The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1875-11-18
he Rotation OF Crops.

WHAT should be the purpose of a rota-
ton Of crops: Should it be to take out of
the soil every element which can support
vegetation, or should it be the object to
fill the soil with these elements. To re
store, to improve, to make the land more
productive:
No farmer will admit thath he is exhaust
ing his land, though he may be Obliged TO
acknowledge that he does not get as large
crops as he once did What is the reason
for this Ii is because some element Of
fertility, or elements, have been used out
and the land cannot turn out SO large q
growth. A prosperous, vigorous plant
may be compared to a prosperous man.
As a man grows in wealth and finds him
self surrounded with an abundance Of the
means Of life his wants increase rapidly,
and as he reaches out and finds plenty
within easy grasp new want grow out,
and everywhere they find s~ustenance and
qualification. 4 plant in a rich soil seems
TO desire to take up all within its reach
it sends out new roots, double the number
it would if it grew in a poor, thin soil
and grasPs and consumes and produces a
heavy yield. Il is the purpose OF a good,
proper rotation to keep the so1l in this
condition, and this should be the purpose
of good farming everywhere.
As the most important element in the
growth OF plants is nitrogen the first Oh
iect in any rotation should be to see that
those plants which yield this in greatest
quantity should be introduced most freely
and often. The air and the soil are the
stOre-hOuses of nitrogen in the forms of
ammonia and nitric acid. Seventy-seyen
parts by weight of the atmosphere is nitro
gen; and among agricultural chemists
there is a perfect agreement as to the at
mOsphere being a source Of nitrogen as
plant food. Different plants require diff,
terent proportions of nitrogen but when
VIZ undertake to grow maximum crops
throughout "A rotation we must by some
artificial means supply a portion of the
nitrogen required.
In some seasons and in some localities
the atmosphere would supply all the
nitrogen a crop might need, yet 1t would
not he prudent to trust to such favOring
combinations 1t is getting to be more
than a dubious experiment to trust to the
seasons for the moisture Il arabic crops
need, and the means Of supplying this
necessary element artiiCially is beginning
to be earnestly sought after BY agriCult-
wrists in many places.
The atmosphere yields nitrogen, and
decaying organic matter in the soil yields
nitrogen. As it is not prudent to trust to
the former source alone, We must seek to
keep a supply always On hand in the soil.
And it is of the first importance to pro-
vide it for the young plant in its earlier
stages Of growth, for its presence aids in
the formation of cells, roots and leaves,
and thus it gives the young plant a Wig
orous start. 1t is stated by Weiska that
the nitrogen left upon the soil by the stub
bic and roots of a good average crop per
acre of red clover amounts to $50 pounds:
OF lupine, to So pounds; OF peas, to 80
pounds; of buckwheat, to As; Of rye, 90
pounds; of oats, %; barley, %; of wheat,
% pounds. These figures correspond with
the practical experience of most farmers
who have taken any pains to observe and
compare the results of their varied farm
operations. 1t is apparent from these ex-
periments of DIR. Weiska that clover,
peas, buckwheat, rye, ETC., enrich the soil
with nitrogenous plant food, and should
be introduced into al-rotations as fire.
quently as possible.
Yet further, we cannot rely on these
crops for a full supply Of nitrogen as plant
food. We cannot dispense with stable
manure in the course of a single rotation
and expect to get maximum crops every
year and keep the soil fully up to the
highest standard of profit and excellence.
If we do we neglect one of the most es-
sential conditions of any rotation. A TO-
tatiOn without manure is not a proper rO-
tation .-DG70tt Tribune.