Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1917-03-14
Agricultural Department
Conducted by C. w. agricultural Teacher
in BeIdfng High School


cause all rotations include cultivated
crops and the cultivation forms "a
mulch which prevents evaporation of
the soil moisture.
2. Rotation improves the physical
condition of the soil. The constant
growing of cultivated crops tends to
decrease the supply of vegetable mat
ter in the soil. Every rotation in
cludes some grass crop. These grass
crops grow two or three years and
form a sod which when plowed under
supplies the soil with vegetable mat
ter. Deep-rooted plants like clover
and alfalfa penetrate the lower layers
of the soil and when they die, not on
ly furnish organic matter but also
open up channels for the passage of
air and moisture.
3. Rotations conserve vegetable
matter because a good system of ro-
tation calls for the keeping of more
or less livestock to eat the bulky pro-
ducts of the farm. The manure from
this livestock will return a large
amount of vegetable matter to the
soil.
A. Rotations lessen damage from
insects and disease. Most insects
and diseases attack only one parti-
cular crop and increase very rapid
ly if the same crop is grown year af-
ter year on the same ground. How
ever, if another crop is grown the
disease or insects will not have the
proper plant to live on and will die
out. This aids in the control of in
sects and disease.
5. Rotations aid in keeping down
weeds. The grain crops offer a good
place for weeds to get started, but the
cultivated crops in the rotation afford
the opportunity to get rid of these
weeds and clean up the land.
6. Rotations insure returns because
while the season may be such as to
cause a complete failure of one crop,
it is very seldom that all crops fail.
Conditions that are unsuitable for one
crop may favor another. A wet spring
is unfavorable for some crops but hay
grows extremely well under such con-
ditions. Plant diseases may destroy
one crop but seldom destroy all the
crops in any one year. Diversity of
crops insures returns and prevents
financial disaster in case of extreme
ly low prices of any one crop.
z. Rotations increase crop yields
next crop. The cultivated crop puts
the soil in good condition and con-
serves the moisture for the small
grain crops. The crop fed on the
farm and the manure returned to the
soil helps the land and tends to make
bigger crops for the next year. The
grasses add vegetable matter to the
soil and the cultivated crops help to
10 Tho fa,-fi1ity ouailo hIa
8. Rotations distribute farm labor
This is a very important item in these
days Of high-priced and hard-to-get
labor. The growing of different crops
helps to distribute the labor more
evenly throughout the season. Small
grains are planted first and then the
cultivated crops. A little later comes
haying and their harvesting. Some
conflicts are bound TO occur but not
as many as would if we raised only
one crop. Then, too, the livestock
helps TO distribute the labor through
the winter when the crops require lit
tie or no attention.
g. Rotations systematic farm
operations. When a farmer follows
definite rotation he is able to plan
his work more definitely and to figure
more definitely on crop yields and in
come. By having a more uniform
distribution of farm labor throughout
the year a more permanent force is
required and instead of hiring large
number of men for a short time, few
men can be employed by the year.
This helps to solve the farm labor
problem.
The essentials of a good rotation
are: An intertilled crop, a crop for
cash returns, crop for feeding live
stock, and crop to increase the vege-
table matter and nitrogen. Some
crops may include two or more of
these essentials, but all essentials
must be observed.