Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations - Kootenay Local Agricultural Society

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tobacco for wearing out the land. He saw how poor agricultural practices
fueled the desire to wrest the greatest return from the ground in the shortest
time—and vice versa. In a 1796 letter to Alexander Hamilton, Washington
predicted that soil exhaustion would push the young country
inland. “It must be obvious to every man, who considers the agriculture of
this country ...how miserably defective we are in the management of
[our lands]. ...A few years more of increased sterility will drive the Inhabitants
of the Atlantic States westward for support; whereas if they were
taught how to improve the old, instead of going in pursuit of new and productive
soils, they would make these acres which now scarcely yield them
any thing, turn out beneficial to themselves.” 12
Washington’s interest in progressive agriculture began long before the
Revolution. As early as 1760, he used marl (crushed limestone), manure,
and gypsum as fertilizers and plowed crops of grass, peas, and buckwheat
back into his fields. He built barns for cattle in order to harvest manure,
and instructed reluctant plantation managers to spread the waste from
livestock pens onto the fields. He experimented with crop rotations before
finally settling on a system that involved interspersing grains with potatoes
and clover or other grasses. Washington also experimented with deep
plowing to reduce runoff and retard erosion. He filled gullies with old
fence posts, trash, and straw before covering them with dirt and manure
and then planting them with crops.
Perhaps most radical, however, was Washington’s realization that soil
improvement was next to impossible on large estates. Dividing his land
into smaller tracts, he instructed his overseers and tenants to promote soil
improvement. Washington’s efforts focused on preventing soil erosion,
saving and using manure as fertilizer, and specifying cover crops to include
in rotations.
Returning to Mount Vernon after the Revolution, Washington wrote
English agriculturalist Arthur Young for advice on improving his lands.
Young embraced Washington as a “brother farmer” and agreed to provide
the American president with any assistance desired.
In 1791 Young asked Washington to describe agricultural conditions in
northern Virginia and Maryland. Washington’s reply indicates that the old
practices that encouraged soil erosion and exhaustion remained widespread.
In particular, the practice of growing steadily falling yields of
tobacco, followed by as much corn as the exhausted land could produce,
continued to reduce soil fertility. With limited pasture and livestock, few
farmers used manure to prolong or restore soil fertility. Washington
w estward hoe