The emigrant aid journal of Minnesota. [volume] (Nininger City, Minn. Terr. [i.e. Minn.]) 1856-1858, 1858-04-07
Rotation In Crops.

address, "L, n. Coun,ryman. Hastings, or Nininger,
Min" .-..-
a.1 Rotation Ia Crops.
There is no element, in the mind Of the agricultu rist,
50 importsn, TO tue soil, As Il constan, rotation of crops.
Men have searched, the world over, for fertilizers which
should have the powers Of renova,ing the lands yearly,
aud 80 Tar as that is concerned they have sigually failed.
AgricuIturists arc At this time questioning the fertiliz-
ing properties which it is said guano possesses. Some
contend that after q series Of large yields, BY the ap-
~piication OF guano, they have experienced An alarming
r~etrograde movement, and have been compelled to adopt
sonc other method, to rescue farms from further de-
te%rioration /; they have even applied to their barn yards,
snd by artificial methods, soush, to increase its piles Of
manure, upon whose fersilizing properties they could
safely rely, snd knowing from experience tina. a yesrly
application Of il was beneficial. Modern times have
disclosed the fact tia: the earth has its own peculiar
ways Of RENOVATION, and when man violates those rules,
Ae must expect to receive punishment in the shape Of
slim crops, and 5 deteriorated quality OF grain. .4f
Observation-Disclosures has proved long since that every
one Of the cereals (grains) demands a separate class Of
chemic al equivalents; that is, they are SO different in
composition, that each enc abstracts from the soil j
peculiar class for itself. Surprising that the earth, or
speaking more definitely, our fields, contain all the in
gradients necessary with tbs aid Of moisture and the
atmosphere; to form all the grains, let us begin our
operations practically. let Us Srss SOW wheat, and
withor, . knowledge of the above principle, We continue
70 SOW wheat. Fortwo or three years, playground rich
10 that class Of chcm;cal equivalents needful TO form
wheat, produces large crops. but then begins to fail-to
our astonishmen:-aad We think the soil Is exhausted.
Not so i, is pregnant with those other ingredients ne
cessary TO produce corn, Or oats, or huckwhcat, or millet,
Or potatoes, OF onions, or clover, &c, and it only re-
quires tha: we shall SON B different kind Ct seed in or.
Der to obtain good crops, snd permit tina, exhausted
class Of equivalent TO recuperatc. or acquire new
strength.
You may nov offer an objection to this-as you have
a perfect RICH, to-and say that all the grains have a
Jew ingredients in common. That is indeed true, and
while We advocate rotation in crops, we do not by any
means object to ~enriching the soil BY manures. But
We demand .ha; the tiller shall restore to the ground
those very elements which are formed in common, in
the composition of the grains. For instance, if a
nitrate is a common ingredient, then should the manure
be nitrous in character. If lime be a common ingre.
dent, then We should nc. fail to keep the earth we'll
supplied With lime. But if ammonia, for instance be
peculiar only to one kind of grain, then ammonia need
not necessarially be applied, for rotation will give a
fresh accumulation. Let there be : a CONSTANT RorA-
TON OF THE UNMARRIED WHEEL
%@*@ ------
Seed.
We call the attention Of the cultiyator, 1T this carly
day, to the Importance Of securing good seed. 1t is
undoubtedly as true in nature, that the vegetables and
grains may. be so cultivated so as to yield large, plump,
healthy fruit, as that the animal world by dint Of good
breeding may be highly improved. In sowing wheat
great care should be taken that we take the largest and
~plumpess kernels. This may be effected by 3 common
farming mill which will allow all the small, shriveled
kernels to pass through the ,sieres together with the,
foul grass seed that may be in it. I was first led to 3
consideration Of this subject from the fact that a certain
tain man in our neighborhood, William !. Qliver,)
raised the best crops Of wheat-one year an average Of
forty bushels tosthA scre--and it IL we'll known that he
put one bushel of seed only to the acre. In 3 conversa-
ton with him last spring, he stated that he invariably
took out the small: grains Hence his'arge yields, and
It is perfectly philosophical. A small grain of wheat,
and perhaps shriveled at that, cannot have life in it to
produce much yet it must have room in the field. and
ita fruits be small heads and shriveled kernels. Let
the seed be all Of the fairest character, and NC may
reasonably expect a good crop Of plump grain. With
out question The same remarks apply TO oats, coru. bar
Icy and ryc.
Ii . question much argued by farmers, whether or
not it be "a veil toPlapt mall potatoes IS larger,, Some
VIII, argue thaats Because they have received for one or
cwo yesrs as good yields from small seed potatoes as
from large, there need be no question, are very much.
deceived. r. IS true that in good soil, for one or two
years, smuslss ip5atatoes may yield large stppA, busthst.a
continuation Of this process will-using : common
term run the potatoes out is equally certain, or else
there nast be some great discrepancy in nature. Now
j, is Z we'll known fact, that the seed raised from tho
cabbage stump will for d season or two raise good heads,
but S continuation Of that process, will exhibit finally
growth of cabbage stamps daay iinssesd Of large plump
heads. Let the seed from cabbage or .turneps be raised
ICON the largest heads and roots you can fnd, and then
you may expect, large and beautiful seeds, and if you
would expect to perpetuate a good quality Of potatoes
plant large Aeed from year to year, and change varieties
often.
Now X, tbs. time to SOW onion seed. The EARLY
York cabbage in hot beds. Tomato seed may be put
in the open ground just where you want it,: OF the
late varieties Of cabbage the Flat Premium Low Dutch
cabbage is the best, and will head ~ninety-6rr in every
hundred ple7tss-7'mnay be planted in tue open ground
about the, 50shs Of May. The jsEarly York. is the
best early variety, and in this country is invariably
sure. The 'Wethers6eh Large Red Onion is the
hest-grows to large size from the seed, and can be
Ii ade to produce from 800 to 500 bushels per acre.
#sa.as, .,va stock.
1t is s mistaken idea that We cannot probably raise
stock herr, and we shall labor to ~dissipste this idea
through the summer. by incontrovertible facts, 1t may
be demanded that because the winter season Is 80 long
he,a the stock can never nav the ccst If fecd;nv VIII