America: The Garden Which Nature Has Destined It To Be

The things that stood out to me most while reading chapter nine, Balance of Nature, in Andrea Wulf's "Founding Gardeners" were the resounding theme of conservation and the way that America, through the four presidents, came to be the magnificent "garden" that it is today. Madison's administration was almost sees (at least by Adams) as the hallmark of glory and unification out of any of the three founding fathers preceding him. I can see how this can be taken from simply looking at each of the times in office, but I do feel that establishment of the country must be taken into account, all things considered. Yes, Madison may have been the most successful, but the country that he had to work with was the most put together,  at least in my opinion. Now, I am not trying to discredit Madison, but I do feel like the success under his administration can be somewhat accredited to his predecessors.

However, in terms of being a conservationist, Madison takes the cake.

Elected the president of the Agricultural Society of Albermarle, something that was interestingly enough created to tend to economics through the utilization of agriculture, Madison puts emphasis on the importance of an agronomy motivated society to replenish not only Virginia's soil, but their bank, as well. His famous speech regarding conservation given at the University of Virginia in 1818 was not only backed up by his experiences at Montpelier and one of the most comprehensive ideologies on conservation, but also ahead of its time. Conservation was not something that early Americans paid much regard for, and I think that was something that Madison recognized and was alarmed by. He, and this chapter, emphasized that if the balance of nature is broken, then we cannot trust that nature will restore itself. I feel that Madison realized that this held true for America as a whole as well, broadening the all encompassing themes of the novel. 

I feel the cautionary and educational words of Madison are things that modern day citizens of America could stand to listen to, as well. With the continual using up of our land's natural resources, comes major consequences that people fail to realize in the consumerist culture we live in today. I wonder what Madison, someone who held preservation and conservation in such high regard, would have to say about the world we are living in today. 

Below are some images of Montpelier and Madison's preserved forest.