Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1853-08-10
9or tie - - GARNER.
Rotation and Good Management.

1t IS surprising now hucH iAolo eohl0
men will accomplish by dint Of good man
arenent and shrewd thinking, than 9TH
ers will by hard and laborious toll. A
good story is told of ''backwoods " far
mer, in whose fields the stumps and his
crops had each sort Of doubtful juris-
diction, and who was very much annoy
ed by the difficulties in contending with
these stubborn representatives. OF the O.
rieinal forest oaks. His boys complain
ed much of the annoyances they met with
in ploughing and harrowing-the old
fashioned ''drag" especially gave them
great trouble, by its constant overturn-
ing while plunging among the siumps;
once in each ten yards of travelling, on
an average, they were obliged to stop
and place it "right side up" "Boys!"
said the father one day, when his pa
thence had become exhausted, "take that
harrow over 10 Hammerwell, the black
smith, and tell him to make the teeth all
twice their present length and shape at
both ends, and we shall see what we can
do !" 1t was accordingly done, and tie
harrow came back with its teeth as sure
ly pointing both directions as those of a
revolving horse-rake. CHOW, boys, we
,,;lI-..-, ei.o -.~..- -h..ro,v," and it was ac-
cordingly set in motion. "Why, father ,;
soon exclaimed on, Of the sons, sit has
upset again, just as bad as before !''--
"Never mind, go right on without stop
ping, it will work either side up" The
difficulty was conquered and the harrow
ing was speedily accomplished and with
out the innumerable delays Of "righting
the ship"
We have seen some very industrious
and worthy farmers whose labors we
could not help comparing with this con-
tinued toll with the harrow and others a
gain whose skillful management was full
ly equal to the double acting, double
toothed pulverizer. And in nothing was
this difference more yisibly exemplified
than in the arrangement and rotation Of
crops.
There are other very important requi
sites in good farming, but they are all ac-
complished with an increase Of expendi-
ture and labor. Manuring, for example,
is most powerful means for improve
ment but both manures and their appli
cation are expensive in proportion to the
amount applied. Undertaking has
wrought wonderful results, but the cost
is always large item and the same may
be said in some degree of deep plough
ing and subsoiling. But in the arrange
,oop+ 81 n roto+;o,, M oJ1;t;opoI
ture or labor is necessary; it costs no
more to cultivate crops which are made
to succeed each other judiciously, than
to cultivate those arranged in the worst
manner possible. The former may bring
triple the successful results of the lat
ter-not by the expenditure of five hum
bred extra days in drawing manure, or
five hundred dollars worth Of ditchirg !;
but simply by making a proper use of
ones brains.
1t most fortunately happens that no
extraordinary originality, shrcwdness,
or profound wisdom is needed TO render
available all the advantages Of well-de-
vised rotation. The full experience of
others is furnished directly to our hands
in the excellent practical publications
which have appeared on this subject,
and all we have to do is to make use of
the materials right before us. 1t seems
surprising, under these circumstances,
that SO small number seize tbs golden
prize thus completely placed within their
reach-that there are so few, even of
those reckoned good farmers, who pur-
sue anything like systematic success
sion, to say nothing of such a rotation
that shall accomplish its peculiarly ben
eficial results-namely, preservation of
the riches Of the soil, destruction Of
weeds, destruction of insects, and the
most advantageous consumption by each
successive crop Of all the means for its
growth within reach. As a consequence
Of this neglect, we sec land overcropped
with wheat, the soil worn out for this
particular grain, and those troublesome
weeds, chess and red-root, taking It's
place. We see pastures, left unplough-
ed for a long series of years, become ill
led with "buttercups" and oxeye daisy.
A disproportion of spring crops facili-
tates the spread of wild mustard, and a.
mong insects, grubs and wire worms in
crease according TO the cultivation that
favors their labors. Itappears to be but
little understood how great is the assist
ance TO clean cultivation afforded by a
good rotation. The best example Of this
sort we ever witnessed, whers every
field of the symmetrically laid-out farm
except wet meadow, was brought I'M
der regular, unvarying system, scarce
ly a weed was ever to be seen; and we
ascertained that not one-third Of the la
Dor usually expended was required for
the hand-dressing of hoed crops. The
alienation was such that the whole ope-
rated like the two-faced harrow-the
culture Of each successive crop constant
ly tended to the destruction of some
weed injurious to another, and thus all
were destroyed in their respective turns
while at the same time the fertility Of
the land was increased, and each cror
fed with IFS own proper nutriment as lis
turn came round.-[Country Gentleman
Budding may be vigorously practised
from this time upon rose and other
plants necessary 10 propagate. Fruit