St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1895-05-04
FARMER ANDPLANTER
PROFITABLE ROTATION.

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PROFITABLE ROTATION.
First Prise Essay by George lsaylGF, Of
West Virginia.
Ny land is limstone and clay. Farm
contains :36 acres, divided as follows:
One hundred and forty acres in culti-
walton, 20 timothy grass, G5 blue grass
permanent pasture-6 acres in cx-
pertinent lots, and residue in orchard.
yard, garden and barnyard. The l4t
acres in cultivation and the 20 acres of
timothy are in one inclosurc; no mid
die fences and not pasturcd. The cul-
tivated part is in three fields, setween
46 and 47acres each, and each year one is
in clover, one in corn and one in wheat.
These fields are long. and end ia near
the barn, causing small loss OF time in
going to and from fields. All cocks,
stumps and trees have been removed,
SO that all improved machinery can
easily and profitably be used.
My rotation is clover, CO. and
wheat. All barnyard manure in fall
and winter is put on clover sod prior
to breaking for corn in spring. Corn
being gross feeder, can gather nutri-
ment from coarse manure better than
wheat. The ground is carefully plowei
in the spring, when sufficiently dry,
narrowed and corn planted with Hoo
sier planter in rows feet inches
apart. No commercial fertilizer is
used, for none is needed. The Penn
sylVania cnltivator is used in cultiva-
tion. In September corn is cut and
put in stock rows S5 yards apart
The land between rows is fined and lew
eled by cultivator and harrow and
wheat drilled in latter part of Septem-
Der, without fertilizer, at the rate of
six pecks per acre. As soon as corn is
dry it is husked and stored in corn
house, the fodder hauled off and
stacked near barn, convenient for feed
ing. AS soon as fodder is removed
from corn rows the cultivator and har-
row are run over to fine and level
them. In the latter part of February
Or lst of March following, clover seed
ut rate of half peck to acre is
sown in growing wheat and on shock
rows. The wheat is cut in June, and
soon as practicable hauled off and
stored in barracks, SD as to prevent
the killing of young clover under the
wheat shocks. In August the mower
is run over the field, clipping the stub
bic, rag weed and tops Of the clover.
These clippings are left on ground and
act as mulch for the young clover.
Clipping the young clover makes it
spread and thicken. The early part of
June following this field is cut for hay,
making about 100 tons, and in early
part Of September is cut again for
clover seed.
My binder shed is within the 16O-
acre inclosure, and all implements are
stored convenient to work. A great
deal Of time and expense is saved by
doing away with middle fences, and
the land can be more easily kept clean.
The timothy field is permanent; cut
each year for hay, and hay sold in our
county town, which is close at hand.
This field is helped by manure from
town and an occasionally sowing of
plaster.
All fodder, straw, clover hay and
about half of the corn crop is fed on
farm to stock, keeping generally on
hand seven head Of horses. four cows,
sixteen steers and thirty hogs. The
other half of corn, the wheat, timo-
thy hay and large part of clover seed
is sold. as also the steers and hogs.
NY reason for this rotation are rs fol-
lows:
/. 1t eliminates commercial fertil-
izers and saves this expense and trou-
Ee, while at the same time the fcrtili-
ty of the land is being increased.
=. 1t obviatcs the necessity for sum-
mer plowing, producing wheat at the
lowest possible cost. and allows large
acreage of corn, a more profitable crop
My large permanent pasture field.
containing thh.ty-five acres, and in
which is fine spring and running wa
ter, is used for grazing steers, general
ly sixteen each year. These cattle are
bought in carly winter in Chicago
or southwestern Virginia, fed fod-
der, straw and ctOver hay during the
winter, grazed during spring, summer
and fall, stabbed and fed corn and
clover hay in late fall and early WIN
ter, and put on market in January, net
ting fair profit to me.
The other permanent pasture field,
containing thirty acres, is convenient
to barn and wind-pump, and is used for
grazing cows and horses The two
lots are used for wheat and corn ex-
pcriments, and for pasture. My hogs
are confined in apple orchard, and
make themselves useful there rs cul-
tivators and as grub and insect de-
stroyers. My wheat crop the present
year averaged over thirty bushels. and
corn nine barrels per acre, though the
latter was somewhat injured by
drought. Expect to reach forty bushels
Of wheat and fifteen barrels of corn.