Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1895-02-19
CAPT. RayIor's Prize Essay.
4 pnor1rABLE ROTATION.

s.
NV land is limestone and clay.
Farm contains 286 acres. divi ded as
follows: 40 acres in cultivation, 20
Timothy grass, 60 blue grass-per-
monent pasture, 6 acres in expert
ment lost. and residue in orchard,
yard. garden and barn yard. The
| i4o acres in cultivation and the 20
acres of timothy are in one inclosure );
mo middle fences and not pastured.
The cultivated part is in three fields
between 46 and "A acres each, and
each year one is in clover, one in
corn and one in wheat. These fields
are long and one end is near the barn
causing small loss of time in going
| to and from fields. All rocks, stumps
and trees have been removed, so that
all improved machinery can easily
and profitably be used.
/ NY rotation is clover, corn and
wheat. All barn yard manure in
Fall and Winter is put on clover sod
prior to breaking. for corn in Spring.
Corn being gross feeder, can gather
untriment from coarse manure better
than wheat. The ground is care
fully plowed in the Spring, when
Isufficiently dry, narrowed and corn
tplanted with Hoosier planter in rows
3 feet 6 inches apart. No CONNER
cial fertilizer is used for none is
needed. The Pennsylvania cultiva-
tor is used in cultivation. In Sep
TENDER, corn is cut and put in shock
rows So yards apart. The land
between rows is fined and leyeled by
cultivator and harrow and wheat
drilled in latter part of September,
without fertilizer at the rate of 6
lpecks 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
feeding. AS soon as fodder is re-
moved from corn rows, the cultiva-
tor and harrow are run over to fine
and level them. In the latter part
of February or first of March follow
ing, clover seed at rate of ! peck to
acre is sown in growing wheat and on
shock. The wheat is cut in June,
and soon as practicable hauled off
and stored in barracks, so as TO
prevent the killing Of young clover
under the wheat shocks. In Au-
gust, the mower is run over the field,
. clipping the stubble, rag weed and
, tops of the clover. These clippings
are left on ground and act rs a 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 160
acre Enclosure 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 occasional sowing
of plaster.
All fodder, straw, clover hay and
about J of corn crop is fed on farm
to stock, keeping generally on hand
head of horses, 4 COWS 16 steers
and 80 hogs. The other half of corn
the wheat, timothy hay and large
part of clover seed is sold, as also
the steers and hogs.
\ My reasons for this rotation are
as follows: 1t eliminates COM
mercial fertilizers and saves this
expense and trouble, while at the
same time the fertility of the land is
being increased.
1t obviates the necessity for Sum-
mer blowing, producing wheat at the
lowest possible cost and allows a
larger acreage of corn, q more pro-
fitable crop.
My large permanent pasture field
containing 80 acres, and in which is
fine spring and running water, is
used for grazing steers, generally 16
each year. These cattle are bought
in early Winter in Chicago or South
western Virginia, fed fodder, straw
and clover hay during the Winter,
grazed during Spring, Summer and
Fall, stabbed and fed corn and clover
hay in late Fall and early Winter and
put on market in January, netting q
fair profit to me.
The other permanent pasture field
containing so 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
experiments and for pasture. My
hogs are confined in apple orchard
and make themselves useful there as
cultivators and as grub and insect
destroyers. My wheat crop the
present year averaged over 80 bushels
and corn barrels per acre though the
latter was somewhat injured by
drought. Expect 10 reach 40 BUSH
els of wheat and Is barrels of corn.
The Proner Time