manure lasts
on this land. You can see where you put it for nigh twenty years.
Then we rest our land some and that helps a sight, and if the price
stays up we make good money on tobacco. I'm sorry your land is
getting so poor out West, especially if you can't raise tobacco.
Ever tried tobacco, Young Man?--gosh, but you remind me of one of
them Government fellows who came driving along here once when Bob