Monongalia mirror. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1855, 1853-01-15


Agricultural Department l1tl11|y
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Thoughts on the Rotation of Crops.
An old farmer once observed to us,
one stormy evening in winter, as he
sat BY his comfortable kitchen fire.
"Ifl can't cultivate my land just now
I can think about IT," So lift be too
late in the season to actually cultivate
the crops "just now,"we can think a.
Iboutthem and talk about them, and
perhaps the discussion rwill leadto
I some ideas which will be Of value
when the right season comes to prac.
ticeithem.itli a4 rl.a4 HHs'
THE subject Of judicious rotation
Of crops has been one Of importance,
and isyet one which should engross
1.-THE attention Of farmers.
1t has been more or less discussed
since the days Of Virgil. Before the
potato,rotiand the.grain worm visited
Maine, and deranged all the previous
plans aud customsTof our farmers,ro.
tation Of crops began to bepractised
extensively among them. The pota;
to. wheat. and grass, entered pretty
generally into their system, because
these three articles were very sure
crops, and very profitable, The al
most certain destruction Of two OF
these crops (potatoes and wheat) which
afterwards ensued, seemed to unhinge
all the systems and calculations. t"
which they were becoming attached,
and left them to pursue sort of'hap-
hazard course.
As the rot and the grain worm have
become notquite aoprevalent, it may
be we'll to again turn our attentionto
a more systematic course of culture,
in which the potato and wheat may
once more have place in the shift.
We.are aware thatthe same rotation
will not be profitable on every kind
Of. soil, or near every market, aud yet
there are genera! principles which
may serve to guide all. Y wy y
Potatoes. grass, and wheat, are an
necessary, aud therefore profitable
crops, and should be cultivated as ex-
,ensiyely as lis compatible with the
means that the farmer has at com
mand, and the marke, where he trades,
Avery simple rotation and a very
good one, used to be- 9 's @''
u sward land broken up aud plant
ed atoes.
Second year, ploughed and manur-
cdhighly for Indian Corn. 9,s
Third year, ploughed and sowel to
spring wheat and grass seed. ~
Fourth and fifth years, grass.
Next year, break up and plant to
potatoes again. This makes a FIVE
years shift OF rotation. +
If winter wheat shall ultimately be-
come an established crop among US, a
somewhat different change ofrotation
may become necessary in some parts
Of Maine. L. alsjt,9, .5g5..a5tE
If whent is desired To be the, main
article Of production, the ,oftener ID |
can be made crop in the shift for a |
short; term ofIyears, the more satisfuc.
tory. it may 30 tothc farmer tts
A german, by the name of Sheimer,
wasreporedsome years since,to have
adapted the following scheme Of ope-
rations on his farm in Northampton
county. Pennsylvania, by which,from
his successful crops and sale ofwheat,
he became wealthy. He is represent
ted to have followed it t'for 35 years,
with constan,improyemen,int the quail
ity Of his land. His farm consisted
Of one hundred acres, which he diyid.
ed as nearly as possible into eight
fields Of ftwslve and halfacres, each
of which was carried through an eight
years rotation. ~
Commencing with a fallow field.
q 80 r. d .tN. .aa. ~
1st year-manurea, lined, plough
ed three times, May June and August,
narrowed, and seeded witt, one bushel
and three pecks per acre Of wheat,
which was plonghetl under. vsf
Cd year-cloycr sown on the wheat
in tho spring, six quarts to the acre,
which was pastured aftersharyest.
3dyear--plasteted the cloverin theI
spring, one bushel per acre; cut-the
clover early and plonghel under the
after crop and seeded again to wheat.
4th year-whsat, same as No.2.
9th year--rastured early in the
season, ploughea under second sy I'D crop
4 in August, and sowed wheat.
9th year-wl,eat again, and rye
sowed on s,ubble.
7th yoar--sowed clover seed o"
spring rye. qp,..t.. s..
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