The bee., 1883-12-29
Rotation Of Crops.
BY CHARLES t. PARSONS.

We found the old way of allowing
land to remain seeded to grass five or
six years and often more, all wrong for
US. Three years is long enough. Land
well titled In this way ought to yield four
tons to the acre every year for three
years. These remarks as to grass apply
to early cut; if it is allowed to stand till
it natures its seed, many benefits are
lost.
Our mode of rotation applied to 20
acres of tobacco, was as follows: As
soon as it was cut, we seeded down
twelve or fifteen acres with about eight
quarts of timothy seed to the acre. This
gave us five acres of old land for tobacco,
anu twelve or fifteen acres of timothy
turf. When the latter vas three years
old. it was plowed with double plow,
III August. We MANFRED about 80 loads
to the acre for tobacco, and top-dressed
the first fall on the grass one year old.
By this course our crop of hay has been
doubled.
Corn we rotate with rye for the sake
of getting crop of clover to plow under;
also because we can raise more corn with
compost, of which we have a plenty.
Tobacco stalks are very valuable and
should be used in rotation about five
years apart. All this crop, we find,
should be plowed under, if possible,
when green. Potatoes leave the land in
good order for any crop. Last season we
tried to rotate in buckwheat, intending
to plow it under. We sowed it about the
goth of July, after a fair crop of rye.
The crop was so good we harvested it;
it yielded about so bushels on three
acres, and, being on our poorest land, we
feel it has well earned good top-dress-
ing next spring. In blowing under rye
for manure we have not met with very
good success.
Let me here suggest that it seems Ma
ure has many strong arguments In favor
of rotation of crops. When boy often
wondered why the pines and soft wood
trees woulu grow and flourish so we'll
after the hard wood forests have passed
away. Science tells us that the one
takes from the soil the ingredients the
other does not require.
1t aIso tells US that wheat and rye
should follow a finely cultivated piece
of tobacco, which requires potash and
the various salts of potash and the ele-
ments of nitrogen and very small sup
ply of lime. Wheat is lime crop, tax
ing only % pounds of mineral matter to
a growth of % bushels to the acre and
leaving the land in good condition for
grass. Indian corn treated with ashes
and superphosphate of lime, followed by
rye or oats or wheat, is far better. Let
the roots be enriched by bone and phos-
phate of lime,
Money laid out in clover seed for the
farmer is always a good investment.
Sow it on your wheat and on your rye
and oats; also on your tobacco land.
Keep it growing wherever you can, as
it is the best substitute for weeds we
know of. If the grokth is heavy,
sprinkle on little plaster while the dew
is on before you plow it, and the result is
always favorable. As several valuable
ingredients of the crops we raise come
from the air, keep the land and the
plants in good condition to draw from
the source.
Rotations of crops depend upon kinds
of soil and the crop you wish to raise, as
we'll as the past treatment of the land.
No system of rotation can be adopted as
the best for all soils, climates, markets
| and the home wants. Nor will the most
scientific or successful rotation take the
place of manure or fertilizers, but only
help draw out the great possible returns.
Should we not always keep in view the
great fertility of GIr soil, and thereby
oblige two blades of grass to grow where
one grew before?