Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-11-13

former remedy, Is an expensive process /
and good rural economy requires that the
farm be so managed as to improve rather
than to exhaust the soil. dust thou art,
and unto dust thou shalt return" Every
thing ultimately turns to dust live take
from field crop of hay, and feed it in
winter to horses, cattle, sheep, &c, large
share of the crop is found in the manure
heap, and even that portion which enters
into the composition of the animal, will be
ultimately returned to the soil, by the
death and decay of the animal.
Even the greater portion of those ami
mails that constitute the food of man, to-
gether with all the grain consumed by the
human race, may be, and ought to be, re-
turned to the soil, in the form of poudrette,
manufactured from night soil. Then an
| important branch of rural economy con-
siSts in the best arrangement for, and most
economical methods of saving all the ex-
! crements of animals and men, and of re-
| turning them to the soil from which they
have been taken The subject ofmanures
| is q very extensive and important one.
| We propose to discuss it in its proper
| place. At present, however, it ia more
| particularly our object to discuss the best
methods ofmanaging the farm, with q view
to prevent the exhaustion of the sell, and
also to make the labor expended yield the
best returns.
Deep blowing, fall blowing, and green
manuring; that is, turning under a good
crop of clover, or other green crop, wher.
ever crop of wheat or corn is to be pro-
duced with a iudicious rotation OF crops,
and frequently resting the soil, by letting
it lie for year or two, or three, in grass,
are the means to be relied on for keeping
farm always fresh and good and if in
conjunction with this management, we
adopt the most economical and rational
method Of returning to the fields all that
have been taken from them, in the form of
manure, we shall have a farm that viii
be constantly increasing in its productive
ness The rotation of crops is an impor-
tapt thing claiming the farmers attention.
If we continue 10 SOW wheat on the same
4 field year after year, we shall find the
4 crops to deteriorate in quality, and grow
/ less in quantity from year to year, while
4 yet the soil is not exhausted as may be
4 verified by planting the same field in corn,
or sowing it in oats. 1t is only exhausted
4 of some Of the elements necessary for the
successful production of that particular
crop; hence as a general rule, we should
not attempts raise the same crop from the
same field for two years in succession, un-
less we are prepared to give it an unusual
dressing of manure. It is true corn has
been raised successfully in some localities,
for fifty or sixty years in succession, but it
is only where lands are subject to overflow,
and thus receive a top dressing in the
shape of a deposit from one to six or ten
| inches of mud every now and again. A
soil of unusual depth and fertility may
| produce corn well for several years in sue
/ cession, without the aid of these deposits !;
| but unless soil be unusually rich, our
rule should be rigidly adhered to.
i Rotation of crops should be the rule,
/ and this rotation beginning with cropof
| wheat, or corn, should always end in a
crop of clover, or other grass, and rest
/ Of two or three years, after having taken
4 off two, or at most three crops of the
various grains; corn, wheat, rye, barley
and oats are the most exhaustive of land
and their relative powers of exhaustion
are perhaps fully represented in the order
1 in which we have enumerated them To
carry out the principles thus far enun-
ciated, the farm should be divided into q
sufficient number of fields to allow of the
rotation of crops suggested and at the
same time, Of keeping one-half OF the
whole area of the farm in grass for hay,
pasture and sward, to be turned under for
the production of the grains and roots
that we may desire to raise Root crops
are very valuable for purposes that we
have before indicated in these papers; and
like the soft woods, they derive a large
share of their nourishment from the at
mosphere, and consist largely of water ;
i hence they are easy crops on the soil--
good economy then will not overlook their
i nrod11ction Thu rnaua raynant nf fha