Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1900-12-31
OUR FARMERS.
SOME SHORT ROTATIONS.

Prof. Thomas Shaw makes the fol-
lowing suggestions in regard to rota-
tons:
It will not be possible to give rota-
tions that will apply equally to all
sections of even single county, where
the soil conditions differ, neverthe-
less the following short rotations are
submitted IN the hope that each will
be found helpful in some part of its
wide agricultural empire. They are
only few among the many that may
be given. 1. Follow clover with corn,
and with any kind of small grain that
may be desired. This years rotation
is one of the simplest and best that
can be adopted in any country. Like
the brook, it might go on forever,
were it not for the fact that the supply
of phosphoric acid and potash in the
soil might run low sometimes, where
the fertility in the clover is taken
away from year to year. But in local
tiles where clover is not an assured
success, this rotation cannot be prac-
ticed as already intimated. 2. Grass
grown two or three years. That is to
say, meadow one year or two, and
pasture the remainder of the time.
Follow with corn and then two crops
of grain in succession. This gives a
five years. rotation. Any kind of
grass will answer that make good hay
and give good pasture. Grass grown
thus for three years will form a sod
on the top of which three crops of
grain, that is, one Of corn and two of
small grain, may be grown before the
influence of the deeaying grass roots
is gone. In this rotation the hazard
Of losing a stand of grass comes only
once in five years. 3. Grass one, two
or three and COW peas or soy beans
are grown the same year, and both
may be pastured. In this rotation are
two cleaning crops, viz, the corn and
the COW peas or soy beans, and the
4. Pasture, corn, grain two Or three
times. The duration of this rotation
will depend on the duration of the
pasture. 1t has special adaptation to
those localities where grazing is profit
able and where such abiding grasses
as blue grass and orchard grass grow
freely. In growing the grass, mix
ture may be sown as of clover, timothy
and orchard grass. The crop may be
moved if desired for one or two years,
and then pastured. This rotation is
eminently labor saving. The weak
ness in it lies in the proneness of in
scots to breed in the grass and make
trouble when the pasture is broken
up, and the proneness of parasites in
furious to sheep to make such a pas
ture their abiding home. 5. Summer
fallow followed by wheat, wheat,
wheat. This rotation is for the farmer
who persists in growing to partially
renovate it, for, when he fallows it,
he should buy two green crops, one Of
which should be legune, as for in
stance peas. Those farmers who till
soils brinfull of the fairness of past
ages will be prone to say that buying
two crops thus will force such a
growth that would lodge and be ruined
answer, if they were to say that to
their sheep, the latter would bleat
back at them derisively for not know
ing enough to allow them to Craze on
the wheat during the early stages of
its growth, to prevent it from being
too rank and strong. And it should
be stated that in the above rotations
field roots and potatoes May at any
time be given the place occupied by
the corn.