Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-04-08
CHE farm aud fireside.
ROTATION OF CROPS.

The continuous cultivation OF the same
plant on the same soil, is violation of the
pr:mordial law of Nature, which, sooner or
later, she never fails to resent, as may be seen
in the exhausted, hedge grown, barren fields
in the older States.
We are indebted to Professor Stelle, of Ala
bama, for calling attention to French writer
who, half century since, demonstrated this
natural law Of rotation in terms as clear as
they are interesting.
In 1926 bureau de la Malta called the at
tention of scientific people to the phenome-
non of natural rotation in uncultivated plants.
From long observation of what takes place
in woods and pasture lands, be established
the fact that an alteration Of growth, as he
called it, occurs as natural phenomenon,
the grasses getting the upper hand at one
time and the legumes at another go that in
the course of thirty years he was a witness
of five or six such alterations.
In woodlands as is we'll known, similar
phenomenon is observable. The writer just
referred to relates how, after the Telling of
timber in forests Of particular district of
France, broom, fox.glove, heath, birch trees
and aspens spring up, placing the oaks, beech
and the ash felled by the woodman. After
thirty years the birch and poplars were fell
ed in their turn. Still, very few of the origi-
nal possessors of the soil, the oaks, &C., made
their appearance The ground was still occu-
pied with young birch and poplar. 1t is not
till after the repetition of the coppicing-
after an interval ofrpinety years-that the
oaks and beech rsconquer their original po-
A. IN -
the struggle begins again.
Antiquarian researches have proved also
that in the natural state of things, and with
out any violent change in external conditions,
the nature of forests become altered. The
Hercynian forests, of which Caesar speaks,
and which then consisted of deciduousl leaved
trees, are now made up principally of conf
fsrs. A forest which in the middle ages was
of Leech, is now stocked with oak, and vice
versa. Again, we have evidence afforded by
submerged forest and peat bogs. according to
which certain plants, now extinct in particu-
lar localities, once Aourished there. We are
not alluding to plants that may have acquired
different climate from what they now expe-
rience, but to such cases as the silver FIR, the
Scotch fir (Pinus muglius), &c., which are
found in partially fossilized condition in
spots where there is apparently nothing to
prevent them from growing now; where, in
fact. they do grow we'll when planted.
Foresters in all parts of the world are we'll
aware of these facts, and botanists watch with
interest the appearance of different veg
citation whenever some accident has interfered
with previously exciting conditions. .
When woods are cut down, when soil
from depth is laid on the surface, when ex-
tensive fires occur, when lakes are drained ;
in fact, when any sudden afteraction takes
place in external circumstances, then we may
expect to find corresponding change in
the vegetation. Que set of plants profit
by the change another suffers. 1t may be
asked, "Where do the new arrivals come
from ?" Sometimes no doubt, the seeds,
waited from distance, germinate. This is,
perhaps more especially the case with the
spores of fungi, whose extreme minuteness
favor their dispersion in this way. But it
often happens the facts Of the case will not
admit of such an Interpretation, and then
we can only fall back on the supposition that
the seeds or bulbs existed in the soil, but
under circumstances not favorable to their
development This is the case we know of
so far as relates to the pine country of the
lower South. When we have felled the pine
forest, the land at once grows up in oaks, and
the people wonder-hnw the oaks got there
so soon. A careful examination of the un-
disturbed pine forest will explain. All over it
you will find low oak runners held down by
the pines Remove the pines and up comes the
oaks ahead of all new pine growths, simply
for the reason that the land was entirely
ready for such rotation. The rotation
would eventually have come of itself.
Our farm operations are merely an insig-
nifcant imitation Of natures work in the
woods. If nature demands a rotation in
the growth of her forests, then she also
demands as much for our crops, and when
we decline to accede to these demands, we
are endeavoring to drive our work directly
against nature, which means working greatly
to our disadvantage all the time. 1t is like
pulling boat up stream against the current
of rapid river, when it would serve our
purpose equally as we'll to 60 down.-Cincin-
natl Times.
DIVERSITY OF CRoPs.-A diversity Of
o.ons 20 uhot ia most needed vet Southern