The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-01-21
ROTATION OF o

Much has been written on the
subject of crop rotation, but we think
it's importance is not fully understood.
The celebrated "f~our-course system
of rotation" in England-wheat, tur-
nips, barley and clover, followed again
by wheat-is supposed to be based on
the principles of not having two grain
crops follow one another. It's general
adoption for nearly a hundred years
is, however, probably due more. to the
convenience of doing the work than
to the supply of the desirable plant
food for the different crops.
One of the most popular systems of
rotation in the winter-wheat sections
of this country is: first, corn or pota-
toes; second, oats or barley; third,
wheat; fourth, clover or grass, fol-
lowed again by corn. Here we have
three grain crops in succession. But
the rotation is so convenient that it is
not easy to improve upon it. The
most serious objection to it is that it
will not clean land as rapidly as is de-
sired by a farmer who starts on a ne
elected, rundown, weedy farm. If
the land is clean to start with, it can
be kept clean. But there is a great
deal of land where, instead of oats or
barley, IN occasional summer fallow
is needed. If the work on the fallow
is thoroughly done, and what is sown
in the fall with timothy grass at the
same time, with the wheat and clover
in the spring, we can hope to get a
large crop of wheat, and, what is of
less consequence, we have every reason
to expect a heavy crop of grass and
clover-and there is nothing that
cleans and enriches land like a smoth-
ering crop of grass and clover. AS
before said, when land is once clean
and in good condition, the rotation
we have mentioned Will enable a good
farmer to keep it clean.
In breaking up the scotland for
corn, potatoes or beans, it is not al
ways best to pillow it in the fall. Let
the grass grow in the fall and winter,
and get well started in the spring.
| Then plow well and fallow with an
acme, or disc, or cutaway harrow, and
make the surface as mellow as posi-
BILE. Drill in the corn, and, as soon
as the rows can be seen, keep the
cultivators running until the land is
as mellow and clean as an onion-bed.
| After the corn is cut, if there are any
weeds, we decidedly recommend fall
blowing.
Corn is a grain crop, but it is also
what the English call their turnip:
ga fallow or cleansing crop" After
corn comes barley or oats, and the
moment this crop is off the ground
all experienced farmers stick in the
plow. Do not delay a single day.
Last season, owing to wet weather,
our oats were not all harvested until
the middle of August, while barley
was off two or three weeks earlier.
This is one principle a why
barley is considered a better crop to
precede wheat than oats. We can
plow so much earlier and have a longer
time to season the land and expose
the upturned surface to the sun and
air. The most important point, how
ever, is good blowing. The land is
apt to be very hard and dry, especially
on the clayey portions. This clayey
land, if drained, is the best part of the
the field for wheat, but is the very
part that a careless plowman is likely
to skim over, and if he does so, no
after treatment will get it into good,
mellow and moist condition for the
seed. Such land should be plowed
deep enough to get down to the moist
soil.
But our object is not to give details
of cultivation. We merely wish to
allude to the advantages of a good
rotation of crops-especially with
reference to cleaning the land and
doing the work at a time when we
have leisure to do it weIL-American
AgricuHurist.