Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1872-01-29

soil:
G.. ". .Seacer.-I do not know what
is the best rotation but know what crops
exhaust the soil most. | think potatoes
exhaust the soil more than any other
crop we raise have noticed on my
farm, land on which | planted part corn
and part potatoes, MANFRED alike when
seeded that where the potatoes were, new
er produced as much hay as where plant
ed to corn. There is a great difference
in the soil of your farms; some IS strong
er than other and does not show such
marked difference | know of piece
of new land part of which was planted
to potatoes which since seeded has been
almost worthless, while the rest of the
piece has cut heavy grass ever since. L
have noticed where | have saved grass
seed that | never cut as much hay from
the piece as on that adjoining. Barley
[ think exhausts the soil as little as any
crop, and prefer it to seed with rather
than oats.
l. ID. Il. C0LtnS.-In some sections
of the country they follow rotation more
than we do here In England they have
a strict rotation. Some of our land is
better adapted to wheat than other crops.
The soil that contains lime is good for
wheat and turnips, therefore we should
not follow turnips with wheat for both
draw the phosphate from the soil. 1t
will not do to plant one piece year af-
ter year, as the crop draws an element
from the soil which the crop needs. We
must have rotation which will improve
our soil. My plan has been to break up
my land, SOW oats, next year plant what
/ wish with corn, potatoes and roots,
next follow with wheat.
G. f. Sprag'te.-I think potatoes the
most exhaustive crop we raise; | have
noticed that we do not get good crops of
grass after potatoes Oats are an ex-
haustive crop but not as much so as po-
tatoes. On our uplands | think we have
got to study a long time to find the best
rotation. My rotation has been to break
up land when to poor to NOW; SOW oats
and plant, to be followed by wheat.
have not been successful with wheat I
tried Horace Greely's advice to pillow my
manure in deep and as l manure heavy,
my wheat rusts and lodges badly and
hence | have discarded wheat and adopt
ed barley instead and as | cannot hoe
all the land l have up, [ manure and
SOW barley and seed with or without g
crop. Our soil is so various | think We
cannot establish q rotation. In those
parts of the country where they rotate
they must pillow their land no matter i
it produces two tons of hay to the acre
they must take up their land just so of
ten. Our wet land require different
rotation than our dry don't think i
economy to pillow in good crop of clover
think it better to cut and house it anC
feed to stock and return in the form O.
manure. Clover is treacherous crop
the drouth kills it and it winter kills
and we cannot count on that as mean
of enriching our farms. In speaking o
the English rotation we cannot be to tn
expense which they are as labor is S
much higher here than it is there; al
though they raise larger crops and max
it pay. But their rotation will not d
for us here | think the reason why on
land runs out so soon is that we let GU
grass stand till it is too ripe. If W
: would cut our grass before the seed forms
We should keep up the fertility of til
soil longer, and the crop would be wort
{ more.
N. Root.-Grass is the crop for US
raise. We cannot hire help to rails
, grain. We must rotate to improve OF
grass crop. When we get good stan
of grass not pillow it up, or pillow in
i good crop to enrich the soil. think "
=, do not raise turnips enough; think the
exhaust the soil as little as any crop
. they should follow in rotation with OF
other crops. We should rotate 50 as
u get into grass as quickly as possible, n
. have up piece more than two years.
u am not troubled with clover dying out.
=, ". j. Hastings should get o
:. land into grass as soon as possible.
:, think it good policy on our dry land
-. seed on the sod, with OF without CT
e of grain. The sod remaining invested
valuable to after crops.
c. d. ". 'S2mpS0n.-l think the Engll
to rotation will pay here; plow deep al
to raise more roots. We need more N
~ nure. If we raise more roots we C
keep more stock, and the more stock
& keep the more manure we can make.
We N. Root.-Buckwhea is good CT
lie to pillow in; there is no crop that W
he make the soil so mellow and light.
d. G. r. Sprague.-We can keep up
ge fertility of the soil better by putting c
er crops into the barn, and feeding tn
ed out, than by blowing them in.
IN j. McAMster.-My method is to |
~ on as few crops as l can to get back