Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-10-04
agricultural.
Rotation of Crops.

nOtdtiOh Va &iOtS.
In order to render the action oi manure
more effectual and secure the greatest posi-
HE amount of produce from a given quantity
of aliment, and. at the 81 me time, insure
increase of productive energy in the soil cu-
tivated, d system of rotation, or rather Q VI
riety of systems, has been introduced.
4 proper rotation of crops is considered IN
England 1" "a the most prominent feature in
good farming; as tine most important partI
cular that has been treated of by modern
writer's on husbandry, and the subject on
which they have thrown the greatest light;
"a capable of furnishing considerable IN
crease to the production of the land pc
culiarly constituting what may be called The
soul. or essence of husbandry; In short, as
the true ground work of general improve
ment ~ and If well understood, as the most
likely means of promoting the cause of agri
culture and the interests of the country. 1t
cannot, indeed be represented in too import
ant light, nor too infinitely examined its
object being to ascertain, - tint mode OF
management, Uhich IS the most likely, for a Sc
res Of years, 10 yield the greatest qGdat'ty
of useful produce, at the smallest comparative
erpease and risk, from any .giuen eatenf Of
land
We will not attempt now to discuss the
principles of these systems or the analogies
upon WHICH tneV arc preulcdISu Inc lOiIOV-
ing course, however, although far from en-
bracing all the products involved in thorough
course as prescribed by the British and Ger
man culturists, have been found highly favor
able in our climate, and in many instances
have been productive of most excellent results.
]. LIST year, Corn and roots well MANFRED;
I'd d" Wheat sown with clover seed
fifteen pounds per acre.
Sd = Clover, one or more years &C.
cording to the amount of ma
nure on hand
II LIST Corn and roots with all the
manure
ID :. Barley and peas
Sd :. Wheat sOwn with clover;
4th '' Clover one or more years
I'LL. LIST - Corn and roots with all the ma
nures;
ID Barley,
81 Wheat. sown with clover
18th :. Pasture
5th : Moving;
9th :. FallOW
It'll - Wheat
Sth - Oats, sOwu With clover.
9th :. Pasture or moving.
Is will be observed that in each course, the
number of fields corresponds exactly with the
number of changes, and that, in the first. Their,
are three. in the second four. and in the third
nine
The adoption of I, judicious system OF rota
ton requires some important pre- requisite
in all cases. and the division of farm int,
fields or separate enclosures which j. requisite
where pasturing constitutes one of the chan
yes, will generally he found too expensive TO
most farmers, and especially for such as pos
sess limited means; yet that the principle
on which the practice is based. clearl
philosophical, few persons, IL il presumed
Will for moment doubt
IL is a general practice, all over New Eng
land, not to cultivate the same crop ON tn
IAN, land, two or three years in succession
All, therefore, practice rotation in their crops
but do not extend il into :. well-define
ystem-
Human wisdom has not yet discovered an
means whereby We can tell all that is lackin
in any soil, which certain crop requires
A careful analysis of the soil may show u
something near what Is wanted, and be of e.
sential service. But such process would
too tedious and expensive. 1t has been prove
in a thousand cases, that changing the Gro
ensures decided advantages and this is on
cheapest and easiest mode of proceeding.
For instance we sow a crop whose want
are largely OF potash but the soil aboands i
j,nse and has little potash. On another farm
a crop is put in which demands lime, but til
SOIL Is Oenclent IN tudt, anu ide large SUI
ply of potash. In both these instances, ther
is loss, because We do not know what the 30
contains, and what the plant requires.
Prof Johnston, In one Of his lectures show
,chy a rotation Of crops il necessary. II
says Suppose the soil to contain a certain a'
erage supply of all those inorganic substance
which plants require, and that the same cor
crop is grown upon it for a long series ofyeal
this crop will carry off some of these sui
stances in larger proportion than others, S
that year by year the quantity of these whic
are thus chiefly carried off will become reia
lively less Thus, at length the soil for wan
of these special substances, will become ur
able to bear a corn crop at all, though it ma
still contain large store of the other inol
ganic substance which the corn crop does nc
specially exhaust Suppose bean or turni
crops, raised in like manner for a successio
of years, they would exhaust the soil of dill
ferent set of substances till it becomes unabl
to grow them proitably, though still rich pei
haps in those things which the corn crop es
pecially demands.
But grow these crops alternately, the
the one crop will draw especially upon on
class of substance, the other crop upon an
other and thus much larger crops of eac
will be reaped from the same soil, and for
longer period of time. ~. E. Former.