Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise., 1925-07-18
AGRICULTURE
CROP ROTATION NECESSARY,
(By Edgar w. Cooley
Agricultural Extension Department,
international Harvester Co.

international Harvester Co.
Rotation of crops lessons the risk
of failure. 1t means diversifcation-
growing more than one kind of crop
or the farm. 1t increases the sources
of income. Farming is a business and
requires all of our energies intelli-
gently directed. 1t calls for more eff
ficient farm help because it means
steady employment.
The problem of securing efficient
farm help is often serious. In the
great wheat growing regions the har-
vest and threshing seasons demand
an army Of harvest hands. What is
ripe-the work must be done rapidly
or the crop will be lost. Thousands
of acres of wheat must be taken care
Of in short time. The whole is
scene of great activity. Men work
early and late and often sleep in the
fields.
There is much activity while the
crop is being removed from the land
and threshed but there is little ac-
Itivity after the transient labor is per-
formed and the army of harvest hands
leave for other parts.
One crop farming never pays for
any length Of time. 1t is all right for
a while-especially in pioneer reg
ions-but there is sure to come a time
when the system must be changed.
There is but one plan that is always
permanently successful-the diversi-
fication of crops. Poverty is always
the result of growing one kind of
crop, year after year, and hauling it
to market.
Crop rotation is the alternate grow
ing of three general classes of farm
crops-grain crops, grass or legume
crops, ond cultivated crops. The ro-
tation must be arranged to provide
the largest yields of grain, pasturage
and forage needed on the farm at
the least expense of labor and fer
tility.
Rotation systems must be adapted
to each farm or class of farms. The
needful things for good rotation are
that the yields to the acre be main
tained or increased; that humus be
kept in the soil; that the land be
kept in good physical condition and
reasonably free from weeds and in
sects. Legume crops (clovers) must
be grown and barnyard manure ap-
Iplid to keep up the supply of vege-
table matter. Cultivated crops and
good tillage are necessary to keep
out weeds and help put the soil in
good condition. These things are
naturally brought about by rotation
of crops.
In planting a system of rotation
observe the following things:
Rotate legume crops with grain
crops.
Plan to grow crops that will give
the largest net profit per acre.
Feed on the farm as large a portion
as possible Of the crops grown and
return the manure to the fields.
Raise the kind of live stock that
will bring the largst return, bearing
iE mind that as a constant money
maker good dairy cow has no su-
perior.
This is diversified farming and the
man who follows it cannot fail under
normal conditions. Under the worst
conditions he will not fail so utterly
as the one-crop farmer will fail, be-
cause if he has a few hogs, some
chickens and few dairy cows, he will
have grown a large portion of the
food needed by himself and family.
Rotation of crops is a protection
against insects and plant diseases.
Wherever these are found on a farm,
profits are reduced and failure will
result. The corn root worm, corn root
louise, chinch bug, Hessian fly, rust
and smut and many other plant dis
eases and insects enemies to crops
are the result Of growing the same
crop year after year without rotation.
These pests multiply to such an ex-
tent that it becomes impossible to
secure profitable returns from the
land.
Rotation of crops means live stock
on the farm. 1t means dairying. 1t
means an even distribution of farm
work, larger and more continuous
income, better and happier homes and
more efficient people.
EVERY FARM NEEDS POULTRY