The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1862-02-19
ROTATION OF CROPS, AND THE REA-
SOM


The practice Of Agriculture consists Of 4
series Of operations, by which we endeayor
to raise from the land the most valuable pro-
duce it is capable Of yielding, with as little
cost as possible, and with the least injury to
the soil. An ignorant person might man
age to draw from the land very heavy crops
OF corn for short time, and in doing so he
might seriously damage the property. Where
as. another, possessing a practical knowl-
edge Of good systems, might succeed in re-
aliZing the same value of produce without
iniuring the character Of the land. Ii has
therefore, been accepted as an established
principle, that a judicious succession OF
crops is advantageous for aiding the Garner
to produce the best crops he can With The
least detriment to the land. Experience
proves TO every obserant person, that, pn-
der our ordinary practice, the repeated
growth Of any crop upon the same piece
produces a gradual decrease in the quantity
which the land is capable Of Yielding This
takes place more rapidly in some soils and
under some crops than others, but the same
fact stands out in all the light of an accept
ed truth. Now, to what causes can we trace
thisf The only two changes which this
plant can have produced in the soil are the
addition of nOxious matter and the abstrac-
tion Of fertilizing matter. Ii has been we'll
argued that plant, during the period of
its growth, having received from various
powers is supplies Of food. appropriated
for the purposes Of its own development
such matter as il required, and elected by
its roots, as excrementitious matter, that
which was Of no further use. II was fur
ther believed. that as the soil became more
and more fully charged with such excre-
mentitious matter, the growth Of the crop
became less luxuriant because Of the soil
being charged with that which was believed
not only TO be worthless for promoting the
plants growth, bur positively injurious. In
the case Of animals this i observed very
plainly; and the peculiar aversion which
beasts manifest 20 their various excrements
shows the means which Nature has planted
in each % lead them TO avoid that which
would be, not only useless, but really iniu-
rious. This explanation was very generally
accepted for many years, and il was a very
reasonable nude u explaining the obserya-
tions Of practice. II appeared to be corrob-
Grated by the fact that after the soil had
been exposed to the air by the process Of
cultivation, the land became swectened, as
they termed i, aud then was again ready for
the production OF the same crops whereas,
il the land were kept as much as possible
from the atmosphere, then the crop still
failed to be productive. Although this ex-
planation appeared very simple. yet, being
destitute OF satisfactory proof, il only held
this position until its successor came into
notice.
The claims Of il rival were based upon
the exhaustion of the land, and its princi.
pies are simple. Every crop removed from
the land, takes from ii certain quantity Of
mineral matter which the land had yielded
in its growth. Every successive crop of the
same plant having removed similar materi-
ais, the proportion Of these ingredients Of
the soil which remained was thus gradually
reduced BY every crop. II the soil were
rich, il could withstand the attack for lon
ger period Of time than il il were poor in
quality and this fact alone leads US TO see
the cause. II we have soil rich in the in
organic elements required by the crop, such
a soil would bear longer succession but,
II deficient in these mineral matters, aamore
speedy failure Of the crop Is The result.
should a soil possess some Of the ingredi-
ents 10 abundance, whilst others which are
essential to the growth Of the crop are def
cient, the productiveness Of the soil will be
regulated by the latter. Thus land NAV be
exhausted Of certain ingredients which the
crop requires, and consequently become in
capable Of producing it in luxuriancc, or
even in rcmuncratiye degree, whilst il
may still possess all the other ingredients in
abundance. For crops. therefore, which re-
lied upon those materials vet remaining in
the land, il would still be fertile or produc-
tive.
This explanation has been very generally