The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1869-09-10
About the Rotation of Crops.


down specific rules Tor the rotation
of the crops Of farm but there are
so many circumstances which render
it necessary TO deviate from any
fixed directions, that it seems 10 US
much more useful L. state the prin
ciples upon which the necessity for
rotation is based, Than to attempt to
prescribe definite rules. There are
various objects TO be attained by
mesns of rotation. The most i'm
portant of these are the improvement
OF the condition of the soil and the
adjustment oi the demand for labor.
All other matters are Incidental,
although, of course, the question OF
the sale OF crops, that is, the produc
ton Of taat which will yield the most
money without iDjary TO the LAID, is
of the utmost consequence.
1t is perfectly well known by all
farmers who know anything, that the
raising of the same crop-unless,
indeed, it be permanent pasture
grasses-for many successive years
or the same land, gradually Injuries
lis quality. Not only are certain
elements of fertility that the soil
contains, removed out of all proper
tion to the quantity OF other availa-
BILE elements that The crop requires
bat, as each crop is attended by its
peculiar weeds and its peculiar in
sects. these incidental drawbacks to
the success of our operations are
fostered in increasing degree in pro
portion to the length OF time during
which single crop is grown. There.
fore, we should constantly aim to so
alternate our cropping, that, while
this years crop may make an exces-
sive demand on the phosphoric acid
of the soil, that of the next year
may require less of this ingredient,
and more of some other; and so that
the weeds that IRE induced by the
growth of this years crop may, by
the more thorough cultivation of the
next year, be exterminated. 1t will
be found in practice that the greater
the number of different crops that
enter into the rotation, provided they
are all such as can be grown with
success and disposed of with Ger
tainty, the better will be the ultimate
result and especially should clover
or some other deep-rooted plant find
prominent place in the shift, for
these plants obtain large amount of
nutritive matter from the subsoil,
which on their decomposition they
Weld to the surface soil, while the
decay of their deeper roots opens
inviting channels for the descent of
the roots of more delicate plants.
1t is not always-indeed, not gen
erally,-possible 10 adopt such a
system of rotation as shall develop
the greatest possible productive Ca
pacity of the land, even in those
cases where the supply of manure is
ample for the purpose. The reason
for this is that some of the more pro-
ductive crops require large amount
of manual labor, and also that the
chief labor required by two entirely
different crops may fall due on the
same day. 1t is necessary, therefore,
to take into consideration the amount
of labor that given area of any crop
will require st any particular period
and matters should be adjusted, so
far as possible (due allowance being
made for bad weather., in such way :
that, from the first opening of spring, J
until the final setting in of winter, the
regular force of the farm may be con-
employed; and also that the
for extra labor, that .
attends all systematic
during certain seasons, may
be surely met by the supply of tran
sient men within reach. For in
stance, the raising of roots acd cab |,
bages, winch are highly important,
not only as yielding very valuable
addition to the stock of winter food,
bat as greatly improving the soil
their high cultivation and the
rich manuring that they need, requires
that a very large amount of hand
labor be done at the precise time )
when the getting in of hay calls for /,
every moments labor of the regular
farm force and, consequently, the
extent of these crops must be limited
almost exactly by the amount fhelp
the neighborhood affords,-due ac-
count being taken of the services of
women and children, who, for this |,
work, sre even better than men,,
american Agricnit,rist.