“Denmark produces four million bushels of wheat, imports five million bushels of wheat, fifteen million bushels of corn, fifteen million bushels of barley, eight hundred million pounds of oil cake, eight hundred million pounds of mill feed, and other food stuffs, phosphate, etc., and exports one hundred and seventy-five million pounds of butter, which contains no plant food of value, but sells for much more than these imports cost.

“Italy applies to her soils every year about a million tons of phosphates, which contain nearly twice as much phosphorus as is removed from the land in all the crops harvested and sold from the farms of Italy.

“The very good yields of the crops of New England are attributable to large use of fertilizing materials, in part made from food stuffs shipped in from the West; and the high development of certain lands of Europe and New England has been possible under the system followed only because the areas concerned are small.  Thus, the average acreage of corn in Rhode Island and Connecticut is less than three townships, or less than one-tenth as much corn land in the two States as the area of single counties in the Illinois corn belt.

“Did you ever hear of the ‘Egypt’ we have out West, Miss West?”

“Out West, Miss West,” she repeated.  “That is too much repetition of the same word to make a good sentence.  I like ‘Miss Adelaide’ better; I do get tired of hearing West and Westover over and over.  Yes, I have heard of the ‘Egypt’ you have out West.  Is it near Illinois?”

“Near Illinois?  Why, Miss Adelaide, I am surprised that you should even know about the crop yields of Rhode Island and not know where ‘Egypt’ is.  Let me inform you that ‘Egypt’ is in Illinois, and our ‘Egypt’ is a country as large as thirteen states the size of Rhode Island.  Cairo is the Capital, and Alexandria, Thebes, and Joppa are all near by.  Tamm and Buncombe, and Goreville and Omega are also among our promising cities of ‘Egypt,’ although you may not so easily associate them with the ancient world.”

“Well I know where Cairo is,” Adelaide replied, “but if your ‘Egypt’ is on the map you will have to show me.  I know now that ‘Egypt’ is in Southern Illinois, but how do you separate ‘Egypt’ from the rest of the State?”

“We make no such separation,” said Percy.  “But to find ‘Egypt’ on the map, you need only take the State of Illinois and subtract therefrom all that part of the corn belt situated between the Mississippi River and the west line of Indiana.  The southern point of ‘Egypt’ is at Cairo, the Capital, and it is bounded on the east, south, and west, by the Wabash, the Ohio, and the Mississippi; but the north line is not only imaginary, but it is movable.  In fact it is always just a few miles farther south, but I think all ‘Egyptians’ will agree that a sand bar which is being formed below Cairo between the Ohio and the Mississippi is truly ’Egyptian ’ territory.  If you ever visit in the West do not fail to see ‘Egypt.’