Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1838-06-08
From the Culliva,or.
THE NEW HUSBANDRY.
~. AFFIRMATION OF CROPS.

~. ALTERATION OF CROPS.
Alienation Of crops is an essential
requisite in good farming, and forms u
part Of it wherever it is considered TO have
arrived at any degree of perfection. 1t is
this which gave to Flemish husbandry o
pre-. eminence over that of every other
country, long before the new system had
obtained footing in Great Britain. II is
this which has principally converted the
county OF Norfolk, aud other districts in
England, from the poorest and least pro-
ductive, into the most wealthy and popu.
lous portions Of that country. 1t is this
alternating system which has contributed,
in great measure, to the astonishing
recent improvements in the agriculture OF
Scotland; and it is this which constitutes
the pioneer marks Of improved hus5andry
in our own land.
In the preceding sections. we have sug.
gestod the Importance and the modes of
making our lands rich, and dry, and OF
subjecting them to good tillage. Let
us now inquire under what method Of man
agement they are likely to make US the
arges; returns, without diminishing their
intrinsic value.
1t is palpabe to every observing farmer,
that the old mode of permanently dividing
our grounds into meadow, plough and pas
ture lands-is most wretched system OF
exhaustion, both TO the land and its occu-
pant. The tlIlage ground deteriorates,
with the scanty mannrng it gets, till it
ceases to make return for the expense OF
culture, or ill it is thrown into Old fields or
commons. The meadow grasses ;un out,
MOSES and weeds come in, the soil becomes
too compact and impervious for the ready
admission of the great agents of vegetable
decomposition and nutrition, and the free
extension Of the roots of the finer grasses
and, as all is carried off, and little O,
nothing brough! back, the soil is annually
becoming poorer and less profitable. The
pasture is the only portion of such a farm
that is improving; and even in this bushes
brambles and noxous weeds are too often
permitted to choke and destroy the better
heritage.
1t is equally apparent, that we canno,
take two or more arabic crops, OF the
same kind, from field, in successive sea
sons, without manifest falling off in the
product. The reason for this may be fount
in an immutablc law Of nature, which has
provided for each species Of plants a spe.
cfiic food, suited to its organization ant
its wants. Thus some soils will not grow
wheat, or other farm crops, although
Astounding in the common elements o
fertility, and although they will make +,
profitable return in other farm crops.-ir
consequence Of their being deficient in The
specific food required for the perfection O
the wheat, or other particular species o
crop. One family, or species of plants
requires a different food from that which
another family, or species, requires; an,
it seems to be another law Of nature, tina
what is not essential to one family, o
species, sha Il be left in The soil, or returnc,
to it through the excretory organs of tn
growing crop. Or course, the specific foo
Tor any class, or species, continues to accu
muate in the soil, the general fertillt,
being kept up, till the return again to tn
field of this particular crop. Thus it i
supposed to require ten or dozen year
for the specific food OF flax, to Accumulate
sufficiently for q second crop, after one ha
been taken from field. Even the specif
food Of clover becomes exhausted by to-
I frequent repetition of i: in the same field
it being found necessary, in Norfolk hus
bandry, to substitute for it in every othc
course OF crops, other grass seeds, so tina
this may not be repeated oflener than ono
in eight years. There are exceptions I
the rules of practice which these law
nculcate. Some soils seem natural I
wheat, others to oats, or grass; and sue
cessive crops Of these are taken withou
apparent dlmunilion Of product. Yet it
better to regulate our practice by genera
laws, than by casual exceptions. In tn
cases noted as exceptions, there is proba
bly, so great an accumulation Of the specifi
food Of the particular crop, that it has nc
been exhausted, though it evidently mu;
have been diminished. 1t is in accordanc
with the natural laws we have noticed, thu
the grasses in our meadows change the
the timber trees of the forest alternate
new species sprnging up as tho old one
decay, or are cut down; and it is in accol
dance it'll these laws that the alternate
of crops has been adopted in all good farm
ing.
To simplify and render the subject MOI
, plain, the generality Of tillage crops hay
, been grouped into two classes, dIfferin
q essentially in their character. culture, al
a cxhauslng influence upon the soil. Thes
two classes IRE denominated culmDero'
/ crops, and ieguminous crops. The first
, so named from Culm, the stalk or stem
e grains or grasses, usually ionted and no
a low, and supporting the leaves and ffucll
It cation. Our intention here is not to en-
c brace the grasses. Culmlerous crops
n termed robbers, or exhausters OF the so
IS This class includes wheat, barley, oa'
10 rye, indian corn, tobacco, cotton, d.
1t These are particularly exbausting duriI
as the process OF maturing their seeds.
r, lcul green, or when in blossom, they are