Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1917-09-22
ROTATIONS FOR WHEAT
Adopt Cropping System This Fall to In
sure Larger Production of the
Needed Cereal.

| range lutlT CTOp TOldtlOnS-HOW Iuel
select fields for planting to wheat thi
fall. In special publications soon to b,
issued, wheat specialists of the United
States Department of Agriculture will
call attention to the importance of rota
tions in the greater wheat production
plan.
Mention crop rotations to a farme
| who does not practice them systematic
ally and he is likely to get the impres
sion that such system of farming il
rather an unnecessary complicated
round And yet, once understood, M
theory of farming is simpler or NOR,
logical or more necessary, the specialist
point out.
What happens when land is cropped
continuously to wheat is a depletion 0
soil fertility, deterioration in the physi
cal condition of the soil, accumulation o
plant diseases in the soil, increased
growth of weeds, mixtures of varieties
and lowering yields of poorer quality
Even if soil fertility and a fairly gooC
physical condition of the soil are main
tanned by the addition of chemicals
continuous cropping is not advisable or
account of its cost and the further rea
sons mentioned.
Rotations for Eastern States.
A simple rotation for successful wheat
production in the Eastern States should
include legune such as clover, COW
peas, or soy beans, and a cultivated
crop. Legume crops are used in rota
tions because they gather nitrogen in
| the air and store it in the soil and also
because they help maintain the supply
of humus, The clovers aud vetch in
the Northern States and cowpeas, soy
beans, velvet beans, vetch and crimson
clover in the Southern States are the
principal legumes which may be used
for this purpose. Vetch usually is grown
with rye in the East and South. In
many of the humid areas rotations in
which corn, tobacco, cowpeas, or soy
beans precede wheat are practicable.
A good rotation especially for the
northern part of the eastern wheat re.
gion is corn, oats, wheat, clover, and
timothy. This may be modified by the
omission of oats or timothy, or both
Cowpeas or soy beans may be substituted
very profitably for oats in many locali
ties where oats do not pay, or whea
may be grown twice in succession To
bacco may be substituted for oats il
tobacco-growing localities and barley
may be used as substitute in other
places. 1t is being recognized, special
lists declare, that wheat after cowpeas or
soy beans is more profitable than after
corn; hence rotation of corn, cowpeas
or soy beans, wheat and clover is advis
able where these legumes are adopted.
On soils suitable for wheat in the
northern part of the cotton belt this ro
tation is suggested Cotton, with Grim
son clover sown at the last cultivation
anu piOWcu uuuSi Tue IOllONl luS spring
This is followed by corn, with cowpea,
| sown between the rows at the last cult
vation. Wheat then is planted followed
| by cowpeas, which in turn are followed
| oy rye for cover and green manure. The
| cowpeas following the wheat crop may
be cut for hay or they may be disked il
or plowed under as green manure.
Cropping System for Southern States.
Wheat should be grown only in rota
tion with legumes and cultivated crop.
in the Southern States. Local condi
tons should determine the rotation and
ever possible wheat should follow some
legume crop, such as cowpeas or soy
beans, as better yields are obtained after
| these crops than after corn.
In the southern part of the cotton
belt, where the boil weevl is a seriou.
pest, the following rotation is giving good
results:
| First year.-Cotton. The cotton stalks
plowed under early and wheat sown.
| Second ear.--Wheat, followed b,
cowpeas or soy beans to be cut for hay.
| Third year.-Corn aud velvet beans
Beans and cornstalks pastured and turn
ed under in early spring for cotton
Good farm practice under boil weevi
conditions requires that the cotton stalks
be plowed under as soon as the bolls ar,
all open and picked, care being taken t.
cover the stalks completely in order I,
destroy the insects. The land shoulC
then be gone over with roller and th,
wheat sown with a disc dril. Harrow
ing is not advisable, as it unearths tn,
buried stalks.
When velvet beans are grown will
corn, which is the common practice il
much of the southern half of the cottol
belt, wheat can not be sown in tn
standing corn neither can the crop b
removed in time for fall seeding. 1t |
necessary then that wheat follow som
other crop than corn. Fortunately, bet
ter yields of wheat can be expected fol
lowing cotton than after corn.
For the northern part of the cottol
belt the rotation may be as fellows
Q) Cotton, with crimson clover sow
at the last cultivation and plowed unde
the following spring.
(2) Corn, with cowpeas sown between
the rows at the last cultivation.
(3) Wheat, followed by cowpeas, fol
lowed by rye, to be turned under in tn
spring. The cowpeas following th
wheat crop may be cut for hay, or the
may be dsked in or plowed under a
} green manure.
In tobacco growing sections whss
may follow tobacco in the rotation,