Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-11-30
Union AND AMERICAN
3 FARM AND GARDEN.
ROTATION OF CROPS.

1t may be set down as a fundamental law
of agriculture that the greater the rotation
of crops, other things being equal, the lar
ger the crop. De Candolle, Swiss chem
list, many years since commended that the ex-
udations from the roots Of one class of
plants unfit the soil for continuous repro
duction, and yet serve as nutriment from
plants Of a different growth. Whether his
theory is correct or not, we know That land
will not bear frequent repetition of the
same crop without showing signs of ex-
haustion. An apparent exception occurs in
the growth of the onion-the same land
near Weatherield, Conn, having been
planted in that vegetable for two centuries
without any apparent diniinution in the
yield. This, doubtless, results from the fire.
queft and continuous application of fertil-
izers. and from the fact that special ma
nures are found exactly suited for their
production.
The law, however, that crops should be
Constantly varied is general and manifeSts
itself as well in the growth of trees and
other vegetation as in the growth of corn
or wheat, and even to the keeping of ami
mails too long on the same land. We might
probably 20 further, and say that races of
people perish when confined too long TO the
same land. The North American Indian is
perisbing from the face of the earth; the
Picts and Scots were not able TO with
stand the shock of fresh life, nor could the
effeminate Roman resist the bounding blood
of the barbarian from the land of the "Inist
and the storm"
We know that wild forests of one descrip-
ton of trees are supplanted by those of a
different species. The land of an old or
chard becomes unfit for young one; a new
hedge viii not grow upon the site of a for
mer one; corn after corn viii increase in
shuck, and where grown successfully upon
this same land will not only diminish its
yield, but will become subject to all the dis
eases incident to this valuable cereal. Even
clover will refuse to grow upon land that
has grown it for many years. Cotton plan
ters and tobacco planters know how rapidly
land deteriorates by growing three crops
successfully. Manure will not prevent a
diminished yield on the same land. An
imperfect and diseased vegetation viii
surely follow a continuous plenty on the
same land.
Rotation, with subsoiiing and deep plow
ing, viii add millions of dollars to the wealth
of our farmers and we deeply regret to fine
50 many Of that valuable class in the cottoI
growing districts rotating their crop of cot
ton only with a crop of corn. The result i.
that thousands of acres are becoming so i'm
poveriShed that they will not pay the COS
OF cultivation, and are a dead weight upOI
their owners and upon the State and form
pictures Of deforrrity in the landscape. To,
y many one horse plows are used; too it'll
manure used; too little grass sown; to,
much cotton planted and too great an effor
made to cultivate large area of poor lam
instead of a small area ofrich land. Labo
is too high and too unreliable to be waste
in scratching poor land. Let it be concer
trated upon the rich soils and let the poe
soils be fell with clover until they are fat
tened.